Young Couple Starting First Coop in Capital Region NY

[Sam and LoLo]

Hey everybuddy! My wife and I just moved to Saratoga Springs, NY and we ended up buying a house with about 2 acres of forested land. We plan to start a small backyard coop as well as an apiary. Also lots and lots of gardening area.

Only thing I'm struggling with is how to find the actual chickens. We want to start with young adults and are aiming for four hens to start. We're aiming for Buff Orpington, Rhode Island Reds or Wyandottes mostly because we want to be courteous neighbors and I'm told these are relativity quiet breeds.

 

[drumstick diva]

Welcome Sam and LoLo. You can join your state thread and maybe find someone in your area breeding the birds you would like to have. Giving free eggs to neighbors helps them "love " your chickens.

 

[Pork Pie]

Hi and welcome to BYC and congrats on your new hobby.

Here are some links to useful resources:

• List of guides on how to use the site - “How to...” guides
• Great go-to resource - Learning Centre
• Good starting point for browsing the site - Articles
• Insightful feedback on how members manage their flocks - Topic of the Week back-catalogue
• Excellent sources of local information - U.S. States

Best wishes

Pork Pie

 

[Kiki]

Welcome to BYC.
We are glad you joined this flock!
Jump right in and make yourself at home.

This video will help you learn how to navigate this site:

Coop Ideas:
Chicken Coops.

What exactly did you Google to get here? <<<<<<<<<<<

BYC has an APP!

 

[Chick-N-Fun]

Welcome to our FUNomenal community! Best wishes and have lots of fun!

 

[Wolfefarmyard]

Hey everybuddy! My wife and I just moved to Saratoga Springs, NY and we ended up buying a house with about 2 acres of forested land. We plan to start a small backyard coop as well as an apiary. Also lots and lots of gardening area.

Only thing I'm struggling with is how to find the actual chickens. We want to start with young adults and are aiming for four hens to start. We're aiming for Buff Orpington, Rhode Island Reds or Wyandottes mostly because we want to be courteous neighbors and I'm told these are relativity quiet breeds.

Congratulations!!! We live right near Saratoga Springs as well! What a small world! For finding hens around here, Craigslist seems to have the most or if you can find some local breeders! I wish I could help you out but we only have EE chicks and Bantam bearded silkie chicks to sell right now! Let me know if you need anything!

 

[Sam and LoLo]

Congratulations!!! We live right near Saratoga Springs as well! What a small world! For finding hens around here, Craigslist seems to have the most or if you can find some local breeders! I wish I could help you out but we only have EE chicks and Bantam bearded silkie chicks to sell right now! Let me know if you need anything!

Small world, indeed! Howdy neighbor! Those are really sharp looking breeds. I bet my wife would be all about starting with that. I wonder, would you say that the hens can be loud? I basically just googled "what chicken breeds are most quiet"

 

[IamRainey]

Welcome!

Why are you hoping to start with adult hens? Anxious for the eggs? The easy way I started was ordering chicks from a hatchery. I got 6-wo chicks the first time.

The advantage of a hatchery is you can get exactly what you want in terms of breed and sex. And you have a guarantee of the quality of the birds. You have to wait for the eggs, of course, but only for (an agonizing) while. The first time. And then, when you add chicks in the future to renew your flock, you've already got layers so you won't even notice when the newbies start.

What you didn't ask about is housing them. You've got to make sure they'll be safe from whatever predators and elements. Got that part covered? If you're just starting out commit to the biggest and most secure coop and run that's practical for you. 'Cause you'll find yourself with more chickens than you imagine now. Start by investigating what your predators will be and plan based on that. Also, where will the winds come from? You want lots of ventilation but you want shelter from wind-driven snow and rain.

Are you planning supplemental lighting to increase your egg yield over the dark months? Give some thought to some solar panels or electric source. They'll come in handy if you have to keep the flock's water from freezing as well.

You're lucky to have so much property! Your concern for your neighbors is admirable but probably unnecessary as hens aren't particularly noisy nor is their "chatter" especially objectionable. In fact, I LOVE it! Listening to my neighbor's chickens (we're about 20 yards from their coop) is why I wanted my own initially. Still, you've chosen well. My Orps and Wyandotte are good consistent layers and delightful birds. BUT there's a world of colors and eggshells out there and it gets hard to stop wanting more and more!

Again, WELCOME And it will be fun to follow your start up adventures.

 

[Wolfefarmyard]

Small world, indeed! Howdy neighbor! Those are really sharp looking breeds. I bet my wife would be all about starting with that. I wonder, would you say that the hens can be loud? I basically just googled "what chicken breeds are most quiet"

I don’t think the hens are too loud, the silkies really are quiet. The EEs sometimes make a little bit of noise after they laid an egg (the egg song.) I’ve found chickens of all breeds to be fairly quiet besides roosters of course!

 

[Sam and LoLo]

Welcome!

Why are you hoping to start with adult hens? Anxious for the eggs? The easy way I started was ordering chicks from a hatchery. I got 6-wo chicks the first time.

The advantage of a hatchery is you can get exactly what you want in terms of breed and sex. And you have a guarantee of the quality of the birds. You have to wait for the eggs, of course, but only for (an agonizing) while. The first time. And then, when you add chicks in the future to renew your flock, you've already got layers so you won't even notice when the newbies start.

What you didn't ask about is housing them. You've got to make sure they'll be safe from whatever predators and elements. Got that part covered? If you're just starting out commit to the biggest and most secure coop and run that's practical for you. 'Cause you'll find yourself with more chickens than you imagine now. Start by investigating what your predators will be and plan based on that. Also, where will the winds come from? You want lots of ventilation but you want shelter from wind-driven snow and rain.

Are you planning supplemental lighting to increase your egg yield over the dark months? Give some thought to some solar panels or electric source. They'll come in handy if you have to keep the flock's water from freezing as well.

You're lucky to have so much property! Your concern for your neighbors is admirable but probably unnecessary as hens aren't particularly noisy nor is their "chatter" especially objectionable. In fact, I LOVE it! Listening to my neighbor's chickens (we're about 20 yards from their coop) is why I wanted my own initially. Still, you've chosen well. My Orps and Wyandotte are good consistent layers and delightful birds. BUT there's a world of colors and eggshells out there and it gets hard to stop wanting more and more!

Again, WELCOME And it will be fun to follow your start up adventures.

Welcome!

Why are you hoping to start with adult hens? Anxious for the eggs? The easy way I started was ordering chicks from a hatchery. I got 6-wo chicks the first time.

The advantage of a hatchery is you can get exactly what you want in terms of breed and sex. And you have a guarantee of the quality of the birds. You have to wait for the eggs, of course, but only for (an agonizing) while. The first time. And then, when you add chicks in the future to renew your flock, you've already got layers so you won't even notice when the newbies start.

What you didn't ask about is housing them. You've got to make sure they'll be safe from whatever predators and elements. Got that part covered? If you're just starting out commit to the biggest and most secure coop and run that's practical for you. 'Cause you'll find yourself with more chickens than you imagine now. Start by investigating what your predators will be and plan based on that. Also, where will the winds come from? You want lots of ventilation but you want shelter from wind-driven snow and rain.

Are you planning supplemental lighting to increase your egg yield over the dark months? Give some thought to some solar panels or electric source. They'll come in handy if you have to keep the flock's water from freezing as well.

You're lucky to have so much property! Your concern for your neighbors is admirable but probably unnecessary as hens aren't particularly noisy nor is their "chatter" especially objectionable. In fact, I LOVE it! Listening to my neighbor's chickens (we're about 20 yards from their coop) is why I wanted my own initially. Still, you've chosen well. My Orps and Wyandotte are good consistent layers and delightful birds. BUT there's a world of colors and eggshells out there and it gets hard to stop wanting more and more!

Again, WELCOME And it will be fun to follow your start up adventures.

Hi Rainey! Thanks for the very thorough response! I was hoping to start small, quick and easy since I haven't been around chickens since I was a young boy and my wife has zero experience. That's why I was thinking of young adults, but I'm open for advice. Also, there's some additional equipment for raising chicks. I was planning to build a coop on wheels big enough for four or five hens and then use a movable fencing system for changing their run around the property. I was also planning to build lighting/heating into the coop for winter months; since it'll move around I can position it out of the wind and near a power source when necessary. All tentative plans, of course, but I do love to wood work and haven't been able to for YEARS because we've lived in the city, in Chicago.

If my wife and I get anywhere near as much out of raising chickens as most the enthusiasts in this community, and I expect we will, then I guess I'd build some more coop and get equipment for caring for chicks. Best I can tell the chicken laws basically just say "have a good home for them and let them run around. Also, no roosters" so, I don't see why we wouldn't be able to grow our coop? All and all we are super excited to give this a try!