My husband told me today we can get some chickens!

[Nakia]

Today he said it would nice to have chickens for fresh eggs, like it was the best idea he had ever heard. I didn't remind him I had been trying to talk him into it for a year. :glare: Anyway...

 

I don't know the first thing about raising chickens. Is it too late in the year to get chicks? What are the best kinds to get for eggs? Our friends have several different kinds and they are gorgeous. A couple of them are black and white, and they are so pretty. How much space do they need? Will my cats and dogs kill them? Should we build a cage or let them run around the yard? We have goats, so can they hang out with the goats? What do we do with them when we get them as chicks? Must we have a rooster? I am terrified of roosters, so if we have to have one, then no deal.

 

Thanks hive farmers!

Edited August 31, 2010 by Nakia

[Country Mouse]

Nakia,

You don't need to have a rooster if all you want are eggs. You do need to have a predator proof coop for them to sleep in and roost. We have our nest box in there also. We actually have moved our chickens in with our goats so they can free range but be a bit more contained/protected. Our biggest challenge with that is trying to keep the goats out of the chicken feed :001_huh:. Your cats and dogs may kill your chickens, that is a possibility that you should protect against.

The best resource I have found for ALL of my chicken questions is www.backyardchickens.com Spend some time there and you will learn a lot.

 

They are really enjoyable animals and the eggs we get are superb.

 

 

Good luck and have fun!

[ThatCyndiGirl]

Have you thought about having Cora take a chicken to church with her and telling B that: "This is our Family Guard Chicken. Be afraid."

[mhg]

There's a great book by Gail Damerow called Raising Chickens. See if your library has it. It launched us on our chickening. It covers everything you need to know about size of coop, run, free-ranging,etc.

 

I'd suggest starting with a flock of say 10 chickens (depending on how well guarded your coop will be). If it's prone to invaders (coons, etc.) then you may want to purchase more to allow for "extras" when they're eaten by predators. But, if you have a good safe coop, I think a flock of 8 to 12 is a good size flock to start with. We have 7 "girls" now and this is our favorite flock size. Keep in mind that you'll be getting about an egg a day PER BIRD during their young years. So....that can become a frig full of eggs (you can always share them,sell, etc.)

 

I like McMurray Hatchery(awesome website).

I think you have to order 25 chicks at the minimum or they can't guarantee they'll survive the trip (chicks have to huddle together for warmth during their journey). Maybe you want 25 or you could find someone to half the order. You could get 1/2 for meat and 1/2 for eggs and you'll harvest (butcher) them when they're fairly young (3-4 months old I think....I've never butchered them) and be left with 12 or so.

 

Our favorites (good layers) have become:

1. White Rock

2. Buff Rock

3. Barred Rock

4. Black Sex-Links (didn't have as much luck/resiliency with the Red

sexlinks)

2. Rhode Island Red

4. Silver Laced Wyandotte

6. Americana (they lay blue and green eggs)

 

Don't order "straight run".

Your local farm supply may carry baby chicks but they don't until springtime, so you may have to order them by mail (unless you know of a local farmer who'd give you some chicks, chickens). One option is to get an incubator and hatch out your own. You can get eggs for this purpose from hatcheries also.

 

As for rooster, it depends on your goals. Unless you want to hatch your own chicks which is hard to do unless you get a bird that is broody by nature. Many breeds are no longer "broody" (meaning they've lost the natural inclination to sit on and hatch out eggs). Unless you want to try to hatch chicks (your best route in most layer breeds is to use an incubator), then you don't need a rooster. Rooster's can be annoying. Some can be outright hostile (fly at your kids with spurs, etc.) and they are constantly mating with the girls (and it's quite violent to watch). I'm not a rooster fan, but some people feel that their cocky-ness is much of the fun of chickens. You can get a more docile variety of rooster. The experts at the hatchery can help you on this one.

[DarlaS]

Today he said it would nice to have chickens for fresh eggs, like it was the best idea he had ever heard. I didn't remind him I had been trying to talk him into it for a year. :glare: Anyway...

 

I don't know the first thing about raising chickens. Is it too late in the year to get chicks? What are the best kinds to get for eggs? Our friends have several different kinds and they are gorgeous. A couple of them are black and white, and they are so pretty. How much space do they need? Will my cats and dogs kill them? Should we build a cage or let them run around the yard? We have goats, so can they hang out with the goats? What do we do with them when we get them as chicks? Must we have a rooster? I am terrified of roosters, so if we have to have one, then no deal.

 

Thanks hive farmers!

 

If you go to cacklehatchery.com right now, you may be able to get a few real quick before they sell out. They still had (last I looked) Barred Rocks (might be the black and white chickens you're thinking of), Buff Orpingtons, Black Australorps, something called a Cherry Egger and Rhode Island Reds.

 

http://cacklehatchery.com/page2.html

 

ETA: Seriously, don't bother with a rooster. We hatched out fourteen chicks this year, seven of which were roosters. The last one just got added to the freezer Friday. :hurray:

 

He didn't look like a rooster when I took the other six in, but started crowing a couple weeks later. And crowing. And crowing. And crowing. :banghead: He'd start in @ 5AM and had incredible crowing endurance.

Edited August 31, 2010 by darlasowders

[Corraleno]

If you go to cacklehatchery.com right now, you may be able to get a few real quick before they sell out. They still had (last I looked) Barred Rocks (might be the black and white chickens you're thinking of), Buff Orpingtons, Black Australorps, something called a Cherry Egger and Rhode Island Reds.

 

http://cacklehatchery.com/page2.html

Buff Orps are great beginner chickens. They're very tame and mellow, and they are one of the breeds that tolerates confinement best — they don't pick on each other. Ours sleep together in a big pile, often I'll find three of them squeezed into the nextbox together like a giant yellow fluffball with three sets of eyes and beaks, lol. They are excellent egg layers as well — large brown eggs. If you give them some grass or a little alfalfa every day, you'll get lovely orange yolks high in Omega 3s.

 

Jackie

[Nakia]

Nakia,

You don't need to have a rooster if all you want are eggs. You do need to have a predator proof coop for them to sleep in and roost. We have our nest box in there also. We actually have moved our chickens in with our goats so they can free range but be a bit more contained/protected. Our biggest challenge with that is trying to keep the goats out of the chicken feed :001_huh:. Your cats and dogs may kill your chickens, that is a possibility that you should protect against.

The best resource I have found for ALL of my chicken questions is www.backyardchickens.com Spend some time there and you will learn a lot.

 

They are really enjoyable animals and the eggs we get are superb.

 

 

Good luck and have fun!

 

Just bookmarked that site to look at later. Thanks!!

 

Have you thought about having Cora take a chicken to church with her and telling B that: "This is our Family Guard Chicken. Be afraid."

:lol: Actually I am thinking of taking my mom's ferocious pitbull. The one who lets Cora inspect her teeth and brush her "hair" every time she wants too. :D

 

There's a great book by Gail Damerow called Raising Chickens. See if your library has it. It launched us on our chickening. It covers everything you need to know about size of coop, run, free-ranging,etc.

 

I'd suggest starting with a flock of say 10 chickens (depending on how well guarded your coop will be). If it's prone to invaders (coons, etc.) then you may want to purchase more to allow for "extras" when they're eaten by predators. But, if you have a good safe coop, I think a flock of 8 to 12 is a good size flock to start with. We have 7 "girls" now and this is our favorite flock size. Keep in mind that you'll be getting about an egg a day PER BIRD during their young years. So....that can become a frig full of eggs (you can always share them,sell, etc.)

 

I like McMurray Hatchery(awesome website).

I think you have to order 25 chicks at the minimum or they can't guarantee they'll survive the trip (chicks have to huddle together for warmth during their journey). Maybe you want 25 or you could find someone to half the order. You could get 1/2 for meat and 1/2 for eggs and you'll harvest (butcher) them when they're fairly young (3-4 months old I think....I've never butchered them) and be left with 12 or so.

 

Our favorites (good layers) have become:

1. White Rock

2. Buff Rock

3. Barred Rock

4. Black Sex-Links (didn't have as much luck/resiliency with the Red

sexlinks)

2. Rhode Island Red

4. Silver Laced Wyandotte

6. Americana (they lay blue and green eggs)

 

Don't order "straight run".

Your local farm supply may carry baby chicks but they don't until springtime, so you may have to order them by mail (unless you know of a local farmer who'd give you some chicks, chickens). One option is to get an incubator and hatch out your own. You can get eggs for this purpose from hatcheries also.

 

As for rooster, it depends on your goals. Unless you want to hatch your own chicks which is hard to do unless you get a bird that is broody by nature. Many breeds are no longer "broody" (meaning they've lost the natural inclination to sit on and hatch out eggs). Unless you want to try to hatch chicks (your best route in most layer breeds is to use an incubator), then you don't need a rooster. Rooster's can be annoying. Some can be outright hostile (fly at your kids with spurs, etc.) and they are constantly mating with the girls (and it's quite violent to watch). I'm not a rooster fan, but some people feel that their cocky-ness is much of the fun of chickens. You can get a more docile variety of rooster. The experts at the hatchery can help you on this one.

 

Our local supply store did sell Rhode Island Reds in the spring, and that's what one of our neighbors has. I want some different color ones. We will not be butchering. I just can't. Thanks for the website and list of good layers. If you order from that Hatchery, can you get different breeds, or will they all be the same?

 

I really need to think about the predator thing. I have three really sensitive daughters, and I wonder how they would handle that.

 

If you go to cacklehatchery.com right now, you may be able to get a few real quick before they sell out. They still had (last I looked) Barred Rocks (might be the black and white chickens you're thinking of), Buff Orpingtons, Black Australorps, something called a Cherry Egger and Rhode Island Reds.

 

http://cacklehatchery.com/page2.html

 

 

Thank you, but I don't know how quick Patrick can have something built for them. I guess it depends on what we need to keep them in when we get first get them.

[DarlaS]

Buff Orps are great beginner chickens. They're very tame and mellow, and they are one of the breeds that tolerates confinement best — they don't pick on each other. Ours sleep together in a big pile, often I'll find three of them squeezed into the nextbox together like a giant yellow fluffball with three sets of eyes and beaks, lol. They are excellent egg layers as well — large brown eggs. If you give them some grass or a little alfalfa every day, you'll get lovely orange yolks high in Omega 3s.

 

Jackie

 

They look so cuddly too. :001_wub:

 

My dh wants Barred Rocks, I really (really really) want some Buffs. I think we'll be adding to our collection first thing in the spring. I hope our neighbors like eggs. :D

[Nakia]

If you go to cacklehatchery.com right now, you may be able to get a few real quick before they sell out. They still had (last I looked) Barred Rocks (might be the black and white chickens you're thinking of), Buff Orpingtons, Black Australorps, something called a Cherry Egger and Rhode Island Reds.

 

http://cacklehatchery.com/page2.html

 

ETA: Seriously, don't bother with a rooster. We hatched out fourteen chicks this year, seven of which were roosters. The last one just got added to the freezer Friday. :hurray:

 

He didn't look like a rooster when I took the other six in, but started crowing a couple weeks later. And crowing. And crowing. And crowing. :banghead: He'd start in @ 5AM and had incredible crowing endurance.

 

Just went over there, and chickens are cheap!! I didn't know they were that cheap. And yes, the Barred Rocks are one kind our friends have.

 

Buff Orps are great beginner chickens. They're very tame and mellow, and they are one of the breeds that tolerates confinement best — they don't pick on each other. Ours sleep together in a big pile, often I'll find three of them squeezed into the nextbox together like a giant yellow fluffball with three sets of eyes and beaks, lol. They are excellent egg layers as well — large brown eggs. If you give them some grass or a little alfalfa every day, you'll get lovely orange yolks high in Omega 3s.

 

Jackie

 

Thank you!!!

[Melanie in WI]

We really like cackle hatchery also. This was the second year we ordered from them. I always order different kinds. I like to see all the different ones running around in the pasture. Try barred rocks and buff orphingtons.

[Nakia]

Ummmm....what do st run, pullets, and cockerels mean?

[DarlaS]

J

Thank you, but I don't know how quick Patrick can have something built for them. I guess it depends on what we need to keep them in when we get first get them.

 

I'll see if I can find a pic of our homemade brooder. (I can't believe I didn't get a better pic than this. I guess I was trying to photograph the chicks.)

 

There is a heat lamp positioned above it and I have replaced a portion of the lid with screen (1x1" wire/hardware cloth would work.). Newspaper's not very good bedding. I switched them to paper towels soon after that pic was taken.

 

 

[DarlaS]

Ummmm....what do st run, pullets, and cockerels mean?

 

Straight run - you get what you get. They just count out however many you bought without sexing them.

 

Pullets - baby girl chickies

 

cockerels - baby boy chickies.

[kokotg]

We like having all different kinds so we can tell them apart (important for naming; we love naming chickens :)). Right now we have a white leghorn, a barred rock, a buff orpington, two New Hampshire reds, a cuckoo maran, two Easter eggers, and a blue andalusian. My favorites are probably the buff orpington, the andalusian, and the Easter eggers, but they all have their charms. The leghorn's the best layer, predictably, but they're all pretty reliable (although our oldest are 2 1/2 now and we've noticed them slowing down lately).

 

The thing I'd worry about with getting them this time of year is that you'd be ready to put them outside just when it's getting cold (I don't know where you live...maybe you live in Australia, in which case never mind).

 

IME, the hardest part about chickens is getting a predator-proof enclosure set up for them (the most expensive part, too). Once that's there, they're easier than cats; food, water, scoop the poop, and cluck at them and tell them how pretty they are and you're all set. Your cats won't bother them once they're grown. Your dogs...might or might not bother them (and by bother I mean "kill and eat"). Our dogs don't, but they're all herding dog mixes, so we had genetics on our side. I'd be prepared to need to keep them separated, but hope for the best.

 

Have fun! Chickens are great!

[Nakia]

I'll see if I can find a pic of our homemade brooder. (I can't believe I didn't get a better pic than this. I guess I was trying to photograph the chicks.)

 

There is a heat lamp positioned above it and I have replaced a portion of the lid with screen (1x1" wire/hardware cloth would work.). Newspaper's not very good bedding. I switched them to paper towels soon after that pic was taken.

 

[ATTACH]3198[/ATTACH]

 

Looks similar to what our neighbor had for hers. Thank you!!

 

Straight run - you get what you get. They just count out however many you bought without sexing them.

 

Pullets - baby girl chickies

 

cockerels - baby boy chickies.

 

Thanks! Right after I posted, I found the answer on backyardchickens.com

 

We like having all different kinds so we can tell them apart (important for naming; we love naming chickens :)). Right now we have a white leghorn, a barred rock, a buff orpington, two New Hampshire reds, a cuckoo maran, two Easter eggers, and a blue andalusian. My favorites are probably the buff orpington, the andalusian, and the Easter eggers, but they all have their charms. The leghorn's the best layer, predictably, but they're all pretty reliable (although our oldest are 2 1/2 now and we've noticed them slowing down lately).

 

The thing I'd worry about with getting them this time of year is that you'd be ready to put them outside just when it's getting cold (I don't know where you live...maybe you live in Australia, in which case never mind).

 

IME, the hardest part about chickens is getting a predator-proof enclosure set up for them (the most expensive part, too). Once that's there, they're easier than cats; food, water, scoop the poop, and cluck at them and tell them how pretty they are and you're all set. Your cats won't bother them once they're grown. Your dogs...might or might not bother them (and by bother I mean "kill and eat"). Our dogs don't, but they're all herding dog mixes, so we had genetics on our side. I'd be prepared to need to keep them separated, but hope for the best.

 

Have fun! Chickens are great!

 

Where did you get your chicks? At the website a pp posted where you can order, you have to order at least 5 of the same breed? So did you start out with a lot more and then lose some? I just told Anna that we probably need to wait until spring to get the chicks. We had a horrible winter here, and I wouldn't want to risk them. That would also give my husband time to build a coop. He just built me a nice little goat barn, so I might need to give him some time off before adding something to his honey-do list. :D So do yours stay in the coop all the time or do you free-range?

 

Oh, our two dogs that spend the most time outside are a Beagle mix and a Border Collie mix. Maybe they wouldn't mess with them.

[kokotg]

Where did you get your chicks? At the website a pp posted where you can order, you have to order at least 5 of the same breed? So did you start out with a lot more and then lose some? I just told Anna that we probably need to wait until spring to get the chicks. We had a horrible winter here, and I wouldn't want to risk them. That would also give my husband time to build a coop. He just built me a nice little goat barn, so I might need to give him some time off before adding something to his honey-do list. :D So do yours stay in the coop all the time or do you free-range?

 

 

 

We ordered the first batch from Ideal, bought two locally (the NH reds), ordered some more later from My Pet Chicken (I think they get their chicks from Meyer hatchery), and then got a "rescue chicken" from my aunt's neighbor (one of the Easter Eggers). At Ideal and My Pet Chicken, there's no minimum per breed. We did have to order at least 8 from MPC because we're not close to the city (if you're in a big city, you can order as few as 3), and then we sold the ones we didn't want on Craigslist when they were a couple of months old.

 

Ours stay in a pen at night and have the run of our fenced backyard during the day.

[mhg]

If you live in the south, may want to consider IDEAL poultry (TX).

 

From any hatchery, you can get as many breeds as you want.

IDEAL charges a small fee per different breed you pick. McMurray doesn't do this.

 

I saw where your girls are 11, 7, and 4. Be ye warned that roosters can and often do fly at kids with their sharp claws (spurs) and be prepared for the kids to witness constant mating behavior.

 

As for them ranging in your yard, that depends on several factors. Do you have a lot of acreage? We have about 1/2 acre fenced that our 7 range in and they FLY OUT OF THAT and into our other yard to graze. And we feed them free choice (have access to plenty of food and grass) and yet they still can attempt to fly out. So, keep this in mind. Do you have neighbors? Would they mind chickens pooing on their properties, scratching in flower beds, etc.? To keep our girls from flying out of our fence we clipped their wings last week. (Painless). You clip the last 10 feathers (you'll have to see a book on which ones). Had to do it as they flew in the front yard and neighbor dog almost killed one before we rescued her. Also have to consider what TYPE dog you have? Some dogs hunt fowl by nature, others could care less. If they're allowed access everywhere, be prepared to dodge poop everywhere. They'll get on lawn mowers, tool boxes, etc. Thus, ours had to be confined to their 1/2 acre (which is a huge ranging area).

 

As for the predator issue, MOST take the birds off to consume them, but occasionally they'll partake near/in the coop. We've never had one get in our coop, but we had one bird that got carried off b/c she wouldn't GO IN the coop. And, we had one that was carried off by a chicken hawk.

 

Another good book on the subject which your library might have is Carla Emery's Country Living Encyclopedia.

 

Be aware of snakes. This has been our biggest issue with letting our child get the eggs. We parents get the eggs because we've found more than one large snake in coop --- 1 poisonous, 4 non-poisonous). Another consideration to keep in mind.

 

Your kids will LOVE chickens. They may even get interested enough to enter them in the county fair and 4-H contests!

 

Good luck!

[Melanie in WI]

We had a horrible winter here, and I wouldn't want to risk them. That would also give my husband time to build a coop. He just built me a nice little goat barn, so I might need to give him some time off before adding something to his honey-do list. :D So do yours stay in the coop all the time or do you free-range?

 

Oh, our two dogs that spend the most time outside are a Beagle mix and a Border Collie mix. Maybe they wouldn't mess with them.

 

Ours go into the coop at night, then we open it in late morning or early afternoon. ( We'd open it earlier, but the steer and the goats like to go into their coop and eat their grain! It's on my dh's list to make a smaller door just for the chickens.) It gets cold here in Wisconsin, but the chickens do fine. They come out except for the coldest of days.

 

We have a german shepard that does fine with the chickens, he just herds them back into the pasture if they come into the yard. He doesn't try to hurt them. Our rat terrier mix ignores the chickens. We had a border collie that was a mix and must have had retriever in her, she chased the chickens.

[anneofalamo]

just a note, we are city folk that have had chicken for a few months, we were given 4 laying hens (rhode island reds) - my hubby loves them, he laughs at them and talks with them! They sing and giggle to him!

Have fun!!

[Nakia]

We have a whole bunch of chicken farmers here! :D

 

We ordered the first batch from Ideal, bought two locally (the NH reds), ordered some more later from My Pet Chicken (I think they get their chicks from Meyer hatchery), and then got a "rescue chicken" from my aunt's neighbor (one of the Easter Eggers). At Ideal and My Pet Chicken, there's no minimum per breed. We did have to order at least 8 from MPC because we're not close to the city (if you're in a big city, you can order as few as 3), and then we sold the ones we didn't want on Craigslist when they were a couple of months old.

 

Ours stay in a pen at night and have the run of our fenced backyard during the day.

 

Thanks, I will look into those sites!

 

If you live in the south, may want to consider IDEAL poultry (TX).

 

From any hatchery, you can get as many breeds as you want.

IDEAL charges a small fee per different breed you pick. McMurray doesn't do this.

 

I saw where your girls are 11, 7, and 4. Be ye warned that roosters can and often do fly at kids with their sharp claws (spurs) and be prepared for the kids to witness constant mating behavior.

 

As for them ranging in your yard, that depends on several factors. Do you have a lot of acreage? We have about 1/2 acre fenced that our 7 range in and they FLY OUT OF THAT and into our other yard to graze. And we feed them free choice (have access to plenty of food and grass) and yet they still can attempt to fly out. So, keep this in mind. Do you have neighbors? Would they mind chickens pooing on their properties, scratching in flower beds, etc.? To keep our girls from flying out of our fence we clipped their wings last week. (Painless). You clip the last 10 feathers (you'll have to see a book on which ones). Had to do it as they flew in the front yard and neighbor dog almost killed one before we rescued her. Also have to consider what TYPE dog you have? Some dogs hunt fowl by nature, others could care less. If they're allowed access everywhere, be prepared to dodge poop everywhere. They'll get on lawn mowers, tool boxes, etc. Thus, ours had to be confined to their 1/2 acre (which is a huge ranging area).

 

As for the predator issue, MOST take the birds off to consume them, but occasionally they'll partake near/in the coop. We've never had one get in our coop, but we had one bird that got carried off b/c she wouldn't GO IN the coop. And, we had one that was carried off by a chicken hawk.

 

Another good book on the subject which your library might have is Carla Emery's Country Living Encyclopedia.

 

Be aware of snakes. This has been our biggest issue with letting our child get the eggs. We parents get the eggs because we've found more than one large snake in coop --- 1 poisonous, 4 non-poisonous). Another consideration to keep in mind.

 

Your kids will LOVE chickens. They may even get interested enough to enter them in the county fair and 4-H contests!

 

Good luck!

 

We live in NC, and will have about 1/2-3/4 acre for them to be in. We do have neighbors, and I'm sure they would not really appreciate chickens hanging out at their house. We'll have to think more about that. SNAKES??? UGH!! In 12 years, my husband has only killed two snakes on our property so it's not a huge problem, but I'm sure chickens would make our place more enticing. This past Sunday there was a giant copperhead dead on the road right below our house. YUCK!!

 

Ours go into the coop at night, then we open it in late morning or early afternoon. ( We'd open it earlier, but the steer and the goats like to go into their coop and eat their grain! It's on my dh's list to make a smaller door just for the chickens.) It gets cold here in Wisconsin, but the chickens do fine. They come out except for the coldest of days.

 

We have a german shepard that does fine with the chickens, he just herds them back into the pasture if they come into the yard. He doesn't try to hurt them. Our rat terrier mix ignores the chickens. We had a border collie that was a mix and must have had retriever in her, she chased the chickens.

 

Thanks for the info. Our Border Collie herds the goats if they get out of their area. He also herds the kids. :D

[Nakia]

just a note, we are city folk that have had chicken for a few months, we were given 4 laying hens (rhode island reds) - my hubby loves them, he laughs at them and talks with them! They sing and giggle to him!

Have fun!!

 

Cute!!

[MomsintheGarden]

Great replies so far! I vote for getting chicks in the spring. You can set up part of your chicken house as a brooder (having them in the house gets old very fast). You will have all winter to read about chickens and build the house.

 

One more piece of advice - make sure your chicks are not debeaked. Large poultry houses clip off the tips of their chick beaks to try to keep them from pecking each other.

 

GardenMom

[Susan in KY]

... the Barred Rocks are one kind our friends have.

 

Just FYI, I learned the hard way that barred rocks like to peck their eggs. :(

 

We have a variety: black australorps, white araucanas, barred rocks and new Hampshire Reds. We really love the Australorps. So gentle!

[mama2cntrykids]

That's awesome! We have three chickens (one just dyed today) and really like them. We used to have six until I realized that I needed to put them "up" at night. In other words, a predetor got two of them because I didn't realize that I had to close up their coop hole at night. Now I know better lol!

 

I'm still pretty inexperienced at chickens though, so I'm enjoying this thread. We've only had them for about 2.5 months. We do plan on adding chicks in the Spring. In fact, I'm glad other poster's posted that link to cacklehatchery. I may just order from them come Spring!!

 

So, anyway, thanks for starting the thread and GOOD LUCK!

[Amy loves Bud]

You're a femivore!

[Nakia]

You're a femivore!

 

What does femivore mean?

[bluemongoose]

I second Backyardchickens.com. Great website loads of info there!

 

Also this book http://www.amazon.com/Storeys-Guide-Raising-Chickens-Facilities/dp/158017325X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1283232178&sr=8-2

 

I checked it out at the library. It had way more info than you thought you could ever need. Very very thorough! (if you are not interested in butchering...skip that chapter! It is icky!)

 

I got all of my chickens from local feed stores. A word of caution, feed stores are not always the most knowledgeable about chickens, so make sure you read up before you go in.

 

I have 2 golden sex links, but I was sold the wrong color link and ended up with 2 roos! (like I said...feed store messed up, and I was too green to know it until it crowed!)

 

As far as hens: 1 barred rock, 2 buff orpingtons, 2 black astrolorps, 3 easter eggers, and 2 rhode island reds. My barred rock is the most friendly. The astrolorps like to pick on the other hens, and my easter eggers want to keep to themselves.

 

The roos are ok for now, but they will go the second they get too feisty! They are good if you want to have chicks from your own chickens and they are also good for helping protect the flock from predators. But they can also be dangerous.

 

On the backyardchicken site they have a breed chart. Orpingtons are good broody hens, so if you eventually want a sitting hen, it might be a good option.

 

 

They just started laying about 3 weeks ago, and I now have a constant supply of eggs! They are great!

Edited August 31, 2010 by bluemongoose

[Spy Car]

What are the best kinds to get for eggs

 

Well the very best for eggs are white leghorns and leghorn-derived production hybrids, but (and this is a BIG but), they are...how do you put this nicely?...not of a temperament, intelligence, or retentive of natural instincticts to make them interesting pet chickens. I'd avoid these at all costs.

 

Next best layers are Rhode Island Reds, and unlike Leghorns they lay brown-eggs. One must be careful with Rhode Island Reds from most feed-stores because they pass-off so-called "production-strains" as RIRs, when in fact they are outcrossed with strains like leghorns (which ruins their classic barnyard look, and messes with their natural instincts--such as hens wanting to go "broody"). But "classic" (non-production) strains can be found, and it is worth the hassle IMO.

 

I know you mentioned getting other colors, but for being great layers (and great tempered fun birds) "real" RIRs are hard to beat.

 

We raise "bantam" versions of RIRs. The eggs are only a little smaller than the standard sized RIRS, but the hens are a whole lot smaller. This makes them more "pet-like" in my mind and less like "livestock" when they are running around the property. Something to consider as many of the breeds have a "bantam" version.

 

Building a good sturdy coop is the only hard part. Outside that raising chickens is pretty easy and quote fun.

 

And honest-to-goodness eggs are SO GOOD. It will spoil you.

 

Bill

[bluemongoose]

Oh...just remembered one more thing.

 

These are the best:

 

http://www.farmtek.com/farm/supplies/prod1;ft1_poultry_equipment-ft1_poultry_watering_systems-ft1_hoses_nipples;pgwc1030.html

 

They are watering n*pples that the chickens peck at to get water. You screw them into the bottom of a 5 gallon bucket (about 3 to a bucket), fill bucket with water, put a lid on top, and hang it up in their coop or run. The great thing about them is that chickens are sooo messy with their water. We tried all the fountain waterers, and they just kept pooing in them. We had to change the water all the time! now that we have the bucket, we only have to fill the water when it starts to get low. No mess-less work:)

[astrid]

OOH we LOOOVE our sweet hens! We have Barred Rocks, Amerucanas and Buff Orpingtons. My favorites are the Buffs while dh and dd favor the Rocks. I second the recommendation for BYC Board.....SO much information there!

 

Happy Chicken Planning!

astrid

[kokotg]

Well the very best for eggs are white leghorns and leghorn-derived production hybrids, but (and this is a BIG but), they are...how do you put this nicely?...not of a temperament, intelligence, or retentive of natural instincticts to make them interesting pet chickens. I'd avoid these at all costs.

 

 

 

I have a leghorn, and she's very nice. We tried one out on the recommendation of My Pet Chicken, which says, essentially, "don't believe the hype; leghorns rock." Ours is a bit neurotic, but she has tons of personality, is friendly, and is, oddly, our most likely to go broody chicken. Blue andalusians have a reputation for stand-offishness, too, but mine follows me around like a puppy.

 

I like this chart:

 

http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html

 

they list nearly any breed you'll come across with notes on egg production, color, and size and bird personality.

 

The only genuinely not nice chicken I've had was a Welsummer. She kept running at the kids and pecking them hard enough to draw blood, so we finally sold her. But based on how different the personalities of my two NH reds are, I think there's probably as much variation in personality among individual chickens as across breeds. I'll probably try a Welsummer again someday; I was really excited about the dark brown eggs.

 

I think you can't go wrong with one of every kind. That way you can have all different colored eggs, too! We have white, different shades of light brown, green, and, if our cuckoo maran ever starts laying, dark brown now! Fun!

 

ETA: I also think handling them a ton when they're chicks makes a big difference in how friendly they are as adults. We made a point of holding each of our chicks at least a little every day, and people comment all the time on how tame and friendly they are. We bought two when they were a few months old and had been raised in a pen with a bunch of other pullets and no handling...one of them got used to us and is very friendly now; the other is by far our most skittish hen and avoids humans as much as possible. We've never had one we raised ourselves like that. Even the mean old Welsummer would let us pick her up.

Edited August 31, 2010 by kokotg

[fairfarmhand]

Buff Orps are great beginner chickens. They're very tame and mellow, and they are one of the breeds that tolerates confinement best — they don't pick on each other. Ours sleep together in a big pile, often I'll find three of them squeezed into the nextbox together like a giant yellow fluffball with three sets of eyes and beaks, lol. They are excellent egg layers as well — large brown eggs. If you give them some grass or a little alfalfa every day, you'll get lovely orange yolks high in Omega 3s.

 

Jackie

 

 

Buff orps ARE great beginner chickens. And they are beautiful!

[Amy loves Bud]

What does femivore mean?

 

Here ya go!

 

My neighbor just told me last week that she found a label for me, if only I would get some chickens. I"d never heard of it before then.

[Nakia]

Here ya go!

 

My neighbor just told me last week that she found a label for me, if only I would get some chickens. I"d never heard of it before then.

 

LOVE IT!! We have two goats that we are going to breed and milk. And now chickens. Plus I can tons of stuff! After reading that, I want a beehive! :lol:

 

We need a femivore social group, lol!

[Tree House Academy]

I don't know the first thing about raising chickens. Is it too late in the year to get chicks? Depends on climate and the type of chickens you get. They will definitely have to be kept in a brooder, maybe longer than normal until they can withstand outside temps. I would research the specific breed you want and see what is recommended. Our Orpingtons are winter hardy (as adults) to -30, so we don't worry about them. Others are not so hardy.

 

What are the best kinds to get for eggs?

Our orpingtons are great winter layers, spotty summer layers. They lay brown eggs. If you want white eggs, you will need to choose a breed that lays white eggs.

 

Our friends have several different kinds and they are gorgeous. A couple of them are black and white, and they are so pretty.

 

Silver-laced Wyandottes maybe? We have some of those and they are beautiful!

 

How much space do they need?

 

We give ours about 2 sq feet per chicken in the coop. I am not sure how that compares to what they NEED, but it is nice.

 

Will my cats and dogs kill them?

 

Depends on the kind of dog you have, how often it will be around the chickens and how big the chickens are. A very small dog who is not will trained can easily kill a young chicken. A small dog cannot easily kill an adult chicken. A larger dog that is not well trained can always kill a chicken. I wouldn't worry too much about the cats with the chickens unless they are barn cats or something.

 

Should we build a cage or let them run around the yard?

We have goats, so can they hang out with the goats?

 

If you have a fenced yard, sure. If not, no. Our chickens were free range all over our unfenced farm and we lost a lot of them due to foxes lately. We have now gone to portable electric fencing for our chickens and it keeps them safe while still giving them plenty of room to graze.

 

I know chickens can hang out with cows..not sure about goats. You may want to research that further. I definitely wouldn't put them in goats as babies.

 

What do we do with them when we get them as chicks?

 

They live in a brooder for 8 weeks or so (some breeds longer) depending on climate and outside temp. All they need is food, water, and clean bedding. We do vitamin water and such as well, but that all depends on your preference.

 

Must we have a rooster? I am terrified of roosters, so if we have to have one, then no deal.

 

Nope. We didn't for a long time and my hens got along just fine. :)

 

Thanks hive farmers!

 

 

Hope this helps. :)

[mhg]

I second Backyardchickens.com. Great website loads of info there!

 

Also this book http://www.amazon.com/Storeys-Guide-Raising-Chickens-Facilities/dp/158017325X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1283232178&sr=8-2

 

I checked it out at the library. It had way more info than you thought you could ever need. Very very thorough! (if you are not interested in butchering...skip that chapter! It is icky!)

 

 

This book is the same one by Gail Damerow. It's great. :iagree:

 

 

 

(I don't think I'll ever master the quote thing! How hard can quoting be?!?!?!)

[Nakia]

My library doesn't have any of the books that have been mentioned. :(

 

Guess I will depend on the hive and the websites you all have recommended. My neighbor got 6 Rhode Island Red chicks in the spring, and she told me yesterday they might be moving to a place where they can't keep them. She asked if we were interested and of course, I said yes! How exciting?

 

How old are they before they start laying? Hers haven't started laying yet.

[bluemongoose]

About 18-20 weeks.

[bluemongoose]

If your library doesnt have it, and you are serious about getting chickens, it is worth owning! I am actually planning on buying my own copy.

[Nakia]

If your library doesnt have it, and you are serious about getting chickens, it is worth owning! I am actually planning on buying my own copy.

 

I am going to go ahead and get it too. I like to have books on hand instead of just websites. There are so many differing opinions online.

[Nakia]

About 18-20 weeks.

 

Hmmm....She got them as two day old chicks in the spring, so it seems like like they should be really close! Hers are super friendly because her kids carry them around all the time.