Our local zoning ordinances will be changing this fall to allow backyard chickens. We have 2.5 acres but are still considered within the city limits so space has never been an issue for us. We are seriously thinking about getting 6 pullets. But first we need to build a coop. We are stuck on what kind of coop. Our friend has this temporary thing on wheels called a chicken tractor and she moves it around when the birds need fresh ground. That or a permanent coop with a permanent run.... we do have space to let them roam. hmmm.... any advice? I have been looking at the different breeds as well. I really am intrigued by the black australorp chickens. We may get some of those. Well we are venturing off into chicken land.... look forward to meeting any others out there that are into having chickens.
My only advice, chickens tend to peck the ground and it turns into a mud hole in no time. Unless they will be able to roam and peck for a good part of everyday, a "chicken tractor" (we call em move-a-roosts) will help keep down bare spots. I love chickens! Most people just throw em in a pen and let them stand tail feather deep in muck. It's sad. Chickens like to be clean too I'm sure!
We have chickens. I would also recommend the chicken tractor if you have enough level ground. If your land is not level it may leave gaps for predators to get beneath the fence. You need to be sure you are in an area without loose dogs and such so your chickens will be safe during the say. When roosting at night, be sure to shut them up in a secure building. Racoons are famous for having the brains it takes to figure out many kinds of locks. One of my favorite sites for all things chickens is www.backyardchickens.com. They have tons of info on breeds, feed, health, forums, etc.
I want to get chickens but our neighbor is the fussy type who would complain so we will just wait until the day comes and we move to the country. I love looking at the chicks when Tractor Supply gets them in.
I love my chickens! I wanted four pullets, but now I have 53 chickens and an ever expanding coop lol.. Check out www.backyardchickens.com, it's a great forum.
Used to have chickens growing up. We had a fenced coop with a henhouse where they slept at night, but during the day we would let them roam around. I agree to let them loose if you have the space and safety. Our dogs were cool with them, and so protected them from the neighborhood dogs. Fun birds!
Brooke & Jakk thx so much for the website reference. I bookmarked it & will be using it often!! Another question....anybody have ideas to help dogs assimilate / adjust to having. chickens ? We have 2 dogs & we are wondering how to train them to protect them to rather than chase them. I guess I could always google this. But curious if any of you had to do this. Thx!
When we first got chickens, it was too cold so they stayed in the house for a couple of weeks. We got down on the floor and played with them with the dog in the room, then we had him lay down next to us and we gently placed a baby chick on his back, while loving on him and telling him, "easy". (dh had worked extensively on this since he was a puppy, so he knew the drill)We let him get a good sniff, then let him just nose it around for a bit. He soon was barking at me to warn me that the cat was stalking the baby chicks! Then, after the chickens were outside, he would herd them underneath a shade tree whenever he saw a hawk fly over! I never could figure out how he knew a hawk was a predator, and that they couldn't be seen from overhead as long as they were under the tree. He's got some herding breeds in his geneology, so that may have something to do with it, but he's always been protective of his own "pack", regardless of the species. Early integration also helps the chickens recognize the dog as a protector, it was funny to see all 15 chickens clustered around the dog whenever they thought there was danger!
What great advice, Leissa. I was about to ask the OP what kind of dogs she has. Some breeds tend to have more instinct to eat chickens than to adopt them.
Leissa Thanks ! I agree with Brooke - great ideas ! Brooke our dogs are the large breeds. One female and one male , both adopted from the humane society when they were 1 year old. The female is my concern. She is half black lab and half Queensland heeler. She is QUICK , which is probably the heeler in her. Our male is a English Staffordshire terrier mix. He is 9 now and we call him the old man... he has become quite sedentary and lazy this last year. Our female is very protective and has actually growled and barked when a delivery man was walking towards my 4 year old daughter one day ( which is what she is suppose to do right? ) . But if we can get her to act like Leissa's dog ... herding them around when danger arises and feeling like they need to protect them - Getting them to treat the chickens like part of the family is the goal. I will check backyard chickens and see if I can find anything there as well. The kids are getting excited about the idea of having their own chickens.
My kids loved having chickens! My daughter had one that would ride on the handle bars of the dirt bike and would sit in your lap if sat in the lawn chair and a few others would perch on your shoulder. The kids had a little egg business and it was really good for them.
Our cocker spaniel catches our chickens and brings them back to the coop door. LOL We discovered this talent of his quite by accident. We have or have had at some point many breeds including.... Mille Fleur Bantams Silver Laced Wyandottes Araucanas & Americanas Buff Cochins Barred Rocks Rhode Island Reds New Hampshire Reds One beautiful but very mean Phoenix rooster LOL Yokohamas La Fleche Saipan Jungle Fowl Silver Gray Dorkings Black Stars And I'm sure some more I forgot about! LOL Next time we order we're getting some cuckoo marans and some type of crested (top hat) chickens, one of the polish breeds I think-I don't think hubby has decided on which breed exactly yet. We just have a stationary coop and a few cages we can move for when roosters need separated (which we order straight run and end up with too many roosters, once they start fighting we separate them until we can sell or trade the offenders LOL) But, we also have to clean out the coop so they are living in knee deep chicken poop. But our neighbor has hunting dogs and our land isn't very flat, etc-so a tractor wouldn't really work well here-plus we have too many to be able to afford for them all to live in tractors. We let them free range some, but last time we did, our last Saipan Jungle Fowl disappeared so I'm not sure if hubby plans on letting them free range anymore or not.
When I was a teenager we had 4 chickens and our cat had kittens, our rooster would tote the kittens around by their neck just like the mama cat! Funniest thing I've ever seen!
We got six chickens in March and they've been a lot of fun. We do have a permanent coop and run for them, but the front 2 acres of our property is fenced, so I usually let them run around the yard during the day. They have just started laying eggs and it's been interesting finding eggs out in cubby holes in the yard. We also have lots of bushes and trees for them to hide under if hawks fly by. They have torn up most of the grass and dug lots of holes in their run already. I've heard of people throwing down hay/stray when it gets too mucky in there, if you don't or can't let them roam around outside the run. I decided not to go for the chicken tractor because it just seemed like such a small space for them to walk around in each day. They seem to like a lot of space, at least mine anyway. I have White Plymoth Rocks, which lay large brown eggs. They are pretty friendly. I don't have dogs, so I can't help you out with that.
Just came back to this post to read what others have said. Thanks again for sharing your fun memories of chickens and how you are currently raising them. I went to our library and checked out a handful of books on having chickens. I know our kids would LOVE the little chicks. And in regards to our dogs we are thinking that could be the better way to go , raise them from babies together so that they accept them as family. And I have read the if you handle them a lot as chicks then they will hang out with you and let you hold them as hens. But then I have been reading about how to care for chicks... making sure they are warm enough etc... it seems like a lot of work and some may not survive. But if we get the pullets that are half grown I am concerned about our female dog. We want to let them free range as much as possible. Josie I think you said you bought baby chicks? How much work was it? Did you have the brooder in your house or out in the coop? Anybody else raised chicks before?
Usually, if we got the chicks from a feed store, they usually had a guarantee that they'd replace any chicks that didn't make it for something like 2 weeks or so.Try to make sure they are day-olds. I just kept mine in the bathtub with a heat lamp in it till feathers come in. After that they can regulate their own body temp. other than that they just need fresh water and chick starter(looks like Grape-Nuts cereal). It's actually alot of fun!
We raised ours from chicks and it was my first experience with chickens. We just got a big plastic bin at walmart, cut a square out of the top of it and attached chicken wire. I have cats, so I didn't want them getting out or the cats getting in. Then we got the reflector light at the tractor supply and a red brooder bulb at walmart. I didn't really keep track of temps. I just watched the chicks. If they were huddled under the lamp, you move the light closer and if they avoid the lamp, then you move it farther. Chick starter and fresh water (in a chick waterer so they don't drown) and you're fine. I used paper towels as bedding for the first couple days and then pine bedding. They stayed inside for the first month and then I moved them out to the coop. They grew super fast. It was crazy how different they looked in just the first week. One thing I learned about after getting the chicks home is pasty butt. I had no clue I'd have to wash off baby chick butts in the sink. We had that problem with a couple of the chicks for the first week. All of our six chicks survived and they are very friendly. They run up to anyone who comes into the yard, thinking they are getting a treat.
We currently have 13 chickens. 5 Americaunas and 8 Buff Orpingtons. We live in the country and have a fairly large chicken house and run for them. The run is now dirt. They have pecked and ate every blade of grass that was there. If I had an actual backyard I would get a chicken tractor so I could move them to a new spot each day. In fact when we get our meat chickens next spring we will house those in a chicken tractor my husband is going to make from chicken wire and pvc pipes and we will pasture them. For the first three weeks each batch of chickens I had we raised in a large rubbermaid container with a heat lamp in my laundry room. After 3 weeks I was ready to evict them. The smell gets to be overwhelming even with cleaning everyday. My Buff Orpingtons are the sweetest and friendliest I've ever seen. No fear at all and will just jump right on your lap.
In our house for a while. They have to be at a certain temp. If we hatch them ourselves we keep them in the incubator until they dry then move them to the heat lamp set up. Here is the best pic I have of our last set-up, I was going for pictures of cute chicks more than set up so this is the best I got chicks set up by FreeLearningLife, on Flickr Food and light on one side, water on the other-this way they can adjust their own temp a bit. Like PP said, you'll know if they are hot or cold by their behavior. Most places offer some type of guarantee, I wouldn't buy from any place that doesn't, but sometimes it's a lot of hassle. Some replace the chicks, some give you a credit but you still have to buy the minimum to use the credit, if you don't want many chickens that credit may not do you any good, so be sure to look into that aspect.
