jenn- Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 my DH doesn't, and he has some semi-valid reasons. His reasons: 1. I hate cleaning the cat's litter and he thinks chicken litter will be worse. (I have no problem with the gerbils' litter though). 2. Going on vacation is tricky enough without adding birds that need daily attention. Right now the dogs go to their doggie grandpa (FIL) and my parents check on the cat and gerbils every few days. I don't know my neighbors well enough to ask them to check on chickens for me. 3. They will cost money. We aren't hurting for funds, but we don't have a lot extra either. 4. We have enough "pets". 1 cat, 2 dogs, and 3 gerbils really isn't all that many is it? 5. My Jack Russell Terrier might actually pitch a fit. First we moved her into a house with a cat she couldn't chase and kill (that took a couple of months to get over). Then we moved in gerbils she can't play with (after another couple of months she no longer runs drooling at their home at every sound they make). I'm not sure she would attempt to dig into an enclosed chicken coop or not and we keep them outside alone for long periods on nice days. Free range out of the closed in coop would not be able to happen while she is out, I am sure. 6. He thinks they will stink and make a ton of noise. Reasons I want them: 1. Because I just do. :tongue_smilie: So for those that have small confined flocks (I'm talking 5 or less hens, no roosters), how bad is it really? How much does feed and bedding cost? How often does the bedding need to be changed? Does it stink? Would we regret putting them close to the house for odor or noise? They would be next to a window we never open (missing it's screen), but near the back door that is sometimes left open but mainly kids just going in and out. Anything else I should consider before deciding one way or the other? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EJCMom Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 We just got our first set of chicks -- three -- a couple of weeks ago. They're growing like weeds! We have them in a rubbermaid tote, but I think we're going to need to get something bigger soon because it will be a while before they can live outside. Anyway, they don't stink at all. I was expecting them to, and I clean their little tote out everyday. Cleaning the tote is really no big deal. You just take out the chickens, feed, and water, and dump the shavings into the yard debris bin. Then you put fresh shavings in and put everything back. It takes less than three minutes. I've been told that you only need to clean their tote out every few days while they're still little, but that just seems cruel to me, so I do it every day. I've also been told that once they live outside you only need to change their bedding every few weeks. We'll see. So far they've been the easiest pets we've ever had. They don't stink at all, and I was expecting them to. We're really enjoying them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denise in Florida Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 We just started with chickens last spring. I love it, my husband tolerates them because they are my pets and he's glad I am having fun. (Side note: between menopause and knowing this is my last year before 'empty nest' I really needed a fun hobby) No they don't stink. Yes they make a lot of noise (sorry neighbors) Mine are cooped at night and free range during the day. I clean the coop once a week (think extra large hutch type thing) and throw the bedding on my compost pile. I put down a thin layer of shavings. One bag has lasted for several months. Because they free range and I feed them scraps they don't eat a lot of feed. Maybe 1 1/2 cups a day/each of layer crumbles. Drawback: they poop everywhere. They apparently are designed to be efficient poop machines. I can leave town overnight. I set out a 'flock block' and they pick at that and free range nicely until I come back. Only danger is that predators can attack them at night if they are not in their cage. I like my three hens, if we lived in a more rural area I would have more. If we stay in town I will probably not replace these girls when they are gone, I am to concious of the noise and my neighbors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dobela Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 www.backyardchickens.com is where you will also need to hang out. I spend way too much time there now. We have chicks, with more on the way and it can be very expensive starting out. Honestly, with the number of chicks ds keeps getting, our coop and run costs will be near $1000. You can get by cheaper, but you have to have access to lots of free or nearly free lumber and building supplies. Oh, you also have to have many fewer chickens than we do. Fooed, feeders, etc aren't very expensive, but when you have to get it all at once, it adds up fast. There are different types of chicken litter - pine shavings and sand are the most popular. Supposedly if you do it right you only have to totally clean 2x a year. The thing that BYC has taught me is that there is a thing called Chicken Math. You never get just 1 or 2 (some feed stores require you buy 6 or more at a time btw). And they are so cute you end up with way more than you thought you would ever have. That would be me, now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy in NH Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 my DH doesn't, and he has some semi-valid reasons. His reasons:1. I hate cleaning the cat's litter and he thinks chicken litter will be worse. (I have no problem with the gerbils' litter though). We clean out the chicken house 2x per year - spring & fall. Just keep adding bedding on top of what is obviously dirty. 2. Going on vacation is tricky enough without adding birds that need daily attention. Right now the dogs go to their doggie grandpa (FIL) and my parents check on the cat and gerbils every few days. I don't know my neighbors well enough to ask them to check on chickens for me. We can set ours up with enough food & water for a week - no vacation worries. 3. They will cost money. We aren't hurting for funds, but we don't have a lot extra either. When there isn't snow on the ground our chickens free range during the day and we go through a $10 bag of feed/month. During the winter, when they're cooped-up, we go through 2 bags/month. Selling eggs to friends pays for the feed, and we still have more than enough eggs left over for our hungry family. 4. We have enough "pets". 1 cat, 2 dogs, and 3 gerbils really isn't all that many is it? Nope. We have 1 dog, 2 barn cats, 4 pond fish, and 5 sheep, in addition to our chickens. Chickens aren't pets; they're livestock. 5. My Jack Russell Terrier might actually pitch a fit. First we moved her into a house with a cat she couldn't chase and kill (that took a couple of months to get over). Then we moved in gerbils she can't play with (after another couple of months she no longer runs drooling at their home at every sound they make). I'm not sure she would attempt to dig into an enclosed chicken coop or not and we keep them outside alone for long periods on nice days. Free range out of the closed in coop would not be able to happen while she is out, I am sure. When you fence in the chicken yard, dig a 1 foot deep trench where the fence will go and bury the fence in it with the fencing curved toward the outside. We covered ours with rocks and bricks as we buried it, and we've never had anything get in (and they've tried). We can't allow our dog to be out in the yard untied when the chickens are out. 6. He thinks they will stink and make a ton of noise. They are occasionally noisy, but not often (we don't have a rooster). They poop in the yard (good fertilizer), and the dog wants to eat it. They don't stink. Reasons I want them: 1. Because I just do. :tongue_smilie: They are fun to watch and make me happy. So for those that have small confined flocks (I'm talking 5 or less hens, no roosters), how bad is it really? How much does feed and bedding cost? How often does the bedding need to be changed? Does it stink? Would we regret putting them close to the house for odor or noise? They would be next to a window we never open (missing it's screen), but near the back door that is sometimes left open but mainly kids just going in and out. Anything else I should consider before deciding one way or the other? We get bagged shavings locally for $3.50/bale. It takes 2-3 to cover the floor in the shed-sized coop. When it starts to stink we know it's time to add more bedding. We put the manure on the garden in the fall to let it compost over winter, and in the compost pile in the spring. HTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osmosis Mom Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Where do you plan on keeping them? We are not super handy, but would love some chicks... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remudamom Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I wouldn't get any if I had a JRT. Took me long enough to convince my border collies that chicken murder was a bad idea. I'm guessing chickens in the yard will seriously cut back on dog's free time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoxanneB Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 We've been thinking about chickens, too. I like the idea of the fresh eggs. We would definitely NOT get a rooster. My biggest concern is the winter. Do I have to move them into my spare bedroom? OK, maybe not that extreme LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy in NH Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 We've been thinking about chickens, too. I like the idea of the fresh eggs. We would definitely NOT get a rooster. My biggest concern is the winter. Do I have to move them into my spare bedroom? OK, maybe not that extreme LOL! I'm in northern NH and my chickens do fine in the winter. They don't like the snow, so they stay in their coop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peela Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 We are similar to you and dh doenst enjoy the chooks much and would get rid of them if I agreed. I dont. We have 2 dogs and a cat, too- and one of our dogs is a jack russell cross who has found her way into the chicken pen many times, and we just keep fixing teh holes- she has never killed a chook though. Just our rabbits :glare: Our only other pet at present is a snake- but we have 7 chooks, 4 of which should be coming into the lay in the next few weeks. We had 3 or 4 chooks for the last few years. They dont lay enough to pay their way. Sometimes they lay consistently for a few months. Then the weather changes and we don't get eggs for weeks- but they still need to eat. We live in the city though and chances are we are paying a premium price for laying pellets. We don't ever change the "litter". Once a year or so we clean out the pen and I put the top soil on the gardens. I buy a bale of straw every few months and put it in the coop- they like it- it gives them something to scratch around. It doesn't smell as long as they eat all the kitchen scraps every day. In winter, we have to be careful not to give them too many scraps- scraps that sit and rot, smell- and once our neighbour did complain, so we cleaned out the cage and are careful about letting scraps rot in there- but it hasn't happened since, and it really doesn't smell. Mostly, especially now that we have 7 chickens, scraps are gone within minutes. The chook poo doesn't seem to smell- it must break down quickly. I love our chooks. They are low maintenance. If we go away, we can always find someone to come and just check their feed and water and get eggs in repayment. And for a weekend- we don't bother. They are fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lailasmum Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 The smell is minimal, I clean mine out weekly and add extra bedding during the week, its much nicer than cat litter trays. Though I tend to use deep litter type method in the colder months. They are one of the few pets you actually get something back from for feeding them, (other than love obviously), so the feed can pay for itself, we sell our extra eggs to pay for it. My friend has a springer spaniel and came to the conclusion that free roaming chickens and dogs don't mix, so maybe you would have to consider a big run with a very high fence. They are only really noisy when they sing the I've laid an egg song. Though they are noisier when the first come into lay for a few weeks and settle down after that. Other than thats its a bit of chitter chatter amongst themselves but not loud. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osmosis Mom Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 I'm in northern NH and my chickens do fine in the winter. They don't like the snow, so they stay in their coop. So, Amy, how many do you have and where do you keep them? When we had two roosters then we kept them in the garage, in a small cage that we built, but it was messy. They survived -even when we only had one, but still. I am itching to get some chicks for egg-laying and for pets, but need a smart idea how to keep them since they need a coop structure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wabi Sabi Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 1. I hate cleaning the cat's litter and he thinks chicken litter will be worse. (I have no problem with the gerbils' litter though). The chickens' coop needs cleaned out once every couple of months, not nearly as often as the cat box needs tending! 2. Going on vacation is tricky enough without adding birds that need daily attention. Right now the dogs go to their doggie grandpa (FIL) and my parents check on the cat and gerbils every few days. I don't know my neighbors well enough to ask them to check on chickens for me. Ours are fine for 3-4 days on their own as long as we make sure they have enough food and water. Beyond that I'll have a neighborhood kid come over once every few days to refill food/water. You'll find that friends and neighbors won't mind coming by if they get to keep eggs as payment. If your parents are already coming by every few days for the cat and gerbils they could also tend to the chickens and it would only take a few minutes. 3. They will cost money. We aren't hurting for funds, but we don't have a lot extra either. In all honesty, setting up the coop was not cheap. Wood, lumber, and fencing adds up. I probably spent about $500 building ours. Otherwise they don't cost too much- a bale of straw/alfalfa every now and then, a bag of cedar chips every few months, and a $14 bag of food lasts about a month (we have 13 chickens.) 4. We have enough "pets". 1 cat, 2 dogs, and 3 gerbils really isn't all that many is it? Us too: 3 dogs, a cat, a snake and a fish. However, I don't really consider the hens to be pets per se. They're more of a food-producing hobby, lol. 5. My Jack Russell Terrier might actually pitch a fit. First we moved her into a house with a cat she couldn't chase and kill (that took a couple of months to get over). Then we moved in gerbils she can't play with (after another couple of months she no longer runs drooling at their home at every sound they make). I'm not sure she would attempt to dig into an enclosed chicken coop or not and we keep them outside alone for long periods on nice days. Free range out of the closed in coop would not be able to happen while she is out, I am sure. Our dogs don't bother the chickens at all, but granted- they're not Jack Russels. Ours, however, do not free range due to no fence and other loose neighborhood dogs. We built a fenced in yard for them so that they are secure at all times. We bought a used doghouse on Craigslist, put it up on legs, and basically copied this design: http://www.greenchickencoop.com/ 6. He thinks they will stink and make a ton of noise. Our coop is 10 feet from our bedroom window. Noise and smell hasn't been an issue even when the window is open. 1. Because I just do. :tongue_smilie: Good enough reason for me! My dh also wasn't on board, but I explained that this was MY project. I needed help building the coop, but I assured him I'd assume all responsibility for the chicken's care. He doesn't collect eggs, haul water, clean out the coop or anything like that. It was just part of the deal. So for those that have small confined flocks (I'm talking 5 or less hens, no roosters), how bad is it really? Not bad at all and we have more than 5! I told myself we wouldn't get more than 4-6 hens at most, but then that darn chicken math crept in... :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy in NH Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 So, Amy, how many do you have and where do you keep them? When we had two roosters then we kept them in the garage, in a small cage that we built, but it was messy. They survived -even when we only had one, but still. I am itching to get some chicks for egg-laying and for pets, but need a smart idea how to keep them since they need a coop structure. Our property already had a shed-sized coop on it when we bought it. The coop comfortably holds the 10 hens we currently have (that's a lot of eggs). If we didn't have the existing coop, I like the doghouse on stilts idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlsdMama Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 So for those that have small confined flocks (I'm talking 5 or less hens, no roosters), how bad is it really? How much does feed and bedding cost? How often does the bedding need to be changed? Does it stink? Would we regret putting them close to the house for odor or noise? They would be next to a window we never open (missing it's screen), but near the back door that is sometimes left open but mainly kids just going in and out. Anything else I should consider before deciding one way or the other? Your husband has a lot of valid points. Keeping in mind that I despise our chickens, I'm on his side. Why? We have seven hens. BEFORE this we had 28 hens. The 28 were easier because they weren't in a small environment. The poop was manageable. Because chickens are filthy animals. Now, if you have a nice sized coop and a lot of space, you'll be fine. If you don't have that, the grass will be gone within the enclosure in weeks. Good luck EVER getting it to grow back. They poop, I promise, MORE than they eat. The only animal that can outeat a chicken (literally) is a pig. Obviously you can offset this with food waste, but it is true. If they are in too small of an enclosure they will turn on one another. They won't lay for 6-8 months and when they do, it's fun. However, I can guarantee you can buy eggs cheaper. Now, there IS something to be said for chickens. I like home grown eggs. Hens really aren't noisy, though you wouldn't want a rooster. They can be entertaining to watch. I didn't mind them one bit when we lived on the farm. Why? Because they could free range all over our acreage without pooping on the garden benches or my patio. They had a large coop and they were no bother. Here, in "town" (we're on two acres) they are in a small fenced enclosure with a small coop. The poop, oh dear, the poop... In a small area. Sigh. NOT. A. CHICKEN. FAN. But my DH adores the stupid things. I love him, but I bet he'd like them a lot less if he took care of them. And if you end up making your DH be the caretaker by default, well, that's just wrong.... So be honest with yourself. Will you really take care of them? Because at least you can like a cat and want to care for it. I feel no such affection towards the chickens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NCMom Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 If you don't have that, the grass will be gone within the enclosure in weeks. :iagree: And I do not see many people noting this. Even 5 hens will strip a small area as bare as can be in a very short time. I love our 16 chickens. We clean more frequently than most 'cause it's so hot here much of the time, but it never smells. Our hens are the anomaly I guess because they are louder than the roos. The egg songs never stop as 10 hens are currently laying. I have one who does an egg OPERA every.single.day. It's her vocation. lol My dog costs us way more and doesn't produce breakfast materials either... Vacations - just pay a kid to feed and water. The Jack Russell - probably a major issue. Get really good fencing maybe? I would never, ever, ever leave the dog alone in the yard with the chicks, no matter the fencing, though. hth, Georgia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwickimom Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 We just got rid of our 17 chickens. They were costing too much, we couldnt free range (hawks and coyotes kept snatching them along with the neighbors dog, and YES in broad daylight) so we were paying $30/month for feed and bedding. No one would pay more than $1.00/dozen here (there are a lot of people selling eggs) and we were not recouping our costs. In the winter we had to have a heated waterer and lightbulbs for heat. More cost. We cleaned out the coops once every 2 weeks. It took an entire bag of bedding to refill. They do smell and we also had to hay the outdoor part of the pen because they were knee deep in mud. If we could free range, it may have been different. I dont know how everyone gets away so cheap with feed. Maybe it is just high here. When we add in the electricty, water, bedding and hay it is just not worth it for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momling Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 I agree with what everyone else has said. We have 6 hens and they're pretty awesome. They are really good layers and we get about an egg a day -- enough eggs for us and for my dad and his wife (during cold weather, it was more like 4/day). The smell isn't noticeable unless you stick your head in the coop. I stir up the litter and toss a handfull or two of bedding in there once a week, but only clean it out ever few months or so. I add more feed every day or two and replace the water every three days. I also toss in kitchen scraps daily. Our coop is 4x4ft and their run is about 12x12ft (with a young giant redwood in the middle of it!). After our garden ends in the early fall, we let them free range. We had our chickens before our dog, so she learned from an early age that the chickens are bossy and not to mess with them. I don't think she'd feel the same way if she were an adult JRT. A secure run is totally necessary. We haven't eaten any of our chickens yet, but we plan to eventually. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy in NH Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 (edited) In the winter we had to have a heated waterer and lightbulbs for heat. More cost. It is cold here in the winter - gets down to 20 or 30 below at night sometimes. We never use a lightbulb for heat. The deep litter method combined with the hens' body heat keeps the coop warm enough. We never use a heated waterer anymore (although we did the first year or two). We give a bucket of water in the morning which they drink up before it freezes. They eat snow in the chicken yard for the rest of the day. They like the snow, and will even choose to eat it if it is available rather than drink the water during the rest of the day. In fact, they like it so much that they will try to eat styrofoam (which looks like snow). the grass will be gone within the enclosure in weeks. Good luck EVER getting it to grow back... I didn't mind them one bit when we lived on the farm... in "town" (we're on two acres) they are in a small fenced enclosure with a small coop... And if you end up making your DH be the caretaker by default, well, that's just wrong.... It is true that they will strip the grass inside their enclosure, but it will grow back. When we moved here the coop had obviously been vacant for some time. The ground inside the enclosure had been stripped. We decided to move the yard to the other side of the coop, and the grass has grown back in the original yard just fine. We have two acres on which our chickens free range with no problems (other than the occasional fox). They put themselves back in the coop at night. I agree that it would be wrong to expect your dh to care for them. Edited April 1, 2011 by Amy in NH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluemongoose Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 (edited) I have 12 chickens. I got them a year ago. The cost of the feed, straw etc are not that bad, especially if you add kitchen scraps. The biggest expense is getting something to put them in! That cost a lot for us. We built a coop that would house 24 chickens. We plan to add to the flock later. Right now they have extra space because we do not have our run finished, so we do not want to add to the flock until then. We have a lot of chicken preditors in our area, so they cannot free run here. They will have a large fenced in area that is semi safe for when we are around, and also a completely enclosed area off their coop that is very safe for when we are away. Like others have said, we change the litter about 2x a year or so. The noise is minimal, though two of our hens ended up being roos, so they are a bit noisy at sunrise!:lol: With ten laying hens I get about 8-10 eggs per day in the summer, and about 2-4 eggs in the winter per day. The 8-10 is more than enough for our family of 5, with extra to give away. The 2-4 is not enough for us, and I find myself rationing eggs and never giving them away during the winter. The roos poo smells worse and is bigger than the hens (kinda like with humans:lol:). But honestly, if you keep fresh litter in there, it keeps the smell to a minimum. You can only smell it when you open the doors and stick your head in, you cannot smell it across the yard. One of our best purchases for our coop was a poultry watering nipple. They look similar to what a hamster or rabbit water nipple looks like, only they are made for chickens. You get some of these and screw them into the bottom of a 5 gallon bucket (or smaller container if that wont fit). Hang the bucket from the ceiling, fill with water, loosely place the lid on the bucket, and voila-no mess in the water! I hated all the water founts because, lets face it, chickens are not bright. The amount of pooing they did in the water was just nasty! It got a bit better as they got older, but the dust and muck they can kick up from their litter still would get in there. With the bucket and nipple method, there is almost no mess at all! Edited to add: If you do use the bucket with the nipple method, you should use a bucket warmer in the winter. If the water were to freeze in the bucket, it would ruin the nipples, and then you would have a mess when it thawed. We also have never used a heating lamp, but our winters only go to the teens. I know some other places get much colder than that. Edited April 1, 2011 by bluemongoose Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoxanneB Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 I think the hardest thing about having the chickens is that I would want to make them pets. THEN, if something came along and considered them dinner, I would be very, very sad. Our pastor had a mink, of all things, take out four chickens a couple days ago. He saw the mink a week before near his house (not near the coop) and was enjoying its beauty. Since the massacre, he's not so impressed with its beauty anymore! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenn- Posted April 1, 2011 Author Share Posted April 1, 2011 Thank you everyone for your replies. I think I am going to hold off another year and try to convince him again next year. He is just pretty much against the idea at this point. I would not expect him to do anything with the chickens, just as the only thing he does for the other pets is feed the dogs at night. I may not like changing litter, but if I don't, it doesn't get done. We are having some debate about where the coop would go on the property so I think a year of research and development may be in order. Not to mention the old guy next door has his house up for sale and might complain if we moved chickens in where they could see the coop (my location they couldn't see them, DH's location they could). We'll let new neighbors find out we are weirder than they thought after they move in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truscifi Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 (edited) Dh is building me a chicken tractor. He got the lumber from a surplus place so it wasn't very expensive - about $200 total. We have 5 chicks that will be ready to move into it in about 3 weeks. With the chicken tractor you get the benefit of free range (happy chickens, less feed cost) without the level of yard decimation and poop build up you get in a stationary coop. At least I think it will work that way, this is my first attempt! Edited April 1, 2011 by Truscifi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cajunrose Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 My family and I are starting a small flock. We are allowed 5 in the city limits. I'm trying to decide on breed..but ultimately, it'll probably be whatever I can get locally that we end up with. All of the places I have seen online have to have at least 15 shipped. I can't get that much. I'm so excited and stocked up with books, magazines, websites and a notepad! Loving this thread. :) Stephenie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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