Don't listen to the naysayers. I grew up keeping them, so when I decided to get back into it last year, no one dared tell me any of those things because they knew I had more experience with chooks than they did! Any animal can smell if not adequately cared for. There is an aspect of getting used to the smell. In other words, if you have a dog, you probably aren't nearly as aware of the "doggy" smell in your home as a visitor who is not used to being around dogs. Have a cat? Try not cleaning out the litter box for a few days and you'll decide cats stink too! I've kept a lot of different animals over the years - including rats and other rodents - and they ALL stink if you don't keep the cage cleaned out regularly. Chickens are no different. I try to get the poop out of my coop about every 3 days, and I honestly do not think they smell at all. But if you're someone who doesn't want to do it that often....well, be prepared for some odor.
What the people saying the negative things to you don't know is how entertaining they can be. My DH good-naturedly went along with my plans to get the chooks and teased me for being so excited about my chicks. But it wasn't long before HE was pulling up the lawn chair in the backyard to sit and watch them in the evenings. And HE is the one who peers out the kitchen window to watch them throughout the winter. And HE was the one on the phone to his ex, telling her how much personality they have and how quiet they are....yada yada.
I don't find them to be a lot of work. I open the coop in the morning (and give them a warm mash on the cold days but that is my choice). They peck around the yard all day long and wander over to the nest box when it is "that time of the day". At night they put themselves to bed and after the last one has gone into the coop, I go out and shut the door. The dogs on the other hand are quite a bit more work. They have to be fed and walked and brushed. They're always in the way. I have to trim their toenails and put them in crates every time we leave the house. We recently went away for four days. I agonized over where to leave the dogs while we were gone - and spent a small fortune in boarding fees. The chooks, on the other hand, took care of themselves. We left the coop door open just wide enough for them to get in and out, and left a full water bowl, and an automatic feeder full of food. Each morning we were gone, they let themselves out at daybreak. At dusk, they put themselves back to bed. They fed and watered themselves. And they laid an egg a day to boot. If you have any other pets, I can almost guarantee that the chickens will be the least work of them all!
I laughed at the bit about pecking you when you try to get the eggs. Whoever told you that obviously tried to take eggs from a broody! A non-broody hen loses interest in her egg pretty much immediately after its laid. They sit in the nest box for 30-60 minutes, lay the egg, sing the egg song for 30 seconds and they're done. Mine happily watch me and chatter to me while I collect the eggs but could care less what I do with them.
What the people saying the negative things to you don't know is how entertaining they can be. My DH good-naturedly went along with my plans to get the chooks and teased me for being so excited about my chicks. But it wasn't long before HE was pulling up the lawn chair in the backyard to sit and watch them in the evenings. And HE is the one who peers out the kitchen window to watch them throughout the winter. And HE was the one on the phone to his ex, telling her how much personality they have and how quiet they are....yada yada.
I don't find them to be a lot of work. I open the coop in the morning (and give them a warm mash on the cold days but that is my choice). They peck around the yard all day long and wander over to the nest box when it is "that time of the day". At night they put themselves to bed and after the last one has gone into the coop, I go out and shut the door. The dogs on the other hand are quite a bit more work. They have to be fed and walked and brushed. They're always in the way. I have to trim their toenails and put them in crates every time we leave the house. We recently went away for four days. I agonized over where to leave the dogs while we were gone - and spent a small fortune in boarding fees. The chooks, on the other hand, took care of themselves. We left the coop door open just wide enough for them to get in and out, and left a full water bowl, and an automatic feeder full of food. Each morning we were gone, they let themselves out at daybreak. At dusk, they put themselves back to bed. They fed and watered themselves. And they laid an egg a day to boot. If you have any other pets, I can almost guarantee that the chickens will be the least work of them all!
I laughed at the bit about pecking you when you try to get the eggs. Whoever told you that obviously tried to take eggs from a broody! A non-broody hen loses interest in her egg pretty much immediately after its laid. They sit in the nest box for 30-60 minutes, lay the egg, sing the egg song for 30 seconds and they're done. Mine happily watch me and chatter to me while I collect the eggs but could care less what I do with them.
