Topic of the Week - Getting Started, Keeping Chickens

[Folly's place]

aart and others already gave great advise! Research first, build big, and biosecurity. Random source birds will bring in random diseases, and some will kill all your birds, and some will NEVER go away. It's really not complicated to do it right! Mary

 

[azygous]

- Before buying birds, what do first?

Build the darned coop! And stay away from those ridiculously inadequate prefabs the feed store has conveniently adjacent to the tank full of cute baby chicks. You will be tempted to picture how cozy they will be in it, and you think all you need to do is drag the coop home, stick it in the yard, and install the chicks. You will be sorry.

It won't have adequate ventilation, and you'll find it impossible to interact with the chicks, and the biggest issue, in a couple months it will suddenly be too small. Those are just for starters. If you aren't blessed with carpentry skills, order a prefab storage shed and for the cost of a carpenter, you can have a coop you can comfortably stand up in and will accommodate your chickens for years to come. And it won't cost much more than that inadequate, although very charming looking prefab.

Then read up on chicken care and get familiar with what chickens will need as they are growing and approach point of lay. This community is a huge resource. Join us! Hang out!


- How to pick breeds, what to look for when buying birds, etc.

A friend bought me a colorful book on all the chicken breeds with information on which are cold hardy, which are great layers, which are people friendly, and most important, which breeds can be accurately sexed at hatch so as to avoid the pesky and sometimes stressful problem of extra cockerels you hadn't planned on. The internet has this information and you can also find it on the BYC search feature.

This will enable you to select exactly the breeds that suit you tastes and needs.


- Where and who to buy birds from. (Breeders, hatcheries, farmers' markets, feed store?)

Here's where I'm going to raise the red flag and wave it for all I'm worth. I strongly urge new chicken keepers against starting their flock with adult hens. This is so risky it can ruin your flock for years to come if you get hold of chickens that are carriers of disease even though they and the flock you got them from appear very healthy. This is what happened to me. Start your flock with baby chicks from a certified breeder or hatchery, and stay away from "chicken meets" and swap meets. Or your best friend down the road.

What happened was I wanted to have fresh eggs right away, and I knew a friend down the road had a lot of chickens and his wife had just died in an awful accident and he was not able to care for all her animals, including the chickens. So he gave me two hens from the flock. I had just finished the coop and I installed the two hens in it.

Two days later, I found one of the hens dead when I went out in the morning. I thought it was something that just happened to chickens and thought no more about it. He gave me another hen, and everything was fine. A few months later, I ordered some new baby chicks and added them to my flock. A couple years later, I added more baby chicks. Everything was happy and fine in the azygous chicken world, even though one of the original adult hens had come down with some kind of "wasting disease" and I had to euthanize for the very first time.

Flash forward several years later during which time a chicken would die of mysterious causes every so often. I had decided to try letting a broody sit eggs and I got a single beautiful little cockerel from the mating of a pretty little Brahma hen and a gorgeous, charismatic Brahma rooster. He was a handsome little fellow, but he took sick and I had to euthanize him at age eleven months. His egg donor had died a few months earlier and his daddy died soon after the mother. Distressed and suspecting a serious disease, I had a necropsy done on him. That's when I found out that I had imported a very contagious and incurable virus into my new flock with those original two hens that will be present in my flock forever. The only way to eradicate it is to kill every single chicken.

So don't be tempted with the quick start method of beginning a flock with adult chickens. Get baby chicks, and add only baby chicks when you wish to add to your flock. It's called playing it safe.


- Coop and housing do's and don'ts.

I covered my pet peeves in the first segment. I'll leave the finer points to other more capable folks.


- Feeding and watering do's and don'ts.

The big thing is not to mix scratch grain into the feed. It's not only bad for the nutrition of your flock, it creates waste when the little rascals beak out all the nutritious feed to get to the tasty grains and seeds. The feed ends up all over the ground, getting contaminated and moldy, creating hazardous conditions that can make your chickens sick, and you will wonder why your feed bill is through the roof. Offer the scratch sparingly at the end of the day strictly as an occasional treat.


- Keeping the flock healthy and safe.

Read up on which predators live in your locale and go over every inch of your coop and run and think like they would think. How would you get into where the chickens are if you were a skunk, a raccoon, a tiny weasel, a fox. And look up. Check out the eaves of the coop. Owls can fly through the narrowest opening at the top of walls to get to prey inside. Hawks can swoop down inside a run that is open. Spend a little money to cover your run. It will keep out hawks, foxes that are excellent climbers of fences, and snow. Think about winter and saving yourself the hassle and work of shoveling snow out of the run. And in areas with heavy rain, it can mean the difference between a run that is muddy and smelly and one that is dry and odorless. Also pay attention to runoff and drainage around the run so water doesn't accumulate.


- General tips, advice and everything else you'd like to share.

Try to avoid using heat lamps. Whenever possible, consider alternatives. I recommend strongly the heating pad system for brooding chicks. Heating pads are useful in heating nest boxes in winter so eggs don't freeze, and even for heating nipple watering systems.

Keep things as clean and dry as possible, even if it means a little extra effort. It pays off in healthier chickens and less grief for you.

Enjoy your chickens. They can be as affectionate as kittens and puppies and even more entertaining. I've never regretted getting into this hobby. It has brought me great joy.

 

[WesleyBeal]

I'm new at this - not 6 months in yet.

With that disclaimer, I'd advise getting a book and studying it. This site is a great resource. For someone just learning, there are a lot of different opinions - you'll get as many different answers as there are people responding. Having one book can help with clarity.

Here's one I recommend (Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens):

https://g.co/kgs/Iq1okx

The other thing I would say, is don't panic. Raising chickens is both complicated and simple. Complicated in terms of all the variables with regards to shelter and management, but also a simple practice that ordinary people have been doing for thousands of years.

Start in the spring once temperatures are warm enough to make keeping day-old chicks warm enough isn't a big challenge. Figure out your housing situation and have that prepared or at least ready to be set up very soon. Be prepared to adapt your plans, regarding housing, feeding, and everything else, as new needs and information dictates.

Having everything you think you'll need planned out is very important; almost as important as being able to modify those plans when necessary.

 

[knwisdom]

One more tip, extra effort up front means easier maintenance later. Especially when setting up the coop. Trying to add things later when you already have the birds is much harder. If you think you might need insulation, do it up front, yes you still need ventilation even with insulation. Predator proof before they find out that your chickens are easy picking. Think out coop access before you are having to manually move loads of sand or straw when maybe you could have just driven right up to it. Every installation is different, but if you really think it through you can save a lot of hassle later.

 

[Mrs. K]

Well that is very good advice up above, for physical requirements. Mentally, I think you need to prepare too.

Chickens are not real long lived animals for the most part, although there are some. As a pet, they are not going to last forever. Not every chicken works out in your set up, especially roosters. Being kind to puppies and kittens will produce well adjusted adult animals able to live with people, that is not the case for roosters. Some roosters are mean and can be dangerous, especially to children. Some hens can be heartless to other birds. Wishing they would all be nice, does not work with chickens. You have to be able to adjust the flock. They are in a confined space, and not all will work out.

Can you dispatch a rooster or an ill bird. Or can you find someone to do it for you, without feeling terrible guilt.

Years ago, when I first came to this site, a woman posted that really, she did not invest a huge amount of money in her birds, they were just chickens. She never took them to the vet. She culled them. She did not buy fancy food, or human food for them, they got chicken feed and scraps. She didn't stress about them, they lived and died, laid eggs, and she replaced them. She kept a flock, not individual birds. She was not irresponsible, just practical.

Any shed will work, bigger is better, good space, clean water, and reasonably clean bedding and food feed. And really a lot of us have bought the chicks and figured it out as we went along.

You are probably going to loose some, chicks especially are a bit fragile. Predators are a real concern even in the city. Chicken math is a real problem and we nearly all have been bitten.

IMO - It helps if you know this going into chickens. A little of, "they are chickens, not a family member, will help." I keep a flock, not individual birds.

my 2 cents

Mrs K

 

[lovechicks1293]

where are the best places to put ventilation? My family is building our first coop this spring and I'm in charge of designing it and I can't figure out where the best place it for is.

 

[Mrs. K]

Quote:
At the top of this page, there is a tab on coops, lots to pick from. I built this coop a year ago and am very happy with it.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/the-clutch-hutch-chicken-coop

Notice the ventilation at the top of the high side of the coop. It keeps the elements out, lets the moisture out, and keeps my chicken coop DRY. I don't shut them ever, even at -33 degrees.
Good ventilation needs to considerably bigger and more open than most people think. It needs to face away from the prevailing winds, and it needs to be above the birds heads when at roost.

Another important detail in designing a coop, is the birds bodies need to be away from the wall, and away from the ceiling when at roost if you live in cold or hot climates. the roost should be 18+ inches below the ceiling, and 12+ inches away from the wall, and placed higher than the nesting area.

Unless your goal is to have 2 birds, a walk in coop is much better.

Mrs K

 

[itsasmallfarm]

am new here (just got chickens this year) but i would suggest start out with egg layers. i did the white leghorns, silkies and Cornish cross meat chickens. and man was it a lot of work taking care of the meat birds compared to the other 2 breeds. we would have to clean out there coop every 3 days with a complete new shavings, the butchering took over 12 hours for 36 birds. the eggs layers though i love there really easy to take care of.

 

[KarateHorse]

Chicken keeping is very fun and I would recommend it for almost anyone. Since lots of people have already posted lots of info Im just going to give some tips.
1 always make sure you have extra cages for any birds that get injured and have to be separated for a while. We've had many sick or injured birds that had to be separated from the flock.
2 Make sure you don't have too many roosters. We lost a hen because we had three roosters and two male ducks that all came of age at the same time and ganged up on one hen.
3 use backyard chickens. This site has tons of useful information and has saved several of our birds lives. We had a duck with wry neck and we were going to put her down but then found how to cure it from here.
4 Give enough space be careful not to crowd birds.
Keeping chickens is very fun and addictive. I like growing chicks instead of getting full grown birds if you raise the chicks they know you and are not afraid.

 

[csaylorchickens]

- Before buying birds, what do first?
Before buying birds, research what it actually takes to own chickens. Look up general guide to keeping a flock healthy. Good coop design, feeders, waters, and preventative measures can keep a flock healthy and strong. Research chickens and theither health concerns; bumblefoot, coccidosis, parasite management, respiratory illness, merks disease, viruses,mites, fleas etc. Look up behaviors:how a flock works, lead hens, roosters, broody behavior, molting, feather picking, dust bathing, etc.

- How to pick breeds, what to look for when buying birds, etc.
Why do you want chickens? Eggs, meat, pest control, pets, combination of things? Understand not all breeds mesh well together. If you get aggressive breeds and put docile ones together there will be problems. Know the difference feathered legs vs nonfeathered. Where do you live? Are you more concerned with heat hardy or cold hardy breeds? Chickens can't handle heat as much as cold fyi.
- Where and who to buy birds from. (Breeders, hatcheries, farmers' markets, feed store?)

Unless you know 100% that a local breeder has a good rep, do not buy local! Craigs list is a horrible idea. Breeding chickens takes talent. Mixing certain breeds isn't good, genes matter. I use a local farmers up ply that gets rhem.from a hatchery with merks vaccine already when purchased. Once a year they have chick day and a few more times a year they get some in and post up when they will arrive.
- Coop and housing do's and don'ts.
Always build bigger than expected. Chicken math gets sketchy. I have a coop built for 12 but only house 7 currently. Also, how many do you want? 4 to start? Then build a coop to double that size. Always have good ventilation, poop boards are a must to maintain health, roost poles are better above the nesting boxes if you can, easy coop cleaning and maintenance.

- Feeding and watering do's and don'ts.

Feeders need to be kept dry to prevent sour crop from wet rotting food. Waters need to be kept clean. Many different ways many!
- Keeping the flock healthy and safe.

This is a must! Look up the chicken chick and health guides. I researched this for a year before getting the chickens and people always make puns like "wow you really know your child en stuff." A disease can wipe out always whole flock or endanger your neighbors flock. Find a local vet that can see poultry if needed. Mine sees chickens.
- General tips, advice and everything else you'd like to share.

Always build a bigger to four and a bigger run then you think you might need. You only buy a couple chickens and then you end up with more. Health is a main concern for chickens finding the right coop and run setup is very important. I use washed River sand in my coop and my run and it has worked out well. It keeps the run from pulling with water as well as natural grit for the chickens. They also just be than certain areas that are kept drive for them I just have to maintain adding ash and dust to the areas. But if you live in snow, sand might not be good. It is a lot of learning along the way but try to educate yourself as much as possible before hand and this site is amazing for a resource.