What’s cluckin?

[Aliasofryan]

hello all, I’m a first time chicken owner. I’m active duty army and my therapist says raising chicken may be a way to help with my PTSD. As of now I have 20 babies. 5 sapphire gems, 3 barred rock, 3 Wyandotte, 5 silkies, 3 cinnamon queen, and a golden comet. Any advice will be gladly accepted and I’m no stranger to constructive criticism lol. Mostly doing this for the fresh eggs and to just watch my birds play around and so far it feels rewarding. Nice to meet you all and looking forward to seeing y’all in the forums.

 

[FrankieDoodle]

Welcome to BYC!!!

 

[Smuvers Farm]

Glad you're here AliasofRyan!!

A must have for your poultry is a FIRST AID KIT for any issues that would arise. (https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/suggestions-for-a-first-aid-kit.1150128/)
It's definitely better to have it and not need it rather than need it and not have it.

Also, make sure your coop(s) have a proper amount of VENTILATION. (https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...-there-and-cut-more-holes-in-your-coop.47774/) Your chickens will absolutely thank you for it!

 

[Pork Pie]

Hello and welcome to BYC

Here’s a link to the Articles section - https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/ There you’ll find lots of information on almost every aspect of keeping chickens - from coop building ideas, to incubating eggs.

There’s a link on the page above to the Learning Centre - it’s a great resource. If you have a specific topic in mind, just type it in the search box - there's a wealth of information on past and present threads.

Each week, various topics are discussed, which can also be a great resource - https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/topic-of-the-week-thread-archive


You may wish to consider joining your state thread as it will put you in touch with other BYC members in your area - Find Your State Thread


Best wishes

Pork Pie

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Welcome to BYC!
one thing to consider that is to remember to have your flock included in your *family plan* with regards to in the event you were to deploy or go TDY....the informal plan you develop to be prepared vs scrambling to secure care for them at the last minute....if you are married, does your spouse stay in place or "go home" while you are away? Many spouses prefer to stay with, or at least visit, family during extended absences of the AD person and would not be available to care for the birds in your absence. Knowing they are planned for will make any absences less distressing for you

 

[sourland]

Welcome to BYC, and I wish you luck with your flock.

 

[N F C]

Thanks for joining us and thank you for serving.

Chickens are entertaining, there's no better show to watch than 'chicken tv'!

 

[AllenK RGV]

As a fellow soldier with issues I definately wish chicken on you!

 

[AllenK RGV]

I did completely miss the second half that you are still on active duty. I cannot imagine raising chicken at that stage in my life as we were forced to move so often and committed our resources to preserving the integrity of our dogs and cat for those. It was never cheap bringing those guys along with our moves, usually around 1 grand per move the last was in 2013. The expense was the vet passports plus air freight.

 

[Rick&chickTampa]

Welcome to BYC and thank you so much for your service.