Wanting to have some pet chickens

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freadog

freadog

Chirping
9 Years
Joined
Nov 24, 2014
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5
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Location
Albuquerque, New Mexico
I finally have my wife convinced we should be chicken. Maybe, I put the horse before the cart so to speak. I am beginning to build a small coop but have no idea where to get chickens. lol I am not looking for exotic breeds but just friendly laying hens. We only want 4-5 chickens. How do you go about getting some chicks. Also, I am building a 3 foot by 5 foot coop, would this be big enough for 4-5 chickens. Thanks for any advice anyone offers. Thanks Ken
 
Welcome to BYC! Maybe some BYC members near you will be able to help you with obtaining chickens. The only advice I can give you about coop size is to build the biggest coop you can afford because you will be wanting more chickens.
 
Welcome to BYC!

If you go to your state thread (see link below), you may find someone in your area with chicks for sale. It can be a bit difficult to get chicks through the hatcheries this time of year because it's hard to mail them with winter weather (and also with a smaller number) but you can order now for shipping in early spring. Some members have had good luck finding birds on Craigslist but we had a bad experience going that route so I personally don't recommend it.

Also, once you have 20 posts, you can use the Buy-Sell-Trade section of BYC.

Hope you find your birds!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/18195/new-mexico
 
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Glad you joined us.
 
Welcome to BYC! Glad you decided to join our flock. You need a bigger coop if you want 5 chickens. The minimum recommend coop space is 4 sq. ft. of floor area per bird (more is better) and if they are kept in an enclosed run as opposed to free ranging, the minimum recommend run space is 10 sq. ft. of ground area per bird (again more is better). A 3 X 5 coop will give you only 15 sq. ft. of floor area, but for 5 birds you will need at least 20 sq. ft. of floor area, and I would strongly recommend more as overcrowding can quickly lead to aggression, fights, biting and feather plucking, and even cannibalism. Please feel free to ask any other questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Good luck in getting your coop built and in getting your flock.
 
Hello there and welcome to BYC!
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Definitely do some chatting on the New Mexico thread as to where to get some good layers. Lots of people from Albuquerque and the East Mountains on that thread that should be able to direct you to a good place to get chicks in the spring.

Good luck and welcome to our flock!
 

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