Where to start?

[Cheif Executive]

Hy, my name is mike I live in the south eastern united states I wont disclose exacley where for safety reasons and I recently became interested in chickens and Im wondering where to start its a little overwhelming

 

[alex]

im not sure how to help you...any questiones?? i really don't understand your question that much....sorry

 

[SloCrevs]

1st. Bantams or Standards?(small/miniatures/ornamentals or large, productive,egg layers)

2nd.What kinds? There are many different breeds and varieties, along with different uses. Look around a little bit, or tell us what you want to achieve with your chickens. Egg laying? Pleasure? Exhibition?

3rd. How many? How much room do you have? What kind of coop are you able to build/purchase?

That should get you started. So let me help you out.
Standards or Bantams?

 

[silkiechicken]

Well, you found a good place to look. Go to the main page and look though the website for lots of info!

 

[Cheif Executive]

Quote:
I am interested in breeding chickens I have plenty of space and see this as an oppurtunity to have some fun and gain a new agricultural enterprise

 

[SloCrevs]

Awesome, so look around, see what you like. Find out what is available in your area. So you want to have a little fun with it. I would suggest some fun/pretty standards, if you have the room. That way at least you get eggs out of the deal. I have 7 different breeds right now, 6 bantam, 1 standard. If I could have more standards, I would, but for exhibiting, bantams are best.

 

[Nichole77]

The absolute first thing I would say to do would be to check your city codes. Get a copy of them and highlite the part stating that you can have chickens. Scan this site and the forum and that should get you going. Good luck.

 

[Bubba]

Hi Mike! Welcome

Ok some general questions. No one here needs to know where you live though telling us a State or even a close major city should not be security problem for you....

Do you live in the city, country, how much land do you have. Will there be problems with noise as in roosters. Look into what local predators you have, yes even if you DO NOT see any they are there. I live just outside Los Angeles. aka MIDDLE OF A CITY. We have two huge raccoons and a seemingly endless supply of possums. Hawks, Owls and Parrots fly by all the time. Yes Parrots they attack my peppers arggg

You said you have an interest in breeding chickens. That is good but.... What will you be breeding them for? Food/Meat? Eggs? Looks? Profit? Intelligence hehe Serious thou. Giving us more info will in turn make it so the members can guide you in the right direction.

I myself have raised birds for both meat and eggs. I also have a few useless bantams, useless as in they look like little vultures and I own the worlds dumbest silkie to boot.

Also do you have a garden? Do you prefer organic or could careless? How much time do you have to spend on them. How much money are you looking to invest. Remember like any hobby you will spend more than you expected at first....

Hope to hear back from you,


Bubba

PS If you goto the breeds section here you can look at some pictures of peoples birds. Also telling us what colors you prefer would help to. If they are meat birds, how big do you want them, will you skin them or eat them with skin on, do you want white, yellow or dark meat? Just so many questions come to mind.

 

[nccatnip]

I would suggest starting out by reading. The book the inspired my chicken ownership was "Living with Chickens". While it does not cover everything, it will give you an idea of preparation and management so you will have an idea if owning chickens is feasable for you.
There is also a breed selection on My Pet Chicken that will aid in choosing the best breed for you.
Truly chicken kindergarten but I had to start somewhere.
You may also post for any members in your area that might be willing to have you for a visit so you can see how they do it.

 

[Royicus]

Like with most new things, I'd suggest you do a lot of reading, either in books or online. Forums are a pretty good way to rapidly get up to speed on current information. You are in a good place here.

I can't help but mention...

Did you misspell your name? Cheif vs Chief? I'm sorry, I couldn't help it.