Chicken Pros and Cons?!?

[RLynn]

I am dying to start my own flock of chickens and have been researching everything I can about them for right at 2 years now. The one thing holding me back is my husband is 50/50 on them. He likes the thought of having them but a coworker of his has them and says she cleans the coop regularly but they smell awful even 200 yards away from her house when it rains and that the flies are almost unbearable.Thats the Main ‘con’ according to her. We live in SC so it does get hot here and we have a lot of rain during some months. I really really love chickens and want to have fresh eggs, use their droppings for my veggie garden and I love being outside and working in the yard. So coop maintenance wouldn’t be an issue for me. Any thoughts or personal experience with this? I was also wanting to build the garden loft coop which is room enough for 16 chickens but I would only be getting 6-8 hens

 

[Altfrizzle]

It is only stinky if wet. I have a dirt run, but a lot of people use sand, and clean it like a big cat box. For mine, I sprinkle barn lime and use stall pellet bedding, which pretty much keeps the smell down unless it's been really wet and you're close to the coop.

 

[townchicks]

Cons- having to rush outside at 5:30am to shut up the hens that are yelling to get out of the coop, before they disturb the neighbors. Worrying about predators all the time. Trying to find a vet that treats chickens when your favorite hen gets sick. ( I'm lucky there, I have a great vet, but many areas have no one that sees chickens) Having to be home before dark to shut the coop up.
Pros- They are cute, funny, and have fluffy butts! EGGS! They eat bugs, and weeds and they give you good fertilizer. Some of them are very cuddly. It's just relaxing to watch them, scratching and poking around the yard. Sure, their poop stinks, but so does my dogs. Deep litter in the run.Only smell it when it is damp, and then only when I'm standing in their section of the yard.

 

[Celeste Cannon]

I am pretty new to this chicken thing, but I have had absolutely no cons. They are my favorite animals now and my favorite pet that I’ve ever had. There are so many breeds to choose from and they are all so pretty and so full of personality. I have 6 chickens right now and I have voice trained one of them to come when called. She is the sweetest! I’ve grown so attached to them and I am now obsessed with them. You should for sure get them! They don’t smell unless they’re overcrowded which shouldn’t be a problem for you. You mentioned that you have a garden, chickens love to scratch and peck at those so beware! For the rain, make sure you have a big waterproof coop for them to stay in during rainy days. Another con might be predators, it sucks when you get attached to your chickens and then something comes and eats them. So if you get them make sure there is no way for predators to eat them. I hope you get chickens they are amazing creatures that you and your husband will definitely enjoy!!

 

[Celeste Cannon]

What breeds would you plan on getting? Would they be free range?

 

[RLynn]

It is only stinky if wet. I have a dirt run, but a lot of people use sand, and clean it like a big cat box. For mine, I sprinkle barn lime and use stall pellet bedding, which pretty much keeps the smell down unless it's been really wet and you're close to the coop.

Ok that makes sense

 

[RLynn]

Cons- having to rush outside at 5:30am to shut up the hens that are yelling to get out of the coop, before they disturb the neighbors. Worrying about predators all the time. Trying to find a vet that treats chickens when your favorite hen gets sick. ( I'm lucky there, I have a great vet, but many areas have no one that sees chickens) Having to be home before dark to shut the coop up.
Pros- They are cute, funny, and have fluffy butts! EGGS! They eat bugs, and weeds and they give you good fertilizer. Some of them are very cuddly. It's just relaxing to watch them, scratching and poking around the yard. Sure, their poop stinks, but so does my dogs. Deep litter in the run.Only smell it when it is damp, and then only when I'm standing in their section of the yard.

Ok that is reassuring. Getting up early won’t be a problem for me. I’m usually up by 4:30

 

[RLynn]

What breeds would you plan on getting? Would they be free range?

I plan on building a large run for them to stay in while we are away at work and let them free range when we are home. I’m wanting RHode Island red, Barred Rock, speckled sussex ,easter eager, and Australorp. Some combination of those

 

[Clucking_Crazy]

Totally do it! My only con is that they make me worry about them too much!

I watch them and notice a chicken do something slightly different than I've seen before (I'm new to this chicken thing) and then I worry myself sick about nothing at all. But honestly they provide so much entertainment and relaxation! I wish I would have gotten them years ago!

Oh, and look into Hoop Coops! They may not be your style... but coops and runs can become very costly in short order. We built a coop for an amount I won't scare you with, but since then I have seen and fallen in love with Hoop Coops! I wish I would have known about them earlier!

And:

 

[ronott1]

A small flock will not smell bad. You use pine shavings in the coop and straw or sand in the run. Rake out the manure weekly.

You can also use a product called litter life from southland organics