Total noob. Bought some chicks 3 weeks ago.

[Kirball]

I bought some chicks at TSC 3 weeks ago. My mom has chickens and seems to enjoy them so at least I have someone I can call when I need help. I’ve found myself on this site a lot when doing research so I figured I might as well join since I seem to be here so much. Will be assembling my coop I ordered in the next week or two and hoping things go smoothly as I’ve seen raccoons around my property. My mom is planning to come help me secure the coop and I’m hoping for the best.

 

[InterestingChickens]

Welcome to BYC! Best wishes for a smooth start to your chicken keeping journey.

 

[Buckingham Palace]

Welcome to BYC. I hope you enjoy your baby's. And have lots of fun here. Raising chickens is definitely very rewarding.

 

[Grammy60]

Hello and welcome to BYC So happy you have joined our flock.

Best of luck getting started with your flock.

 

[janiedoe]

Welcome to BYC!

 

[007Sean]

Howdy, and Welcome to Backyard Chickens. Enjoy your time here!

 

[chrissynemetz]

Hello, and welcome to BYC! It's very nice to meet you! Please make yourself at home!

 

[Sammi_0411]

Welcome to BYC any questions please ask we all here to help if and when we can xx

 

[DobieLover]

Hello and welcome to BYC! Glad you joined.
How many chicks do you have? Pre-fab coops do not house the number of birds they claim to. Ever. They are built from extremely cheap, flimsy wood and are always very poorly designed with inadequate ventilation. If there is any way you can convert an existing outbuilding on your property into a coop or find a used shed that could be delivered to your property you will be far better off and so will your flock.

 

[Callender Girl]

With your experienced mom and this group to help, you should be in good shape to launch your chicken-raising adventures.

Many pre-made coops are less than ideal. Of my 9 coops (okay, don't judge me; chicken math is the only math where I excel), two are pre-made and have served me and the girls well for several years. Both needed some modifications -- added ventilation in one and hardware cloth on both.

One of the things I do to frustrate raccoons is to have at least two latches on coop doors that can't be simultaneously reached by a predator's nimble hands -- one latch is installed horizontally and the other vertically. On some, I use hook-and-eye latches that have a sliding mechanism to lock the hook in place. On the coops with slide bolts, I fasten a carabiner behind the closed bolt so it can't be moved backwards.

Best wishes with your chicks and your coop; welcome to BYC! We're happy to have you as part of our flock!