Arkansas folks speak up.........

[msmithg]

Hello,
I am from Bentonville Arkansas. We have been tossing around the idea for chickens for over a year now. I have decided now that I am a SAHM we should start the new year off with a new adventure. After all of my reading it would seem the orpington is the bird for us? We want the nicest breed as they will be handled a lot as pets but a breed that would lay an egg a day as we eat/use soooo many eggs. (Can't seem to keep them in the fridge. ) I do not care the color of the eggs and I think most all the chickens I have seen are pretty I am just concerned about personality and where I should buy my chicks?
I want to get them as chicks so they will become use to us and each other from the start but so my daughter and I can enjoy them from babies

as well. Would it be feasible to start them now in the house/garage as chicks and them move them outside when the weather warms up?

Anyone close to me that can share any information as to the birds you have and how they hold up in our climate? I need any and all input. We are also researching rabbits for meat so my chickens are just pets that give back to us. I grew up eating rabbit meat that my father brought home from co-workers. He would dress them in the garage then coat & fry them right after. SOOOOOOO yummy as I recall. Recently diagnosed with fibromyalgia and need to start eating clean, this is why my desire for backyard chickens and rabbits need to be pushed to the forefront so I can start on being pain free and living again!

Marla

 

[MorgansManor]

Hi and welcome to BYC. I live outside of Texarkana, AR and I have a variety of chickens but my favorites are my Buff Orrington's. They are by the friendliest of my flock and let my daughter hold them without issue. In the flock I have 2 Buff Roosters that so far are getting along well together and are very gentle around my daughter. I like looking out at my flock and seeing all the different colors of the breeds and really like having a variety of personalities. Good luck!

 

[draye]

Hello,
I am from Bentonville Arkansas. We have been tossing around the idea for chickens for over a year now. I have decided now that I am a SAHM we should start the new year off with a new adventure. After all of my reading it would seem the orpington is the bird for us? We want the nicest breed as they will be handled a lot as pets but a breed that would lay an egg a day as we eat/use soooo many eggs. (Can't seem to keep them in the fridge. ) I do not care the color of the eggs and I think most all the chickens I have seen are pretty I am just concerned about personality and where I should buy my chicks?
I want to get them as chicks so they will become use to us and each other from the start but so my daughter and I can enjoy them from babies

as well. Would it be feasible to start them now in the house/garage as chicks and them move them outside when the weather warms up?

Anyone close to me that can share any information as to the birds you have and how they hold up in our climate? I need any and all input. We are also researching rabbits for meat so my chickens are just pets that give back to us. I grew up eating rabbit meat that my father brought home from co-workers. He would dress them in the garage then coat & fry them right after. SOOOOOOO yummy as I recall. Recently diagnosed with fibromyalgia and need to start eating clean, this is why my desire for backyard chickens and rabbits need to be pushed to the forefront so I can start on being pain free and living again!

Marla

Hi and welcome to BYC. I live outside of Texarkana, AR and I have a variety of chickens but my favorites are my Buff Orrington's. They are by the friendliest of my flock and let my daughter hold them without issue. In the flock I have 2 Buff Roosters that so far are getting along well together and are very gentle around my daughter. I like looking out at my flock and seeing all the different colors of the breeds and really like having a variety of personalities. Good luck!

Hello, and

, from Mabelvale, AR. To the both of you.

 

[Arkansas81]

I have what is called red productions, different varieties of the best egg layers. They provide me and my family with plenty of eggs and we also sell some which my daughter loves. I highly recommend some Easter eggers, they lay any range of blue to green eggs, mostly but I do know some that will lay pinkish, tanish, etc. They all are extremly friendly, which scares the rest of my family but my daughter can hold, cuddle any of the hens without issue. We have raised these from babies, we really enjoyed getting mixes because we ddnt know what they would look like, plus ddnt know what ranges we were getting with our eggs. I've really enjoyed watching my daughter learn from them, they are truly fasinating. Yes putting them in the garage will work fine but make sure to have a heat lamp on them 24/7 till they are fully feathered. They need to start out around 90 degrees, decreasing 5 degrees every week till fully feathered. They need to be put on a non slippery flooring, use pine shavings-flake not fine or they may injest to much. Make a 2+ inch flooring for them to stand on, or they might develop spraddled leg. Make sure they have plenty of room in the brooder, they need room to get away from the heat lamp if they want. A good way to know they are comfy is that if they are all huddled under the lamp or if they are staying around the preremiter of the lamp, if they huddle lower the lamp if they stay on the outside of the lamp, raise it. Feed them chick starter till they lay, no matter how u try to keep the water clean they will make a mess. Elevate the food and water a few inches off the floor, but make sure they can still reach it. Make sure the food/water is well away from the light, water will be to hot to drink, food will spoil. Make sure ur garage is draft free and u should be fine. A wonderful resource I found is our local tractor supply store, very helpful and they know their stuff, they will have everything u need. I hope the info has helped, good luck with ur babies!!

 

[Simmonsfunnyfrm]

Msmithg, welcome! If you are looking for meat rabbits, I will be selling 3 different litters next month. They are not pure bred but they do have hybrid vigor and are growing fast with a good amount of muscle. I live in Dover, which may be a little too far for you but I do make it out to West fork about once a month. They are hand tamed as well, if you're interested

 

[Ridgerunner]

Hello,
I am from Bentonville Arkansas. We have been tossing around the idea for chickens for over a year now. I have decided now that I am a SAHM we should start the new year off with a new adventure. After all of my reading it would seem the orpington is the bird for us? We want the nicest breed as they will be handled a lot as pets but a breed that would lay an egg a day as we eat/use soooo many eggs. (Can't seem to keep them in the fridge. ) I do not care the color of the eggs and I think most all the chickens I have seen are pretty I am just concerned about personality and where I should buy my chicks?
I want to get them as chicks so they will become use to us and each other from the start but so my daughter and I can enjoy them from babies as well. Would it be feasible to start them now in the house/garage as chicks and them move them outside when the weather warms up?

Anyone close to me that can share any information as to the birds you have and how they hold up in our climate? I need any and all input.
Marla

Welcome from Prairie Grove.

Seems like Bentonville, Rogers, or Springdale recently passed some rules about keeping chickens in town. I can’t remember which one it was. Fayetteville did maybe four years ago. Before you get in too deep, you might want to check what is allowed. I wouldn’t be surprised you are limited to a specific maximum amount and probably no roosters allowed. But I don’t know that. You need to check. I’m outside city limits so I don’t have to worry about that.

I think you’ll find that practically any chicken will do well in this climate. We are not anywhere close to severe as far as chickens go. As far as personality, you can get a bad one of any breed, but again if you work with them about any can be tamed. And about any of the dual purpose breeds or just barnyard mixes will do well for you too as far as egg laying. If you do just a little bit of research it is hard to make a bad choice.

I keep my chicks outside in a brooder in the coop from Day 1. Mine is set up so the coop itself gives really good wind protection and I put a draft guard around the brooder in cold weather. I keep one area of the brooder warm and let the rest cool off as it will. They play all over it, just going back to the heat when they want to warm up. They do usually sleep pretty close to the heat source. I find it a whole lot easier to just heat one small area and let them decide where they want to be. You can keep them indoors if you wish, but if you set it up right outside, you can do that too.

If they are indoors it will probably be easier for you to play with them and tame them.

Where to get chicks? Most hatcheries have a minimum number that may be well above how many you want or are allowed. The big benefit is that you can get sexed chicks from them. Most feed stores will have chicks for sale in a few months. Some will offer sexed chicks so you have a pretty good chance of getting pullets, though there is some risk in this.

There are several of us up in this corner of Arkansas. The big problem with our chicks is that most of us can’t really sex newly hatched chicks that well so you have a pretty good chance of getting some roosters. You want the chicks so you can tame them.

My suggestion to get chicks is to find out what your restrictions are then get busy building the coop and run. Get the brooder ready. They grow up really fast. If you wait until the last minute you are usually not ready. In the meantime talk to your local feed store and see if they will have sexed chicks and when they will be in.

One of the Orscheln’s or Tractor Supply near you should have chicks in a few months but each one offers different things.

Good luck and come back and chat with us.

 

[mbland]

Welcome to

... I too a newbee in the Conway area! There is SOOOOO much information on this site it's AWSOME!!!! We are Orp lovers as well!!!! good luck in your new adventures!!! A couple of resources that I use and maybe abuse

, are 202roosterlane and HallFamilyFarm. I know there are tons of more folks out there that are willing to help, but these are the two lucky ones that I have been allowed to bug!!

 

[draye]

Welcome to

... I too a newbee in the Conway area! There is SOOOOO much information on this site it's AWSOME!!!! We are Orp lovers as well!!!! good luck in your new adventures!!! A couple of resources that I use and maybe abuse

, are 202roosterlane and HallFamilyFarm. I know there are tons of more folks out there that are willing to help, but these are the two lucky ones that I have been allowed to bug!!

And a hardy hello and

, to you too. From Mabelvale, AR

 

[birdsss]

anybody goin to beebe today

 

[draye]

anybody goin to beebe today

I'm not.