Chickens

[bj]

Odd topic I know but you guys know everything about anything.  I am thinking about getting a couple of laying hens...we live in the city but have a pretty big yard and neighbors not too close that I don't think they would bug anyone.  The kids want a pet and I want fresh eggs so I figure it can be a win win....what do you think?? Pros-cons.   I know my biggest worry is all the raccoons here, that makes me a bit more nervous than the neighbor issue.  I would hate to keep them cooped up all the time.  Pardon the pun

[rmonks]

My dad lives in a rural community, and he has chickens because he likes the fresh eggs, but he is always complaining about the high cost of feeding them. Also will two chickens be enough to supply you with the eggs you need.

[Itsa Little CrOoked]

I love chickens, they taste GREAT! I shot one of ours in the eye with my BB gun. Got spanked for it too!

The real downside was that Grandpa, who was working on a combine getting ready for wheat harvest had to stop what he was doing, get the hatchet, and boil the water for plucking the feathers, and put the wailing hen out of her misery, or should I say MY misery.... and grandma, who took away said BB gun, had to clean the table off of her homemade noodles, to cut up said hen.

The upside, was that the noodles, and the chicken, well..... it all came together like the master plan that it never was. I don't remember how long the BB gun was missing, but I had it coming....

My advice, is to do the whole deal, and get a rooster too, and teach a little "The Birds And The Bees", wink wink while you're at it. Find an incubator on craigslist and hatch em too! GREAT Fun!

Fertile eggs need a little more care, I'll warn, but they won't sit around for very long. Unless you have lots of grass (and bugs), your feed bill will surprise you, but your eggs will be healthier.

Google is your friend here. Roosters can be noisy, and sorta....um.... surly, but you're gonna make some memories. Good times....

[bj]

I did a little research for our area and we aren't allowed to have roosters only hens.  I was thinking of getting a couple to start with and gageing how it goes.  I was reading that different breeds are louder than others so we will see.
We juice everyday so the pulp will finally go to good use

[mk162]

get some silkies.  They make incredible pets..but terrible dinner.  And they look really cool.  The egss are edible, but smaller.

[Coyote71]

We had chickens last year. The most important thing is a racoon proof pen. It has to have a top and a bottom. Also the chickens need to be locked in at night. I won't even to begin to tell you the stories, just make sure the pen and coop are well built. As far as the feed, be careful feeding them all table scraps and juicings. They need to have a certain amount of regular feed for the suplements and also crushed abalone shell. Without the crushed shell, the egg shells are very thin and break when laid. Also, too much greens turn them into "boneless" chickens. Made that mistake and found all the chickens would lay down, not move and get soft. They are a lot of fun to turn into pets. You can teach them to protect the yard, eat snails, chase cats, etc. Fresh eggs are great too!

[Gilligan]

We had chickens last year. The most important thing is a racoon proof pen. It has to have a top and a bottom. Also the chickens need to be locked in at night. I won't even to begin to tell you the stories, just make sure the pen and coop are well built. As far as the feed, be careful feeding them all table scraps and juicings. They need to have a certain amount of regular feed for the suplements and also crushed abalone shell. Without the crushed shell, the egg shells are very thin and break when laid. Also, too much greens turn them into "boneless" chickens. Made that mistake and found all the chickens would lay down, not move and get soft. They are a lot of fun to turn into pets. You can teach them to protect the yard, eat snails, chase cats, etc. Fresh eggs are great too!

Summed up... coup them up each night.

My buddy has a couple of hens as pets/eggs (not yet) in the middle of the city... with a small yard.  Worse part for him is the chickenshit around the pool. LOL

No roosters because he's trying to keep it low key with neighbors being literally right next door like any tight subdivision.

[Itsa Little CrOoked]

Silkies? Never heard of that breed, but it doesn't surprise me.  Chicken fanciers have taken chicken breeding to a HIGH art. (The web is such an amazing place.) 

Yup. They do leave a surprising amount of exhaust lying around.

[tpitman]

If you've got the room, make a garden to get rid of the chicken $#!t. Had a friend who had a garden, and he got a 30 gallon drum, put a spigot near the bottom, dumped the crap in the drum and filled it with water. Used it to water/fertilize his vegetables. I have no idea what it smelled like when he took the lid off that thing in the hot Florida sun. Otherwise you could compost the crap and fold it back into the garden between plantings.

[mk162]

Silies have been around for ages.  They are a chinese breed that is valued as both food and medicine.  And they look really cool.

[Itsa Little CrOoked]

Yes, I looked silkies up on the web.  They are definitely a cool looking breed.

[T Shirt Farmer]

Rhodes Island Reds will give you brown eggs, Leghorns white eggs, the Black Barred is a really cool looking bird that also produces a large white egg. Free range is back yard is great but they will need supplemental grain with oyster shell if you want quality an consistent egg production. Make sure you have sturdy wire going 10 " or so under ground on you enclosure so the racoons do not burrow under the fence. You will also need a heat source in the cold of winter, a light bulb should do. Nothing like fresh eggs!

[ebscreen]

Oh, and watch for hawks. My buddy had Bantams and lost one to a hawk.
Oh, and don't get Bantams. They're loud and their eggs are miniature.
And don't believe anyone that tells you that a chick is a hen and not a rooster.

[Frog]

And don't believe anyone that tells you that a chick is a hen and not a rooster.

I've heard a lot of stories on this one, especially from some guys who served in the Philippines! 

[inkman996]

Family up the road from my place has a huge population of Guinea hens, absolutely bizarre looking birds but he says they taste fantastic tho I do not know if they have edible eggs.