- Before buying birds, what do first? Do your homework. Go to the learning center, and read many of the articles there. Find a topic that interests you and type it in the search bar, and read the posts on that topic. Familiarize yourself with the key players on this site who seem to have the same general outlook on life, and who's poultry management styles seem to match the way you'd like to manage your flock. Follow their posts, or even contact them. Realize that for every question asked, there may be a dozen different approaches, and realize that there is no one "right answer" as long as the needs of the bird are being met. Research chicken breeds, methods of housing, talk to your friends and neighbors who might have chickens. Research your town's zoning laws. Contact your county Agricultural extension office and get their free literature re: all things poultry. Go to your state thread, and look at pictures of the coops that represent folks in your state. Ask the posters what they like and don't like about their coops. What would they do differently?
- How to pick breeds, what to look for when buying birds, etc. Henderson's chicken breed chart is a good place to start. What are your goals? Eggs? Meat? Cute fluffy pets? What will you do with the birds when they no longer lay eggs? What is your plan for accidental roosters? IMO, you should get ALL of your birds from the same location for your first flock. Do not get a few and then add a few more. Do an all or none approach for that first year.
- Where and who to buy birds from. (Breeders, hatcheries, farmers' markets, feed store?) A lot depends on how many birds you want (IMO, you should start small the first year). Realize that the birds that come from the feed store have just arrived from a hatchery. There is no magic about feed store birds being better than the birds you order direct from the hatchery. IMO, you are better off ordering direct from the hatchery. Those feed store birds will have survived the first round of "death from shipping stress", but they are still in a stressful environment, perhaps even subject to being handled by multiple dirty hands. While most feed stores have a do not touch policy where customers are concerned, others do not. Those chicks are at risk of being mauled by both adults and children with dirty hands, and also at risk of being dropped or put back into the wrong bin after being handled. Feed store chicks: common policy is "once that chick is in the parking lot, all bets are off. If it kicks the bucket on the way to the car, that's the customer's problem. No refunds." If I order chicks from the same hatchery that sent chicks to the feed store, I will have a 48 - 72 hour refund policy. My direct shipped chicks will only have to deal with that first shipping experience, and once they have arrived, I know how they have been handled, and can take immediate steps to ensure their success. If you don't need/want enough chicks to make doing direct order feasible, look at the option of splitting an order with someone. Don't overlook local, though they are apt to be barn yard mixes. Not a bad thing. Barn yard mix are hearty little buggers, apt to be colorful, good layers, and are already ensured to be well adapted to your local climate. They are likely to be straight run, unless they are old enough to be sexed. Also, don't overlook the option of hatching eggs. This option is for the more adventurous. You should never hatch an egg unless you are willing/able to cull any malformed/failure to thrive chicks and have an exit plan for your cockrels. It's also not terribly difficult to make your own incubator.
- Coop and housing do's and don'ts. Above all else, never spend money on one of those pre-fab coops. They are poorly designed, often by someone who has no idea what a chicken actually needs for housing. They are too small. A good place to start is by planning for at least 4 s.f. in the coop and 10 s.f. in the run (YES YOU SHOULD HAVE A RUN. EVEN IF YOU DON'T USE IT REGULARLY.) per bird. Not only do you need to think about floor space, but you need to think about vertical space. The roosts need to be ABOVE the nest boxes. And you need at least 2' above the roosts to prevent issues with moisture/frost bite due to moisture build up from bird respiration. Roosts should be about 2' above the floor. And those roosts need to be far enough away from the back wall that the bird's tail feathers don't brush against that wall, and far enough away from the front wall to allow them room to safely jump down without smacking their face on that wall. Also consider making your coop big enough to allow brooding successive generations in the coop, having a broody or isolation pen. Allow enough height to accommodate a deep litter. Ventilation: LOTS of it, at multi levels, without direct draft on birds on the perch. Lighting. Give those birds some good windows!!! Make them able to open without letting in the rain. Take a close look at the Woods coop. Wonderfully designed building to meet the flock needs.
- Feeding and watering do's and don'ts. Fermented feed. Nutri-drench for starting chicks.
- Keeping the flock healthy and safe. Deep litter in both coop and run will actually help meet their nutritional needs, cut disease and parasite risk, give them healthy gut flora. Free range when able to do so safely. Covered run to prevent hawk predation. Realize that you will have to do your own risk assessment: How much can you spend on your coop/run? There is a trade off between happy birds who are allowed to free range all day, every day, and the risk of loss to predation. By building a secure run, that is covered top and sides, with a skirt around it, you can keep them shut in on those times when predation is higher, or when you can't be around to supervise. Consider electronet fencing. Great for land predators, does squat for aerial predation. And many birds simply won't stay inside electronet. You could put a few strands around your coop and run to beef up security. Above all else, shut your birds in a secure coop every night.
- General tips, advice and everything else you'd like to share. Have fun, and realize that there are plenty of different management styles.
