Any regrets?

[coffeemama]

I think the poo if free ranged in your yard is the biggest drawback. We have enclosed runs too, so ours freerange less in the summer when we are out in our yard, and more in the rainy season.

 

[conroy]

We are lucky to have neighbors that ask if they could please babysit our chickens when we go away...Then when I get home I get a complete detailed report on who did what and who is jsut too adorable...who was naughty. Like I said we are very lucky. I am also lucky with free ranging cause they have their own section of the yard 25 x 30. We do let them into the main yard if we know the dogs are secure. They are great therapy..my sis in law came over today and she was very depressed..after a couple mins watching my chickens...she was smiling and laughing....she now wants a couple hens!!!

 

[RockyToggRanch]

I don't notice poo in the yard and all mine freerange..although, the goat freeranges with them and THAT IS noticable poo, so perhaps it's just the lesser of two evils? I do, however notice poo on the back deck. Where they know if they hop up on the rail they have a clear view ti the computer. I know they want to see what's going on in the BYC neighborhood.

 

[Dar]

when i went on vacation earlier this year a paid a local girl to come and look after the chickens and the dogs..she had to come 3 times a day for the dogs so the chickens were a minor added chore for her to do...her mom had a blast cause i told them that all the eggs that were laid over the 4 days were theirs to have if they wanted

I free range in the afternoon only...i found that this helped with poo all over the back yard and the roaming issue...if i let them out first thing in the morning they were all over the place in the neighbours on the road everywhere....but by letting them out at about 3pm they still get the benifits of free ranging but none of the roaming problems they stay close to home

one con that drives me

is the dust bathing....it is cute to watch and i will sit for hours watching them but when they get bored of that hole they just make another and i end up stepping in it and twisting my ankle cause of course they make it in the middle of the yard

I was born and raised in the city if Toronto and now all my city friends call me "red" as in red neck cause of the girls...

i have found the chickens have made a wonderful addition for the kids...they fight on who gets to collect the eggs and feed them...my DD is 6 and she walks around the yard with 2 or 3 in her stroller taking to them like they are her babies

 

[Sequin]

I have learned that in life if there is something you want bad enough you will find a way to make it work; and it won't be that much of a burden. I wanted chickens, and it has worked out awesome. My husband was against it at first, but now he is sometimes more proud of our flock than I am. AND he is asking about adding more and what would be the best timing, where would we set up a brooder, etc. So, I think you will find that once you have them you will learn things about chickens that you never knew before. Like how soothing their 'talk' can be. My petsitter/friend was so enthralled with them after we came back from our vacation and she looks forward to watching them again for us on our next vacation.

As for the poo smell, it is like anything, if you keep the coop clean and dry you shouldn't have a problem And that helps keep illness at bay as well. As for on the lawn, I guess it would depend on each families circumstance - but ours have about 1 acre of pasture to free range on during the nice weather and are moved around the pasture daily in their chicken tractor year round.

Doing Anything outside in icky/cold weather is never fun - but if you bundle up and have a good routine/system down then it is much easier.

I am pretty sure that once you try raising chickens and Especially once you start getting eggs, you will be addicted and these concerns will vanish.

I have absolutely NO regrets on having chickens or having made the decision to raise chickens etc. And the entire family is really looking forward to getting more and increasing our beautiful flock.

 

[Mahonri]

I regret That I don't live on a farm where I can have a huge barn with many pens for many different breeds of chicken.

I haven't left for more than a day and we've always had someone at home to take care of them.

We sweep and mop the coop every week....it doesn't take much time.
I feed and water them every day... takes about 8 minutes.

I wish I would have gotten a few more different varieties, but I'm glad that the ones I have are great layers, so I love that.

I wish I would have built the coop just a little bigger so that I could have different pens in it.... but alas, I'm in the city so I just live with what I can have.

 

[Kesta]

the winter water carrying isnt always a problem. if you live in the southern areas like texas there is no snow , mostly. louisiana and southern texas never get snow except for maybe once every ten years. i have yet to have to carry water at all due to the fact that i use a hose to fill a waterer.

 

[HenSpa]

MAKE SURE you start with either day-old chicks (ordered from hatchery) or hatch your own eggs. I did not do this (got pullets) and have been riddled with illnesses from day one. You don't want to deal with that, believe me. Some of these illnesses make them carriers for life. So make sure you start fresh. Read up on vaccinations also.

This was my biggest regret/lesson. I know there are some very reputable people that you could probably get chickens from and be okay, but from what I've heard? They're the exception and not the norm.

 

[HennyPennies2007]

Hmmm.... Let me see.... Regrets.... Do I have any regrets???? Hmmmm......

Heck no! Hens are the best friends! They will make you laugh when you are down! They are the best things EVER to hug! Yes, they make a mess sometimes, but they will keep you company while you scrape and shovel, and add on to their coop so you can get more! I love hens more than most of the people I know. Hens are the best... Nope! No regrets... wait... I just thought of one! I wish I had gotten them sooner!

 

[Rosalind]

Mostly the previously-mentioned bit about how you love something that dies easily. I've lost mine to predators and one to egg-binding. The predators are the worst, because they will try your patience past its limits--you think you've built Fort Knox, and a rat or weasel finds its way into the tiniest little crack. Or you get an attack of the two-legged predators.

Cleaning them out in winter isn't much fun. I clean my coop once a week and dump the litter on the compost or on fallow garden beds, and in the winter this is really difficult with 3 feet of fresh snow on top of packed ice. DH tries to make paths, but...