Tell me about getting chickens

[melrose7]

We are seriously considering getting chickens this spring. But I am a city girl (living in the country) so I don’t have the first clue what we are doing. How many do we get? What do we need when they are little? Hiw long are they inside? Any help would be appreciated.

[sf333]

We have had chickens for 4 or 5 years now and I would highly recommend it! I would advise you do reading online - google 'chicken keeping 101' or something similar and you will find an insane amount of resources. Also, see if there is a local FB chicken keeper's group as they can be invaluable to you when you have questions or an issue come up.

I would start with a smallish flock (we got 6) to see what you think. If you get chicks, they have to have access to warmth (heat lamp, heat plate, etc) and you will need to keep that up until they are fully feathered. Raising chicks is the most time intensive. Once they're older, it's much easier. I love having them because they eat ticks and they're just a fun presence on our property.

[NCGrandma]

There was a recent thread (search for backyard chickens) that may have some useful info. As I mentioned there, my family had chickens for years, and — despite their best efforts — regularly lost some to predators. Be sure to think about how your various family members will deal with that.

They enjoyed having chickens, but when they sold their semi-rural house, they were delighted that the buyer wanted both the chickens and the sturdy coop/run!

ETA: the thread that citymama linked to is the one I was referring to — thanks! (I need to figure out how to link to a thread...)

Sent from my iPad using Baby Bargains (http://r.tapatalk.com/byo?rid=87652)

[citymama]

We loooove having backyard chickens! I started a thread (http://windsorpeak.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?501383-Anyone-else-here-have-backyard-chickens) about this when we first got them so take a look at that. We got ours at mypetchicken.com. My older DD had been studying about varieties and their temperaments, egg colors and quantity, climate preferences, and she selected 7 completely different (and some rare) varieties. It was a brilliant decision because we know them all individually, and we get many different colored eggs! I highly recommend barred plymouth rocks & buff orpingtons in any coop. We got a Brinsea heater for when they were babies indoors which is safer than an infrared light. When they first arrive you need the heater right away, also baby chick starter food (should be available at any local feed/farm store), a chick waterer (has little circles cut into a stainless steel dish) and feeding dish. We put them in a large clear plastic tub for the first week, then moved them to a large appliance box we got from a local appliance store. They were out in the coop by 6-8 weeks!