Dipping in my toe in Orem Ut

[livinadream]

Howdy-
My name's Maria, and I'm still in the research phase of chicken keeping. Trying to decide if I can handle keeping livestock vs. pets. (I would want to keep chickens for eggs and meat but I'm nervous that I won't be able to raise chickens and then eat them.) I live in the burbs and am looking to get 3-6 chickens, using a chicken tractor to give my girls access to the lawn without being at their mercy to get some kind of harvest from the garden. Any suggestions are welcome, and PLEASE if you live in Orem, UT or close by, I would love to come check out your set up and talk about any wisdom you've picked up raising a small flock of chickens in the burbs.
Thanks!
Maria

 

[Pinky]

Hi and

from South GA! chickens make great pets too

If you have a garden and chickens, one of them needs a fence, because chickens love to dig

 

[Imp]

A warm welcome from an imp in Washington

I have 3-6 hens in my suburban backyard, but they are for yard art & eggs, so more like pets than meat. Have fun researching

Imp

 

[BrattishTaz]

and

from FL

 

[ghillie]

You may want to post in the Utah thread:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=24

and

 

[dkvart1]

from Florida.

I understand your quandry about eating your chickens. My hubby is adament .. I can have chickens under two conditions.

1) He will NOT be taking care of the chickens (that will change the minute he meets them... he's a pushover and within a few days they'll be just as spoiled as our two cats and two dogs!)

2) Under NO circumstances will they become a meal....eggs fine, chickens I am to find someone in the area who raises them and buy them already butchered! He's firm in this and truth be told it suits me just fine.

You'll find folks here on both sides... those who consider them pets who come with the benefit of providing some food and those who have no qualms about sending a few to the meat locker. There is never only one path

Good luck and welcome!

 

[schellie69]

from Kansas

 

[NonnasBabies]

&

from Louisiana

 

[livinadream]

thanks for the welcome everyone! I found a low tech way to meet local chicken keepers-hang out around the chicken aisle at the local feed store!

on my way to check out a neighbor's set up this afternoon!

 

[4-H chicken mom]

and

from Ohio. So glad you joined. If you ever get cornish X's meat birds you will then understand why it won't be that hard to eat them. They are only cute for a couple of weeks. After that, all they do is eat and poop. By the time they are 8-10 wks, you are ready for them to be gone, but boy are they delicious and you know what they ate.