soon to be homesteader

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midwestchef

midwestchef

In the Brooder
5 Years
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Hello! i live near findlay, ohio and am looking at 1 plus acre country homes to buy. Does anybody have advice for starting a flock? Any and all advice would be greatful.
 
Welcome to BYC! My first piece of advice is to learn all you can about chickens before you get them. A good place to start is BYC's Learning Center. You need to make an educated decision about whether or not you're going to free range them or keep them in enclosed runs (predators would be the primary reason for doing so). You need to build your coop so that it's large enough for the number of birds you intend to get, dry, draft free in the winter, and predator proof (again you can learn how to do all of these things from the Learning Center and the forum). If you are going to keep your birds in enclosed runs, you need to make sure again that it's large enough and that it's predator proof (that means hardware cloth, not chicken wire, above, below, and all around). You also need to come up with a criteria for the kind of chickens you want (Why do you want that particular kind? What are your objectives with your chickens?), and then research the various breeds and hybrids to see which one is best suited for your area and best meets your objectives. A good place to start is BYC's "Breeds" icon at the top of the page. Murray McMurray hatchery has an excellent "chick selector' program you can use on their website at http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/index.html It's located on the upper right hand corner of the page. When you open it, just be sure to click on "show more characteristics." Then, having decided on which breeds you are going to get, you will have to decide where you are going to get them from (again, this decision may be partly based on your reasons for getting chickens to begin with, i.e. hatchery stock vs. breeder stock). Are you getting your chickens for breeding commercially, for show purposes, or simply for eggs and/or meat? What age of birds do you want to purchase? chicks, pullets, laying hens, etc? Being armed with as much knowledge as possible ahead of time can save you headaches later on. And of course, you can always ask any specific questions on the forum, and I'm sure you'll get lots of knowledgeable replies from BYC members. Hope this helps get you started and good luck in getting your flock.
 
You will save yourself a lot of heartache if you check out the zoning regulations for your area. Lots of places, no matter how rural don't allow chickens.

If all conditions are GO- hope you will indulge your chicken desires to the max. Welcome to BYC
 
drumstick diva said:
You will save yourself a lot of heartache if you check out the zoning regulations for your area. Lots of places, no matter how rural don't allow chickens.

If all conditions are GO- hope you will indulge your chicken desires to the max. Welcome to BYC
Click to expand...

That's a good point. While there are usually no zoning regulation problems with having chickens on an acre piece of property out in the country, it is not guaranteed to be the case.
 
Hello there and welcome to BYC!

After you know it is legal to keep chickens in your area, stop by our learning center. Lots of good articles on all the aspects of keeping poultry with several articles on getting started with chickens...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center

Enjoy this new adventure you are on! Chickens are so much fun to keep.
 

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