Spring 2017 first timers post!

[pioneerchick816]

I'm getting more the first week in April, after my first batch this past July! Ha ha. This is so me!

 

[ImportTheBest]

I'm getting more the first week in April, after my first batch this past July! Ha ha. This is so me!

Haha, that's awesome!

 

[bbecca]

I'm not new, I got my first batch last summer. But I still feel like I'm learning everyday more and more about these fascinating birds and would love to follow this thread as you all experience your first flock. I am getting my 2nd batch of day old chicks in march of 6 Brahmas and 3 Easter eggers. I can't wait! I already have 4 Plymouth barred rocks and 2 buff Orpingtons. Wish everyone the best!!

 

[lroneal2106]

Very new here! No brooder, no coop, no chicks yet. Looking forward to learning and getting our first chicks around Easter

 

[Spartan22]

I'm getting more the first week in April, after my first batch this past July! Ha ha. This is so me!

That is so me, I only wanted 3 to begin with on an impulse buy. Now I got 30

 

[Spartan22]

Very new here! No brooder, no coop, no chicks yet. Looking forward to learning and getting our first chicks around Easter

Come on and join the addiction

 

[Spartan22]

Got our new chicks yesterday,

Meyers called and they all hatched Monday morning, except my 3 Salmon Faverolle

.

Here's some pics

 

[LadyVictorian]

Congrats on the babies Spartan22, keep us updated on how they are all doing.

 

[Spartan22]

Braved the rain rain yesterday drove couple of hours to pick up this floppy butts

 

[maximom229]

Us too, and I'm super excited! Just moved to a 9 acre farm a few weeks ago in South Central PA, near the MD border. The farm has a fantastic chicken house already with 24 brooder boxes built in, ventilation, electricity and wood floors. We will be cleaning it out and shoring up anything to make sure it's ready to go when we are.

My intention is to keep ducks (mostly for eggs but some for meat) and chickens (mostly for meat but some for eggs) in the same run (it's about a quarter acre, partially wooded, fully bird fenced plus electric) but have 2 separate houses for overnight - one for ducks and one for chickens. We will also do a tractor so the birds can do their magic all over the farm, even if it's not bird-fenced.

For now, I just want to start with a few egg-layer chickens, then add the egg-layer ducks, then the meat birds (then turkeys, hogs and sheep next year or two).

My kids are chemically sensitive so we only grow organically, and I found a farm in Lancaster that sells organic chicks and ducklings so hopefully that will work out, but if anyone knows where else to get organic ducks and chicks (preferably soy free too since my son is very soy allergic, even through the meat), please let me know. Because they need to be organic, it does limit the breeds we can choose from but I'm sure we'll find something workable.

I'm looking forward to getting started but still haven't decided if we should get the chicks now and spend energy to keep them warm or just wait until April and lose 3 months of egg laying before winter dormancy sets in. Any advice on that would be appreciated. I do have 4 barns with electricity and a mudroom at the back of the house where I could keep them safe but it does get below zero here for days at a time so I doubt I'd want to leave them too far from the house (or maybe in the house's basement with the door closed to keep the 2 cats from eating them!).

Either way, I'm looking forward to getting started!