I need a practical chickens!

[amour.chicks]

So, I went to a friends house last week and they had chickens. I fell in love with them! XD So I came home and my dad said that if I took care of them he would let me buy some. The thing is, there are a lot of babies in our house. Seven. The youngest on is 16 months. So we need chickens that will not hurt them. We live in city limits so we're allowed to have up to three chickens. I cannot have them making a lot of noise and then need to be able to live in a small space. I've been thinking about getting Delaware chickens, but I don't know what they're like. I'm getting the chickens when they are still little. So I want them to be the cute yellow ones! If you have any experience with these chickens, I would love to hear about it!

Thanks a ton!

Bekah

Oh! Where is the BEST place to order chickens? I need them to be cheep because I have little money to spend on this. Thanks! xDDD

 

[Mahonri]

I imagine you could order 3 : Standard White Cochins here

 

[DiVon80]

Cochins are very nice and make good pets.

 

[amour.chicks]

Quote:
Are the cochin the little yellow ones though?

 

[~*Sweet Cheeks*~]

Buying the chicks IS the cheap part of having chickens. You should talk to your friends that have the chickens to find out how much it's going to cost to set-up a brooder (again you can use a FREE cardboard box) but still need to buy the heat lamp, fixture, feeder, waterer, bedding you'll be changing once a week or so. Chick starter (crumbles) they don't seem to eat much in the beginning but now that mine are 8 wks old, they went through a 25 lb bag in two weeks.

Then you've got the cost of building a little coop and run that is preditor proof along with bedding and big chick feeder and waterer.

The setup costs are a little spendy, it does take time and commitment, but well worth it if you have both.

Good luck

 

[amour.chicks]

~*Sweet Cheeks*~ :

Buying the chicks IS the cheap part of having chickens. You should talk to your friends that have the chickens to find out how much it's going to cost to set-up a brooder (again you can use a FREE cardboard box) but still need to buy the heat lamp, fixture, feeder, waterer, bedding you'll be changing once a week or so. Chick starter (crumbles) they don't seem to eat much in the beginning but now that mine are 8 wks old, they went through a 25 lb bag in two weeks.

Then you've got the cost of building a little coop and run that is preditor proof along with bedding and big chick feeder and waterer.

The setup costs are a little spendy, it does take time and commitment, but well worth it if you have both.

Good luck

Yeah, I figured the chicks would be the cheep part.
My dad's really good with wood and stuff, so he said that he would build the coop for me.
We also have a lot of wood lying around so that should cut the costs down a lot!
I have a friend who will give me their heat lamp so that takes like 20 dollars off it.
I don't know, I REALLY want chickens, but I'm also scared that they'll die and it will ruin my life!
So I don't know.
It's going to be a nice change to have them!​

 

[aidenbaby]

BUying chicks is definitely the cheap part. My chicks, starter feed, heat lamp, feeder and waterer ran around $60 plus I used a rubbermaid container we already had. The coop and run is currently running around $300 but that is also including a super cheap jigsaw ($30) and super cheap drill (again $30; we only had a circular saw and our old drill is literally falling apart).

As for breeds, if they are to be pets, you will want more than just workhorses; you'll want some aesthetics, too. As far as your parents, if either of them are gardeners you may want to mention how good chicken poo compost is (check out info on the net).

 

[the_great_snag]

If they are yellow chicks, the odds are good they are either broilers or white leghorn laying chickens.

leghorns do not generally make nice pets, as they are very skittish. Broiler birds are very good natured, but require more careful feeding in their first several weeks of life, and they do not have good life expectancy.

I would suggest going to a Tractor Supply store or another local feed store (hit the yellow pages and call around) that has chicks, and get 3 pullets of a dual purpose breed. Make sure the store sells them as sexed pullets and NOT straight run or cockerels.

Bantams are nice, but they are not usually available sexed. The odds are good that they might be roosters, and that would probably violate the law in your city. You would be forced to get rid of them when they started crowing.

I would suggest any color of rocks, cornish, orpington, or australorp as good mellow hens. There are countless other breeds that are great though.

Meyer's hatchery has information on the temperament of different breeds on their website. I've found it very helpful. Just google them.

Again, though, try to buy sexed pullet chicks from a local feed store. Mail order chicks are an option, but the shipping is very expensive on small orders.

 

[Four Acre Bliss]

Buff Orpingtons are sweet, quiet birds and they start out yellow. Great backyard chickens.

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

Yep for what you are asking for, Buff Orpintons fit the bill perfectly.