Hello from sunny Florida

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drewph

drewph

Hatching
8 Years
Dec 27, 2011
1
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Hi everyone my name is Drew and I'm from the FL panhandle. My wife has recently decided that she wants chickens and, being the man that will be in charge of building her a coop, I have decided to do a little research. That led me here, and I must say this is a great website! I'm actually quite surprised at how many people are avid chicken owners, though maybe I shouldn't be. Anyhow, I figure there is no one better to ask for startup advice than those with experience, and it seems that this is the place to find it. While there are probably answers to all of my questions to be found elsewhere on the site, it can't hurt to ask right? I'll start with the scenario: We live on a city lot in North Florida. Our city codes do not address ownership of chickens so it is neither legal, nor illegal. It's sort of a "don't tick off the neighbors and all is well" situation. My wife would like chickens for eggs (and companionship) only, not to slaughter. We have a 7 year old daughter and a 25 lb. pug. Our dog LOVES all other animals so there is no chance that he would try and harm any chickens. So what I need is advice on breeds of chickens and styles of coops. To keep the neighbors happy, we need chickens that are as quiet as possible. Also, I need to be able to keep them without a lot of foul odor drifting into neighboring lots. I guess what I need are quiet, egg laying, dog friendly (as in they won't try and hurt my dog) chickens and advice on how to pen them. There are raccoons, possums, and the occasional hawk around, but no coyotes or bobcats where I live. Also, we are avid vegetable gardeners and have a garden in the back yard where the chickens would be. Is this something chickens may damage? Thanks in advance for any advice on getting started, and I look forward to sharing our experience with you!
 
Welcome to the forum! You'll be so thankful you found us here.
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(And we are too!) Use the search tools, ask any questions you need. With over a million members, you'll get lots of info and helpful tips.

Yes, chickens will damage your garden. They LOVE tomatoes especially and will eat squash, etc. I'd suggest putting a fence around your garden to keep them out. It doesn't have to be tall -- we used a 2 foot fence and it worked great.

Good luck!
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Howdy, Drew. Welcome to BYC - the best place for info on everything fowl.

There are times I wish my world was warm and sunny. Neither today although we are having a run of above normal temperatures.

I let my chickens free-range over part of my 30 acres. The garden will need to be fenced this spring to keep the chickens OUT. They really seemed to like just about everything I tried to grow.
 
Hello,
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From Clermont,Florida.

Check out the Florida thread on here,lots of local help. Look at the swaps and show in Florida. January 7, poultry show in Lake City. Ask on the Fla. thread about breeders and what would work for you. What city are you in?

Maye
 
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Hey Drew, welcome to the neighborhood. Iam also in NW Fl. Sounds like you need a chicken tractor, a wire pen you can move around your yard when you have your garden planted and in production. You can free range then in fall/winter during the day. Shut them up at night though. White/light seem to be the first of my free range hens to get taken by critters. Silkies hens are the quietest in my opinion and so very personable and kid friendly. Primarily it is the roos who make the noise neighbors object to. Any hen is quieter than roosters!
 

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