Chook Me!

(Chicken keepers/breeders/caretakers) Pet Chickens?

I'm thinking about getting some chickens, so right now I'm reading about chickens and researching on them. I'm currently on "MyPetChicken" reading the chapters, but I'd love to hear what you chicken keepers have to say, your personal experiences with them, what you do or recommend, discourage, etc etc. Where I live, chickens are allowed to be kept I believe... two homes in my neighborhood have chickens. I have a big backyard, here is a picture of it: http://img11.yfrog.com/img11/23/1024214.jpg I also have a tree house (big enough that my 4 family members can fit in it) that I'm willing to change into a chicken coop for them. If I do get chickens, what kind should I get? I look forward to eating their eggs. Its the number one reason why I want some, I've seen what goes on in factory farms with the hens... I've also seen the so called "cage-free" & "free-range"... its so horrible so I don't eat eggs (and yes I'm a vegetarian if you're wondering). Is it okay to have just females and no males? Which chickens are the best layers? How long do they lay if they're healthy? What are the most common illness in them? Are they just as lovable as dogs, cats & other animals if you have the patient and love with them? Should I get them while they're chicks or full grown? Sorry for so many questions, but I want to know this stuff before owning some :) Oh, and how high can they fly?

Public Comments

1. well. like any animals you could always rescue some ex battery farm hens. they need good homes and often go on to lay for a while yet. yes you can have hens with no cockerals. if you are intending to eat/sell the eggs to be eaten then this is better- you dont want to run the risk of eating fertilised eggs and hens will happliy lay with no cockeral around. plus it means you wont get woken up early in the morning and neither will your neighbours. i would just check though with a local council that you definately can have chickens just to be sure. if you clip their wings they cant apparantly fly at all. however my dad has ended up clipping the wings on both sides (normally only need to do it on one side) and the little buggers can still jump the fence!
2. I have been keeping Chickens for some time now and I Breed them, but I also eat their eggs and they are delicious! Your Back Yard looks perfect too. Here are the Answers to all your Questions: 1. What kind should I get?~I have Buff Orpingtons, but that does not mean you have to get them. 2. Is it okay to have just females and no males?~Yes it is, if you do not want to breed them. But Hens with a lack of a Male can get out of line. Some hens do need a 'Man' in their life as I have experienced! 3. Which chickens are the best layers?~Anacona, Araucana, Ardenner, Assendelfer, Australorp, Barnavelder, Brabanconne, Brakel, Drenthe Fowl, Frisian Fowl, Meeuwen's, Hamburg, Lakenvelder, Leghorn, Maran, New Hampshire, Orpington, Plymouth Rock, Rhode Island, Rheinlander, Twente Fowl, Welsummer, Hybrid Hens and Wyandotte's are the Best Laying Hens. So if you want a layer, those are the ones to go for. But be warned, they don't all have nice temperements. 4. How long do they lay if they are healthy~Hens will lay all Spring and Summer and stop when it is too cold. 5. What are the most common illness in them?~Chickens get a variety of illnesses, including Scaley Leg, Red Spider Mite, Hen Louse, Fowl Pox, Newcastle Disease, Bumble Foot and many others. Here is a Website: http://www.petalia.com.au/Templates/StoryTemplate_Process.cfm?Story_No=1727. But don't be put off by all this, the only ones I have experienced is Red Spider Mite, Hen Louse and Bumble Foot. 6. Are they just as lovable as dogs, cats & other animals if you have the patient and love with them?~Yes, they are very kind, lovable animals and can be picked up and cuddled for hours. But that is only if you have raised them from eggs or have spent time with them since you first got them. 7. Should I get them while they're chicks or full grown?~Start with POL (Point of Lay) hens and when they go broody , you can put eggs underneath her to hatch some more hens. If you want. 8. Oh, and how high can they fly?~It is depending on what breed you get. Bantam like breeds can easily fly over a metre fence but large breeds find it much harder and when they get old they will hardly be able to get onto a doorstep. I hope I have been of some help and if you want anymore information on Breeds of Chickens or looking after them, feel free to email me. Zarago.
3. 1. If I do get chickens, what kind should I get: No one can answer that question, as we don’t know what you want, and there are so many breeds of poultry, breed for specific reasons. Try the breed selector tool on MyPetChicken for start. http://www.mypetchicken.com/chicken-breeds/which-breed-is-right-for-me.aspx Also check out http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html a nice simple chart with most of the basic breeds and their information. 2. What factories do to hens: Sadly it is true. But, that is what we are forced to. Small farming is more expensive, and we go through a lot of chickens to keep people fed. I think the best way to help this problem is to start owning chickens yourself, or support the people that do. So thank you for taking the time to consider owning some yourself. 3. It is fine to have hens without boys. In fact those roosters can be a real big pain, and if you have a small flock under 6 your rooster is going to rip your hens up, and they can suffer, and lay less eggs because of it. However, great roosters do happen and they can help keep the flock in-line. Commonly without a rooster, your flock will just have a rather dominant hen. Rarely these dominate hens will start crowing, stop laying, and will even try to mate with the other hens, but this is extremely rare. 4. Which chickens are the best layers: These would be the Leghorn, and Sex-Links. Other common good egg layers that many small flock owner have in the USA are Australorp, Rhode Island Red, Plymouth Rock, New Hampshire, Easter Egger, Minorca, Wyandotte, and more. You can check out the Hendersons chicken chart link I gave you for more details on the breeds/egg laying ability. However, I do think the MyPetChicken breeding section is more accurate. 5. How long do they lay if they are healthy: Laying all depends on several things. Daylight: Birds need around 14 hours of daylight. Breed: Some breeds lay more in general. Some birds are hardier for winter or summer, and will lay more during those times. Some birds like games lay in streaks, they may lay for a month and then stop for several. Others will give you lots of problems by going broody, otherwise known as trying to hatch out chicks. Age: As birds age they will lay less. Strain: Though when someone thinks of a Rhode Island Red they think hey that is a good layer, that isn’t necessarily true. It all depends on what the breeder of that bloodline was working towards. One breeder of RIR may strive for egg production, while another for size and color. You will find that most private breeders fowl are much larger, and lay less then regular hatchery chickens. Feed: You have to give birds the right nutrients to keep them laying well. Birds should be provided with greens, grit (if they don’t have free range time), oyster shells (if they don’t have free range time, egg laying pellets, and scratch seed. Feed must not be bad, as well, and water must always be provided. 6. What are the most common illnesses: There are many illnesses and in fact, one rarely knows which one their bird has. Instead it is easier to understand what makes a bird ill. Lack of care is one of the main killers. The bird eating poison, moldy feed, living in a dirty pen, not having water. An unhealthy bird: many people do not understand that some chickens are sick. Think about the people you know, some have allergies, and diabetes. Chickens are the same however they go untreated. These animals tend to die. Injury: After a bird gets injured it typically becomes ill. Here are some things you want to look for: Bright eyes, clear breathing, bright feathers, smooth legs, no worms in poop, walking smoothly, no strange discharge from nose/break, interacting with other birds, hardy appetite, not standing in the corner all fluffed up, runny discolored poop, anything that seems strange. Common things: Worms: Keep an eye out for these nastys. If you see them dewormer your birds. Some worms you cannot see, so read up and decide how you are going to handle this if you think it could or is a problem. Mites: If you allow some feather dusting area mites should be killed. But, check your bird’s feathers for them anyway. If you see them then mite dust them, and their coop. If you notice upraised scales on the feet, those are scally mites, and they can be killed by rubbing cooking oil, butter, or bag balm on their legs/feet to suffocate the pests. As always separate a bird that appears to be ill from the flock. 7: Are they are lovable as dogs, and so forth: That really depends on the chicken. Some chickens are really great pets, and most of my flock enjoys being pet, eating out of ones hand, and many enjoy being held. However, they aren’t the type of animal to take camping, or on a walk. The temperament really depends on the bird, but large fowl are known to be more calm and easy going. There are also bantam breeds that follow such as the Silkie. I would say the most commonfriendly breeds are Silkie, Cochin, and my Rhode Island Red and Brahmas are also super sweet. Just be calm, play with them, and feed them, and they should become your friend. 8. You can get them at any age, it really depends on what you want. Raising them as chicks, or hatching them yourself can be a rewarding experience, and the birds will be completely used to you. You can also get them as adults, but your bond may not be as close, but then again it all depends on the bird. 9: How high do they fly: That depends on the breed, and I wouldn’t limit it to bantams, Silkie bantams and Cochin bantams can’t fly for darn, their body weight compared to their wing span is just pathetic. Stay away from the lighter breeds like Gamefowl, Leghorns, and Hamburgs. Basically stick with the heaver bantams, and don’t get standard fowl that are under 5 lb. Chickens can’t fly far, but they can top a fence. If you must have a bird that will stay behind a five foot fence stick with heavy breeds like Brahma, Orpington, Jersey Giant, Cochin, Langshan, and so forth. 10. You have plenty of space for chickens. However, I know that some space is within city limits so you may want to check before you get roosters, more so if you are close to any neighbors. But, I don't see why you can't have as many hens as you want, and hopefully roosters if you want them as well. Sorry for the long response, but you had a bunch of filled questions. lol. If you have any more and don’t mind another essay feel free to contact me via email, Jamie/Rhode Runner Some of the best responces I have seen for one question! Thumbs up!
4. Back yard is HUGE Great for many chickens If I had this I would have MANY breeds and several roos as well Nothing better than a few roos to wake you up in the morning.The joys of peeps as well (baby's) The breed of birds you get is totally up to you really there are so many to choose from Brown egg layers Buff Orpington, Barred Rock,New Hampshire,Black Australorp, You also have white egg layers and colored eggs White LegHorns, California White You also have what is called a meat bird.Then there is a rare breed Columbian Wyandotte,Black Jersey Giants also white Salmon Faverolle,And we don't want to forget the little ones as well. (Bantams) these guys are alot faster and lighter than the others.Blue Rose,White/Dark Cornish,Buff Orpington,Barred Rock,Dominique Araucana A list could go on & on for breeds of birds best to ck out hatcherys for all breeds avaibale. www.cacklehatchery.com www.mcmurraryhatchery.com Both of these places will have mega info for you, breeds of birds, what color eggs breeds lay You can have only hens if this is what you want but the roo is also a great part of the birds. In other words he is the leader, boss, protecter. and the loudest if danger happens around the flock and if hes the badder dog he will stand to defend the flock.If Not he will run for cover right along with the others.Hens will lay for around 3 years then slack off till don;t lay @ all. Diseases; Infections Enteric,, campylobacteriosis,canker,coccidiosis,colibacilloisis,(E-coliinfection), necrotic enteriyis,salmonellois(typhoid,paratyphoid.pullorum) thrush,ulcerative enteritis, and internal parasites (worms). Respiratory::coryza,cholera,chronic respiratorydisease, bronchitis,gapeworm, influenza,laryngotracheitis,Newcastle disease& wet pox. Mites, Lice and fleas aer a trouble at times as well. Chickens can and are great pets many people have some that come into the home and sit with the kids or like being carried around out side But you have to work with the birds so they feel safe and know there will be no harm done, some do eat from the palm of the owners hands. If you plan on trying to carryany or have close Id say as peeps so you can raise them but you also have to have an area to place the peeps till they are big enough to be out in the yards. also a tight spot to keep from other critters @ night as well. As for flying not to high if they are fed well they become heavy to do much flying at all. There are many books out toread on chickens as well so best of Luck and happy chicken Living