questions about health of chickens.

I'm new to chickens, too. I have four hens - they are 7 months old. No health issues as of yet. I feed them "Sprout" layer feed from Fleet Farm. They are in a coop with a run 90% of the time. I let them out about an hour before sunset when we can keep an eye on them to prevent hawks and fox get at them. They forage for about an hour. I give them either a few raisins or a handful of cracked corn to bring them back to the coop, but typically, they go in at twilight. (now with snow, they won't come out at all - they come out of the hen house in the morning and spend their day in the run which is wrapped in plastic to keep the snow out.)

Now it's cold - (8 degrees F) and no heat in the coop. They are fine. Happy, eating, drinking. No health issues.

I keep the coop floor covered in aspen shavings and clean it about once a week in the summer. Winter, I have about 8-10 inches of straw in the coop and run. The poop freezes and I pick it out about every 7-10 days.

That's it. In my opinion - they have been very low maintenance. Easier than dogs and cats EXCEPT - equipment. The biggest challenge has been making sure the coop is secure and predator proof and that it is well ventilate for winter. GO FOR IT!

 

Welcome to the flock, the Learning Center is a great place to start. Then I would recommend "Raising Backyard chickens," forum the menu opens to the right and covers important topics that should answer a lot of your questions. The main thing is to start with healthy stock from good breeders. Many people start with birds some friend(?) or neighbors dumped on them - which generally have some problems - like being roosters instead of hens, etc.

If you do your research BEFORE getting the birds, results are likely to be more positive. Backyard chickens has forums on coops, predators, etc to get you off to the best start.

You may want to go to "where am I, where are you," in the social forum where you can locate and post on your state thread. That way you can find out what breeds do best in your area, what special considerations are need for dealing with the climate, etc.

BYS is here for you 24/7 - if you've got questions someone will be along to provide answers. Hope you enjoy BYC as much as we do.

 

Glad you joined us!

Like any animal, chickens are not problem-free. However, they tend to be more healthy that many other animals, at least in my experience. If you practice general animal husbandry practices (quarantining new birds, observing carefully, keeping coop clean, minimizing stress of birds, etc.), chances are your flock will be very hardy. The genetics of a chicken also play a part in its hardiness. Some breeds, like Sebrights and Silkies, are very problem prone. Others, especially heritage breeds like the Buckeye, are extremely resilient.

I have a small flock of hatchery birds that are about four years old. None of them have ever gotten sick, or succumbed to a problem other than something simple, like mites or a broken toenail. I also have bantam show chickens, which happen to be of less sturdy breeds. Combined with the fact that the bantams go to shows (and therefore get exposed to more diseases), they have been plagued with far more problems than my hatchery birds.

 

Welcome to BYC! We're glad to have you.

Bantamlover21 and Two Crows have given you some good advice.

 

Hello and Welcome To BYC!

 

Welcome to BYC! Please make yourself at home and we are here to help.

Everyone above has given you great advice.