Can't decide if we should raise chickens

[Quinn4321]

I agree with the posts saying it is manageable/ a GREAT idea- as long as you talk to your neighbors (the promise of some eggs once in a while in the future doesnt hurt)

 

[markandcindy]

We started with 2 free silkie chicks last October and now have a total of 17 chickens, 11 of which are teenage black jersey giants. I always loved animals but never had chickens before, although my husband's family raised them when he was growing up in Alabama. The advice on this forum has been INVALUABLE for a novice like me, and so far we've had no bugs, deaths or serious illnesses. All the stories that others have shared echo my own experiences.

No one ever told me that chickens smell good. No, I'm not talking about the coop or the flock, but the cuddly chicken who either enjoys or tolerates my hugging. I can't describe the smell of warm, clean feathers, and yes, I did suspect that some of them were purring. If you've had a tough day or feel sad or discouraged, just sit with your chickens for awhile and they will put a smile on your face. In the words of the BYC bumper sticker, it is indeed "Cheep Therapy".

 

[tonimac20]

Quote:
need recipe for pound cake

 

[RedDrgn]

First and foremost, good for you for taking the time to research and learn and talk to people before diving in!

We have five laying hens (breeds listed in my sig), two of which only just began to lay. We have 2/3 of an acre with four adjacent neighbors, none of which are closer than approximately 100 feet from our run and coop, where the chickens spend most of their time. Our chickens aren't noisy at all. Our barred rock occasionally goes into a few strings of bokking, but it's not very loud and doesn't even come close to rivaling the dogs in the area. Yes, some breeds are quieter than others and we did make our picks with noise in mind. You'd also want to aim for the calmer and more docile breeds.

Getting our run and coop set up and ready to go has been, by far, the greatest consumer of money/time. Once that was done, everything else was easy; the chickens themselves are a snap. Our coop is 12 square feet and I clean it out weekly (it really doesn't require any more than that and we have had absolutely no odor problems). To remove all bedding material, wipe everything down with a bleach solution, dry, and add fresh bedding takes me (at most) 15 minutes. The run (100 square feet) we clean up about once a month - just rake it all (all = grass clippings, leaves, landscaping debris of similar stuff) out, scoop, and add new. That takes 5-10 minutes.

Yes, you must feed them and they must ALWAYS have access to fresh water; maintaining that is a less than 5 minutes per day job. Once our birds were about 18 weeks old, they decided they actually liked seeds, grain, and corn, so we started giving them scratch in the morning that we just fling all over the run. Feed and scratch is cheap. A 50lb bag of feed lasts us almost two months. The same quantity of scratch lasts a whoooole lot longer. Around here, feed hovers around $17/50lb and scratch is about $7/50lb. Bedding is your other expense, but 3 cubic feet of pine shavings is only $5 here and lasts us about a month.

We have had absolutely no problem with lice, mites, or any other parasites thus far (we've been keeping chickens since the beginning of July). From what I understand, the trick here is to keep everything as dry as possible. That means no coop roof leaks or leaking waterers in the coop/run; keep the bedding dry and it'll keep the feces dry, that means no smells and a tough environment for parasites to move into. Lice and mites don't like dry. A little bit of diatomaceous earth (DE) sprinkled on top of new bedding has been all that we've needed to keep our coop dry and odor free. Also, chickens LOVE to dust bathe (they do it to prevent lice/mites), so giving them somewhere that they can do this is important. Our run is built in an area that almost NEVER gets wet to begin with, so it's naturally dusty. We add sand periodically and occasionally sprinkle DE around it, too. Again, the dryer the environment, the better; wet feces STINK and attract flies. If they dry out quickly, no problem. Keeping things dry also helps prevent respiratory ailments (particularly in the winter).

Find out what's making your husband reluctant and address those issues thoroughly. If he concerned that the neighbors may not like it, then point out that you're allowed by law to have the chickens and maybe offer to talk it over with the neighbors (if you're friendly enough with them). Maybe he's worried about lice. Tell him how you plan to prevent them. Basically, alleviate whatever it is that ails him.

I hope that was helpful. Truly, my husband and I have had no regrets thus far about deciding to take the chicken plunge. They're wonderful creatures that are a lot cleaner, interesting, intelligent, and friendly than a lot of people seem to think. Plus, if you take the time to spend time with them as chicks and to handle them and give them snacks, they'll grow up to be very easy to be around and handle.

 

[RedDrgn]

Quote:

 

[Wolftalk]

They, like all animals, are a big commitment. But chickens are a joy to have and i couldnt imagine my life without them! Good Luck!