Cotton Pickin'Finger Lickin'Chickin Plucker in the making

[ChikinInThePines]

Good Morning Everyone!

I moved to South Carolina 2 years ago with my girlfriend (now fiance). We recently bought a home with 30 acres of land and are looking to keep chickens and have our own fresh eggs! Now being from south Florida I am used to the heat, however I must say South Carolina is just as hot if not HOTTER than Florida in the summer. My first question here would be to ask which chicken breeds are going to be the most hardy when it comes to extreme heat and mild/medium cold winters?

The biggest concerns I have with keeping chickens are sanitation, illness, wild animals, and owning a parrot along with chickens. Sanitation and Illness go hand in-hand pretty much, but when or if a chicken gets sick, is it like taking my parrot to the vet costing thousands of dollars? I LOVE birds, however if we have 10 chickens running around and a few get sick, I simply cant afford outrageous vet bills. Although from what I understand is chickens are pretty hardy/healthy and if they do get sick can overcome illness unlike a fragile parrot.

Wild Animals....we live in the south west part of South Carolina so there are coyotes, hawks, owls, foxes, giant rodents, and the occasional rogue rabid deer. I am sure most people deal with wild animals and their chickens at some point, but I want to ensure that if I am home they can roam freely and not worry about predators. Are there any special methods that you may suggest to protect your feathered harem when not home? (Also I have been seeing ALOT of velvet ants 'aka cow killers' around my house...)

Lastly, I own a lovebird. I've grown up around and with birds all my life. My final worry is that an illness would spread from handling the chickens outside to my Lovebird indoors - is this possible or should it even be a concern?

Other than that, I'm ready to get some chicks and begin this new hobby!

Thank You

 

[rosemarythyme]

Generally breeds with bigger combs do better in hotter climates, as the comb helps them dissipate heat in hotter weather.

As far as vet bills, most vets will not see chickens and even if they do, most of them simply don't specialize in poultry. Those that will see chickens are generally expensive (just as with the exotic vet you take your parrot to). As a result most of us just take care of medical needs at home, and if a chicken is too far gone we put it down at home.

Sounds like you're planning to free range. If you free range, you WILL have losses, so that's the risk you accept by free ranging. Best guardian for a free ranging flock is a well trained livestock guardian dog, but training a dog to do the job well can be very time consuming, like up to a 2 year commitment before it can be fully trusted with the job. Other option is to set up a secure run and only free range when you're available to supervise/late in the day so the chickens only stay out for a limited period of time, which will help reduce risk of loss.

I know there's a number of members here who have parrots and chickens, though I don't know off the top of my head if there's any disease/pest transmission issues between the two species.