Raising Chickens to Hens for the first time! (Maryland)

[iluvsedward]

Hello from southern maryland!! We have tons of very clever predators where I am. If you choose to free range, dont let them out on very cloudy or rainy days as i have had foxes that come out and attack on these days. When building or buying a coop the worst predators to worry about getting in are racoons, and secondly opossums. Racoons will pull chickens through chicken wire if they can reach, so make sure when they roost they are far from windows and not sleeping in the run. They can also find any flaw in your coop, such as loose staples holding a section of chicken wire down and their very coordinated hands will blow your mind. They can squeeze through tiny holes. I personally like to free range, but my coop is big enough that if i feel the weather is not good or i wont be back before nightfall to lock them up i can leave them inside. I have also had hawks attack but that is a more rare occurrence and difficult to control unless you dont free range. Good luck! Raising chickens can be very rewarding.

 

[Living_Legend]

The coop is large enough for about 6 or 7. The run is only big enough for 6. For 12, you will need a coop with at least 48 sq ft of floor space. And at least 120 sq ft in the run.

This is why i always join a forum before i do something. Need to talk it out with people that been doing what you want to do and you cant straight up just trust people selling things.

 

[Living_Legend]

Hello from southern maryland!! We have tons of very clever predators where I am. If you choose to free range, dont let them out on very cloudy or rainy days as i have had foxes that come out and attack on these days. When building or buying a coop the worst predators to worry about getting in are racoons, and secondly opossums. Racoons will pull chickens through chicken wire if they can reach, so make sure when they roost they are far from windows and not sleeping in the run. They can also find any flaw in your coop, such as loose staples holding a section of chicken wire down and their very coordinated hands will blow your mind. They can squeeze through tiny holes. I personally like to free range, but my coop is big enough that if i feel the weather is not good or i wont be back before nightfall to lock them up i can leave them inside. I have also had hawks attack but that is a more rare occurrence and difficult to control unless you dont free range. Good luck! Raising chickens can be very rewarding.

Thank you for the Maryland insider information. One trend i am noticing is chicken wire is not the best option for chickens keeps them in but not others out.

 

[Blooie]

Just remember...the chickens don't care what it looks like. They want it dry, with ventilation, plenty of space, natural daylight, comfortable roosts, clean, and out of the wind with secure nest boxes. That's it. The only reason I put an emphasis on appearance as well is becuse at the time I was serving on the town council, and our setup is in our backyard, in town, visible from the streets and sidewalk with us being on a corner lot. But if you don't have to think about that, then simply don't.

 

[lilmillefleur]

You can always make a wire skirt around the run so no predators can dig under. We cover our skirt with dirt but it isn't necessary. Or you can put it on a concrete foundation. We do this too (Our coop was originally built on an old shack foundation but Chicken Math had us expanding it off the concrete, hence the skirts.)
Our coop is a mini fort knox... We have never had a predator get inside the coop.

 

[Blooie]

You'll be fine with a mixed flock! Remember that even within the same breed from the same hatch, you may well get a stinker or two. They all have their own personalities. I can't even tell you how many different breeds or varieties I've had at the same time. The silliest looking combination was the Silkies with the Brahmas! But I've had mixed flocks since I started. I also happen to be very fond of Easter Eggers, as @Coturnix Quail mentioned! Lots of variety in appearance, some blue eggs, some pinkish, some brown, but they are just so appealing to me. Also they are cold weather hardy with those small combs! A lot of people like Golden Laced Wyandottes...I couldn't get rid of mine fast enough! Bullies with wings and a gang mentality in my my flock, but many people have had the opposite experience. You just have to be willing to try some different ones out and see what fits.

You'll love looking outside and seeing a rainbow on the yard as the different sizes and colors of chickens hunt around!

 

[Blooie]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/how-to-raise-chickens.47660/

Mike after researching and getting your coop built, This is the link into the education center on raising healthy birds. (another fun part) I also recommend reading a few articles on chick care. There are some people that do things differently depending on climate etc. You'll need to weigh their opinions with about 4-5 other articles to see if they are oddballs or the general consensus. LOL. This will be true with about everything you do on BYC. There is always a 'strong opinion' person giving their own best advice and sometimes they are giving you the wrong information because of climate or your goals. etc. etc. I have found that the state threads are very helpful because they are your 'own' people that deal with similar climate and breeds. And you'll find alot of the 'old boys' and 'gals' giving good advice.

Good luck in your endeavors! Keep us posted. Ask questions anytime!
~Bogtown Chick
(or as Blooie calls me Boggie -- Hey Blooie I am reminded to make Chislic right now! )

And I'm afraid I'm one of those "strong opinion person" types. However, one thing I've learned (finally) is to temper my responses somewhat. I have tried harder to become more disciplined about saying, "You are there, I am not. You know your setup, your situation, and your personal comfort zone better than I do." Then I go on to share what it is that I do. I do things much, much differently than most....at least I did when I still had my chickens. Lots of people thought I was crazy throwing away my heat lamp permanently. Lots of people thought I was crazy for putting chicks outside without a heat lamp in Northwestern Wyoming when temps were still low. Lots of people thought I was crazy for integrating my chicks by 3 weeks old and having total integration by 4 weeks. And lots of people think that tossing out the chicken books and relying instead on plain old common sense was crazy. But it was my setup, my situation, and my own personal comfort zone. I agree wholeheartedly with finding your state thread. There is a lot of information on BYC. But if there was only one "right" way to raise chickens, this forum wouldn't need to exist.

And Boggie, if you make chislic, don't forget the cold beer to go with it!

 

[Ryn2011]

I am using hardware cloth outside. I thought chicken wire would be ok for an indoor brooder. I don't get it. All The brooders I see on the internet seam very small. So how long are people using their brooders for. I though I was doing better making a larger one but if they can jump 8 feet by week to like what was just said then .... I am confused.

You can use whatever you want for inside.
The brooder only needs to be big enough to fit everything in it...with a little bit of extra space for the chicks to move away from the heat source if need be.
I used one of these. VVVV

It was double corrugated so it wasn't flimsy like a regular cardboard box. It was free. I just asked for one at Rural King and they gave it to me. It is folded up in the garage storage now for when I get more chicks this spring.

As far as flying goes, some chickens are better at it than others. You can clip ONE side (feathers) to prevent them from attempting an escape if you'd like. It is not necessary if they don't seem to want to fly. None of my 8 girls are flighty so they I have never had to clip their feathers.

You only need the brooder until they feather out and are ready to go into the coop. Some people do all of their brooding stuff in their coop already and some of us do it indoors.

Just remember that this is a learning process. You will mess up. You will learn things and eventually you will get to a place where you've pretty much figured it out. Until then, good luck.

 

[lazy gardener]

WHAT BRUCE SAID!!!!!

 

[Living_Legend]

When they are fully feathered put them out. You can take them out for short playtime in the yard to help them get used to the weather. They should definitely be fine in the weather temperatures you posted above. Welcome to byc!!

When are they normally fully feathered? Week 6,7,8? I know its probably a exact sience but I just want to do my best at timing this the best I can for my first time.