# Few questions.



## SilverSpirit (Oct 7, 2013)

Ok so a little while ago I posted that I was moving and that I was hoping to get chickens. Well that place a few months ago fell through and I got really disappointed. But I found a new place and finally moved out into the country, a place with 20 acres. I am working on building a chicken coop and was wondering what is the best time of year to start getting chicks in? Is it better to get them early spring or what? Also I hear free rang is the best for chickens, and the area I am setting the coop up in is in an enclosed 3 acre space close to the house. Is this too much free range? Should I try sectioning off a smaller portion? Also when I do get chickens I am planning on starting off with between 25-30 birds. Thanks for any and all info.


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Its really up to you when you want to get the chicks in and how quickly you want eggs to happen. Are you ordering? If you are then get your order in and tell them when you want them to arrive. If you are buying locally that could be a bit more complicated since feed stores often don't have them much past early Spring.

Don't order them if the coop is only half done, having to rush to finish it the way you want will be no fun and feel more like a chore than something to look forward to. 

There is no one size is too big where chickens are concerned. The smaller their lot the quicker they'll destroy any green. When mine free ranged they stayed within a hundred feet of their coop most of the time. If you are going to have a lot of chickens that three acres could very well be dirt by the end of the year.


----------



## dcfrenkel (Nov 1, 2012)

You will have to play it by ear. Some breeds wander more than others and if you have neighbors, that could be an issue. Also depending on the predator situation, you may decide to fence your girls in. I have my girls in a fenced in yard that is pretty big. I fenced them in because, allthough I am in the woods with lots of space, I do have neighbors near the front yard and my girls had discovered their garden and I had some issues with off leash dogs and with foxes. I don't have those problems anymore. I have strung twine from different points on the fence to other points like a messy spider web because I was having problems with a hawk. The twine and a couple of old cds did the trick and I haven't had the hawk problem in over a year.

So my girls have a big yard of their own to protect them. Like I said, since I fenced them in and strung up some twine, I have not lost a bird in a very long time.

Also, remember to build your coop tight because raccoon and possum and weasel, will all find their way into surprisingly small openings and kill your birds. 
Good luck and have fun!


----------



## expertnewbie (Mar 11, 2013)

Take your good sweet time on deciding the breed(s) you choose. What to choose should depend on what you want out of a chicken..... But just make sure you thoroughly look through all the breeds. Haha otherwise you'll keep wanting to get more breeds.


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

expertnewbie said:


> Take your good sweet time on deciding the breed(s) you choose. What to choose should depend on what you want out of a chicken..... But just make sure you thoroughly look through all the breeds. Haha otherwise you'll keep wanting to get more breeds.


Boy, isn't that the truth? These danged things are addictive and that "just one more" statement is heard a lot.


----------



## minmin1258 (Nov 5, 2013)

It's an addiction I enjoy..oh wIt that's the nature of an addiction isn't it... Hmmmm. I started with 7 added two more, traded 5 of those (roos) for 4 others (pullets) saved two more then was given 5 then bought 4 more, had three wander in and kept them... Oh dear is it an addiction!!!! Lol


----------



## TheLazyL (Jun 20, 2012)

SilverSpirit said:


> ...wondering what is the best time of year to start getting chicks in? Is it better to get them early spring or what?....


Depends on your winter temperatures and if you're getting chicks or fully feathered chickens.

I do not bring chicks in the house, they have an outside coop and that's where they belong (IMHO).

Right now our temperature is 11 (F). My concern would be if the heater dies (faulty, looses power, whatever) then the chicks would quickly die. So I would wait until Spring when it's warmer.

Hatcheries will mail the chicks to you. If my chicks bounced around in a unheated truck for 2 or 3 days in today's weather their survival odds would be very low.

My next batch I'll order late summer, early fall. They can be fully feathered before winter, enjoy the coop (no supplemental heat) during the winter and come spring be old enough to start pumping out eggs.


----------

