I thought sure I'd love chickens by now...

[elizabethbinary]

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1. We compost most everything, but maybe leftovers we never get to would be alright to give them...
2. NEAT!
3. We have a good collection on poop now
4. We'll see...
5. I think we have one now and we are deciding whether or not to break the law and keep it or just eat it....Poor Harriet...I mean Harry!

6. As above.
7. An exciting idea
8. I'll be doing that
9. I'd love ducks, but we'd have to make a pool or something for them :-/
TY!

I sure do enjoy having the birds as entertainment, but they are making a lot more work right now for me than fun. I don't invest enough time handling my chickens to make them cuddle and they are stinky anyway.
I too have a bench next to their coop and favorite napping bush and when I am not looking over the yard at the mess they have made I find much peace and amusement in them. Ah,well. I am a dog person and am just coming to the realization that chickens are not as decent as dogs

We will be keeping them no matter what due to the fact we want to grow as much of our own food as we can.

9. Muscovies only need shallow water.

A small kiddie pool works for them in small numbers!

 

[ShowMeGirl]

I find that they bring a calm to me.It is fun to watch them grow and see all the funny things that chickens will do.

 

[nuchickontheblock]

I never thought I would enjoy them, but we think they are highly entertaining. We have had chickens since last Spring, and we have found that they are cute, funny, trainable, have individual personalities and social interactions and interesting to watch. They also provide "cheep" therapy if you hang out with them when you are stressed; and "cheep" entertainment as well.

Regarding the poop/smell issues: I have special chicken boots and sandals and an old coat that has become my designated "chicken coat" for when I tend my very small flock of 3 hens. I also went to goodwill and bought an assortment of "chicken shoes" in different sizes for my grandkids to wear when they visit the chickens. So... if we step in a little poop, it's ok. We don't wear those shoes in the house.

I use pine shavings in the coop and daily clean out the poop using a 3 inch scraper and dustpan and put the poop into a covered bucket. Takes me about 3 minutes and and then I add some fresh shavings. It never smells and we don't have flies. I've never had cats, but assume it's kind of like cleaning a cat box.

Also, when I pick up my chickens to pet them, they don't smell.

Having chickens isn't for everyone, but I'd recommend that you spend a little more time getting to know them and them decide whether you want to keep them. Good luck.

 

[BooBear]

I have gathered quite a few (27) chickies. If you clean around and under their roost every morning, which only takes a couple of minutes, the smell will not be so noticable. I use a bucket and cat pooper scooper. My coop has a sand floor and every other day I sprinkle some DE powder down under the roost area which helps cut the odors too. Each morning I clean around the roost and under it and dump the chickenberries in the mulch pile.

Yeah dogs will eat the grossiest stuff. Heck they eat cat poo like it was tootsie rolls, so no surprise they would like chickenberries too.

If you have a small yard with just a few hens you may want to try the chicken tractor method. This allows them to range in controlled spots which keeps your garden safe and can cut down on the areas with poop. Just move the tractor every other day to a new spot. Otherwise, you could build the run and on nice days let them out for a few hours before evening to play, stretch, forage, and be happy chickies.

Sounds like you are enjoying them, but that it is the poop that is getting to you. All bird species are poop machines. It don't matter if you have a $3,000.00 talking parrot or a $15.00 egg laying chicken.

OH, some folks like to buy chicken manure for their gardens. Manure that has been aged for atleast 6 months is good to use in gardens.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

It will really help to keep them confined. I used to let mine free range.

You will see in my posts if you look back over time that I say, "I free range mine every day."
"I free range mine every third day or so."
"I used to free range them, but now I've stopped."
"I free range mine everyday."

And the cycle repeats....

I even have sold chickens because they were of a breed that wouldn't really be happy confined.

My hubby (and now I) just can't stand that poo everywhere. Also they kick up my bark nuggets everywhere.

NOW that they truly are confined (at least this week

), it is really quite joyous as I just have "chicken boots" for the family when we go in the runs. They get hosed off each time or stay in the garage, and we never actually wear them in the house, just bring them to the mud room if hosed off.

In other words, keep them out of YOUR areas and it will really be better. Also, a poop board works wonders. If you have a nice tidy compost bin to put the droppings in, it keeps your yard tidy, too.

 

[mychookschick]

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I would have to say very smart! Dogs that do this need more fat in their diet.... They know that they can get it from other animal poop. The cure for this is to add 1-2 tablespoons of vegetable oil to their food at each meal. It helps and I speak from experience...

 

[AinaWGSD]

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I would have to say very smart! Dogs that do this need more fat in their diet.... They know that they can get it from other animal poop. The cure for this is to add 1-2 tablespoons of vegetable oil to their food at each meal. It helps and I speak from experience...

No they don't. Dogs that do this are just being gross dogs. Both of my dogs eat chicken poop. The fresher the better, although they do enjoy frozen poopsicles in the winter. Just about every dog I've ever known has eaten goose poop at the local lake, and I've yet to meet the dog that would pass up cat poop if given the chance. My dogs have plenty of fat in their diet. Not just in their dog food, which we regularly supplement with table scraps and treats, but my toddler makes sure they get lots of fat. They are not missing anything in their diet and they have always eaten poop regardless of what food or supplements I feed them. My dogs also like to eat the chicken feed. And the cat food. Dogs are just gross. They also like to roll in dead things, and wild animal scat, and (in my one dog's case anyway) motor oil.

Anyway, not to get too far off topic and back to the original question, it's ok if you don't love your chickens. For many people they are simply livestock that produces food for them. And that's fine, just so long as their needs are being met. You don't have to adore them and dote on them to be a good chicken owner. Chickens can be every bit as much work as a dog, cat, or any other pet. And just like any other pet, they aren't everyone's cup of tea. Hang in there, a change in management (confining them rather than letting them free range your backyard) and the onset of eggs will probably change your mind about them a little bit. I have to admit that my attitude towards individual chickens has changed since they started laying (as has their personalities, at least a bit). The pullet that was my least favorite quickly became one of my favorites when she was the first to start laying and has proven herself to be a consistent layer of med-large eggs. The fact that she became less skittish and much more approachable hasn't hurt any either.

 

[franklinstreetwest]

I don't know if I can actually avoid being condescending here........but forgive me if at all possible, I've had my back up lately to people who call chickens "dirty". I currently have chickens, cats, a dog and a goldfish. Growing up I had all these things and ducks, geese, pigeons, pheasant, goats, etc, etc.....

There was NEVER a time that we didn't go outside bare footed. There was either a rinse bucket at the door or you scraped your shoes and left them in the mud room. I attended a rural school and there was a wide variety of poop on shoes.......and no, I am not older than the dinosaurs, I'm only 32.

I was just contemplating chickens vs. "socially accepted domestic pet" the other day......I decided that at least the chickens didn't puke in my bed and try to hide their poop like the cats. And as far as dog vs. chickens go....I have never had a chicken that eats out of a litter box and tears the garbage pail up, only to spread half eaten feminine products throughout the house along with whatever else was in the bin. Nor have I ever seen a chicken roll in a dead animal and carry it back to the house hoping to bring it inside to feast on at leasure.

On a more practical and less comabative note:

If you are finding that the chicken waste is not to your liking and a difficulty to deal with. Please think over ducks with great care and consideration. The consistency and quantity of feces that they emit is wet and plentiful. There was nothing worse than ducks and goose poop at my moms house...and that is coming from a person who didn't give it much thought. If you are commited to the idea of any waterfowl, take a loaf of bread to a park where you can feed the geese and ducks (dont know if you have those there, we have quite a few here) kick off your shoes and see if you like what you're walking around on. Then imagine that being any surface you allow your animals access to.

Just a thought....again sorry if I come off rude.

 

[gryeyes]

I didn't get chickens for their eggs. I originally planned on getting a few (maybe 6 - 8) hens - because roosters would be too noisy - for their excellent fertilizer. I had built some raised garden beds and constantly had to buy fertilizer and amend the sucky clay soil to get anything to grow very well. That got old.

Then I realized chickens are great bug eaters. Cool! They could eat all the spiders and earwigs all they wanted!

Oh, and yes, they do lay eggs. Okay, that will be cool too.

So I bought some chicks from the feed store, all different breeds. Already sexed so they were supposed to be all hens. Well, one was an accidental rooster.

First, I fell in love with the chicks. And then was heartbroken when one died. So I got a couple more. And as they grew, I fell more in love with them. By the time the accidental rooster was discovered, I loved him too.

The thing that had really surprised me was that each chicken has its own personality. Really. I had NOT expected that. They're chickens, fer gawd's sake.

But watching them do chickeny things and develop their personalities was a real hoot. Not much is funnier to watch than a hen running off in a determined fashion to go somewhere else and do chickeny things. The first crows of a baby rooster are hysterical. When they learn to roost, I cheer. When they settle down next to me and trill, then go to sleep, my heart melts.

Yah, it's a pain to clean the coops. To scrape off or clean shoes. To wipe fresh poo off your lap. To hose it off your walkway or porch.

There are a bunch of human digestive and/or biological functions which aren't very pleasant either. Lots of folks have already mentioned cat and dog habits which gross us out. Eh.

I will always have chickens from now on forward. I wish for you the same thing, but if it doesn't bring you pleasure, then perhaps there is another endeavor which will make you happier.

 

[myfinefeatheredfriends]

When I first started raising chickens, I had Cornish-Rock broilers (as pets, not food). I didn't like how messy and lazy they were. Unfortunately, they didn't last long as pets but did live a happy life as long as I had them. Later I decided to give chickens another try. This time I got a gold star hybrid rooster, a golden laced Wyandotte hen and a Rhode Island Red hen... I guess they were the chickens that really kicked me into the addictive hobby because I absolutely loved them! People often ask me why I chose to raise chickens over all other animals and I honestly don't know what to tell them. It just sort of happened. I do suggest though not to try ducks because if chicken poop is not your thing then duck poop will be even worse. They are probably one of the messiest of all farm fowl, maybe even more so than geese.