Spring 2017 first timers post!

[ImportTheBest]

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

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

you're even worse than I am at chicken math! Love it!

Got our new chicks yesterday,

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

.

Here's some pics

[/URL]

They're lovely congrats! And its so cool that you got to pick them up from Meyer. I'm sorry the 3 Salmon Faverolles weren't available I also ordered a SFav but only one. I really hope they have a better hatch for them in March, I gave my heart set on one of those.

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

Yay, more photos to swoon over!

 

[MiniIndyRanch]

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!!

I'm not completely new either, as I got my first group of 7 last spring(now nicknamed the Big Girls), but added 4 (the Littles) more 6 weeks ago - all from MyPetChicken. This second batch is completely different from the first and has made me feel like a newbie all over again! Raising in winter is a whole new ballgame, and expanding a run in the cold was MAYBE not my best idea ever!! Knock on wood, I didn't lose a single chick last spring, and all were female as ordered - so far I haven't lost any from the winter batch and they all appear to have feminine characteristics as well. But, when you have a rainbow flock, anything is bound to happen! And my best advise from the 9 months of chicken ownership so far - chicken math is a very real thing, so be prepared and plan for more than you initially ordered! They are adorable as babies, but they are fun and full of personality as "grown-ups" and just gorgeous to look at, which was a recipe for addiction!!

The Coop - Henny Lane (Daisy Coop Design from MPC)
The Big Girls - Martha (Speckled Sussex, the friendliest of the bunch), Eleanor (Golden Laced Wyandotte), Prudence (Barred Rock), Rita (Rhode Island Red), Lizzie (Buff Orpington), Penny (Swedish Flower Hen) and Lucy (my accidental Buff Laced Polish)






The Littles - Lady Madonna (Australorp), Rose (Golden Cuckoo Marans), Vera (Easter Egger) and Loretta (Easter Egger)

 

[pioneerchick816]

Def... def...definitely... build bigger than you think. Definitely

You. Will. Want. More lol

I will double my layer flock this April. I have to build another small coop though, lower to the ground (basically on the ground) so my meaties will go in at night, on their own, to be safe. It was quite "interesting" and majorly annoying to have to pick them up, one by one, to put them in EVERY night.

They refused to coop up on their own. I love my layers though!! Perfect little gems

P.S. Have a plan to sell or give away your eggs before you get more

 

[ducks4you]

Take advice from the people who have had chickens for a long time. I practically lived on this site for the first year after I joined BYC, and I learned SO MUCH. For instance, I bought a pre-fab coop, that I am very happy with, but the "holds 15 adult birds" really means it holds 12 adult birds. Even though my freebie dog chain linked fencing is a 12' x 30' run (coop inside), your coop STILL needs to be large enough so that they are not crowded inside of it. In the winter, I see my birds spending most of their time IN THE COOP, and it's messier to clean when it's cold.
Also, if you need to combine flocks, remove the old flock (if you can), and add the old flock one bird at a time to the new flock, like one/day. I've done this successfully several times. Otherwise they Will fight. Injured birds sometimes don't live, and sometimes the flock will attack them.

If you want to keep multiple roosters they must be raised together or else you will have big time fights and dead roosters. I've been successful keeping multiple roosters with hens. If you want to add your small flock of roosters to a larger flock of hens, the hens Will accept the roosters, unless the roosters are very small and very young. Same size, no problem.

You NEED to understand your animals.
I keep (or have kept) multiple dogs, multiple cats, multiple horses and multiple chickens.
Each animal has it's own social order. If you do not understand it, weaker animals will suffer and die.

Just some FYI. KEEP READING HERE and take advice from the masters.

 

[culturalinfidel]

We are working on our new run/coop space. Plans are to add 4-6 chicks by end of February, if not sooner. I've started the clear out for the new coop as well as gathering materials.

Looking at getting Rhode Island Reds, Easter Eggers, and or Leghorns.

 

[Spartan22]

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. 

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!

Congrats w/ the new property sounds ideal for livestock farming and have chemical free food supply.

On starting chicks, I say you should start as early as you can, so you can have organic eggs as early as June/July. The reason I just picked up ours and in our laundry room for a week then will be moved to garage for 3-4 wks before they head to the coop, (by the way we also have 3 indoor cats to watch for)

Were also been having 0s and single digits here, but w/ proper management between my 50++ hour job, it feels like it was nothing, just takes me between 10-15 minutes feeding/ cleaning the brooder and the coop everyday during cold months.

 

[Honora]

I'm not completely new either, as I got my first group of 7 last spring(now nicknamed the Big Girls), but added 4 (the Littles) more 6 weeks ago - all from MyPetChicken. This second batch is completely different from the first and has made me feel like a newbie all over again! Raising in winter is a whole new ballgame, and expanding a run in the cold was MAYBE not my best idea ever!! Knock on wood, I didn't lose a single chick last spring, and all were female as ordered - so far I haven't lost any from the winter batch and they all appear to have feminine characteristics as well. But, when you have a rainbow flock, anything is bound to happen! And my best advise from the 9 months of chicken ownership so far - chicken math is a very real thing, so be prepared and plan for more than you initially ordered! They are adorable as babies, but they are fun and full of personality as "grown-ups" and just gorgeous to look at, which was a recipe for addiction!!

The Coop - Henny Lane (Daisy Coop Design from MPC)
The Big Girls - Martha (Speckled Sussex, the friendliest of the bunch), Eleanor (Golden Laced Wyandotte), Prudence (Barred Rock), Rita (Rhode Island Red), Lizzie (Buff Orpington), Penny (Swedish Flower Hen) and Lucy (my accidental Buff Laced Polish)






The Littles - Lady Madonna (Australorp), Rose (Golden Cuckoo Marans), Vera (Easter Egger) and Loretta (Easter Egger)

I am not new to chickens, but I am getting 8 new Orpington chicks this spring. Just wanted to say I love your Beatles-themed chicken names.

 

[cowslayeggs]

First timer here with 16 arriving mid May! Blue laced red Wyandottes, Barred Rocks, Welsummers, Black Jersey Giants, Buff Orpingtons and a free "rare" breed. Ordered from Murray McMurray! Very excited. Looking forward to seeing pictures of everyone's chicks, brooders, coops, etc! Good luck to all my fellow first timers!

 

[Maboyles8406]

It's been about 7 years since I had chickens, so I'm so excited to get some again this year! I ordered 5 chickens from my pet chicken that should be shipping mid April. The hubs and I will be building the coop in the next month or so. It was hard to narrow down the chickens I wanted, but finally settled on a barred rock, speckled sussex, easter egger, australorp, and a dark brahma.

 

[MiniIndyRanch]

Went out and got updated pics of the 4 Littles at 6 weeks old! Take lots of pictures, they grow so fast and its really neat to be able put up side by sides!