Chickens

[Jamie Calloway]

Hey everyone, with winter finally setting in there is not much going on out here in the beautiful state of Georgia. Although I am In the process of tilling some new ground and trying to refurbish some fencing for the new garden for 2018. I was wondering if anyone could five me a link to a good chicken forum? I am looking to invest in some hens this spring and from my understanding if I decide to buy online I need to really start getting prepared now. Any help would be much appreciated.
Thanks

 

[Silentrunning]

Backyard chickens.com is my go to for chicken info. Murray McMurry is the best place to purchase your chicks.

 

[Jamie Calloway]

Great @Silentrunning I'll check them out, I have been looking at Hoover Hatchery which I believe is in Iowa, lots of species and looks like a legitamite farm but I'm not sold on one in particular yet.

 

[marlingardener]

Jamie, be sure to choose a breed that can take heat. We have Black Australorps. Our girls are docile, great layers, and happy all year round in our climate. Here is a link to a site with breeds and their characteristics: http://www.sagehenfarmlodi.com/chooks/chooks.html

We purchase chicks from Ideal Poultry https://www.idealpoultry.com/ which is a very reputable company--been in business for years. We drive to Cameron to pick up the chicks but I've heard good reports from people who receive their chicks through the mail.

First photo is inside coop, which has each side lined 12" underground with wire and bricks (skunks dig). The second is their outside coop which they have access to all day. It, too, is lined underground but we used railroad ties there. There is chicken wire on top of the outside coop to prevent predation by hawks or climbing cats.

 

[Jamie Calloway]

Wow great looking coop @marlingardener, that thing is huge. I have been doing some research and I was thinking of getting some Orpingtons, what is your thoughts? I live in a pretty warm state in the deep South. They have loose feathers and seem to be handle heat pretty well. I will of course keep inside the coop fairly cool it at least comfortable. They are excellent egg layers, and are great with children. This will be my first run at chickens, I looked at Mcmurray hatcheries but they seemed a little expensive. I have some hatcheries here but don't know anything about them and of course there is Tractor Supply but i would like to stay away from them if possible.

 

[Jamie Calloway]

@marlingardener, How many chickens do you have? How many should I order for my first time? I was thinking 6 to 8.

 

[marlingardener]

Jamie, Orpingtons are a great breed (that's where the Australorp comes from.) We currently have 16 hens, down from 20 due to old age. We keep our hens even if they aren't laying all that much, due to our tender hearts and the fact that the hens are just so darned entertaining!
Six to eight is a good start. If you order, you will have to order more than that--coming through the mail the chicks need to be kept warm, so a bunch of them are packed into the box--not all the breed you ordered, although you will have six to eight of the selected breed. The others will be whatever the breeder has as an oversupply.
May I suggest that you locate a local feed store, and see if they supply chicks or know of a poultry supplier. If not, I agree Tractor Supply is not a good source.
Our "start-up" flock was a dozen chicks. You have to expect a certain mortality rate. Chick death is not your fault--even the ones raised by the mama hen don't all survive. If you have a rooster in the batch, you need to decide if you want to have fertile eggs that can become chicks, or if you just want eggs you don't have to candle to see if they are fertile or not. We banish roosters to a friend's flock. For some reason she wants roosters!
I suggest that you get a copy of Chickens in Your Backyard by Rick and Gail Luttmann (ISBN0-87857-125-6) which covers almost every aspect of raising and enjoying chickens. We have had chickens for eight years, and I still refer to this book frequently.
You are going to have so much fun!!!

 

[DirtMechanic]

And just to cover all the bases, you might want to know about chicken poetry. But since some may not, I will only post this link and not all the poems.

https://www.tweetspeakpoetry.com/2015/04/09/top-ten-chicken-poems/

 

[Jamie Calloway]

Great info, I am going to start the coop in the next couple of days I am going to make it bigger than I need in case in the future I end up with more chickens. I am not planning on having a rooster although it's seems weird to have a farm with no rooster. We have several feed stores in the area but I'm not sure what breeds they will be offering, if I can find a hatchery nearby I would prefer to use some local rather than have them sent through the mail. If I have to order some online I have a clue good hatcheries I have researched already. I will send some pics when I start the coop.

 

[Tjohn]

A lot of feed stores will order your breed if they don't carry it, but usually they only carry breeds that will do well in your area. We have Faverolles because they do well in winter, but our local feed store owner said that he could get us any other breed (with no guarantee) if we really wanted it.