Kid and City Friendly Chickens

[lazy gardener]

Ah.... you're down under! So, I take it that you will be starting your flock soon! Some of the Aussie birds I've seen are absolutely magnificent, and put our American birds to shame. A fella named Australia Pete had some gorgeous birds. He's not around on BYC any more.

Definitely, go with mixed flock if you have that option!!!!

 

[lutherpug]

Beth,

Welcome! I am in Kansas City as well (northland). I second Australorps, I have one and she is awesome! Very docile and quiet, they're a great breed. I've heard great things about the Speckled Sussex as well-I would love to have one but don't at the moment. I just got my first Orpington and EE today so I can't speak to any personal experiences but I've heard nothing but good things.

You'll enjoy your chickens, they're so much fun Don't hesitate to tap the wisdom of the group here, everyone is very helpful. Good luck!

 

[TroyerGal]

Hello, All!

I am a new member of the site, I've been reading different boards here for the past couple years as I've began to think about starting our flock. I have finally decided that I'm ready, I've read just about everything I can and talked with everyone I know that has chickens. I feel like I have a pretty solid grasp on the basics of chicken raising. However, the thing that I am struggling with so much right now is trying to decide which types of chickens will work best for my family and my location.

I have a three year old daughter and a baby on the way, so chicken breeds that are friendly and gentle are my top priority. I want my daughter to be able to be involved in the raising and caring for the chickens. My mom's family had some chickens growing up and they had a particularly nasty chicken (a rooster I think) that traumatized her pretty badly and now she is terrified of birds. I don't want that to happen to my daughter. So, friendly chickens are a must.

I also live in town. I have checked (and re-checked and checked again) the city ordinances where I live. Depending on the placement of the coop in my yard, I can have 6-10 *hens* (no roosters allowed). So, I have a space for a coop picked out (I think) and it has room for a decent size run/pen (like around 12'x12'). I also plan on getting them one of those portable pens where I can move where they "free range" around from day to day (complete free ranging is not an option as where I live we have several hawks that fly over and land in ours or our neighbors trees, so they need the protection). So, I'm not super concerned about space. What I am concerned about is chickens that will be fairly quiet, because while I'm allowed to have the chickens, I don't know that I want risk my neighbors complaining and having to deal with all that.

The last thing I need to consider is that for this to be worth it (to my husband), they also need to be good egg layers. He's not really on board with the whole "grow your own" thing. His argument is we can get it in the store for cheaper and less work so why (garden, can) raise chickens when you can just go to the store and pick it up (which, when you can pick up a dozen eggs at Aldi for like $0.79, I kinda get what he's saying.... but it's not the same as knowing where your eggs came from and where/what your chickens ate and how they were treated).

So, if you're still reading, thanks, I know that was kind of long and ramble-y. But to sum up, I need three things in my chickens:

1.) Kid-friendly - not negotiable
2.) Quiet - most negotiable
3.) Good layers - a little negotiable

Does anyone have good recommendations of breeds that would fit the bill? I am okay with, and possibly would even prefer, a mix of a couple different breeds, that way in case one doesn't do well for us I haven't put all my eggs in one basket, so to speak.

If it makes a difference, I live in the KC area, so we have summers that get pretty warm and winters that can get pretty cold/snowy/icy. Thanks for your help! I appreciate it and look forward to being part of this community!

~Beth

I HIGHLY recommend:

Black Australorp
Easter Eggers
Leghorns
Red stars

 

[Egena]

Buff Orpington are the sweetest things. Set in your lap ride on your shoulder. RIR are sweet but not the rooster. I'm new to this site also you can learn a lot by just asking.

 

[ellieanne22]

Beth,

Welcome! I am in Kansas City as well (northland). I second Australorps, I have one and she is awesome! Very docile and quiet, they're a great breed. I've heard great things about the Speckled Sussex as well-I would love to have one but don't at the moment. I just got my first Orpington and EE today so I can't speak to any personal experiences but I've heard nothing but good things.

You'll enjoy your chickens, they're so much fun Don't hesitate to tap the wisdom of the group here, everyone is very helpful. Good luck!

Where did you get your chicken from? I'm trying to find somewhere local. I don't mind shipping the chicks if I have to, but most mail order places I've seen have order requirements of 15+ birds and with my absolute limit of 10, it just doesn't make any sense for me to have that many.

 

[azygous]

If you order from MyPetChicken.com, you can get as little as three chicks, as long as the order is placed during the warmer part of the year. I ordered in early spring, May, and the minimum order was six. They have every breed you would want.

I recommend you select breeds that can be auto-sexed. That means the chicks are different in appearance at hatch, therefore easy to tell the cockerels from the pullets. Welsummers, Legbars, Cuckoo Marans, Black Copper Marans, Dominiques, Salmon Faverolles, Partridge Penedesencus. These are friendly and good layers, and quiet for the most part.

Make sure you specify pullets and that you do not want straight run. That will increase your chances of not getting an accidental cockerel in the mix. Not being allowed roosters, you would then need to dispose of the cockerels somehow, which can be stressful.

I urge you to spend the time between now and when you plan to get your chicks building and finalizing your coop. People beginning with chickens almost never realize how fast chicks grow. They double in size each week as they grow from egg-size. Chicks are ready to live outdoors in a coop by four or five weeks. Therefore, I recommend brooding chicks right in the coop from the beginning. It removes a lot of stress from both chicks and humans doing it that way. (Read my article on outdoor brooding linked below in my signature line.) Under the heating pad system, cold temps are not an issue.

 

[lazy gardener]

Where did you get your chicken from? I'm trying to find somewhere local. I don't mind shipping the chicks if I have to, but most mail order places I've seen have order requirements of 15+ birds and with my absolute limit of 10, it just doesn't make any sense for me to have that many.

Welcome to BYC, ellieanne! You're stepping into a fun adventure. I'm gonna offer some advice that you're not even looking for:

1. Be sure you build/get a coop and run that are big enough for the size flock you will eventually have. The biggest newbie mistake is planning a coop for a small flock: say 4 birds. If you buy a pre-built coop, you can almost guarantee that the manufacturer misrepresents his product. He'll say it will hole 6 - 8 birds. Take a tape measure with you. Chickens need a certain amount of space, and if they don't have that, eventually the owner is going to have some problems on his hand: crowded chickens are stressed chickens, and more prone to aggression, (aggressive chickens will draw blood, and when that happens, they can become cannibalistic.) Stress leads to other issues: not laying as well, being more prone to disease. Also, a too small coop has huge ventilation issues, does not allow adequate perch space, and does not even allow enough litter in the coop to easily manage their poo. Back to the 4 birds: if you buy them from a feed store, many states require a minimum purchase of 6 birds. You'll want to allow a minimum of 4 sq. ft. in the coop and 10 sq. ft. in the run per bird. More space than that if you will eventually be bringing in younger birds to replace the old ones.
The best coop plans allow 1 linear foot (or more) of perch space per bird with the perch being at least 12" away from the back wall, plenty of space for the chicken to fly down from the perch without smacking her face on the opposite wall. You can get by with less space in front of the perch by allowing ramps/steps to hop up and down off perch. It should be 24" below the ceiling, and 1' above the nest boxes.

2. For ease of management, look at deep litter options both in the coop and in the run. Cuts your labor, and if done right is odor free. Also cuts risk of internal and external parasites, improves the gut flora of your flock, and keeps them busy. Busy chickens are happy chickens.

3. Other topics for consideration: Fermented feed, Heating pad brooding. You can brood your chicks right in the coop. A good book: https://www.amazon.com/Small-Scale-Poultry-Flock-All-Natural-Approach/dp/1603582908
You can get plenty of free literature from your local county agricultural extension office. They are often associated with a state college that offers an agriculture program. Take a peek at Henderson's chicken breeds chart. This will help you decide what you might want, and definitely help you decide what you absolutely don't want for chicken breeds. I prefer a mixed flock.

4. If you've not already done so, check out your state thread in the Social, "where am I where are you" section. You may find someone who will be hatching chicks this spring, or even someone to split an order with. You can check with the local feed stores and see when they will start getting chicks in. I suggest that where ever your chicks come from, you get them all from the same place and at the same time. Don't rule out barn yard mix chicks. The good thing about them is that they are bred locally, and most likely have several generations of breeding that makes them well adapted for your climate. They are often very good layers (based on what their parents were). The down side of barn yard mix chicks is that they will most likely be straight run, meaning that you will end up with some roos that you will most likely need to remove from your flock.

 

[jennyf]

You are getting lots of great advice. I have 2 kids under 5 and am in St. Louis, have had chickens since this spring (2 each NH Reds, Barred Rocks, and Wyandottes). Very glad we took the plunge, but if I was doing this over, I would have 1) Not maxed out my chicken numbers the first year so I could stagger adding a few more in the next 1-2 years when my oldest chickens start to slow down laying, 2) Gotten some colored egglayers, would have been fun, and 3) Built a bigger coop, ha ha. It's such a great lesson to learn about where your food comes from and how we appreciate our chickens for what they give us. The kids have SO much fun (and they love eating eggs now too)! When you're building, think about kid-friendly access. Door latches a little lower. Nest box lid light enough that it doesn't smash little fingers. Some way to prop it up easily. Ability for little people to toss scratch through the top of a run or poke berries through the fence.

I find myself giving lots of reminders about washing hands, not kissing chickens, and for gods sake, would you please keep your face up and out of beak range puh-leeeeze for the zillionth time??

Our friendliest chicken is a Barred Rock and the second friendliest are the 2 NH Reds. The Wyandottes would prefer to be left alone.

Have fun!!

 

[lutherpug]

Hi Beth,

I've not found a great place for chicks locally, other than the feed store. All of my chickens came from My Pet Chicken. You can place small orders outside of the 3-4 coldest months of the year-I believe they resume shipping small orders around the end of March. Both of my orders shipped on Monday and arrived Tuesday morning. If you don't mind a drive, Cackle Hatchery is a reputable place located in south central MO. It would be a 3-4 hour drive from KC. I believe you'd have to place your order in advance but could pick up locally. They also ship small orders starting in the springtime. I would have used them this last time as I'm down that direction every other week for work but I had my heart set on a lavender orpington and they don't have them (hint, hint Cackle!).

Great advice in this thread-especially about having the coop built or well underway before your chicks arrive! We should have been farther along and were racing to get 9 week old chickens out of the basement-not ideal. They grow VERY fast and generate an insane amount of dust.

Next time I'm going to try to brood outdoors. I have a few babies now but didn't have enough time to get everything set up before they got here. But, next time......

 

[jennyf]

I emailed Cackle this summer about in-person pickup without placing an advance order and she said that they generally have a good selection of chicks available in the brooders. It's a 2 1/2 drive there for me but that's my plan for the next group. Not that I want more chickens or anything....