Does anyone regret getting chickens?

[PaulaJoAnne]

Wanted to add, you will not have a problem with flies. Unless you never clean the coop
Those that are dumb enough to hang around chickens, will be gobbled up.

 

[rlan8]

My only regret is travel. We have a nephew who likes to take care of them for a few dollars a day, but I worry about them while we are gone. Our coop only cost about about 100.00. It is small but houses our 3 chickens fine. It is movable, so during the summer months we move it easily every1-2 weeks to keep odor down. I would not give up the chickens now that I have them It is fun to watch them around the yard while I am out doing yard work. I have one neighbor, an elderly lady who is afrad of them but the other neighbors think they are cute and like the extra eggs I give them. One even feeds them treats when they wander into his yard!

 

[Kansaseq]

Only when I was losing them to predators; such a helpless, horrible feeling. Now that I've (fingers crossed!) hopefully fixed that problem, I have no regrets. They have brought me so much enjoyment and enriched my life so much, that I could never regret having them. They've actually become a way of life for me, like my dogs. Can't imagine life without them.

 

[ConchRepublic]

Quote:
Let me say this about your cons.

I live in Florida, I don't smell our chickens in the summer, I do smell our ducks but that's different.
All pets die, chickens are just more pets and generally have the same lifespan as a large dog.
Mites are easy to take care of and no harm to anything but the birds.
Pasty butts aren't a problem as long as the birds aren't in your house.
Probably could have someone to come check food/water for the birds when out of town. Eggs can wait with them. So it's about he same as a dogs or cat.
Initial set up can be costly, but there are many ways to cut down the cost. (ie use free pallets for lumber, get a dog run/kennel, etc...)

I love my birds and although I sell some now and then, I turn around and bring more home lol.

 

[Dar]

Quote:
Yes.. I regret every second of it... why you ask... CAUSE NOW I WANT MORE LOL

I go to the local fair now to see the chickens
I go to the royal winter fair (BIG thing here in Ontario) just to see the chickens and see who won.
I tend to find the chicken people in a crowd.
(story) I was in the grocery store a week ago and my DS made the comment. "gee mom I think we need eggs" I said "Gee the 6 doz we have in the basement fridge is not good enough?" A lady over heard and asked why in the world i have so many eggs and my son proudly said "we wont eat the garbage they try to pass off as eggs here in the store"

so we stood in the store talking for about 10 minutes about chickens and the benefits. ...ect...

as for your questions..
small... if the coop is clean there is very little smell at all... stall dry and DE are my friends
ways they die... i thought i would have a problem with this too but i have been really lucky.. the predators take corps in all itsnot true in all cases but for me.. I have never found the aftermath.. just when the math did not add up I assumed .. very little illness, mites, or killing each other
very little pasty butt
i will leave my chickens over night with out a sitter.. you would be surprised who will come and get your free eggs in exchange for watering them while you are gone
initial cost.. i was lucky there was an old shed.. but this past summer i re-built my coop.. total cost was very low $300 for a 10X12 coop and run. I was able to get a lot of my materials for free from a local roofing company and by using skids that were thrown out.. bought mi stinted stain from home depot 5 gallon pail for 10$

 

[CTChickenMom]

Quote:
This is ultimately your decision but chickens are fun and entertaining. I'm adding 8 to my existing 13 and will still have room for 4 more before I reach full capacity. Then I'm going to make my husband crazy and tell him I need another coop!

He's going to kill me but it will be worth it. It's a great learning experience for my kids. Hey, I told my son's classmates (2nd grade) that I was getting hen saddles for 2 of my hens and you should have seen the looks on their faces. One says, "Are ya gonna ride 'um?" One asked 'why' and I was stammering trying to explain, on a 2nd grade level, that the roo was pulling their feathers out. Then one boy who also has chickens get's this wide eyed look on his face, looks and me and says, "Ohhhhhhh.......your rooster!" I just nodded at him him and said, "Yeah."

 

[Kansaseq]

Before I moved out to the country, I lived in the suburbs, with my dad, in a ritzy neighborhood. I got a chain link dog kennel, and he helped me to build a small coop. Could have more easily gotten a large dog house and converted it,but live and learn. I started with 3 adult hens. Kept their coop and run clean, and let them free range in the backyard during the day. It was awesome! I kept those 3 for several years before moving out to the sticks, where I can have as many as I want. Lots more predators out here, but with more chain link, I've had no more losses

If you have gone to the trouble of making up a list of pros and cons, and joined this list, I think you've already come to a decision. You sound very responsible and I don't think you would be the type of person to let your coop get dirty and smelly. Why don't you find a cheap, used dog run on Craig's List, get a used dog house, and a few birds? Low cost, try it out, and if you hate it (you won't

) you aren't out much. I just started using the litter on my garden last year, and WOW , what a difference.
I've always loved birds and have had the usual canaries,finches, parakeets, and cockatiels, but the chickens are by-far, my favorite. So entertaining, beautiful, sweet, and useful. I could never regret having them. I don't think you will, either.

 

[Dixiedoodle]

I regret that I didn't build a much larger, divided coop==so I could have more chickens. I regret I wait so long to jump into chickens.

You won't have a fly, smell problem if you add a dropping board and clean it in the morning. It takes me about 15 minutes every morning to clean, feed, water and observe the girls. I gather eggs twice a day--because I want to go check on them.

I just hire my 27yr. neice to come take care of the chickens when/if I need to be out of town. She does a great job and I pay her really well..

I have lost three of my chickens since I got them in July.. And it is very hard-- since they are pets more so than livestock..


Build your coop as secure as you can afford. There will always be a dog (yours or a neighbors), coon, cat, owl, opossum, weasle (everything loves chicken for dinner) who will tear, dig, climb into your coop/run-IF you don't..

I love the fresh eggs--It makes it very hard to eat a groc store egg--once you have your own...

You'll have less flies, bugs with the chickens around--they eat the larva, bug, and eggs.. They will also eat frogs, mice, lizzards and anything else that moves slower than they do..

 

[SilverPhoenix]

I've been raising chickens for eleven years now, since I was ten or eleven years old, and I've definitely never regretted it! In fact, I'm adding on to my already very large coop and getting more enclosures to accommodate my ever-growing flock.

Chickens really do become a way of life, and I would never not want to have at least a few chickens pecking around. Despite the work, costs, and cons of keeping them, 99% of the time (at least) they're very enjoyable to have and be around. Even when I was out shoveling out my chicken house yesterday (and believe me, it was a mess!), all I could think about was how much I love my chickens, what a beautiful day it is, and what additions I want to make to my coop.

As the other posters said, there are ways to deal with the cons, and I think with a small backyard flock many of those cons aren't going to end up being a big concern. Even with my larger flock of thirty-five chickens, three (soon to be five) ducks, and three guinea fowl, the cons aren't all that bothersome.

Ultimately, though, yes, you are asking a bunch of real chicken lovers, you're definitely getting a biased perspective. You should maybe visit some people near you who have chickens, get an idea of what the routine is, see and smell their enclosures, and otherwise investigate so you can make an educated decision yourself. I think you'll find when the actual birds are there, though, it's almost impossible not to love and appreciate them. They have individual personalities, they're beautiful animals, and they're truly fantastic to be around.

I hope you find the right decision for you!

 

[FollowingMyNose]

Wow...if this is what chicken people are like, then I want to be one! I am amazed at such thoughtful feedback.

So if I do my job, smell and flies and such will not be a problem. We really don't travel much and have no desire to do so, but on occasion we will make a trip to see family. But you are right, one of our neighbors or near-by relatives would be happy to check on them. We haven't put much detail into the coop/run plans yet, but did plan to have a place for them to take a dust bath. Yes, the shed would make a great coop but hubby will not give that up! But he promises that building the coop is no problem, and he is quite the handyman.

I just finished going over the chicken poo link ... I didn't hurl. And I bookmarked the page for future reference.

A few years ago, we had the opportunity to buy a chicken farm, and we went and worked in the houses for a couple of days. The smell, and flies and watching hubby pick up dead chickens...not a pleasant weekend to say the least. So maybe that is where my anxiety was coming from. But after reading your comments, I feel so much better. This is WAY different!!

I'm not going to place that order quite yet, but I think I might start designing the coop!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!