Where to start!?

[Wolfie305]

Hello again I first joined this forum last summer when I rescued a chicken that had been attacked by a cat and fell in a pool! She is now happily living with my neighbor and recovered well

With that being said, I decided about 3 years ago that I wanted to raise and keep chickens whenever I moved out and got my own place (I am 24 and still live with parents, unfortunately). Well, after discussing chickens and their benefits the other day with my mom, she kinda fell in love with the idea and decided she would love to have a few of her own and of course I was all over the idea. Only problem? Really not sure where to start LOL!

I'm not sure I really have a specific breed in mind (although I do love the red/brown chickens), but I do know I want to start with chicks so I can hand raise them (or even eggs). I have a friend who just recently bought chicks herself, so I know she will be good support on how to keep them, but any insight on this would be wonderful. Lighting/food/something to keep them in while they grow/etc?

I just looked up chickens on Craigslist and found a local guy selling a dozen fertile eggs for $10, so I might snag these. I know there is a subforum for egg care that I'll take a look at, but information on incubating would be great too!

I think the coop/outdoor arrangements are what I'm concerned about the most though. How big should the coop be? What kind of coops are there and their benefits? How expensive are coops? Do chickens need fenced in yards or do they stay in the area? What do they need for food/care? Do I need the coop right away or do I have time while the chicks grow?

I'm a total noob! I'm sure you get threads like this all of the time though

Thanks!

 

[QuietPony]

I spent years doing research before taking the plunge, But that's how I roll. lol

I ended up getting some days old chicks from a feed store in my area, as with my luck trying to hatch them myself would be a disaster.
I had my brooder set up for weeks before they got here. I spent years collecting wood, wire and hinges for the coop and reading books. Lots of books. (Libraries rock! Also, the free books for kindle that you can find on amazon from time to time) I drew up dozens of potential coop ideas and spent lots of endless nights here learning about fodder, sweet PDZ, hardware cloth, chicken tractors and everything else I could find.

Best advice? Keep asking questions and gaining knowledge until forever.
Craigslist is a great place to look for coops. Have supplies on hand and be ready to build, or a coop ready to go as the birds with grow faster than you think. No, seriously. If you don't have regular access to a carpenter especially. Be one step ahead of their needs.
I learned that chickens are not hard to raise, but they do require a secure growing environment and will outgrow your brooder in what seems to be the blink of an eye. It seems that the standard rule for coop/run size is 4 sq feet in the coop and 10 sq feet in a run per bird. This is ground (floor) space, not cubic space. Again, this also depends on the breed you choose. Smaller ones need less space, bigger ones need more. Do homework. And lots of it. This is a great place to come for that! Good luck.

Oh, and bigger is always better where a coop/run are concerned!

 

[Wolfie305]

Thank you for your reply! You sound a lot like me research wise (I get that from my dad hahaha). I spend a lot of time doing my homework before I get into any sort of hobby/animal care/etc. I've done bits and pieces of research over these 3 or 4 years, but I've always been unsure of where to just...start lol.

Good info though, thank you That's why I joined the forums I found - forums are the best support for questions!

 

[QuietPony]

Just have a plan.. I admit to impulse buying my chicks, but after years of research and dreams I jumped right in. Besides, this world is getting freaky. I at least will have an omelette when it all goes down now. I already have the coop supplies in the garage, the run in the backyard and the carpenter man who grants my every wish. lol

My coop/run and tractor will be mostly recycled and quite honestly it's driving me crazy that our weather is not cooperating with us putting all the pieces together. If I could do it differently, I would have built the coop first instead of just piling 2x4s, osb and insulation in the corner or the garage.

Our brooder is an old rabbit hutch which we can secure enough to move it outside if we need to, but they will outgrow that in no time. They are almost getting to big to be in my kitchen. And the dust is horrendous. (I'm no neat freak, but there is no way this place would pass a white glove test anytime soon.) Also, I think my carpenter might be allergic, or at least affected by the dust. They might be evicted from the house to the garage soon. Which would make me sad. I like just sitting here and watching them. I'll see how long it takes my man to connect his stuffy nose with the chickens though... (shhhhhh....)

 

[nbenevento]

I am sorry to say that it doesn't seem like you have done enough research yet. I think getting those eggs on Craigslist is at least a little premature. Grab a book first, read it and then do what you need to do. As far as all of the questions you asked, all good, valid questions but there a million answers to all of them on here. I certainly ask lots of questions all the time but when you are starting with almost no knowledge of the subject, your best bet would be to type each question in the search box and see what you find. In my experience, a lot of threads go into all kinds of different directions and you kind of accidentally learn something you never even thought about. When I say to wait to buy those eggs, it could just be a week or two, but still wait until you get a little more knowledge. That's just my opinion, take it or leave it. Good luck to you and enjoy the addiction you are about to have! I love my chickens!

 

[nbenevento]

Quietpony, you seriously have your chicks in your kitchen? I think my wife would have shot me.

 

[Wolfie305]

Thanks nbenevento! I think I'm just trying to compare my current preparation with my friend's preparation (the one with the chicks) because she has yet to get a coop and doesn't seem to worried about it. I figured having to incubate eggs and whatnot would mean a long ways before the coop stage, but I am in no rush! Always better to wait and be prepared than not

 

[3riverschick]

My answers in bold type.

(snipped for brevity)Really not sure where to start LOL!

I'm not sure I really have a specific breed in mind (although I do love the red/brown chickens),
Go to the BYC Heritage Large Fowl list. Elite breeders there can connect you with several breeds of fine quality red/brown poultry. Always nice to start with the best.

but I do know I want to start with chicks so I can hand raise them (or even eggs).

A very smart move. You can hatch eggs from your chickens next year when you have a bit more experience.

(snipped forbrevity)Lighting/food/something to keep them in while they grow/etc?
Go to the BYC Brooder gallery. Pick the one you like and make one. They all work the same in one way or another. For large fowl you need 1 sq. ft. per bird till 4 weeks old, then 2 sq. ft. per bird after that till 6 weeks old when they can go outside.
For bantam poultry, halve all measurements.

I just looked up chickens on Craigslist and found a local guy selling a dozen fertile eggs for $10, so I might snag these. I know there is a subforum for egg care that I'll take a look at, but information on incubating would be great too!
Stick with your first plan to buy chicks instead of eggs. The chicks will have been culled for quality at least once. By the time you are hatching eggs from your own chickens, you will understand how to pick the best chciks from the hatches.

(snipped for brevity). How big should the coop be? for large fowl, 4 sq. ft per bird. This way you can avoid stress issues from overcrowding, like feather picking . A 4x6 coop is 24 sq. ft., thus 6 large fowl.


What kind of coops are there and their benefits? Go to the BYC Coop Gallery and pick the one you like. Make it to your math measurements and enjoy.
How expensive are coops? From free to as much moola as you want to spend. Many great ideas for cheap coops on the coop threads and in the coop gallery. Repurposed lumber is great. Pallets make great coops. Do yourself a favor and build a walk-in run. It only takes one time of crawling on your hands and knees thru poop to catch a chicken which needs tending, to see the wisdom of this. Been there, done that. Yuck!
Do chickens need fenced in yards or do they stay in the area? Fenced-in is superior. Keeps them in and the varmints out. Cover your run, too to keep out foul weather and sky-borne varmints.
What do they need for food/care? Chicken feed, clean water and chicken grit. Layers need oyster shell, too, for strong eggs.
Do I need the coop right away or do I have time while the chicks grow? The chicks will leave the brooder at 4-6 weeks depending on the breed. Basically, they are ready to go outside when it is above freezing and they have a full coat of feathers(not chick down).

I'm a total noob! I'm sure you get threads like this all of the time though

Not a problem. There are forums on BYC for each of your questions where you can get more indepth info and details. You can subscribe to the forums and threads within the forums. Have BYC send conversations to your email box...or.. I subscribe and tell the computer -read only, no email. That way I sign in to BYC, go to my "subscriptions page" and check out the ones I am interested in that day. My personal email remains unclogged. Currently I have about 53 threads on "no mail". Then I just check the ones I need that day to see what is going on and ask questions.
Best Success,
Karen in western PA, USA
Thanks!

 

[Wolfie305]

Thank you so much! I'm thinking of asking my high school's (currently my little brother's high school) carpentry program (its a tech school) to build me a coop. Will give the students something to do and be a good learning experience and will probably cost me very little. If it's too expensive, Craigslist and/or just rounding up a bunch of my friends to hep me build it might work too haha

You guys are awesome

 

[QuietPony]

Quietpony, you seriously have your chicks in your kitchen? I think my wife would have shot me.

I've been in animal rescue since forever. Animal chaos is my friend.

But seriously. I was unprepared for the dust. Now that they are bigger and flapping around more it's driving me mad.
I sweep the floor 5 times a day and mop twice. Now that they are a little bigger, I feel more comfortable evicting them out to the garage in about a week or two.