Greetings from Northern Michigan!

Will chickens destroy my flower garden

  • They’ll eat every sprout. Good luck.

    Votes: 20 95.2%

  • Their nibbles won’t be too noticeable.

    Votes: 2 9.5%

  • The flowers will be fine and benefit from compost and bug control.

    Votes: 1 4.8%
  • Total voters
    21
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Cephalo

Cephalo

Chirping
Dec 5, 2019
18
124
69
Northern Michigan
Hello!

I am so new to chickens that I don’t even have them yet. The idea of raising chickens has always been sitting in the back of my head, but I finally have the opportunity. My husband and I are newlyweds and are settled into a beautiful property with 30 wooded acres. I work a desk job from home, so I’m in the perfect position to keep and eye on my flock!


My husband is not so excited about this adventure and rolled on the floor laughing when I said I was going to build the coop, but I am way more capable (and determined) than he gives me credit for. He finally agreed to give me a shot and that’s all I want.

I plan on starting with a Golden Buff, Black Australorp, Ameraucana, and Golden Laced Wyandotte...maybe a silver too! I’d like 4, but I’m thinking about purchasing 6 chicks just in case.

I’m really hoping to free range them as much as possible (if not, they’ll at least be in a tractor). I am an avid flower gardener and we have an insane amount of bugs for them to take care of...especially the earwigs!

My biggest anxiety about chickens is getting our two labs, Molly and Red, to not kill the chicks. Molly is ruthless, but I’m hoping that a little training will save my flock. My second biggest anxiety is chicken math. And my third biggest anxiety is keeping them happy in the winter since our winters are very long and very snowy.

I found BYC because you cannot google any chicken question without BYC showing up in the results. And I joined because it got me so excited!

I’ll post again when I’ve got my new babies. I’ll be documenting my journey on instagram and possibly a blog that I haven’t decided if I’m starting yet :)
 
:frow Welcome!
I am sorry to say that your plan of four chickens is not going to work. Forty may also be too small of a number. Don’t fear the chicken math, embrace it! Let it happen, and you will feel peace.
Being serious, it will be easier to start with a dozen. Not only will your girls enjoy more companionship, but the rooster will be happier too. Those dogs you mentioned? We all have ideas on what will work. It is up to you to decide what works for your situation. Having extra chickens means a deadly mistake won’t make the others lonely.
I sincerely believe you will flow into other types of poultry and even goats and cows (even cows come in mini size now). That will be an exciting time too! If you start with a large coop, the transition will go smoother.
I cannot find my picture of tunnels around the garden, but this is the idea.
A10B0758-909A-4033-BA80-0DAB441BBCE1.jpeg 2FC835CA-E14B-4FDC-9C84-444FE2DE879D.jpeg
 
Mixed flock enthusiast said:
Welcome!!! :welcome It’s so great that you are researching and planning NOW, before you have chicks, instead of frantically trying to build a coop as your chicks outgrow their brooder, like I did! You’ll find lots of great coop building ideas here, and I’m sure that you are up to the challenge!
Click to expand...

One thing I know about myself is that I love to dive into things. Since I’ve done it too many times, I now try to do the research and think about commitments ahead of time. Luckily, I convinced my husband to let me have chickens months before the spring to give me that extra time!
 

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