Anyone else here have backyard chickens?

[citymama]

We just got our baby chicks - they're adorable! Wondering if there are other chicken "parents" here and we can trade notes about the first few months. DH and I both had flashbacks to newborn baby days as one of them had a plugged vent (trouble pooping), one needed constant cuddles and we both kept waking up at night to make sure they were still breathing! They're a few days old and all seem to be well so far. The dog is keeping his distance but definitely curious. I'd love to know what you moved them into next after the initial plastic tub and when you moved them outdoors. Tell me about "nice to have" items for people with backyard chickens! Cheep cheep!

[trcy]

Gosh, I wish I could have chickens! HOA won't allow it. ☹️


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[NCGrandma]

Until they moved "into town" earlier this year, my family had chickens for about 7 years. Besides the usual care and feeding that others can talk about, one thing to be prepared for is handling the inevitable "attrition." They didn't have much trouble with illness but there were a surprising number and variety of predators that visited their yard. They were sort of on the edge of town, not super rural, but they lost a fair number of chickens over the years even though the chickens were in a predator-proof coop/run from evening until morning. Not sure how old your DCs are, but you might give some thought in advance to how you want to handle this likely event.


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[citymama]

Yes, our neighbor has lost a couple to raccoons that prowl our neighborhood. We would all be so sad if that happened!

[lovingdenver10]

No advice just wishing you good luck. Hope it's a good experience.

[zukeypur]

My girls are 2.5 years old. We kept them in a plastic tub with a heat lamp, then moved them outside to the coop, still in the tun, with the lamp. When it was consistently warm enough at night, we turned off the lamp. Mind you, they were born in May. I kept them on sand for quite a while and used a cat scoop to clean up after them. I ordered some water nipples from amazon and make water bottles out of big juice and vinegar jugs. I'm sure you have specific questions, so ask away!

[citymama]

My girls are 2.5 years old. We kept them in a plastic tub with a heat lamp, then moved them outside to the coop, still in the tun, with the lamp. When it was consistently warm enough at night, we turned off the lamp. Mind you, they were born in May. I kept them on sand for quite a while and used a cat scoop to clean up after them. I ordered some water nipples from amazon and make water bottles out of big juice and vinegar jugs. I'm sure you have specific questions, so ask away!

We have one of the radiant heat lamps that doesn't get quite as hot to the touch, so they can huddle under it like a mama hen. We have all feeders and waterers, an awesome coop and run we share with our neighbor. I think we'll need to get a huge cardboard box to put them in for weeks 3-5 - I don't want them outside till 6 weeks. We're in CA, so they can be outside year-round in an unheated coop once they're old enough. When did you introduce anything other than baby chick scratch to their diet? Any and all advice welcome, especially things a first-time chicken owner may not anticipate or be ready for!

[zukeypur]

We have one of the radiant heat lamps that doesn't get quite as hot to the touch, so they can huddle under it like a mama hen. We have all feeders and waterers, an awesome coop and run we share with our neighbor. I think we'll need to get a huge cardboard box to put them in for weeks 3-5 - I don't want them outside till 6 weeks. We're in CA, so they can be outside year-round in an unheated coop once they're old enough. When did you introduce anything other than baby chick scratch to their diet? Any and all advice welcome, especially things a first-time chicken owner may not anticipate or be ready for!

I'm not sure how old they were when I switched food, but I'm pretty sure I only bought one bag. They will wreck your yard and any flowers you have, so only let them out if you have nothing else you love, lol. Ours get out occasionally, but nothing like they used to. We also have hawks, raccoons, and possums who would all love to eat them.