Virgins to the chicken world

[Williamob]

My advice is: The amount of chickens you can have is "N + 1"
N = number of birds you already have

 

[drumstick diva]

Welcome to Backyard chickens, glad you joined the flock. The Learning center is a great place to start your chicken education. It would be a great idea also to join your state thread, and get advice about breeds best able to handle the weather conditions, etc. Rule of thumb is 4-5 sq.feet per bird INSIDE the coop, excluding roosts and nestboxes.
Birds should have 10 sq.feet each in the OUTDOOR run (covered is best).

Chickens hate being crowded and react by bullying, fighting, feather plucking , and at extremes cannibalism - OY VEY!!

 

[yochickiemomma]

Everyone is right.....build bigger. I went too small last year and regret it now. I maybe turning our old unused camper into a second coop as a cheep solution. I told myself six and I have nine. I live in northern Michigan and it gets pretty cold here. I have 3 EE, 2 black sex links, 2 RIR, and two white ones unknown breed as they lay brown eggs. Also just a warning chickens are addicting! I have more pictures of my chickens on my phone than I do of my husband. Lol

 

[Mikejr05]

Thank you Birdrain92 and glad to see a fellow Idahoan on here. We had talked about the Black Australorps and saw it was an egg producing machine we will definitely have one or two. Your birds look great, my little girls are really excited for the chick stage.

 

[Birdrain92]

Thank you Birdrain92 and glad to see a fellow Idahoan on here. We had talked about the Black Australorps and saw it was an egg producing machine we will definitely have one or two. Your birds look great, my little girls are really excited for the chick stage.

Thank you. I'll be incubating some eggs in February so I will have chicks at the end of February. I'm in Nampa so if you're willing I could set aside a few chicks for you.

 

[Birdrain92]

I have all sorts of birds as well. As you can see in my profile picture I also raise peafowl.

 

[FloridaChick13]

Hi! welcome to BYC! I welcome you and warn you that you'll become addicted to loving and learning about your chickens. I can't make any cold weather suggestions but I do agree with everyone else to build bigger. Easier to start big and section off spots than to make additions. There are really great coop building suggestions in the form. Highly recommend it.

 

[N F C]

You might like to check in with members on your state thread to see what recommendations they make:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/270925/find-your-states-thread

Don't forget to take a look at the Learning Center for articles like how to pick the best chicken breeds for you, information on coop design, healthy treats for chickens and a whole lot more. And of course, you can always ask questions.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[Mikejr05]

NorthFLChick thank you for the state by state this is a lot of help. Yes there is so much stuff to read this is a great site. So glad there are so many people out there to help.

 

[N F C]

NorthFLChick thank you for the state by state this is a lot of help. Yes there is so much stuff to read this is a great site. So glad there are so many people out there to help.

You're most welcome. BYC is great for support and information!