Chickens in FL

[halo]

Hello!

New poster here. I just decided that chickens would be an interesting thing to do. I went to my local organic store, and chicken breast is $7.00 a pound, and organic eggs are $4.00 a pound. So Im thinking it would be fun to get chickens....again.....yes again. I had them when I lived up in NJ about 20 years ago. I have a small farm here, so I figure, I might as well have some more fun. Im not sure why I havent already done it, except I guess the timing wasnt quite right. When in NJ, I just had layers. Im thinking now, after reading a lot of posts here, and seeing the cost of organic chicken, and scaring myself in reading what store-bought chicken really has injected into it, that I might get some meat birds and some layers. I dont even pretend that Id be able to process them myself; Im sure Ill find some place locally that can do that for me.

Anyway, after that brief intro, my main question at this time is, are there any issues having chickens in FL that I didnt have in NJ, other than I don't have to worry about water freezing. And where is the best place around here to get chicken feed. Im in North Florida, around the Gainesville/Ocala area.

Im really really enjoying reading all the threads on this forum....Im glad I found it. Happy turkey day!

Kathy

 

[joebwe25]

Hey! Welcome to a world of fun!!
I guess you can have chickens in Fl.
Several people around here have chickens in Florida. Lacy_94 lives in florida and has chickens and some people on videos live in florida and have them.
Anyway, welcome to the forum and hope to see ya around!

 

[lacyloo]

joes right i have all kinds of animals i live in north flrida 2. hamilton county. I dont have any problems having them .they keep me busy.

 

[halo]

Hi, Lacy,

Does the heat bother them? Do they continue to lay thru the summer? Are there any particular breeds better suited down here? Id love to get some Orpingtons, but I don't know if its too hot here for them. What kind of feed do you find down here? Theres a local Purina dealer close to me, but I wonder if there isnt something local that would be as good and cheaper.

Thanks!

 

[V Chic Chick]

I have no idea how hot Florida gets, but mine have started to pant and hold their wings away from their body when it gets to about 30C (I have an Orp) When that happens, I turn the hose on them!

They will continue to lay through the summer, but will then stop in Autumn when they moult, and may or may not start laying again before the spring - it depends on the number of hours of daylight, not temperature.

 

[greenmulberry]

Heat DOES bother the heavy bodied chickens. I recall back to the post there on this forum in the summertime, and people who were in the south have heavy breeds (like orpingtons) were worried about their chickens acting very uncomfortable in the high heat.

Still, people do keep these kinds of chickens where it is hot, the chickens just deal with it!

 

[rooster-red]

Welcome to BYC

You can keep orpingtons on Fl, just need to take some precautions to keep them cool.

You'll want to shade your coop & run either with shade cloth or do it naturally with trees.

You might want to provide them a fan to keep them cool.

You don't want to feed them cracked corn through the summer as it is hard to diguest and keeps the birds body temp up.

I have several heavy breeds as well as light breeds, an I'm just North of you a couple of hundred miles.

 

[lacyloo]

mine take it pretty well but they need shade and lots of water . I feed purina products mostly or the brands at tsc.
fat breeded chickens take it hard in the summer time. I put a milk jug full of water in the freezer then put it in a kitty pool for the ducks and chickens to drink / swim in . I think they enjoyed it. mine lay though the summer and slow down tru the winter, right now im only getting duck egg's.
IM glad to see some floridians out there .

 

[halo]

Thanks, everyone, for your replies. Im having a ball reading all these posts and learning so much from you all. Im starting to read about Orpingtons now, and seeing the incredible colors they have over in Europe. Why in the world can't we get them over here? Its the 21st century for goodness sake, the era of the internet and instant gratification, and we can't get a different type color of a breed of chicken? There are some gorgeous Orps in Europe, arent there? Anyway, Im looking forward to participating in the forums when I get some chicks!

Kathy

 

[KingsCalls]

WELCOME halo ! Have fun and hope to see you around.