New here and from Washington

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newchik715

newchik715

Songster
10 Years
Aug 31, 2009
331
0
119
Washington
I would like very much to have chickens in the spring of '10 and I would like to possibly meet someone in my area and see your set-up, meet your chickens, get advice and find out what kind of a commitment i am really in for. I have wanted to do this for some time and have begun deep research but I would love to talk to a real person and meet some real backyard chickens!

SOme questions I have are concerning cost for the coop, the feed, daily upkeep...does anyone have a ball park monthly figure?

In the PNW how do you protect your hens from the cold and rain and possible snow?

Am I inviting rats and lice onto my property by having chickens?

Do they really smell or if i keep up on the cleaning can they be clean animals?

all i ever hear from people when i tell them i want to do this is how nasty chickens are and how the eggs have to be cleaned and on and on....can i get some real advice from you guys who actually know?
 
First let me say
welcome-byc.gif

Second, let me give you my thoughts on your questions:


#1. It would be hard to even give you a ball park price. There are so so many things that affect the price of a coop. Number of chickens, breed of chickens, all new material, all used material, pre-built coops, etc. will all affect the price. When I built mine, I used as much scrap/salvaged mat as I could find. Check out the coop section, you can get lots of great ideas on there. Same with food. I think you will just have to learn as you go. I think that I read somewhere that the avg chicken will eat 1/4 pound of food per day. Not sure on that.

#2. I live in the deep south, so cold and snow are not an issue for me, but we do get a good bit of rain. As long as they have a dry, draft free, well ventilatied enclosure(4 walls and a roof), they will be fine. From what I have read, if the temps get really cold (-temps) some extra source of heat is needed. You would be surprised how well they can do in cold weather. Breed selection is important in this as well

#3. There should be no more of a worry about rats/lice on your properity than if you have dogs or cats. If you keep your coop clean and dry, and keep your extra feed in air tight containers, you will be fine.

#4. All animals smell. But you are right, if you keep them clean, they will smell less than the outside dog.

#5. As far as what people say about chickens, most people don't have a clue about raising chickens. I wash my eggs under warm water with a wash cloth and allow them to dry good before I put them in the fridge. They don't need any more washing than a store bought egg. I would sooner eat one of my dirty eggs before I would eat a "clean" store bought egg. With my eggs, I know everything about them and where they have been. Not so with store eggs. They are months old when they get to the store and have been touched by God only knows what kind of hands.

If there is anything I have learned in my few years with chickens it is this: Chickens haven't read all the books about how chickens are to be raised. They will do what they want, despite what the book says. Of course there are some general guidelines, but as far as the small stuff, they will take care of that.


Now don't rely just on what I have told you. These are just my opinions, but there may very well be much more helpful and better advice out there. But you are in the right place, BYC is great!!!!!
 
Welcome To BYC
Where are you at in The Great Pacific NorthWet? I lived in North Bend (30 Miles east of Seattle) for over 30 years. Raised chickens there with great success.
The big key is to keep the pen dry. How many birds do you wnt and what breeds are you thinking about?
 
welcome-byc.gif
from Oklahoma.

I built my coops for under 100.00 using scrap material. Look for cheap sheds. I got one of mine for $50.00, you can even find them for free.

You can bathe your chickens
big_smile.png
As long as you keep your coops clean, I honestly don't think they stink. My dogs stink much worse on their outside messes.

I have not had any mice problems. Chicken lice and human lice are totally different. Chicken lice will not infest a human, they can not survive.

Different breeds in my opinion stay cleaner than others. I have Australorps and Silkies, and my Silkies are by far harder to keep clean, because they have those ever so cute fluffy butts....
 

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