Peggy Swink; New Member and new to raising chickens

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peggyswink

peggyswink

In the Brooder
5 Years
Joined
Oct 11, 2014
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12
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Location
Jerico Springs,Missouri
My husband and I have had chickens before, but just for eggs and meat. We got them at the feed store and they were just chicks. We got them grown and only lost 2 out of 50. 28 turned out to be roos; we had them butchered at locker plant that does chickens on certain days. They were recorded as 28, so we got back 28. Not our chickens, they were so tough a crock pot couldn't help. that will never happen again. Our hens were awesome. We had eggs every day in their pen. We didn't have nest boxes so they layed on the floor. Our house for them was an old semi trailer on the ground. We fenced a good size area for them to run. It was great, until we had to move to town... We now live in a small town, where we bought a house; NO more moving! Our garage has a small attached building on one side. My husband was going to put his grill, mower, Etc... in there. He told me since the building is already there with doors that will lock, I should make it my chicken house. I almost cried. Now I can start planning my brood. I know we will need to fence it for their run and add nest boxes but, does anyone have ideas to help finish our project? My Mom said to build two caged in areas at each corner of our building for adult and smaller ones. The adult side with nest boxes and roosts with a door to open to feed, water, gather eggs and let them out in the run. The other side for babies and small chicks with a door to keep adults out. On that side we will have a brooder with heat lamps and when they are big enough, that area will be for them to run around.{ A small part of that side will be brooder area to keep chicks coming as the others get bigger. That will take a lot more thought and planning.} I don't know if we should close the top of the run or not. But that is our ideas for now. Oh, breeds; My husband wants brown egg layers and I want Silkies, Cochins, Brahmas, Polish, Easter Eggers, Ameraucana, Maran and possibly Bantams { which take on a whole other list because they can be a small version of the bigger breeds I would like to have.}
But, inside coop first, then fence the outside and then my chicks and later chickens. Thank you for listening. Any and all ideas and suggestions are welcome.
 
Welcome to BYC! Please make at home and we are here to help.

Yay! More chickens! They sure are addictive!

Sounds like the shed idea will work fine. Just make sure that it has proper ventilation and is predator proof. Here are links on that
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/chicken-predators-pests-how-to-protect-treat-your-flock
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...-go-out-there-and-cut-more-holes-in-your-coop

Those are great breeds! Silkies, polish and cochins are not good layers just so you know. They are more known for their plumage, friendly personalities and broodiness. EEs, marans and brahmas are good layers, generally friendly and docile and all around great breeds! Another thing you should know is that you probably will not find pure bred Ameraucanas. They are extremely rare. So EEs are a safer bet.

Buff orpingtons are my favorite breed. They are gentle, affectionate and friendly. Plus they lay large, brown eggs daily which your husband will probably like.

You should also check out our learning center.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center

Good luck and glad you joined!
 
Thank you. I didn't know about who lays eggs better. I do like orpingtons. Now what is the difference between Ameracauna and Aracana? I think EE's are different also, right?
 
peggyswink said:
Thank you. I didn't know about who lays eggs better. I do like orpingtons. Now what is the difference between Ameracauna and Aracana? I think EE's are different also, right?
Click to expand...
This is a very frequently asked question. Ameracaunas, Aracanas and EEs are all simliar. However, EEs are not a "real" breed. They are more of a "mutt" chicken. They lay any color egg with green, blue and pink being the most common. Here is a link describing how they are different from each other.http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2011/09/ameraucana-easter-egger-or-araucana.html
 
Welcome to BYC! Glad you decided to join us. Mountain Peeps has given you a very good link explaining the difference between Araucanas, Ameraucanas, and Easter Eggers. In a nutshell, Easter Eggers are hybrids bred by hatcheries that lay eggs in colors other than just blue (olive, green, beige, and sometimes even pale pink or gold). Hatcheries often and incorrectly market their Easter Eggers under the labels, Araucana or Ameraucana (frequently misspelled as Americana or Americauana). If you end up getting both standard breeds and bantams, I would strongly recommend keeping them in separate coops/runs as your bantams, due to their smaller size, are likely to take a beating from your standard sized birds if they are kept together. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Good luck in getting your flock.
 
Thank you. So for now, either get standard size or bantam? Not both unless we can keep them separate? I know not to put adults with babies or young chicks, but I don't know about banty and standard size together.
 
peggyswink said:
Thank you. So for now, either get standard size or bantam? Not both unless we can keep them separate? I know not to put adults with babies or young chicks, but I don't know about banty and standard size together.
Click to expand...

You're welcome, and I would not recommend getting both sizes unless you can keep them separate.
 
Welcome to BYC!
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We're glad to have you.
 

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