Help...getting chickens

[SheWoff]

Hubby and I are getting a coop built with a run on it this week. Then we are going to get 4-6 chickens to start out with. We want them mainly just for eggs right now but later will branch out into getting them for meat also.

Our problem is this...we have NEVER had anything to do with chickens before. We have NO idea how to get this started out right. I mean we knew we would need a coop and a run. Plus we will free-range them during the days if possible. Other than that, we are cluesless lol. :-D

So where do we go from here?

She

[Micah68]

Are they babies or full grown chickens?

What are the day and night time temps?

[SheWoff]

They were hatched about Easter this spring and we are running in the seventies during the day and around 58 to 60 at night. It will shortly be about ninety percent humidity and in the high eighties with lows in the 65 to 70 range.

Where we are having the coop and run built is in the shade under some dogwood trees. It catches a nice southerly breeze there, if there is one lol.

She

[Micah68]

Hmm, Easter would make them about 4 weeks old, right?

I think you will be fine with just your coop and run. Here we are still getting freezing temps at night, so they would need a brooder.

I do not buy commerical chick starter and feeder - too expensive and has too many additives. I grind corn, throw in some molasses, and feed them that. Once they are about 4 weeks old, I start putting our cooked meat scraps through the grinder and giving that with their corn and molasses - chickens are omnivores.

give them plenty of fresh water - chickens need a surprising amount of water, and all the feed they want, plus ranging them in the run and they will be just fine.

You will love those fresh eggs, but I will warn you (since some people are surprised) the yolks will be almost orange - not at all the pale yellow you get with store eggs.

Congratulations on expanding your self sufficiency!

[Mrs. S]

I feed my chicks Nutrena brand feed. It has no chemicals. I also sometimes get "scratch" which is mostly oats and corn. The feed, I put in a feeder, but the scratch I throw around on the ground. I think you will find the chickens alot of fun. I really enjoy mine.
I am jealous of your temps! We had a freeze warning last night, and patchy frost tonight.

[Birdlady]

We just got 4 Barred Rocks pullets (from the feed store, who got them from "Ideal poultry")....they are the sweetest things, but we are "taming" them, as far as that goes. :-D Our GD's love them and we want them tame.

We got them about 9 weeks ago,(Easter chicks) when temps were still in the 40's 50's, so we had them in a brooder box in the house with a heat lamp (60 watt shop light), hung over the edge of the box........we moved them out to the "coop" last week and they are doing very well!
We have them on Wendlands "One and only" chick starter/grower, which should be good til they are ready to lay eggs. Then we'll switch to a layer feed which is higher in calcium, as I understand it (and we're novices when it concerns chickens). I did wildbird rehab for about 10 years, but this chicken thing is a whole new ball game..:-D

Temps tonight are going into a "cold front", and when I checked on them, the 4 were huddling in a corner (as usual), but not in the kennels we have provided if weather is bad...go figger...LOL!

This evening I went out to them, without "treats", and just sat on their roost, talking to them...telling them what pretty girls they were. I had all four on me...2 on lap and 2 on shoulders...it was sweet and just "nice"....:-D

[Birdlady]

PS to add that this site might be useful for info:

http://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/index.php

[AngelDance]

She, are you sure you want to start smoking crack.....er, I mean, raising chickens??? (they are equally addictive!

We have had chickens for 7 years now and love them! I am not the chicken expert, but I do have some practical suggestions.

Their coop or house does not need to be fancy, just SECURE. A small door for them and a big door for you.

Some scavenged (read free) windows for ventilation in the summer is nice, but not absolutely necessary.

A raised foundation with hardware cloth around the inside or on the underside of the flooring will help keep small predators (rats, weasels, snakes, etc) out of the house or coop.

peppermint oil on cotton balls in a small plastic jar with holes cut in it placed in the corners will deter mice and rats.

Roosts are better on chooks' feetsies if they are flat. IE: a 2x4 with the 4" side up.

Chickens are not the sharpest crayons in the box.

Some breeds are better than others for going "broody". This is important if you want them to "go forth and multiply". If you only want eggs and no chicks you do not need a rooster. 1 rooster is sufficient for about every 12-15 hens. Multiple roosters WILL fight, and it is not pretty. Aggressive roosters should be culled for the pot IMMEDIATELY, especially if you have small children around. Some breeds of roosters are more aggressive than others.

If the chooks will free range, they should get enough grit for proper crop function from the dirt, especially in Tenn. If they are confined, even in a small yard, you may need to give them sand or crushed oyster shell (also good for calcium needed for strong shells)

As previously stated, they need a good supply of fresh water. Be careful, though, of large animal troughs or decorative ponds 'cause they are dumb as a box of hammers and may fall in and drown (don't ask me how I know this)

Also as previously stated, the eggs are vastly more yellow than even the best store bought, especially if allowed to free range (true free range not the gov definition). Your devilled eggs will look like you put a quart of mustard in them, your white cornmeal dishes will look like you used yellow corn and your grandma's 10 egg pound cake recipe will look like a yield sign. They also taste "eggier".

Chickens are like potato chips: you cannot just stop with a few.

They are fun to watch, listen to and talk to. They will come when called if you have food.

They adore kitchen scraps, but do not feed them potato peels.

If you have many chooks (and if you start with a few, you soon will have many) you will be the most popular girl in the rural neighborhood. I have given away 6 dozen eggs this week alone to older neighbors, neighbors out of work etc.

FENCE your garden unless you are growing it only for the chooks. Also, FENCE your garden because the chickens will eat everything in it. Did I mention FENCE your garden (berries included)

DE in their dust bathing places and mixed in their feed and house litter, and ACV goes a long way toward parasite control, both internal and external. Never use cedar shaving for their bedding. Pine shavings or straw is good. Several hens can share the same nest box, in fact, they often wait their turn b*tching at the laying hen to finish if they are in the favorite one.

Old fashioned whitewash (lime, salt and water) is excellent for interior surfaces as it is antimicrobial. If you use deep litter 8-12 inches) on the floor of the house, it really only needs to be cleaned twice a year (we do Spring and Fall) Scrape perches once a month. The old litter makes excellent compost, but takes longer for the nitrogen to calm down than 4 legged animal manure. Do not put nest boxes under perches.

ok......hands are done for now. Want more? Ask questions. I am sure many people here know way more than I. Good luck with your birds. They really are some of the easiest homestead animals to look after and raise.

Love,

Angel

[IdahoMom]

I have a question..

If the chickens are bred with a rooster, how do you know which eggs are fertile? And when?

Do they stop laying once they have some actual fertile eggs? Or are ALL the eggs fertile for awhile?

Or do you just leave all the eggs alone till some hatch?

So confused, thought I knew about the birds and the bees....

[momof23goats]

I have a question..

If the chickens are bred with a rooster, how do you know which eggs are fertile? And when?

Do they stop laying once they have some actual fertile eggs? Or are ALL the eggs fertile for awhile?

Or do you just leave all the eggs alone till some hatch?

So confused, thought I knew about the birds and the bees....
If you have roosters, theeggs will be fertile, no problem there, those guys are fast on thedraw, believe me, that is al he does all day, trust me on that one. hedoes that, crow, and eat. HE struts in front of the gals, and shows what he has. it is just the way of it. Each rooster will have his gals. I have enough for2 roosters, and these gals roost with their man at night.

[AngelDance]

I have a question..

If the chickens are bred with a rooster, how do you know which eggs are fertile? And when?

Do they stop laying once they have some actual fertile eggs? Or are ALL the eggs fertile for awhile?

Or do you just leave all the eggs alone till some hatch?

So confused, thought I knew about the birds and the bees....

As Mom said, if you have a roo your eggs will be fertile.

When hens decide they want to hatch babies, they will lay daily for a couple of weeks, more or less, until they have a nice clutch of eggs. The first ones laid will remain dormant until the hen sets. When she sets, she will sit on the eggs day and night, only taking about a 1 hour break to eat, drink and poop. In about 3 weeks, the eggs will begin to hatch. Mom will take care of the babies.

Some breeds of chickens have had the "broodiness" bred out of them, so will just lay eggs,fertilized or not, but never set on them. Some breeds are so broody they can be annoying lol.

A good source for breed information is here:
http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html

This has agood chart with breed characteristics, egg production and color, hardiness, broodiness, etc.

Hope this helps,

Angel

PS: We have buff Orpingtons, Plymouth Barred Rocks, Wyandottes, EasterEggers, Rhode Island Reds and some "mutts". Our rooster is a Plymouth Barred Rock.