I want to get some chickens

[suziquzie]

Not sure where to put this, Eggs? Poultry?
Anyway, the neighbors across the road have them, I traded zucchini for eggs last summer, wow they were good. We eat alot of eggs here, I'm just wondering how much upkeep they require? Do I need to build an elaborate coop with heat? Do I have to go outside alot in the winter?? Yeah I'm a weenie.
I know people have them here, I can't remember who.

 

[pacanis]

BukBAAAAA!

 

[larry_stewart]

Got 3 chickens. 2 lay brown eggs, the other greenish-blue eggs. On the average I get about an egg a day from each, so about 14 - 18 a week. They do go through their moments of laying and not laying, depending on time of year, amount of light, temperature.

As far as keeping chickens goes, couldnt be easier. JUst keep them fed, clean water, clean cage and they will be fine. I have a coop out in the back for them from april - november. I spoil my chickens and have a mak shift coop in the garage ( with a heat lamp) during the coler winter months. Not too noisy ( as long as no roosters). A little messy, but not that big of a deal.

larry

 

[larry_stewart]

My coop isnt too elaborate ( atleast i dont think it is). I kept all the dimensions simple 4 X 4 X 8. 3 of the 4 sides are ply wood, the 4th side is chicken wire so they can see the light of day. They have an enclosed area where they can sleep, lay eggs, get out of the weather. The whole thing has a roof aswell.

 

[pdswife]

We had some for a few years... had a coop.. but, most of the time they ran free in the yard.

The eggs were great!!! BUT, chickens poop A LOT!!! Very messy imho.

 

[Fisher's Mom]

Got 3 chickens. 2 lay brown eggs, the other greenish-blue eggs. On the average I get about an egg a day from each, so about 14 - 18 a week. They do go through their moments of laying and not laying, depending on time of year, amount of light, temperature.

As far as keeping chickens goes, couldnt be easier. JUst keep them fed, clean water, clean cage and they will be fine. I have a coop out in the back for them from april - november. I spoil my chickens and have a mak shift coop in the garage ( with a heat lamp) during the coler winter months. Not too noisy ( as long as no roosters). A little messy, but not that big of a deal.

larry

Do you live in an urban or a rural area? I live right downtown and although my property is about 1/2 acre, I wasn't sure if it would bother my neighbors. Heck I don't even know if it is legal. I guess I should check with code compliance.

 

[LadyCook61]

when we bought our house in '89 , the previous owners gave us 11 hens that they had. We had a lot of eggs We don't have hens anymore, they died over the years and we didn't replenish the stock. I do miss having fresh eggs. Our chickens had the run of the property, we have a lot of acres but the chickens stuck close to the coop. The only thing we did for upkeep was giving them chicken feed and fresh water in the coop. During the cold months, we had a heater in the coop.

 

[larry_stewart]

Im in a suburban area. 1/2 acre. Houses next door and across the street. Never had a neighbor complain ( their teenage kids more disruptive than the chickens). Im abou an hour east of new york city. I assume its legal, since i bought it from a local garden store located in the same town. The only legal issues i think were , cant have a rooster, and must buy minimum 6 hens.

 

[pacanis]

You will find as many ways to keep chickens as you would.... let's say to thaw a chicken!

I looked into getting some layers for a year and took the plunge last year. I LOVE it. It's like Christmas every day I open up their nestbox and gather an egg or two, or five. And when you get a warm egg in the middle of winter.... Oh yeah, babe Fresh out of the "oven".

I have five hens and plan on getting maybe six more, just for the heck of it (and the eggs), plus I liked building their coop. I gave a couple dozen to someone last week and they loved it. They said they were out of eggs and when they got home, the mom who was watching their kids tried to buy them off of her. She said, no

I absolutely love having an abundance of eggs. Great taste, no aftertaste (burp), healthy, fresh.... you won't be disapointed Suzi.

And mine are a piece of cake to take care of, very clean the way I have their coop done up, but you DO have to go outside. You are caring for livestock after all. They need fed, watered, checked on for health.... And you don't want the eggs to freeze in winter either, which they will, along with the water.....

 

[suziquzie]

I'm sure I have plenty of room, I'm on 5 acres plus I don't really know which of the neighbors belongs to the nothing behind us.
The people across the road let theirs run mostly.... they dont run too far unless my 4 yr old goes to visit... poor chickens.
I don't mind going outside for a few minutes I guess, and really it's only below 0 here about 10-15 days a year. Is it expensive to keep them? Don't have alot of extra dough.
Unless I go to work and make extra bagels.

 

[AllenOK]

Several of our neighbors have chickens. We've thought about getting some chickens, plus a pig or two, but haven't acted on it.

One thing nobody's mentioned yet, is coyotes. Every now and then, I'll hear a shotgun blast come from behind the house. Our neighbor is defending his chicken coop from the coyotes.

Do you sleep lightly? If so, whenever the chicken start squawking and making a racket at night, it's usually best to go out into the dark packing heat.

 

[auntdot]

Would love to get a few but where we live now it is a no-no. No farm animals, period.

When we retire are moving to a more rural area than we are in now and are definitely going to have some critters.

 

[Fisher's Mom]

Now I'm really interested in getting chickens. If anybody wants to post a pic of their coop, I'd be grateful. I have some questions. Do you lock the chickens in the coop at night? I mean, is there a door? Does anybody know if raccoons eat chickens?

 

[MrsBrandi]

Oh I would love to have some Chickens! We had them at my home growing up, now I live in the city and its completely out of the question! When I was home my father had a coop of course for them with their nesting boxes and heat etc etc but during the day and at their choosing they could have the run of the place. One of my best memories as a child!

 

[sparrowgrass]

I usually have about 25 hens. They are the easiest livestock I have ever kept. I have a big metal self-feeder than holds about 25 pounds of laying pellets that I fill about twice a week, and a big rubber water bucket.

I can leave for 3 or 4 days without worrying about them.

Roosters are noisy and unnecessary, unless you are planning on hatching chicks. (Which is fun.) If you let your girls roam the yard, a rooster will kind of keep them together, and may defend them against dogs. With varying degrees of success.

Free roaming chickens are hard on gardens and landscaping in general. I keep mine in a big run, about 30 x 30. Once in a while, if I am outside, I let them out, but they can tear up a flower bed in no time at all. They do take care of all my kitchen scraps and all the waste from the garden.

I also collect leaves in the fall, all I can get, and dump them in the pen. By spring, I have lots and lots of lovely rich compost. The leaves also keep the pen from turning into mud.

When you go to buy chicks, be sure to get pullets--if you buy "straight run" you will have about 50/50 hens and roosters, and NOBODY will want the extra roosters. You will either have to keep them or eat them, and you may not be up to "murder".

Here is a website that will help you: G8350 Small Flock Series: Managing a Family Chicken Flock, MU Extension

If you have any questions, pm me.

 

[YT2095]

they make Great pets too!

I used to have a Fighting cock that I rescued, it was going to be killed because it lost a fight (how mean is that!), so I said I`d have it, I had no where to keep or anything, But it had a corner of my Old Lab for it`s food and poo-poos, and the rest of the time it spent on my lap fast asleep with it`s head tucked under my waist coat.
the rest of the time it would stand on my shoulder no matter where I went!
and the few times it Did spend on the ground was either asleep in front of the fire or following me around, never once tried to fly off either?
although I`m not Entirely sure it Could fly for some reason or another.

I`m assuming a Hen(s) would be very similar.

 

[pacanis]

I did not handle my hens much at all because I did not want pets, but I find that one has taken a liking to me and will hop up into the nestbox as I am gathering eggs to be rubbed. She is always in front of the others wanting to be pet before I give them all scraps. She's pretty cool. I may have to change her name from Stew to something more appropriate

Yes, FM.... raccoons not only eat chicken, they will reach through the fencing and when the chicken comes over, which they do, yank its head off for fun. Lock them up at night for sure. I close mine in their coop when they have gone in to roost at night, or sucker them in earlier than that with treats if I want to lock them up early for some reason. And if they free range, which I don't let mine do, you have all kinds of predators to worry about including hawks. Most people that free range expect a loss or two.... and expect some misplaced eggs, too.

Aren't they cute?

All growed up

Home sweet home

Droppings pit with perch above.

I have my coop set up so I can clean it out thoroughly without ever going inside. Most of the poop happens when they perch, so I have a pit I can open a door to and clean out if that's the only thing I want to clean. It keeps the majority of their droppings in one spot, too.

 

[Fisher's Mom]

Pacanis, those are the cutest little chicks! Which one is Stew? Your coop is wonderful. Better than some apartments I lived in when I first got married! Did you build it or buy it? Thanks for the info about raccoons - I suspected as much. I know they kill kittens. So I would need to set up a 2 layer fence. I'm very familiar with how far they can reach through bars. I have used a live trap many times and they can do some real damage even after they have been trapped just by reaching through. Anyway, bravo on your set-up. No wonder your eggs are so yummy - your chickens are spoiled!

 

[suziquzie]

That coop looks nicer than my boys' rooms!!

 

[pacanis]

Which one is Stew? The one that stops laying eggs first
One of the Buffs is the friendly one. Two look pretty similar, so I couldn't pick her out of a lineup until she came over.
Yes, I built the coop. Like I said, earlier, it was a year of thinking and research before I took the plunge, so I had incorporated a lot of good ideas.

You may not realize this, but there's a forum on the internet for chickens, too! Whoda thunk?

BackYardChickens Forum