# Newbie questions



## fcdairygoats (Jun 24, 2013)

I don't have chickens but am considering getting some...

What advice would you give to someone who has never had chickens before? 
Mind sharing photos of your set up? Also info on how many you have, how many eggs you get would be great as well and what kind of chickens to! 
Also if you don't mind putting where you got your chickens from as well.

Just looking for tons of information before deciding to go this route.

thanks in advance!!


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

We get our chickens from cackle hatchery. It's a great company and has really good customer service.

We've had a few breeds over the years and if you are looking for egg production I'd probably have to recommend Buff Orpingtons. They are hardy, lay huge eggs and lay very consistently. We also used to have barred rocks and they would probably be a close second. We used to cross the two and they were a really nice cross. Our Orpingtons tended to be a little more laid back which is why I'd give the edge to them.

Right now we have Wyandottes (golden and silver laced), Australorpes, Rhode Island Reds, and Salmon Faverolles. I really can't recommend Rhode Island reds.  They have not done well for us. They just weren't that hardy for some reason. The Wyandottes have been great, very hardy and good egg layers. Wouldn't get the Faverolles again. They are so docile that they get picked on by the other chickens and the other thing is, if you are going to butcher, the Faverolles have so many feathers that plucking is not fun.

Our set up is pretty basic. We have a 8x10 foot metal shed with a roost across the ten foot side. Nothing fancy, just a board across the back with some supports. We've learned that you have to make your roost really solid if it's long or otherwise it could fall. We lost a hen like that so that's something to watch out for.

We have the non electric chicken fencing from Premier One and it has worked great for us. If you have any predators though, it would absolutely not work. They are inside our perimeter fence though, so we don't have any issues.

Hawks have been an issue at our place, so my younger sisters (who are the chicken keepers) put up a bunch of tarps, CDs, and built a Scarecrow that they move daily to help keep hawks away. We haven't lost a chicken to hawks in a long time likely due to their efforts.

We give the chickens the wasted hay and bedding from our goat barns which they turn into lovely compost for us.


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## MadHouse (Oct 3, 2019)

We have a group of lighter breed hens (sorry, don't know what they are) and a group of Brahmas. I prefer the lighter breed, because they are a lot more agile. The Brahmas are prone to foot issues, due to their weight and their feathered feet, that dirt clings to. The Brahmas are very nice birds, but, just like @MellonFriend said about her Faverolles, they are so docile, that they get picked on. They took forever to lay, because the change was so hard on them, and now, every time there is a change, they stop laying again.
Right now all the chickens are in the same barn as the goats, but soon they will have their own coop. I want them to have lots of indoor space, because with our climate, the winters are long (don't know about winter in Indiana). Clutter is a good thing in a chicken coop, because it Offers hiding places for the under dogs.


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## JML Farms (Jan 1, 2021)

I echo what MellonFriend said. I strongly recommend a strong pen and chicken house! Everything loves to eat chickens. Dogs that haven’t been raised around them will kill every one! Dogs hunt for sport....most wild animals hunt for food and kill one at a time (with the exception of racoons....a family of them will wipe u out in a night). Also if u have a tractor supply in your area, they sell baby chicks or you may check your local feed store. Sometimes they order them too. I like the buffs, Wyandotte’s, and bantams. Or anything else that lays a good egg! Good luck


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## MadHouse (Oct 3, 2019)

For high production I read white leghorns are the best. My friend has them and it is true, they are highly productive.


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## fcdairygoats (Jun 24, 2013)

Thank you for the information. Greatly appreciate it!


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## alwaystj9 (Apr 10, 2019)

I have a mixed flock with goats and horse. There are many ways to keep chickens. First you have to decide what your goals are. I have a farm flock. They keep me in eggs, they keep down the bugs and occasionally I will put some in the freezer. If you start with a good setup, chicken keeping is fairly easy. If you have a local (probably non-TSC) feed store or coop, I would start by asking there. That is where I buy my chicks, usually, but I do hatch some. I am not trying to dump on TSC, but an old established feed store can point out local people who raise chickens you might speak with and they will also be more familiar with local predators and any health issues common in your area. What works for me in South Louisiana may not work where you are! Good luck!


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## Kass (Apr 26, 2020)

We got our younger chickens at Tractor Supply. This spring we got 2 Buff Orpingtons, 3 Plymouth Rocks, 3 ISA (?) Browns, 2 Jersey Giants. We have an aracuana rooster. And 4 older birds we've had for a few years. 
Some of the younger ones haven't started laying yet, so out of 14 hens we get about 7 eggs a day. We have a 4×8 coop with 6 nesting boxes and roosts. They get locked up at night and free range during the day.


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## fcdairygoats (Jun 24, 2013)

How many nesting boxes are needed? 
I have an old shed on the property that I am thinking about turning into a chicken coop as I would like to buy a new shed for my lawn mower and garden stuff and tools etc. I would not be able to let them out while I wasn't home so I was going to make a large outdoor area for them. I know predators are a concern. I have foxes, possums, and hawks that I have seen out here. 

Another question, How deep in the ground would I need to have chicken wire to keep predators from digging under?

Is this something I could do on a budget? I know it will cost money but is it going to take a lot? I already have the shelter so there's no cost there, I just have to make the inside of it chicken friendly lol. I have a $40 gift card to Rural King that I had planned on using for the supplies to get started....feeder/waterer etc. I will have money in the wood/chicken wire to make the "outdoor run". Then will have cost of feed....is there anything else I am missing for costs?

Another question. (sorry for all the questions)
How many chickens would be a good number....It's just me and the animals here. lol


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## MadHouse (Oct 3, 2019)

Can you move the shed to the edge of an existing fenced in area, like one of your goat runs? That’s what we have. Chickens running around with goats. The down side is the chickens’ poop, which is ok here, because it is not a pasture.
We started with 9 chicks, 5 were roosters, we kept 1 rooster and the 4 hens. Two nesting boxes. The eggs were plentiful for the three of us, but tapered off after a year.
If your digging predators are nocturnal then you just need to make sure the shed floor is either solid or put hardware cloth down (NOT chicken wire). Yes, it is more costly, but predators rip through chicken wire easy peasy.


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## fcdairygoats (Jun 24, 2013)

MadHouse said:


> Can you move the shed to the edge of an existing fenced in area, like one of your goat runs? That's what we have. Chickens running around with goats. The down side is the chickens' poop, which is ok here, because it is not a pasture.
> We started with 9 chicks, 5 were roosters, we kept 1 rooster and the 4 hens. Two nesting boxes. The eggs were plentiful for the three of us, but tapered off after a year.
> If your digging predators are nocturnal then you just need to make sure the shed floor is either solid or put hardware cloth down (NOT chicken wire). Yes, it is more costly, but predators rip through chicken wire easy peasy.


No the shed can't be moved. It's not in an ideal location for using it for garden and tools which is why I am thinking about using it for chickens lol


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Make sure you have a plan in place for when the hens stop laying eggs if you don't want to have just some pet chickens. I'd also, if you aren't interested in butchering, recommend getting enough chickens that when their production slows down you'll still get enough eggs.


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## Lstein (Oct 2, 2014)

fcdairygoats said:


> I don't have chickens but am considering getting some...
> 
> What advice would you give to someone who has never had chickens before?
> Mind sharing photos of your set up? Also info on how many you have, how many eggs you get would be great as well and what kind of chickens to!
> ...


I'd like to start off by saying I highly recommend anyone who has the time and facilities for chickens, to get chickens. They are really easy to care for (compared to say, goats) and are a joy to have around.

We have Columbian Wyandottes and this is our second year with them. Pictures don't do justice when you see a flock of them roaming around the farm. We have 3 roosters from a breeder and 12 hens that we got as chicks from Cackle Hatchery. My plan is to hatch our own from here on out. We also still have a couple brahmas left but they are more lawn ornaments.

After cycling through many breeds, we landed on them because they are a nice homestead chicken that lays fairly well, are friendly, gorgeous imo and the roosters get to a decent weight for butchering. They also go broody, which is a bonus for us. Having a hen do the work is far easier, if you have the right setup for it.

They are a hardy winter breed, and eve thought its -20's here...we are still getting eggs (frozen by time I get home, but they are there lol).

I used to mainly have Buff Brahmas, which are still my favorite color and pattern chicken. The Columbian's a very close second. We got out of the Brahmas because they were rather poor layers and took an extremely long time to start laying eggs in our experience (12 months +). (The Wyandottes are closer to the 8-9 month range for us.)

This year we also plan on getting silkies from Cackle this spring, just for eye candy and to help raise chicks.

We've also had the following, and these were my experiences.

Easter Eggers: rather flighty
Sex-Links: extreme egg laying machines, but seem to develop problems later on because of it.
Buff Orpingtons: Similar to the Wyandottes, but they have a single comb and we were having troubles with the roosters having their frozen off. We have extreme winters here.... We would probably have them too, along with Black Australorps..if it wasn't for the large combs.

Cackle Hatchery is my personal favorite, we've used them for ordering chickens, ducks and turkeys. All the birds have been nice looking birds.

I've used McMurray in the past and while their catalog will always hold a special place in my heart (I was the weird kid that brought it to school and stared at it for hours)... they've started to get kind of expensive and the birds just haven't been as nice for me.

I've also used Ideal Poultry and I don't recommend them at all.

We have a covered run, with chicken wire fencing and netting for the top. They get to free range sometimes. My wife usually lets them out of the run around noon or so, after they have laid their eggs and they are out all day on the weekends when we are home. When we let them out all the time, we start to find eggs in various places. Even if you plan on free ranging, I would still have an attached run (even if you decide to not have it covered) because there are just some days when you will need to have them locked up for whatever reason.

For nest boxes, it's recommended one box for every 4 hens I believe. But they will all lay in the same box regardless in my experience lol, even if they have to sit on top of each other to do so.


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Oh yes, ours only like one certain nest box and all prefer to lay in that one .


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## MadHouse (Oct 3, 2019)

MellonFriend said:


> Oh yes, ours only like one certain nest box and all prefer to lay in that one .


I guess that's international chicken code. Then one decides on a different nest, and the others copy her.


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## Blessed Boer's (Nov 8, 2019)

We have 26 chickens mixed of australorp, whitings true green and whitings true green from mcmurray hatchery. We are getting about 15 eggs a day right now and expect that to increase some in spring. Research all 3 of these and find they are excellent large egg layers. They are friendly too. Australorps more so. 
Here is a few pics of our hen house. It's off our goat barn. 
This was before the roost boxes were put in but we have 10 roost boxes.


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## JML Farms (Jan 1, 2021)

A lot depends on how big they are when u get them too. Chicks need a lot more care than adults. Their housing and nutrition need are different too. Assuming you start off with grown chickens, I would recommend starting with maybe six pallets....a rooster is optional....he may be needed later. If you’re building a run outside for them make sure you use the smaller net wire instead of the larger 1 1/2 inch net wire. Put a tight stand of barbed wire at the bottom to discourage predators from digging under. Cover the top with some type of wire (you can use the larger mesh there). Start off with three nests boxes...they will most likely pick a favorite. Have a way to secure them inside at night as most predators are nocturnal. You might also look into building a chicken tractor that u can move around and let them have fresh grass and bugs regularly. Google chicken tractors. There are some pretty cool ones you could make.


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Blessed Boer's said:


> We have 26 chickens mixed of australorp, whitings true green and whitings true green from mcmurray hatchery. We are getting about 15 eggs a day right now and expect that to increase some in spring. Research all 3 of these and find they are excellent large egg layers. They are friendly too. Australorps more so.
> Here is a few pics of our hen house. It's off our goat barn.
> This was before the roost boxes were put in but we have 10 roost boxes.
> 
> ...


Very nice looking coop!


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## fcdairygoats (Jun 24, 2013)

Thank you so much for all of this information!!! I sooooo appreciate it!


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## fcdairygoats (Jun 24, 2013)

MadHouse said:


> Can you move the shed to the edge of an existing fenced in area, like one of your goat runs? That's what we have. Chickens running around with goats. The down side is the chickens' poop, which is ok here, because it is not a pasture.
> We started with 9 chicks, 5 were roosters, we kept 1 rooster and the 4 hens. Two nesting boxes. The eggs were plentiful for the three of us, but tapered off after a year.
> If your digging predators are nocturnal then you just need to make sure the shed floor is either solid or put hardware cloth down (NOT chicken wire). Yes, it is more costly, but predators rip through chicken wire easy peasy.


Do you think for the outdoor part of the chicken coop, I could use the hardware cloth around the bottom and then use regular chicken wire for the top/sides? I want my chickens to be safe but the hardware cloth is more expensive and if I can supplement the rest with chicken wire it would make for a larger outdoor area for them. thanks in advance!


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## MadHouse (Oct 3, 2019)

I meant the hardware cloth just for the coop, where you lock them up at night. For my outdoor part I have goat panel. For our area that has been fine. I lost one hen to a hawk who came INTO the barn through the open door around dusk. But nobody tried during the day.


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## fcdairygoats (Jun 24, 2013)

MadHouse said:


> I meant the hardware cloth just for the coop, where you lock them up at night. For my outdoor part I have goat panel. For our area that has been fine. I lost one hen to a hawk who came INTO the barn through the open door around dusk. But nobody tried during the day.


OK Thanks!!!


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