# Just starting out



## Heathers (Sep 29, 2012)

I am going to start chicken farming for the eggs and the meat. I live in central Alabama. I have read so many things and watched so many videos that I now and confused. I have no idea what kind to get. I do know I would like 6 for eggs and 5 for the meat. I have been told the ones I will eat will need shots and can not be housed with the other ones. Can someone please help me out?


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## fuzziebutt (Aug 7, 2012)

Hi Heather from Central Alabama, I'm Debbie from NW Alabama, and I'm a chic-a-holic. They don't have to have shots, and they are really easy to care for. Just make sure that they have a predator proof coop and run to stay in, and they should be fine. I am a bantam person, so I am no judge on eggs or meat, since bantams are the smallest of both. Others will be along with imput, I'm sure. Don't read and study too much, you'll scare yourself off. Feed, fresh water, and sturdy, dry housing is really all they need. You will learn as you go along. Just make sure you have extra room, because they are addictive, and you will add more!!


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## Heathers (Sep 29, 2012)

What is the best would to use to build the coop? I hears that I have to be careful of mites? What about wood chips for the nest?


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## Energyvet (Jul 25, 2012)

Pine wood chips. Cedar is too strong. Any type of scrap wood is good. Pallets are what most people have access to for scrap. 

Welcome to the forum AKA Chicken Land. Lots of great helpful people here. Have fun!


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## Heathers (Sep 29, 2012)

I'm still so nervous. I think I have read way to much and watched way to many videos. I so just want to be able to care for them the beat I can and make sure they are happy and comfortable. 
Sorry about all the bad spelling in the other post. My phone does mean tricks to me. 
Is there a limit to how many things I can ask? I just have so my questions before I get any.


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## Sundancers (Jun 20, 2012)

Start small and work your way up.  Like fuzziebutt, We do not do the shots. We also have heavy & light breeds living together, with no problems.

Make sure your coop is tight or predator proof ... as for what wood, go with what you have on hand. You may want to check out some of the chicken tractors pictures here on the forum.

I use straw or pine shavings on the floor and cedar in the nest box and have done so for right at thirty years. 

As for questions ... ask away.


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## Heathers (Sep 29, 2012)

You all have been so wonderful with info and welcoming me here. Thank you all so much!


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## cogburn (Jul 16, 2012)

Great advice so far... Just Jump In ! We will catch you !!! Lol


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## Mamachickof14 (Aug 28, 2012)

Heathers said:


> You all have been so wonderful with info and welcoming me here. Thank you all so much!


 Welcome from New York! I'm new here too...this site has been really helpful to me...gives you the confidence you need when you have no clue!! Jen


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## fuzziebutt (Aug 7, 2012)

There is not limit to the questions, the more you ask, the more we all learn. Mites are to be expected, not a major issue. I used sevin dust every time I changed the bedding, and have dusted the girls with it, also. Some people use other stuff, just whatever works best for you. Just be vigilant, and you'll be fine!!


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## fuzziebutt (Aug 7, 2012)

Where in Alabama are you from?


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## castillofa (Jul 11, 2012)

Welcome aboard. I have only been at this two years and have only medicated when a bird was sick or injured. Ask away, that is how I have been able to learns so much. The first coop I built was from new materials and a plan from my local extension. I just finished a tractor from mostly discarded pallets. It doesn't take much $$ to start, just get the best food you can afford and watch them. They will let you know if something is amiss. If you are building a coop, build for the type of predators you may have. 

As for mites, I have only had a light problem that Poultry Protector (bing it) to care of and had no problems since. I'm down in East Texas, so I have to deal with hear and humidity. Keep them well hydrated. If changing the water daily is a problem, look for a watering system or look up plans on how to build one. 

Chickens are really fun.


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## Heathers (Sep 29, 2012)

fuzziebutt said:


> Where in Alabama are you from?


Smiths Alabama


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## Roslyn (Jun 21, 2012)

You can raise any chicken and eat it, but the "meat" birds that most people get are the Cornish Rock cross, and I would raise them separate from a laying hen, just because their dietary needs are different.

If you want both, then I would start with 12 straight run of one breed, like a Wyandotte or a Delaware, that will serve both purposes. Straight run means that the peeps are not sexed before packaging them to you, so you should get about a 50/50 mix, but you could get a little more each way. This way, you raise them together and then when they reach about 14 weeks, you can butcher the boys and keep the girls for eggs. Then, every two years or so you get some more, butcher the hens for stewing and keep the new hens and rotate.

There are other "dual" purpose breeds, but many have become bred for laying only and have lost their good breast development. The Delawares and Wyandottes I have had in the past were well filled out and I know from personal experience they would do well for both. Brahma is another breed that would do well, but the hens lay less in my experience than the other two.

Welcome, it's good to ask questions, sometimes you can make yourself nuts with all the "expert" info you find online. We won't steer you wrong.


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