Misinformation about chickens on CBS

[ChickenCanoe]

This is a huge pet peeve of mine! We see folks on here all the time that fall prey to this---"they have plenty of space, the coop/run is designed for 8 birds and we only have 6 so they have plenty of room, why are they trying to kill each other?" "exactly how big is the coop/run, in feet?" "Oh, it's plenty big, the coop is like 4x4 and the run is 3x8, according to the manufacturer they have lots of space, so that isn't the issue, so why are they trying to kill each other? Do I need pinless peepers or to debeak one?"

Exactly.
And when you ask how big the coop is they rarely give dimensions because they don't believe that's the problem.
Also, people don't consider that what counts is interior dimensions subtracting space taken by whatever else is in there, i.e. feeder, water, nest boxes, etc..

I teach classes at area community colleges and various green venues. I emphasize the importance of space and spell out in the handouts how much square footage is absolute minimum for various management techniques. Do they listen? No. Do they review the written material when they get home? No.
They still go by what the manufacturer says.

How hard is it to get out a tape measure and multiply?

 

[rancher hicks]

This is a huge pet peeve of mine! We see folks on here all the time that fall prey to this---"they have plenty of space, the coop/run is designed for 8 birds and we only have 6 so they have plenty of room, why are they trying to kill each other?" "exactly how big is the coop/run, in feet?" "Oh, it's plenty big, the coop is like 4x4 and the run is 3x8, according to the manufacturer they have lots of space, so that isn't the issue, so why are they trying to kill each other? Do I need pinless peepers or to debeak one?"

I suppose manufacturers fudge the numbers for a reason, but perhaps they're talking bantams and not mentioning that.

Now many folks don't do the research either and some breeds just do not do well when confined. Some NEED to range or they're just not happy and won't lay or they fight. If birds are fighting it's most likely crowded and bored and need something to occupy them.

When newbies some on and ask, "how big of a coop should I build" many of us always say bigger is better.

 

[bnesser]

We just read the article on keeping chickens in the back yard. We also felt the article was not accurate. We have had chickens for 10 years and love it. They definitely lay eggs MUCH longer than two years. most of out chickens have laid for over six years and longer. One of our chickens we've had the entire ten years and we got her when she was one and she likes us! we have had a lot of fun experiencing the different breeds of chickens as well as hatching our own chicks. If you let your chickens run free they will dig in your gardens that's just the way it is. They are birds. The upside is that they eat the peat and bugs in the garden and yard. You can build a chicken run and keep them in there. Chickens have a lot of personality and they are interesting and sweet and develop a lot of trust in their owners. They can be some work but they are less work than dogs. and the eggs are delicious!
Brigitte and Cc

 

[TXchickmum]

Is this the link to it? I am trying to watch it but it isn't working for me.

So true TX.. It's not any different than the spike in people going out and getting Dalmation puppies after the movies 101 Dalmations came out- only to then flood the pounds and shelters as they got dumped.

I recall this very well. Our son was about three at the time. -saw the movie, wanted a dog. Thankfully, we had a good friend that had a pair of Dalmatians. She'd owned only Dalmatians for years. -got a ton of info from her and researched the breed before we made any decisions. We did opt to go ahead and get one. -found a precious year-old boy at a rescue. He was a loyal and beloved member of our family until he passed from old age. -was a very high-strung, energetic dog that loved to join the family on walks and jogs. -was a fabulous companion to our son and daughter, too, when she came along five years later. -definitely not a breed for everyone, but a perfect fit for us.

-definitely the same applies to raising chickens. It isn't practical for some, yet is a wonderful endeavor for others. -and after watching the segment.....yet again, the media is clueless (and ignorant as always).

 

[The Yakima Kid]

I tried to let them know but couldn't figure out how to do so. I talk chickens to anyone who wants to just to let them know the truth.

No those cute little coops and all that in the magazine is not the real deal. I love how they never show a coop that needs cleaning nor mentions that not all chicken breeds are created equal.

I suspect many don't do the research first. Good garden o' peas!

Oh the show was aired today.

My pet peeve is people who advise others to keep some high strung, flying, noisy, cannibalistic breed because it is an "endangered" or "critical" heritage breed and then the new chicken keeper finds that they have problems with both the neighbors and the biddies. I'd say most of my information to people planning on getting chickens is to help them choose a breed that both they and the neighbors can get along with. On a personal level I hate seeing it when people are trying to rehome biddies because they can't manage them. I'm also sick of coops that are adorably cute, usually flimsy, and completely unsuitable for poor biddy who could care less if her house looked like a hobbit cottage or Mount Vernon and likely thinks the apple tree is the best housing in the yard.

Once when I ordered chicks one of the supposed Black Stars took up being tall, gangly, noisy, and laid dark speckled eggs. She developed a long, curved neck and it was pretty clear that she was the hatchery version of a Marans. I found someone who wanted her and sold her; they had a coop of noisy, nervous birds and the space to not annoy the neighbors while my neighbors didn't appreciate the noise she made. That was a situation where I knew what would work, and darn it, fate just wouldn't cooperate!

One thing I always try to do is point out that different breeds originated under different conditions, that some were essentially always left to scavenge for themselves, while others, especially some of the British and American breeds, spent more time around people and were selected for better manners with children. I enjoy pointing out how some of the ancestors of breeds like the Sussex and Orpington were raised by small cottagers who actually brought the birds in at night, and this helped to select for friendlier, calmer breeds that tend to not attack the children. I point out the American class birds which often have strong admixtures of the calmer British and Asian breeds in their pedigree.

In my personal opinion, it is mportant to point out that if someone has a small space and the birds will be living in a small yard, that you should consider getting all of one breed all the same color for the best chance of peace in the coop - and then someone will pipe up with how they have dozens of different breeds of chickens living together without problems on their forty acres. Unfortunately, it seems the point that confinement has its own set of problems goes right over some people's heads. I get really annoyed when this happens because it is hard on both the new chicken keepers and the poor biddies.

One situation that really hurt was a lady who asked my advice and I suggested she choose from the calmer American and British breeds and possibly Black Stars and that she needed to be aware that more active breeds might seriously bully the Silky she wanted, and she might consider keeping a couple of Silkies in a separate coop. A couple of people then announced they had no problems keeping different breeds together, and they even raised rare breeds, and they encouraged the first poor woman to combine Red Stars and a Silky in one coop because the breeds I suggested were "only beginner breeds." The result was vicious bullying and attacks on the poor Silky and the biddies were given away, with the new chicken keeper swearing off chickens because the bloodlust really bothered her. I tried to encourage her to try again, with a flock more conducive to backyard confinement harmony, but the memories of the blood all over the poor Silky were too much for her. I've often marveled that anyone could refer to Rocks or Orpingtons as "beginner breeds" since several generations of famous poultry raising families kept them, and I doubt that these families remained "beginners" through three or more generations.

It's important to teach new keepers that biddies are all individuals. Not all biddies will sleep on the roost; some prefer to sleep in a pile on the floor, while I have a couple of Dominiques that prefer to sit on the ledge outside the coop in even the coldest weather. Others insist that poor biddy can find enough to eat "free ranging" in a manicured suburban backyard. It's 3AM here and I just looked out back, and the same pair of Dominiques are once again sitting on the ledge outside the coop door with the temperature in the 20s F.

 

[The Yakima Kid]

Exactly.
And when you ask how big the coop is they rarely give dimensions because they don't believe that's the problem.
Also, people don't consider that what counts is interior dimensions subtracting space taken by whatever else is in there, i.e. feeder, water, nest boxes, etc..

I teach classes at area community colleges and various green venues. I emphasize the importance of space and spell out in the handouts how much square footage is absolute minimum for various management techniques. Do they listen? No. Do they review the written material when they get home? No.
They still go by what the manufacturer says.

How hard is it to get out a tape measure and multiply?

Too true. I keep six biddies - one aged Black Star and five Dominique pullets - in a 128 square foot aviary run with a dust bath and a small house for roosting and egg laying inside the run on stilts. Not only is the size important, but the selection of the biddies matters. I could probably safely keep a dozen Dominiques in that area - but I wouldn't try it with a Mediterranean breed. It seems coops are selected for one of two reasons - cheapness or cuteness. I know people have been horrified at my "unattractive" powder coated steel aviary set up - but the biddies seem to like it. In the summer there is no house, just nest boxes and roosts in the open aviary, and when I put the house in for the winter, the biddies like to sit in the house doorway on the coldest nights - the competition isn't for the highest roost, it is over who gets to sit on the ledge right outside the house door! I've got nine feet of roost bar in the house - and generally at least two birds snuggled up lying in the bedding instead of on the roost. In the summer I had three four foot roosts in the aviary and generally all six birds preferred to cram together on one of the roost bars.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

...

In my personal opinion, it is mportant to point out that if someone has a small space and the birds will be living in a small yard, that you should consider getting all of one breed all the same color for the best chance of peace in the coop - and then someone will pipe up with how they have dozens of different breeds of chickens living together without problems on their forty acres. Unfortunately, it seems the point that confinement has its own set of problems goes right over some people's heads. I get really annoyed when this happens because it is hard on both the new chicken keepers and the poor biddies.
.
...

Excellent point.

.. It seems coops are selected for one of two reasons - cheapness or cuteness. I know people have been horrified at my "unattractive" powder coated steel aviary set up - but the biddies seem to like it. In the summer there is no house, just nest boxes and roosts in the open aviary, and when I put the house in for the winter, the biddies like to sit in the house doorway on the coldest nights -...

That too. And the cheap ones will be too small for what they want to have, not to mention poorly designed.
I saw one that I wouldn't put 4 birds in and it had 4 nest boxes. Whoever designed it knows nothing about chickens. They could have saved cost with fewer nests.

How about this one that they claim will hold 4 hens.
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/prod...garden-chicken-coops||NoFacet-_-NoFacet-_--_-
It's $750 without the attached run.
I designed and built all of mine, some pretty, some not. I bet between the 9 housing units that collectively can house well over 60 adults - I doubt I have much over $1000 in all of it not counting fencing.

 

[rancher hicks]

I have always advise those seeking to get chickens to go to the public library and take out everything they can on chickens/poultry. Even though there are those who disagree with Storey's book, it was a big help to me in choosing breeds I'd like.

I did start out with 8 breeds, 3 of each kind, except the frizzles, the only ones with roosters. I weeded out the unacceptable ones. Those that didn't seem to bet along/survive. Aussies, Wyandottes were getting picked on so I gave them away.

Not all chickens are created equal even in the same breeds.

So Yakima, I whole heartedly agree with your comments, with the exception that one can only fault themselves, if they don't do the research first. Others opinions, even mine, don't count.

Silkies however should NOT be considered chickens. They are clearly aliens from another planet. I had two, for reasons I won't go into and they are a pain in the neck. Certainly not something I would mix with chickens.

 

[Dreyadin]

You can design it for function and still be cute & inexpensive... Just function should be first- specifically functionality **for the birds' well being.**

Unfortunately this sort of thing happens with many animals. "Urban" dairy goats... yet another getting dumped off. Goldfish in a bowl.

There are good owners.. they just don't make the news. Start off with teaching the kids. Sign them up for 4-H. Or make it a class project to pick a suitable classroom pet- find out what it needs to be healthy- design and build an appropriate habitat, etc.

 

[The Yakima Kid]

Excellent point.


That too. And the cheap ones will be too small for what they want to have, not to mention poorly designed.
I saw one that I wouldn't put 4 birds in and it had 4 nest boxes. Whoever designed it knows nothing about chickens. They could have saved cost with fewer nests.

The one I am using in the run is the large Formex which is suggested for up to a dozen birds. It works well for six; but I wouldn't try more. It's well laid out inside, so everybody goes to roost - but the minute the outside motion detector light comes on I have all the Dominiques come out for a midnight snack and head back when it goes out, and then the one pair always insists on sitting on the ledge I built outside it when they come back, and the Black Star and her best friend wind up in a pile on the floor unless I come out and shine a flashlight inside which will move the Black Star and her friend to the roosts, but the other two just head out for another midnight snack. My feeders and waterers are out in the run year around since I have a canvas top over that part of the run.