Future Chicken Owner with lots of ??

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ncstatechick

ncstatechick

In the Brooder
8 Years
May 26, 2011
23
5
22
Hi,
I am new to this world...I have wanted backyard chickens for several years. Even took a chicken keeping 101 class. Could not convince my husband until recently. We went on a chicken tour around Raleigh this past weekend and he said I could have some!! yay!
Now I have spent numerous hours reading online and looking at coops. We live in a pretty urban area and also have 2 dogs.
From what I have read about breeds Americaunas might be the best choice for us. I really want a sweet chicken. He wants the eggs, I want pets...
I just can't get over how cute the silkie's are but theie eggs are small.
Can someone please advice me on the best breeds? I plan on starting with 2-3 chickens. Is it possible to get 1 silkie and 1 americauna or 2 americaunas and 1 silkie. I heard Silkies get picked on. I also am worried that our dogs will eat the poop and get salmonella. How big of a problem is this? I plan to let them free range some in our yard a few hours a day. I also need a very quiet chicken because our neighbors are so close.
I love some of the smaller coop plans on this website but don't know where people got the plans. I want a coop/run that is attractive and about 4x6.
Thanks in advance!
 
Im still pretty new to all this too.....have had my chickens for less then two weeks now! But you have definatly come to the right place to get advice!!!!
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from Va
 
I also am worried that our dogs will eat the poop and get salmonella. How big of a problem is this?

Millions of dogs out there who eat chicken poop would stand up and bark a resounding "NO" on this one!
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My dogs' number one snack and a great source of added protein....never heard of dogs contracting any infections from this practice.

There are no quiet breeds of chickens, none more quiet than others and no way of keeping them quiet....no matter what. If they lay an egg the neighbors will know it. If they even THINK they lay an egg, the neighbors will know it. If they think a blue jay is trying to attack them from above, the neighbors will know it.​
 
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Welcome to the forum!
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Glad you joined us!
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I agree with Beekissed.

You might want to check to see what the laws are regarding keeping chickens in your area. With neighbors that close, you may wind up with a good reason to know what the actual laws are. It would be a shame to lose them on a technicality that you could have avoided if you knew about it and set up differently. Probably the best place to start is to find out who the animal control officer is and talk to them.

Each chicken has its own individual personality, but there are breed tendencies. If you look through the Henderson's Breed Chart, look for one that takes confinement well.

One possibility that I suggest you consider is a sex link. They go by Cinnamon Queen, Golden Comet, or anything with a "star" in it. These are not in Henderson's Breed Chart because they are not breeds. They are crosses. They should meet your general criteria well, but the big advantage, if you get chicks to raise, is that you can clearly tell sex at hatch. That way you do not wind up with roosters. If you get Point-of-Lay (POL) pullets, you don't have to worry about sex. These are around 16 to 20 weeks old and you can easily tell their sex.

I assume you have looked at the coop designs at the top of this page in the Coop Designs section.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/coopdesigns.html

I cannot tell you where to get plans, but I suggest you consider a 4x8 instead of a 4x6. The 4x6 will probably be plenty big enough for 3 hens, but since most construction material comes in 4' or 8' dimensions, you can often build the larger one for essentially the same cost, plus you can possibly have less cutting and waste material. You do have to be careful when framing it that you are looking at out to out dimensions instead of centerline dimensions and remember to consider the thickness of you material. You may not need the extra space, but it gives you a little more flexibility in managing your chickens. I don't think it will be wasted space for you.

I suggest you get at least three hens. Chickens are social animals. If you get three and something happens to one of them, the others still have company. If you start off with just two, you could have a very lonely animal.

I don't keep Silkies so I have no direct experience with them.

Good luck and again,
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Thanks everybody for the warm welcome!
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I know that chickens are not silent but some can't be too noisy or people would not have them in their neighborhood or keep them illegally in some places. Keeping backyard chickens has become quite the rage in many neighborhoods around Raleigh, NC. The tour we went on had several houses in our same zip code, not neighborhood. I know you can not have roosters in city limits and I believe there is a limit on the number you can have but since I am only going to have 2-3 I have not checked into the number.
Many of the houses we went to have neighbors just as close as ours so there neighbors either do not so there neighbors must not complain or they have really quiet ones. The book I got was where I saw the information on dogs and salmonella. I work at a vet and our vets tell our clients not to feed their dogs raw eggs for the same reason. Dogs can also get coccidiosis but if you buy medicated feed is this still an issue??

These are the plans I am looking at on ebay. Seems to have good reviews. What do you y'all think about these?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320703920148&ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:US:1123

I also plan on getting day old chicks because I think that is going to be sooo much fun!
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Here is a picture of the area I want to put the coop: You can see how close it is too our house and maybe see the neighbors house in the backyard? If I am having wishful thinking about owning chickens in my small yard, please let me know. Thanks!
Well, I can't figure out how to add a picture...darn!
 

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