Ruby Rose Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 DH and I have almost convinced ourselves to buy some chicks and start raising chickens for eggs. We live on 0.5 acre in a semi-rural area. We have also started a garden this year and do other "out of societal norm" things, so what's one more. :lol:. wouldn't this also gives major status points in the HS Community? LOL, kidding. So, any reason we shouldn't take the Chicken Farmer plunge? :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KS_ Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 DH and I have almost convinced ourselves to buy some chicks and start raising chickens for eggs. We live on 0.5 acre in a semi-rural area. We have also started a garden this year and do other "out of societal norm" things, so what's one more. :lol:. wouldn't this also gives major status points in the HS Community? LOL, kidding. So, any reason we shouldn't take the Chicken Farmer plunge? :bigear: They poop a lot and they aren't compatible with gardens, so you'll have to keep them out of your garden. Depending on if you're going to keep them in a coop full-time or let them range, you'll need to be aware of what potential predators you have in your area. Our lot is about 1/2 acre and we just got 5 last July and so far, they've been great and fun pets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kokotg Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 yes, the poop. also something to worry about when you go out of town. When we had ours, our house sitter didn't mind tacking taking care of chickens onto the other animals (and they require about the same amount of care as cats in that respect; i.e. if it's a weekend trip they're probably fine on their own...longer trips you can have someone over every 2-3 days to check on them). I think the pros outweigh the cons, though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remudamom Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 Chickens are a major pita. Major. Have to get someone to watch them when you leave, they poop, smell, dig up your garden. I love each and every one of mine. Wouldn't be without them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mimmy Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 They will ruin your garden and landscaping... We have 15 and love them :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KS_ Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 Chickens are a major pita. Major. Have to get someone to watch them when you leave, they poop, smell, dig up your garden. I love each and every one of mine. Wouldn't be without them. That's funny - it's how I feel too. I'll be watching them tear up something in the yard, or digging under the compost bin, throwing stuff all over, and can't be mad because they're so funny and cute. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMA Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 Just check your local zoning regulations. My friend has a neighbor who got chickens and they are against the zoning regs. in her neighborhood. The neighbor will not get rid of the chickens so things are a little contentious right now in the neighborhood. They each have over an acre of land, btw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 I just have one. She's MESSY. I also constantly worrying about her being eaten by wildlife. But she is cute and I hope by spring she will provide us with an egg a day. Debating getting her friends :001_smile:. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruby Rose Posted March 13, 2012 Author Share Posted March 13, 2012 I was thinking they would probably be kept in a run. Ok, smell...is my whole yard going to stink or will cleaning the area and dumping it in compost help? Would a movable run be better? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cricket Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 Chickens are a major pita. Major. Have to get someone to watch them when you leave, they poop, smell, dig up your garden. I love each and every one of mine. Wouldn't be without them. :iagree: They eat all the flowers. But I love their fluffy little butts! We have one chick hatching as I speak. I'm so excited!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cricket Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 I was thinking they would probably be kept in a run. Ok, smell...is my whole yard going to stink or will cleaning the area and dumping it in compost help? Would a movable run be better? Ours free range all day. I don't notice a smell. Maybe I don't have a good nose! You will have to keep their area clean. Composting is a good idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMD Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 Yeah, we decided garden over chickens. Everything they looked at turned to scratched up mud :glare: We said good-bye to our chickens, we just couldn't do it on our normal block. If we ever get our 10-20 acres I'm sure I'll feel differently... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in OK Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 We have six who are laying and just got six chicks today. The only smell is in the coop. If you physically go into the coop. It can not be smelled from outside. And it really isn't that bad IMO. You will have to be very diligent about keeping it cleaned out. I usually clean it once a week. The coop is in a corner of our small barn and it has a window. So we can get a good cross breeze going on nice days. They have a large run but don't free range for several reasons. If they did free range I doubt our entire acre would be all torn up. Their run still has some grass in it. I'm not sure how much is going to regrow after a winter of them pecking/scratching. One idea with your garden is to just section off where you don't want them. You could also plant a special chicken garden with plants they would love to peck at. :) We went on a two week vacation in September. My ILs helped watch our house and pets. FIL just came every day and gathered any eggs then made sure they had food/water. I wouldn't consider them a PITA at all. Yes, it's extra work. But IMO it's not any more work than having a cat with a litter box that needs to be cleaned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dobela Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 Our only smell is in the coop as well. And it can take your breath away if it isn't cleaned regularly. We also had a stinky yard for a time after it rained every other day, for what seemed like forever, and their dirt run (um, mud run) and poop developed this horrible odor. After it dried out it went away though. When it is muddy outside, it is also when you get the nastiest looking eggs to clean. The cost upfront is what I warn people about. Building/buying a coop and run can be expensive. Fencing is not cheap at all. Now our biggest expense is feed, although giving them free range time daily helps some with that. Ours love the woods next door. If you have persnickety neighbors, I would be careful as well. When our hens sing their laying song, it can easily be heard a block away. Fortunately our neighbors like chickens, and the eggs we share. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 For the first time in over 12 years I have no egg producers. I miss watching their antics (better than any TV show) and I miss my rooster bidding me "good morning". I also miss having some thankful takers for a the veggie and fruit stuff that is left over around here. Chickens are a way of life! Go, get them and have the best eggs ever! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msjones Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 Chickens POOP A LOT. I hadn't realized just how much poop would be in my small-ish back yard. Poop in the grass, on the deck, on the deck furniture, being tracked into my house by the kids. If the coop is small, you'll need to clean it out a LOT because the poop builds up very quickly -- they perch up there and poop all night long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellers Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 They do poop a lot! When we let our chickens free range, they walk up to the house and hang on my porch pooping. I have a bunch of potted plants on my porch. I have to put big rocks or bricks in the planters to protect the plants because the chickens will hop up into the planters and scratch. I think you should get some, they are cute little feathered friends. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riverland Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 They poop on the deck! They have an acre to free-range, but won't stay off the deck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KAM Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 We have 19 of them (plus some ducks and guineas) on six acres. They don't smell, but they do tend to poop on the deck/porch. They love to get up and look in the door and in the windows. I think if you only get a few (no more than six at most) on a half acre, the mess wouldn't seem too much. If you had a lot they would tend to destroy the yard. We are at max with what we have now. Definitely need to fence the vegetable garden. Ours don't eat flowers, but they do dig dust bath holes in the flower gardens. They are a lot of fun, and really not that much work. The biggest pain I've found with them is when something goes wrong with one of them. We had to put down one of our guinea hens last week due to some kind of leg issue that wouldn't heal. I think you get used to that part of things though, because this is the third one we've lost and I was nowhere near as upset as I was with the first loss. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. And of course, you can't beat the eggs. My kids are spoiled now-won't touch "regular" eggs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beaners Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 You can do the deep litter method where you don't clean the coop as often. I did this over the past year and have cleaned the coop out twice. It composts in place and if you keep it turned and add new litter every so often it doesn't smell much. This is what we do in our coop. I dump in a ton of shavings, then add more instead of cleaning the coop out. We do something kind of similar in our pen. Until about August we were putting down mulch, through November we were adding raked leaves, and since then we have gone through half of a round bale of hay. ($30 delivered?) It keeps the pen from being stinky and muddy. It also keeps the hens from getting muddy, which means our eggs are almost always clean. Our rabbit cages are stacked on the backside of the coop, so the chickens clean up their spilled feed and keep the flies down. We have about 2 dozen chickens in a pen and coop on our half acre. We also have 10 ducks and 2 turkeys, but they aren't penned with the chickens. Our shed smells like hay. Our chicken coop smells earthy but doesn't reek of ammonia. Our neighbors say they like the birds, which I hope means they don't hate us or think our yard smells bad. ;) (I hope!!!) They aren't a ton of work to care for because we are used to the routine, but it does make spontaneous travel difficult. We have an awesome petsitter who takes care of all the housepets and our poultry too. He has been a lifesaver. I wouldn't mind never traveling again, but my husband disagrees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluegoat Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 One other issue is that if you are not diligent about cleaning up spilled feed or you over-feed, you can attract rodents. In fact I've seen a family of rats swinging on a feeder strung up from the ceiling, so it can happen even if you are diligent. On a small lot with neighbours, I'd say keeping it really neat and clean is your biggest issue - don't get a lot more than you need because it makes more work. Even three chickens can provide enough eggs for a lot of families. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruby Rose Posted March 14, 2012 Author Share Posted March 14, 2012 Thanks for all the pointers! I'm learning more than I ever thought about chickens. Im thinking about 4 chickens to start, 1 for each Of us. :001_smile: I talked to my neighbor today and she said she loves chickens. So, that's good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruby Rose Posted March 15, 2012 Author Share Posted March 15, 2012 We did it! We are now the proud owners of 6 Gold Sex Link Chicks. They are 2 days old. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy the Valiant Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Congrats! :) We *LOVE* our chickens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beaners Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 We did it! We are now the proud owners of 6 Gold Sex Link Chicks. They are 2 days old. :001_smile: Hooray! Now where are the pictures? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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