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Jess'nJace

In the Brooder
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Hey there! My son wants to get chickens from his school. We just bought a home & It's turning into a suburban mini-farm! I'm hesitant to do this, not knowing the time or money commitment, nor the hassles that come with having chickens. I don't want to go into this blindly. Your insight, advice & experiences shared would be much appreciated! Thank you!
 
You came to the right place. My parents had to deal with me and my animal loving nature. And now that I am older, I'm so glad they allowed me to have my critters while I was growing up. The most basic advice I can give you is to start small. Three chickens are a good introduction and you won't be overrun with building a giant coop, feeding and so forth.

Good luck!
 
Welcome to BYC! Glad you're here.

When I told my brother we were getting chickens, he chuckled and said, "They'll be nothing but a hassle, and you'll get rid of them within six months."

That was more than eight years ago, and he couldn't have been more wrong! We thoroughly enjoy having chickens.
 
theoldchick said:
You came to the right place. My parents had to deal with me and my animal loving nature. And now that I am older, I'm so glad they allowed me to have my critters while I was growing up. The most basic advice I can give you is to start small. Three chickens are a good introduction and you won't be overrun with building a giant coop, feeding and so forth.

Good luck!
Click to expand...
Yes, check that you like first but I can almost guarantee you'll add a couple of coop extensions later in the year and by next year you'll be building that giant coop to house your 30 hens :lau
 
Hello and Welcome to BYC :frow

From a parents point of view, if your son is responsible it should be pretty easy. Chickens don't need a lot of attention. Just food, water and a place to live. They're not care free, but easier than some other animals.

They WILL eat everything green in your yard they can reach, dig dust baths where they want them not where you want them, and the coop and run will require maintenance. How much depends on whether you let your birds range or not, the litter you use, how big your housing is for however many birds, etc.
We have:
9 chickens, a rather large coop that I can stand in to clean up, use deep litter in the coop on a dirt floor, and let our chickens out in our yard all day.
I cleaned the coop litter out six months ago, hoping I can stretch to a year this time. Weekly I dampen the litter, after scraping the roost and loft of any poop, and stir the litter with a rake. It takes maybe 20 minutes.

Chickens are a great choice for a kid. Chicken TV is great for the whole family.
 
:welcome glad you have joined us. And wishing you and your son success with the new adventure.

IMO the highest cost is building the coop.

Chickens don't require a lot of time if you plan ahead on how you want to tend them, but do explore coop features that expedite cleaning and tending chores, and different beddings for clean up chores.
 
Howdy:welcome:frow Happy :yato have you join the family. Enjoy your time here at BYC! :)
If you choose to raise some chickens, you won't regret it. Instead of your son watching tv and playing video games all day. He will be watching chicken tv, learning math, "chicken math" that is... and having a great learning experience which will last a life time. WARNING: DISCLAIMER: It's addictive, and can possibly cause chicken math, if advice is used as directed. :jumpy
 

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