Everyone is discouraging me

[petrel]

If you can maintain a saltwater aquarium, chickens will be a breeze for you! As has been stated previously: If you maintain their quarters properly, they won't stink. If you select quieter breeds they won't bother anyone.

Have fun!

 

[mortie]

If you can maintain a saltwater aquarium, chickens will be a breeze for you! As has been stated previously: If you maintain their quarters properly, they won't stink. If you select quieter breeds they won't bother anyone.

Have fun!

I don't have to go outside in the bitter cold to maintain my tanks though lol

 

[lularat]

I started with 6 chicks last April. I kept them in a brooder in my barn until they were ready for the coop. My girls do not free range, but have a large run. I use pine shavings in the coop and scoop the run everyday and so far haven't noticed much smell. I usually scoop twice a day in warm weather. Sounds like a lot, but it only takes a few minutes. I have a compost bin in the run that I throw the poop in and use the compost for gardening. Once you get your own routine of how you clean the coop and run, it gets easier and quicker.

 

[annagarret]

Don't let people discourage you. Hens are very quiet, more so than a dog. They can get a little loud when they lay their egg. If you continually clean the coop, once a week for 2 hens is plenty, there will be no smell. Pine shavings I have found in the warm months absorb a lot and also smells good, like a tree. In the winter I use straw, it's warmer. Keep the water fresh too. Chickens will poop in it and scratch dirt/straw in it.

Composting the old litter is ideal in the city. I would get a barrel that you can turn though, to contain any smell or rodents.

Getting chicks are really fun....they really bond with you.

.and watching them grow up is so rewarding. You will have to wait for them to start laying around 6 mo.

Stay strong, ignorant people will make their dumb remarks.....maybe you can win them over with fresh eggs......

....and maybe you will start a neighborhood movement!!!

Good Luck!!

 

[3KillerBs]

I have chickens in town on a 1/2 acre lot. I am doing deep litter, adding more bedding in the run ever 4-6 weeks. I'm going to clean it out next week or so (if the weather will cooperate), which will be after 6 months of use. No odor.

It does help that the soil I'm on is pure beach sand with extremely good danger. Chickens don't need wet feet so don't build your coop and run in a wet area and make sure that water drains around it rather than through it.

Ventilation is also critical. In the coop below I've had my head inside when it was 95 out and there was no noticeable heat or odor build-up.

I've used pine straw and leaves in my run so far and pine shavings in the coop.



The run is 4x8. The coop is 4x4. The nest box area could have been smaller but DH had a building glitch and the larger nest box solved it.






With the run in place I keep the feeder and the waterer in the covered end of the run so they can't dump anything in the coop. Since the run is hardened against predators I never close the pop door.

 

[mortie]

How many chickens do you have in your 4x8 run?

 

[lazy gardener]

Mortie, Don't let people discourage you. I scanned through this thread, and picked up that you're planning on a small flock up to 4 pullets, will build a coop, perhaps 2 level with attached run... and are interested in deep litter. sounds wonderful. Does the area where you will house them get much sun? Especially in a cold area, your girls will want lots of sunlight, as well as available shade. They won't do as well in an area that is constantly shaded. Deep litter is the best way to keep the odor down. My coop is an 8 x 8 cattle panel with 4 x 6 loft for roosting and nests, DL shavings in the loft, DL leaves, grass clippings in the lower 8 x 8 level. There is essentially no odor. I'm not sure if anyone suggested it, but an other factor that helps with the odor is to give your flock fermented feed. It develops a good pro-biotic flora in the chicken's gut so they digest the feed better. They will also eat less feed over all which will stretch your feed budget. I find that dog poop on a lawn smells far worse than any smells I pick up when I am standing in my girl's CP coop. I also think that you will find the average short duration egg song to be less disruptive than the barking of some dogs.

 

[Mrs. K]

Warning: if you hatch eggs, you will get some roosters! Can you dispose of them?

mk

 

[blucoondawg]

for a small flock like you are talking about you would have to completely neglect the birds in order for the coop to get smelly enough to be a problem, I have a larger coop and 26 birds right now and even if the poop builds up under the roosts a little between cleanings you cannot smell it around my yard, sure if you go in the coop there is a certain smell but that isn't even what I would call bad, just a coop smell. However if you don't ventilate properly and don't clean often enough it could really stink, good ventilation equals dry not overly stinky poop.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

How many chickens do you have in your 4x8 run?

That's actually a 4X12 run as they have access to under the coop too. That type of set up is plenty of space for 4 standard chickens.

Don't forget you'll tame them, get them to come running when you call, chickens love pecking about the yard so when ever your outside for a few hours you can let them out. When they start heading off your yard call them back, may have to walk them back if they are out a lot as they will be looking for better forage.