Best source to learn about chickens

[time4another]

DH said he'd build a coop!!!

So how do I learn about them...looking for resources...books, websites & your experiences...

How soon should I get them?

What are the basics? (and what is the bottom line?)

So excited!!!

[JamieCatheryn]

http://www.backyardchickens.com/

You should probably get them in spring or summer so they'll be grown before it's cold out. I'm dreaming of getting chickens too, I've done the research but putting that dream on hold for a bit, no experience to share yet.

[limette]

The link above is awesome.

I'm also reading a book called "Keeping Chickens". Lots of pictures and great info.

Homesteading Today has a chicken forum.

I'm hoping to be able to build a coop this year with the intention of filling it in the spring.

[hildare]

Yay! chickens!!!
we're getting some pretty soon, too..
Mother earth news has some good articles, here.
the websites/forums the pp's mentioned are great, too. i love backyardchickens.

[lobster]

I just found a site the other day - My Pet Chicken. Good, well-organised info!

[weliveintheforest]

just do a search at your library on chickens and homesteading, I bet you will find some good ones! and try to visit some people who have chickens and see how they do things.

[BeckyBird]

I lo-ove Backyard Chickens.com! The best chicken-lover's hangout ever!

[CherryBomb]

I love BYC, GREAT source of help and info.

[Suzannah]

As a chicken newbie myself, the ONLY reason I DISAGREE with the backyard chickens site is that there is so much info that it is overwhelming. The guy who owns the site wrote a great book, though: Chickens for Dummies. I generally don't buy the "dummies" books, but this one was so very helpful with a manageable bunch of info to start with. Now that I have the Chicken Sisters in their tractor, I go to backyard chickens for more specific questions, but it was just too much at once.