Beginner - Are chickens low maintenance?

[Riley Ranch]

My new babies came via post office just fine. I’m surprised they seemed genuinely caring when handling the box of peepers. They are doing great. Bought from Tractor Supply and all arrived alive. I purchased 10 Buffs and I received an extra 2. I have had about 2 weeks and just lost the smallest girl who had a lame leg. It was really sad day for me.

 

[BarredRockMom]

I may very well be the only one who feels this way, so I am just going to come right to the point.

If someone put you in a strange environment, with no supervision, no water, no food (except what meager rations you could glean from the wild in your limited space--which you couldn't leave), no protection from predators, and no idea what terrors you'd face at night & came to check on you maybe once a week, it'd be a crime. Doing the same to any animal is also a crime

1) Not everyone who has chickens should.
(The same applies to children & animals of all kinds, frankly, but I'm going to stay on topic.)
2) If you can't be there more than once a week, if that, then you obviously have a very busy life.
3) If you're really that busy, then why for the love of Mike, would you want to take on more?
4) If you see chickens and it looks so easy go volunteer at a chicken co-op & see.
5) There is such a thing as a good idea at a bad time, which is what I think we have here.
6) Just because you can doesn't mean that you should.
7) Not doing it now wouldn't preclude you from doing it later, should your circumstances change.
8) You already know that it's an unworkable plan as presented, but were maybe hoping for the best. Nope.

Do yourself & especially chickens a favor. Poke around on this site, do some homework, learn BEFORE you leap and get involved WHEN you're able to devote some time to the care of the animals...which doesn't appear to be now.

 

[featherhead007]

Chickens CAN be that low maintenance, yes. You will need large hanging feeders and waterers or have these things set on a timer from a large holding tank. I strongly recommend an automatic coop door with a timer to close the door for you at night. Your biggest concern will likely be other wildlife. Raccoons, rats, possums, foxes, hawks, skunks, bears, dogs, cats... If it eats meat it will try to eat your chickens.

As for breed, you will likely want to look at a flightier breed better able to survive without you and focus less on laying capacity. If you will only be there once a week you won't be able to focus on egg production... Eggs must be collected daily. If they aren't, the chickens may go broody on them, in heat they may start to rot or develop if you have a rooster, or wildlife will discover this treasure trove of food you left for them. Sure, once a week you might get some eggs to collect but you have no idea how old they are. from which hens or in what condition they will be.

I would suggest easter eggers, rhode islands, brown leghorns, plymouth rocks, or maybe even some rarer breeds like Jaerhons.
You may also want to seriously consider the option of keeping ducks instead if you have the space to have a pond for them. They might suit your needs better.

You just described the breeds of birds I have in my coop....All hearty chickens, good layers too!

 

[featherhead007]

I may very well be the only one who feels this way, so I am just going to come right to the point.

If someone put you in a strange environment, with no supervision, no water, no food (except what meager rations you could glean from the wild in your limited space--which you couldn't leave), no protection from predators, and no idea what terrors you'd face at night & came to check on you maybe once a week, it'd be a crime. Doing the same to any animal is also a crime

1) Not everyone who has chickens should.
(The same applies to children & animals of all kinds, frankly, but I'm going to stay on topic.)
2) If you can't be there more than once a week, if that, then you obviously have a very busy life.
3) If you're really that busy, then why for the love of Mike, would you want to take on more?
4) If you see chickens and it looks so easy go volunteer at a chicken co-op & see.
5) There is such a thing as a good idea at a bad time, which is what I think we have here.
6) Just because you can doesn't mean that you should.
7) Not doing it now wouldn't preclude you from doing it later, should your circumstances change.
8) You already know that it's an unworkable plan as presented, but were maybe hoping for the best. Nope.

Do yourself & especially chickens a favor. Poke around on this site, do some homework, learn BEFORE you leap and get involved WHEN you're able to devote some time to the care of the animals...which doesn't appear to be now.

I do so whole heartedly agee, the birds need care and attention.. They are lovely animals and deserve respect!

 

[Erin Dutra]

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

 

[Erin Dutra]

No! Poor girls. They will be a predatirs dinner in no time.

 

[Peppercorngal]

I don't see it working with a "once a week visit" keeping chickens in a "chicken tractor" that is not moved for a week. Chickens can take care of themselves but they do need to eat! I see dogs and small mammals (skunks, raccoons, possoms) as your worst predators. If any of them come and get one chicken, they will return again and again until there are no more to get. That can happen on one night alone.

 

[pvaldes]

The week interval part is a lesser problem to me if the owner is commited to spend time and resources in the project. I don't care about where the owner lives; what really counts is their reaction time. Can travel and fix the problem in the same day? If not, can ask somebody to fix it for them? Forget the tractor coop. Is useless in your case. Are you commited to build a solid predator-proof, rodent-proof coop with concrete soil, several grain dispatchers and several sources of clean water?. Have you the desire and the money to fix the troubles that will inescapably arise again and again?

If the answers are positive, then try it. Nowadays you can survey your coop at real time whereas sipping a coffee at your kitchen. We have the technology. There are satellites, phones, cable and cheap remote control cameras everywhere. Low maintenance in this case just means expensive (but having a system that grants you to check your property and fruit trees at any time is also an investment that provides flexibility about how you invest your time and a lot of peace of mind)

 

[BarredRockMom]

T H E R E I S N O S U B S T I T U T E F O R
B E I N G T H E R E.

N O A M O U N T O F W I S H I N G I S
G O I N G T O C H A N G E T H I S I D E A
I N T O A G O O D I D E A.

YOUR ORIGINAL POST ASKED IF YOU WERE BEING NAIVE & IF THIS WAS JUST A DREAM. YES AND YES.

WHO PAYS THE PRICE WHEN YOU'RE WRONG?

 

[Peeps61]

Janet makes a good point... Consider adding padlocks! You never know who is going to look at what conditions and consider them neglectful even if the animals have food, water, shelter and clean housing. It won't stop someone dedicated but it might stop someone who was just thinking about it more casually. I actually have padlocks on my fence and some of my cage/coop doors for that reason. I had some neighbors that didn't like chickens and kept opening up my fences and pens when I wasn't home.

Good idea. My father always said that a lock keeps an honest man honest, but won't stop a thief.