Multiple Chicken Questions.....

[ema-leigh]

Hi Everyone

Im new to the site, so thanks for taking time to read this. I love chickens and have always wanted my own, so here I am trying to gather research to find out everything I need to know before I get some. My questions might sound strange to you guys, sorry... Im reading alot of stuff off the internet.

1) I want to get chicks, but I dont want to incubate any, so whats the age I want that can go directly to an outdoor insulated chicken coop? (Its almost summer here, Im in Canada so soon it will be hot outside, approx 25 degrees and cooler at night.)

2) What is the minimun amount of chickens suggested per flock. I was thinking of starting off with two.. but Im unsure if they can function in such small numbers as they are a flock animal.

3) Can I just keep hens, or do I need at least one rooster?

4) Can chickens be litter box trained?

5) Can I clip their wings myself, or should I get a vet to do it?

6) Whats the suggested diet for chickens.

7) What age do they start laying eggs at?

8) Is it okay to take away all the eggs every morning, or do they get upset about it?

9) How long do they live for on average?

10) How often should a coop be cleaned? Disinfected?

11) Are there any big 'donts' that come along with owning a chicken.

 

[felidaet]

First -

There are entire books written to answer these questions. Some of us could spend hours typing answers to these questions. I would recommend that you spend at least a few hours doing research on this site. Reading through past threads in this category would be a great place to start. I personally spent MANY MANY evenings reading messages threads here on BYC before I got my chicks. You don't have to spend as much time as I did researching but the more you know the more comfortable you will be when you get the chicks. I started my research in Nov 2008 and got my first chicks in Apr 2009. I like to have lots of information before I jump into something new. I am adding another 25 chicks this year. I will be getting them in one week.

 

[cheshie]

Hey there...welcome to BYC. I'm pretty new here myself, and just got my first 3 chicks today so please know that I am noooooo expert.

3) You don't need to have any roosters. Hens will lay eggs regardless of whether there is a rooster present. The eggs will not be fertile, but that would only be necessary if you wanted to hatch the eggs.

5) You can clip their wings yourself if you are comfortable doing it. There are sites that show you how to clip wings. Personally, I think I would have an experienced person actually show you how to do it the first time, just to make sure you are doing it correctly and there is no harm to the chickens...but that's just me.

8) My understanding is that you should indeed collect the eggs every day because that way you are getting the freshest eggs. I don't think they will mind unless you have a particularly broody hen who is trying to incubate them.

Again...

. I am on here every day trying to learn more, and everyone has been wonderful and supportive. I hope you find this site as helpful as I have. Beware though...fuzzy butts are very addicting.

 

[ema-leigh]

Thanks so much for the replys and warm welcomes guys.

I plan on doing lots of research on the site to learn as much as I can. I'll read as much of the threads as I can, so far the ones Ive read have been really hard to understand as I really dont know that much specific stuff. Ive been reading up on the internet about keeping them for 4 months but I still have lots to learn. My main concern first was weather they could survive a canadian winter, as it can get really cold here. I found out they can, so now Im trying to learn more. *steals knowledge* Im in the middle of building a large chicken coop for them, and the sites I read said to feed 'chicken feed'... so I wanted to learn more of the kind of things that they need to eat everyday and maybe make it myself - and of course suppliments. I want them to be the most spoiled chickens out there lol.

 

[underground chickenman]

Quote:
Fully feathered, which is 6 to 8 weeks from most common breeds. I prefer to keep mine in the brooder a little longer, but I have a big brooder that they can grow into.

2) What is the minimun amount of chickens suggested per flock. I was thinking of starting off with two.. but Im unsure if they can function in such small numbers as they are a flock animal.

I recommend at least three. Chickens like company. They will be fine in a pair, but if you lose one, you will have a lonely chicken. Rather than look at a minimum, you should consider what you want them for. If it is for eggs, you need to decide how many you will need based on the number of eggs you want and the number the breeds you want will lay.

3) Can I just keep hens, or do I need at least one rooster?

If you want chicks, you will need a rooster. If you want just eggs, you don't.

4) Can chickens be litter box trained?

Heck no!

5) Can I clip their wings myself, or should I get a vet to do it?

You can do it yourself, just make sure you know what you are doing. You might also consider whether you need to. I don't clip mine.

6) Whats the suggested diet for chickens.

Depends on their age and what they are for. Layers and meat birds have different requirements, as do chicks, juveniles (cockerels and pullets) and hens and roosters. Read up. There is plenty of information on this forum and on the internet at large. I'll have to be honest, when I got to this question, I started regretting that I had started answering them. It appears that you haven't really looked into this much. The answers to your questions are easily found on this forum and elsewhere on the internet. Even if you got all of the answers to these questions, there is so much more to know. I suggest you make a serious study of chickens, their behavior, development, diseases, feed and housing requirements and the characteristics of the breeds you are interested in. I wouldn't recommend you get chickens before then.

7) What age do they start laying eggs at?

Depends on the breed. Most layers are laying by about 20 weeks. Some lay sooner and some lay later. It will also depend on the time of year and how much light they are getting.

8) Is it okay to take away all the eggs every morning, or do they get upset about it?

You should gather eggs at least once per day. Try not to leave them in the nest box overnight.

9) How long do they live for on average?

Depends on the breed. A chicken can live for 10 years or more. Egg production drops off after about two years, but most will lay the entire lives at a steadily decreasing rate.

10) How often should a coop be cleaned? Disinfected?

The answer to this is too detailed. Research it. I would start with searching this forum or googling "deep litter method". There are other methods, but that is the one I use.

11) Are there any big 'donts' that come along with owning a chicken.

Sure there are, but this space isn't adequate to address them all. I suggest you get a good book on raising chickens. I recommend "Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens" by Gail Damerow. There are several other good ones. I also recommend you spend a half and hour or so reading the questions and answers on this forum for a few months. Also read the FAQ and the "stickies" at the top of several of the message board categories. There is a wealth of information on this forum. After you have taken the time to look into an issue on your own, if you are still stuck, don't be bashful about asking a question here. Everybody will be eager to help somebody who is trying to learn.

Good luck and let us know when you get chickens, what kind and how your experience is going.

UGCM​

 

[5acrefarmer]

Hi Ema. I'm new to this sight too, but have raised chickens on and off for several years, depending where I lived. You have some good advice here, but on the cliping of the wings, it does depened upon where you keep them. One place where I lived I let them free range and that way with full wings they had a better chance of getting away from their preditors. If you keep them in a run with out a top you might want to clip their wings. Just remember, only do one wing. This keeps them off balance and they cannot fly out. I had a cousin that asked my grandma about it and she went home and trimed both wings and they were still able to fly.