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dansanddogs

dansanddogs

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Hello All! I am new to the chicken world! I am in the process of getting my coop built so I can be a backyard farmer :) I live in the country and have two small children...so I was wondering if anyone could give me some input on which breed of chicken may be the most "kid friendly" and also good at letting me know when they (the chickens) may be in danger of predators.
 
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Chickens are pure bate and produce egg's that is about it for protection I had to get a couple of Guinea hens now they make noise and will attack predators but also die so please do not kid yourself if you want them safe you need to fence them in and believe it or not you could still have problems .......



Enjoy your stay hear at BYC ......
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Hello and Welcome!!
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I'm a firm believer in making sure your coop and run is protected. I live in an area with coyote, fox, owls, hawks, fisher cats (so gross!) and the wandering neighborhood dogs. I let the girls out to free range on evenings when I am home, but their roamings are always supervised.

One aspect that people tend to overlook is making sure the top of the run is protected. Some people choose to fully enclose with a roof, but I chose bird netting secured every 6" and it has worked quite well to deter overhead predator attacks (if you have trees nearby, don't forget that raccoons can climb and jump!) My sister-in-law chose chicken wire and that option works very well also.

I only have experience with a few breeds, but have heard that brahma's are generally very docile (I have one and can walk right up to her and pick her up). One thing that I am noticing though, is that all birds are different. Just as with dogs, breeds have a generalized predisposition, but their true character may be completely different. For example, cochin's are supposed to be friendly, but mine is a witch
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... and in my experience, MOST chickens will let you know if predators are around. My girls are really good at yelling when they sense something out of place. My black sumatra and wyandotte are the group yellers.

Best wishes on your planning and prepping for backyard chickens!!

Diane
 
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Welcome to BYC!

Lots of kid friendly chickens out there. The Buff Orpingtons and the Black Australorps make wonderful pets and tolerate children well. They are also great layers as well. Silkies make wonderful pets too.

You might take a look at these two breeds pages. Lots of quick info in the different attributes of the breeds...

http://www.sagehenfarmlodi.com/chooks/chooks.html

http://www.albc-usa.org/documents/chickenbreedcomparison.pdf

As for predators, EVERYTHING eats chickens. So you need to build a very strong good coop and run to keep them in. If you do free range, you have to except the fact that you will lose birds to predators. Roosters can act as alarms for the hens, but they don't actually protect them. Roosters can be mean and attack children. So I don't advise you keep one.

Good luck on this new journey! If you have any further questions, feel free to ask. Welcome to our flock!
 
drumstick diva said:
Gander speaks the truth. Kid friendly breeds like silkies, buff orpingtons, etc. don't make good watch dogs either. Welcome to BYC
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Welcome to BYC! x2 on what Gander and drumstick diva said. Among the friendliest and most docile of chickens are breeds like Orpingtons, Australorps, Silkies, Cochins, and Brahmas. My children, and now my granddaughter make pets of these breeds, but none of them make good watchdogs.
 

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