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justchecking

justchecking

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I'm not a chicken owner, but was visiting a local chicken coop today, and realized that I don't know what to look for or ask to know if it's a good one, if the chickens look good. It doesn't look like a chicken paradise, but it doesn't look like the shocking inhumane photos I've seen either. Could you tell me what to look for ask? The guy had about 70 chickens in a backyard shed, divided in two sections. He doesn't let them outside. It didn't smell horrendous, and the chickens weren't at all scared of us, so I took that as a good sign for starters.
 
I'm not a chicken owner either (soon though) and I think it may be the same as what you would look for in other birds.Here is what I think you should look for:

1. Firstly look at the hygiene of the run and coop. If it's hygienic the chickens will most likely be healthy.

2. Look for the chickens that catch your eye. The ones that you like. Try not to choose the ones that hide in a corner or don't look well.

3. Inspect these chickens.Find out what breed they are so you know what requirements they have. Check the feet, eyes, beak, wings and make sure there are no deformities or diseases.

4. Check the other chickens. Once you have chosen your chickens check the others for any signs of diseases that might be contagious to your chickens.

Well I hope I've helped! If anybody can find something I've missed out please post.

Happy choosing!
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Welcome to Backyard chickens. Was this person a breeder or just someone with a large collection of birds? Does he know what breeds he has? How old is the stock for sale?

Does he worm and treat birds for lice/mites? I ask because people who can't answer any of those questions .are usually just letting birds propagate with no rhyme or reason

With the avian flu outbreak it is more important than before to be absolutely sure that the birds were raised right, under healthy conditions, not shut up in a building all day. Even visiting a questionable source could cause you to bring disease home on your shoes or clothes- which could infect any birds you do purchase.

As for what to look for apart from living area, the birds should have no discharge from eyes, nose or mouth. Feathers should look good, not dingy or ratty looking.
No ton of poo stuck to their behinds. Should walk without a limp, be appropriately alert to visitors, not droopy and laying/staying away from the others .
 
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x2 on drumstick diva's advice. Be sure you are getting healthy stock from someone that knows what they are doing, otherwise, you are asking for a bad intro into chicken-keeping.

Good luck to you
 
He's selling eggs, that's why I visited. I'm just going to buy eggs, but not sure what to look for. Our city doesn't allow for his chickens, but if the neighbours don't complain, nobody will know. Some other neighbours are buying his eggs. So yes, really I want to make sure it's a healthy source of eggs, disease free and humane, and I don't know what to look for. Well I didn't see anything obviously wrong on the first visit. I think it would be better if they could go outside a little obviously, but I guess he's got to hide them.
 
Thanks, I've thought of having chickens myself if they become legal here, but I'm sure that I'd have a lot of trouble killing any if I had to!!
 
Hi,
There's no "run", it's just a coop. And I didn't really know how to inspect the hygiene. It looked ok to me, but I don't know what's ok when it comes down to it...
 
Chickenlover 13 and Drumstick Diva gave you some great advice as to what to look for with the chickens themselves. But I understand if you are not familiar with a good chicken habitat then here are some things to look for:

If there is no run and he doesn't let them range (wander around outside) the chicken coop needs to be big enough so each chicken can have room to exercise and attend to their own hygiene. How big is the shed? Is it crowded? There is a standard formula for determining the size of a coop, but since you are not out there with a measuring tape it is probably ok to just estimate by how much space it looks like. Do the chickens have empty floor space available?

Chickens like to roost. This means a higher area for them to perch on for sleeping and also for them to just get above the floor for a while. Look for 2x4 s or wooden branches set horizontally at least a foot above the floor. If they do not have this they are prone to sitting in a corner which doesn't let them air out so to speak.

There should be some kind of litter on the floor. Litter: Straw, grass, or wood shavings are used to absorb moisture from droppings. Not kitty litter but it may be sand. Dry poop is not as bad a wet poop. Chickens also need a place to take a dust bath. This is how they clean themselves under their feathers and prevents mites.

Fresh water/food. Water is harder to keep fresh than you might think, if you set out a dish a chicken will hop in it and get it dirty very quickly. I use a bucket with drippers that the chickens interact with to get water, I also have hanging feeders that the chickens cannot climb into and scatter the food around. What you can look for is hanging buckets or pipes with drippers/nipples.

Nesting boxes: Chickens like a private little place to lay their eggs, if they don't have these they will lay their eggs almost anywhere and the eggs can get dirty, cracked, or just overlooked until they have gone bad.

I would suggest you use your instincts and if something says bad or dirty to you or if the owner seems shifty I would say avoid it. But if everything seems fine, it probably is fine.
 
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