Chicken calculations

[FortCluck]

Yeah, I'll try to keep them long enough to see their personalities so I can make a better decision as to which to keep. Though that may severely decrease my chances of keeping any roosters at all... The neighbor's house is about 10 feet from my coop, and 5 roosters out-crowing each other at 5 in the morning might be a bit much
The chickens will all be handled a lot by everybody, especially the roosters. The brooder will be in our dining room, convenient for easy pettings So let's hope we get at least one nice one...

Roosters Crow all day long so maybe it's best to not have one of it'll be an issue with the neighbors. Ours Crow from 430 am till 9 pm... They crow to tell us that the neighbors are home, they crow to tell me that our dogs are barking, they crow to tell me that the neighbors dogs are barking, they crow to tell me that one of the hens have laid an egg, they crow to tell everyone that I am bringing treats, they crow in the window to ask for treats... They just crow a lot

I live out in the country and I'm not sure if it bothers my neighbors, but I am in an agricultural area and I hear people's dogs barking all day long so a little crowing from roosters really isn't hurting anyone.

 

[K0k0shka]

Roosters Crow all day long so maybe it's best to not have one of it'll be an issue with the neighbors. Ours Crow from 430 am till 9 pm... They crow to tell us that the neighbors are home, they crow to tell me that our dogs are barking, they crow to tell me that the neighbors dogs are barking, they crow to tell me that one of the hens have laid an egg, they crow to tell me that I am bringing treats, they crow in the window to ask for treats... They just crow a lot

I live out in the country and I'm not sure if it bothers my neighbors, but I am in an agricultural area and I hear people's dogs barking all day long so a little crowing from roosters really isn't hurting anyone.

Haha. I love the crowing! I guess I'll just have to wait and see if anybody complains. I'm in the city so we're packed pretty tight. I asked some of the neighbors and they said they didn't mind, I guess we'll see about the others.

 

[FortCluck]

Ouch.. that sucks. I understand with roosters it's a crapshoot. Kinda like teenage boys actually... Some are nice, others are total assholes, haha.

I'm glad that my jersey Giants didn't turn into jerks because they are a bit intimidating. I got supposably 4 pullets from a breeder and three of them turned out to be roosters and all of them were complete jerks! I'm glad I got lucky this time.

 

[FortCluck]

Haha. I love the crowing! I guess I'll just have to wait and see if anybody complains. I'm in the city so we're packed pretty tight. I asked some of the neighbors and they said they didn't mind, I guess we'll see about the others.

I'm not sure where you live but a lot of cities have laws against roosters and some even have laws about owning poultry at all.

 

[K0k0shka]

I'm not sure where you live but a lot of cities have laws against roosters and some even have laws about owning poultry at all.

I checked with animal control, she said that poultry are allowed, even roosters are allowed so long as the neighbors don't complain. If they do, I have to get rid of the roosters. Also, since yards are so small, there are no limitations on where you put the coop, no required distance from the property line etc. Most of the coops I've seen in my neighborhood are right along the fence. So people are pretty chill about it, and it really depends on my immediate neighbors. The house that's the closest to the coop, has renters that just moved in and I don't know them yet... don't know how long they'll stick around, so I didn't want to greet them with "hey, I may have roosters crowing about a year from now, ya cool with that?"

 

[aart]

even roosters are allowed so long as the neighbors don't complain. If they do, I have to get rid of the roosters.

Do ya know how loud hens can be?
Is there a time frame(like after 8am to 10pm) for excessive noise being allowed?

 

[K0k0shka]

Do ya know how loud hens can be?
Is there a time frame(like after 8am to 10pm) for excessive noise being allowed?

Nobody cares about time frames. We have motorcycle herds with blown mufflers farting down the street at all hours and backyard parties with commercial scale speakers and amps echoing past midnight... I’ve had to call the police because I couldn’t sleep even with the windows closed. I’ll be nice about the roosters, but I dare anybody to complain about a cackling hen in this particular neighborhood.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I want to hatch from eggs for the benefit of my kids observing the whole cycle of life. These chickens will be family pets, to give my kids the experience of living with animals. So the hatching bit is important... We watched chicks hatch at the zoo and my kids are beyond thrilled to hatch their own!

Good plan. I am curious what kind of incubator you are planning on using.
That decision may skew the calculations about the percentage that will hatch.

Aww haha... Well, if I've gotten that far, it means that the rooster didn't bother anybody, and in that case he can stay forever! I totally believe in chicken love. When I was growing up we had lots of chickens - like 40 or so - and I knew them all by face and gave them all names. Every loss was mourned, but I also loved mom's chicken soup That's another thing I want to teach my kids... Appreciate where your food comes from. It's not just a sealed package at the store, it's something's life. So eating some of the chickens will need to be part of the deal (mostly because hatching means extra roosters and I'll just have to cull... but it comes with a teachable moment).

If for some reason I end up unable to keep any roosters (neighbors, aggression etc.) then we'll still have the mama hen experience, just with "adopted" eggs. Once I have a nice selection of colorful Orpingtons, I wouldn't mind adding a couple of buff ones sourced nearby. I have friends and neighbors with chickens (and roosters), and lots of Orpingtons, and can easily find a couple fertilized eggs for the mama experience.

I understand that you have small yards but I bet THAT chicken math may bite you when you start getting fresh eggs from your own backyard.

I usually have anywhere from four to ten roosters or even more and when I'm in my house I can't hear them. However, I can hear cars, motorcycles, lawnmowers, weed eaters, dogs, boom boxes, train whistles and roofers.

 

[Mrs. K]

I know you are excited, but this can be a long term hobby, I have been loving mine for more than a decade. You don't have to do it all at once. Chickens are not real long lived animals, birds come in to the flock and birds go. I would suggest to get some positives outcomes in the beginning:

• buy some local chicks. Your kids will love them. Try and buy some sexed birds so you just get pullets. Roosters take a lot of space and some experience
• Roosters have ruined the whole chicken experience for a lot of people, and they generally attack children first. They are not like puppies, and handling often times makes them worse. They loose their fear of humans, and do not respect them.
• Next year, if you get a Optington, ten to one, some will go broody. Now you have a bit of experience, now new life into the hobby, let her brood the chicks. Now try some eggs from across the USA, or closer. But be ready to add some others if those chicks won't hatch.
• I am hesitant of you coop size, when you talk a small backyard and a coop that would fit 8-10 birds. Many pre-fab coops vastly overstate the number of birds that fit. 4 square feet per bird is general rule.

Good luck,
Mrs K

 

[K0k0shka]

I am hesitant of you coop size, when you talk a small backyard and a coop that would fit 8-10 birds. Many pre-fab coops vastly overstate the number of birds that fit. 4 square feet per bird is general rule.

I’m building the coop myself. It’s almost done. It’s 5x7, so with 4 square feet per bird, that would be 8.75. The run will be 200 square feet, plenty big.

My back yard is small compared to the vast country properties a lot of people on here have, but it’s not THAT small. I think the entire property including the house is 100x100 feet. That’s probably tiny compared to the country, but it’s big for Boston.