Beginner - Are chickens low maintenance?

[rosemarythyme]

To piggyback off of lazy gardener's post, since you can only be there infrequently, do you have neighbors near the orchard that are there more frequently (or preferably daily), that might be willing to help feed the birds and pick up eggs in exchange for free eggs for themselves? I could maybe imagine something like that working out, having a regular caretaker to keep an eye on things.

 

[Skipper81]

I would recommend nest boxes that the eggs roll out of so the hens can't sit on them.
I'm sorry I don't remember what they are called.
I personally wouldn't eat any eggs that I didn't collect within a day all though that's just me.
If you do chicken tractor make sure to leave oyster shells for the hens to pick at for calcium. That's a must.
I would not recommend something like once a week for a first time chicken owner. We all make mistakes especially at first but its hard to figure out what the mistake was or how to correct it if your not there. Maybe cameras would work.
WELCOME TO BYC !!!
if you figure out a way to do this please post it so others can get tips from it.

 

[Lazy Farmer]

Hello,

Near where I live (San Jose, California) there is a city park (Emma Prusch Farm Park) that is surrounded by busy streets and yet I see free-range chickens roaming around year-round and they look happy.

I have a remote 1-acre orchard that I visit one per week. The orchard is located in a rural area with other farms with animals. Currently there are only fruit trees there. I'm thinking about adding some chickens to my orchard since I think their benefits sounds good: some eggs, manure for the fruit trees, weed management, etc.

My question is that is it possible to take care of a few adult chickens without being there every day (1 day/week to be more precise). My concern is not about productivity but just their survivability (given enough food, water, fenced shelter). Also which breed would be suitable for a very low maintenance setup? (our winter lowest is about 28F, summer highest about 100F)

May be am I too naive and it's just a dream? Thanks for any info/guidance.
Son Nguyen

In small numbers yes. But never the less, livestock stays alive from dedication to simple TLC.

 

[mathie]

Thanks everyone for the responses, ideas & concerns. I love being at my orchard and the open space but I cannot be there any more frequently because of family/kids/work and my living space is small so having chickens at home is not possible.

All very valid points and it's all good starting points for me to learn more before going further. I expect mistakes but by learning from other people like BYC here will definitely minimize them.

About rodent/rat/squirrel: would putting hardware wire on the floor (lying low next to the ground) a good idea? Will (or how bad) it prevent the chickens from scratching/picking/eating?

A hanging feeder that the chickens can reach but rodents can't is ideal

That sounds good. Do you have a link/photo of this type? How high does it have to be? How about squirrels, which can climb?

Thanks

 

[ChocolateMouse]

https://homgar.com/products/rat-proof-chicken-feeder
http://allotmentheaven.blogspot.com/2010/02/how-to-make-rat-proof-chicken-feeder.html

Here's a couple examples. You can put a baffle or disc on the post and make the post out of smooth metal so the squirrels can't climb it. Rats can climb too. Rats climb extremely well.

Hardware cloth across the whole bottom small enough to stop rodents will keep chickens from eating the grass and scratching. Keep anything suspended at least a rat length off the ground (so maybe 10"-1'?) and 2' away from any walls. Still, these can be picked up and moved with relative ease.

 

[Joeschooks]

The others have covered everything really. If you have someone to collect eggs daily I think it’s possible. Not ideal, but certainly possible. Just a suggestion, do you have a back yard you can keep them in? Chickens don’t need a lot of space so even a small back yard set up at home might suit the needs of both you and your chickens better? Good luck with whatever you decide

 

[aart]

I am too much of a pessimist to ever trust this scenario. The biggest issues I see are these:

Ditto Dat^^^ but with word replacement of realist.
Seriously, this scenario would not be a for newbie, IMO, it would likely lead to heartbreak, and also border on the neglectful.
Is it possible? Maybe, but you'd have to do some copious preparation.

 

[NNYchick]

Im pretty new to chickens but I have read stories of people coming across chickens that have gone rogue and fending for themselves and some have chickens that absolutely refuse to roost in coop and prefer roosting in trees. Maybe one of these breeds would suit your need, they could live amongst the orchards with a food station to supplement their free range. When you come for your visit you could call them with treats. I know my neighbors had Guinea fowl and they never went in coop, should say refused and were pretty predator smart. I think if you found the right breed you would have some pretty happy chickens living in the orchard with all the fruits and bugs.
I agree with lazy gardener and Aart putting them in a tractor and not maintaining them is a recipe for disaster. I believe that locking any living thing in a cage and only maintained once a week would be neglect, if something happened there is no one to remedy the problem. Chickens can survive in an emergency situation but that should not be your plan.

 

[lazy gardener]

My bottom line advice to OP: Enjoy visiting with the feral chickens at the park near where you live. And enjoy your orchard. Defer chicken ownership until you can give them the time and attention that they deserve.

 

[Henrik Petersson]

Apart from what everyone else have said: Diseases. Chances are if you keep chickens long enough that you will run into an illness that requires special care, and your oh so easily kept birds will go from a 5-minute-a-day chore to a tremendous hassle. Case in point: Treating bumblefoot and having to change bandages three times a day.