Hi all! I'm Absolutely a newbie to chickens. Period. We are tired of the fluctuating quality of eggs at the market, so we have decided to finally have our own ladies. It is imparative that we stay as quiet as we can due to neighbors. Our direct neighbors know but we prefer for it to stay at that. I have decided that the orpingtons may be the best route to take. Maybe even an EE. We have a pretty decent fenced in yard, I'd say .4 acres fenced. We also have a large garden. 1. Do you think 3-4 hens would be quiet enough? I understand they may sing after an egg. 2. Do you think Orpingtons and EE would mostly leave the garden plants alone, or should we wire around it? 3. Will they fly out of our yard?... Could we prevent that? I want them to be out during the day. 4. Is there a difference in the orpington colors and attitude? 5. Anything else that may help us stay stealth? Besides paying off the neighbors. Thank you so much!!
Does your city not allow chickens, or is jt an HOA issue? Any chicken will probably get at your garden regardless of breed. Also, the number of birds you will want depends on the number of people in your household and how many eggs you will want or need. You can figure that you will get anywhere from 3 to 6 eggs a week per hen.
