people with house chickens

[ChickenPeep]

MsChickenMomma, Sunni is so adorable! I see you have newspaper shredding in her coop. How is that working out for you? I've been thinking about trying that. Her diaper is adorable! Does she have a pink one too?

 

[MsChickenMomma]

MsChickenMomma, Sunni is so adorable! I see you have newspaper shredding in her coop. How is that working out for you? I've been thinking about trying that. Her diaper is adorable! Does she have a pink one too?

The newspaper works great. It's a lot less of a dust collecter than shavings, and it doesn't get all over the place nearly as bad as shavings do. At first Sunni kept trying to eat them, but she stopped doing that after the first day. She does have a pink diaper too. I think I posted pictures of her wearing it a few pages back.

 

[ChickenPeep]

Well I'll have to try it.

I'm almost certain we have a paper shredder, and God knows we have years worth of newspapers piled up.

 

[ChickenPeep]

As some of you may know, my chickens live in my basement as of now and they are house chickens. My family has been planning in moving for years now, and we finally have a blueprint of our new house. I really have been dreading moving and haven't even wanted to face it as a reality, but now that I see these blueprints, that's changing. I just learned that my parents have been designing a separate part of the garage that will have windows and a door (maybe even a doggie-- I mean chicken door) just for the chickens. It just really hit me that my birds will be so much happier and their setup will be much better as they will always have access to daylight and going outside will be much easier. I've also been thinking about the fact that although we will still have close neighbors, they will be farther away and we won't have to monitor our roosters as vigorously. I'm kinda liking this moving idea now.

 

[Tacampbell1973]

I brought Webster the house duck to the park last night around 8pm with my friends! He didn't mind being held on the walk over and stayed close to us when we were at the park. He's really starting to like me. I can't wait for his diapers to come in the mail!

 

[Tacampbell1973]

I brought Webster the house duck to the park last night around 8pm with my friends! He didn't mind being held on the walk over and stayed close to us when we were at the park. He's really starting to like me. I can't wait for his diapers to come in the mail!

 

[duckncover]

Look at all the feathers Webster is getting! His Intermediate diaper from Party Fowl just got shipped out so I'm hoping it comes on Monday!

My mom, of all people, wants me to rename Pidgey to Frizzle. She did let me get the little lady after all so Frizzle it is. She chilling on my bed right now in her corner.

 

[kukupecpec]

As some of you may know, my chickens live in my basement as of now and they are house chickens. My family has been planning in moving for years now, and we finally have a blueprint of our new house. I really have been dreading moving and haven't even wanted to face it as a reality, but now that I see these blueprints, that's changing. I just learned that my parents have been designing a separate part of the garage that will have windows and a door (maybe even a doggie-- I mean chicken door) just for the chickens. It just really hit me that my birds will be so much happier and their setup will be much better as they will always have access to daylight and going outside will be much easier. I've also been thinking about the fact that although we will still have close neighbors, they will be farther away and we won't have to monitor our roosters as vigorously. I'm kinda liking this moving idea now.

Woo hoo! Way to be positive =) I'm sure your chickies will LOVE the new house! And after a little settling in I bet you will too =)

Look at all the feathers Webster is getting! His Intermediate diaper from Party Fowl just got shipped out so I'm hoping it comes on Monday!

My mom, of all people, wants me to rename Pidgey to Frizzle. She did let me get the little lady after all so Frizzle it is. She chilling on my bed right now in her corner.

Isn't it fun to watch their feathers come in? I remember when Trina was losing her baby fuzz, they are so dang cute! I would love to get a house duck someday... but I've got plenty of diapers to change for the moment lol.
Yay for Frizzle!!!! What a cutie! You are lucky!

 

[Araucana16]

Hello Everyone, Welcome any new people to this thread.

This and the Michigan thread are my homes on here. I just visit elsewhere.

Joseanne your chickens are lovely. I am so sorry for your loss. I hope it was not one of your dogs.

I am in a rant so bare with me folks....

I havent been here in a little while. Some of you may want to visit the Mi thread so you can see what is happening. Basically Wednesday afternoon Bangor Twp Zoning Enforcer with backup came to my door to tell me the chickens and ducks have to go. I am in violation of zoning law. They say I have to have 10 acres. I am on 2/3 of an acre. I brought up the MRTFA and GAAMP. They didnt care. They told me to get my lawyer and they have their team of lawyers and decide how much money I would like to spend.

So after sitting in my run and holding all of the chickens and sobbing in their feathers(DH told me to quit, was getting the feathers all wet), now I am just angry.

I am getting rid of the 7 silkie roosters and my two ducks tonight, everything loud. They are going to a huge farm where they will never be killed and spoiled rotten.

I am expecting a certified letter next week, still have not decided if I will sign for it. Hhhmmm:/

In the meantime I am rallying the troops. Children are writing letters, I am writing letters, I am working on a petition to amend the zoning law. I will go door to door to get signatures. I already have people volunteering to collect them too. We have car loads of folks that are planning on attending the next zoning meeting.

I want to keep my chickens but now it is bigger than that for me. This is my thought.

This is America. I am NOT hiding behind the flag. In America we have rights. But the Government continues to strip away those rights. One of those rights that people should have is to be able to produce and provide their family with quality food.

Cancer rates are at an all time high. Why? Because of the crap that we have in our food. I am sure that we all know that factory farmed chickens or even the chickens that some of the folks on here raise (the cornish X) are genitically altered. You know that they are killed in something like 54 days. They have to be. They are so unhealthy and obese that they will die anyway.

I feed my girls all Natural feed. The closest to organic that you can find around here. There are NO hormones, antibiotics or chemicals in anything that my chickens eat. They are free range (within limits) the coop is roomy and they have plenty of fresh air and sunshine. No trimmed beaks, no feather picking, no cannibalism, no prolasped uterus. In other words my conditions are much better than what the GOVERNMENT says is acceptable in factory farms.

Ok I did have 7 silkie roosters, but if the people that complained would have bothered to come visit me I would have explained. I got those silkies at about 9weeks. The breeder was sure they were hens. I got them for my kids and the neighbors girls. They started crowing two weeks ago (the same time the complaints started, WE HAVE BEEN HERE A YEAR ON A VERY BUSY CORNER WITH NO COMPLAINTS) OK so I thought I give it a little time. Wanted to see if there might be any hens before I got rid of the whole bunch. I planned on getting rid of the roosters from the first crow. My ducks are not loud, but they do quack when they are excited.

I have 16 laying hens and 9 nine week old pullets. I will be willing to downsize. But that is all. This anonymous female (my nieghbor Who just happens to be a b***h) told the twp I have goats (do not, wish I did) and indoor chickens. Indoor chickens are against the law too. So my comment to that is "waste the tax payers money, get a court order and search my home for contraband chickens, I will have a news crew waiting. Untill then get the F*** off my property!"

This farm that some of my birds are going to is willing to take all my birds and if I suceed in changing the law I can have them back. My mother tells me they won't remember me after a few weeks. Well I am planning on visiting them often. And they will remember when they are home.

The chickens will not go untill they start slapping me with fines. I will take this fight as far as I can without a lawyer.

Think about this people. If they take away the right to produce and provide healty food (simply for the sake that its $ out of their pockets from big business) whats next? I dont smoke but you have the right to if you want to. Not in Michigan anymore. You are not even aloud to sit in your car at work and smoke. Really? We all know smoking will kill you if you don't care puff away. Just don't smoke near me. I choose not to go to the bar. Beacuse those of you who smoke should have the right to. Gandholm passed this law without even thinking it thru. The bar business is going to be cut. Which means less money for the waitress, which is less school clothes for her kids etc. Or less mone for the bar owners, which means they are buying less big toys, less money for those busiesses, so those people have to cut back. OMG hasent the government heard of the trickle down effect.

You realize the government is benifiting from us getting fat, sick and lazy. Government runs free lunch in schools, they control the prison food, food for the elderly, food that is shipped overseas like to Haiti and such. They get all that food from big business. Tyson etc. Our beef are fed corn. Cattle are NOT supposed to be fed corn. They eat grass. But the government has the pattent on the corn that is raised in the US. As a farmer you will eaither get into bed with them or they will push you out! Cattle should take about 3 years to be slaughter weight. But feed them corn for 180 days and they bulk up fast enough to be shipped off. Of course if they werent killed after 180 days they would stand right there and die anyway because they are so unhealthy. Saturated fat in corn fed beef is something like 300% more than in pasture fed beef. But as Americans most of us have never even had a grass fed cow. And you wonder why your fat. Hhhmmm could be the crap the GOVERNMENT is feeding your food.

I am not an Anarchist, but at the same time I am not a socialist or communist. This is America, its time we start acting like it and took back some of our rights before we lose more. For me its starting with keeping chickens, but its so much more. That zoning guy has no clue what a can of worms he just opened up by ticking me off.

America is a place where your vote should really count, your government is working for you not against you, and a place where you should be free to live how you want to if its not hurting anyone else.

I just had to chime in.
My neighborhood is such a.... *screams.* Technically, we aren't allowed to own pets that aren't dogs and cats. And, also, we can't have more than 3 pets. Goldfish are banned.
We can't have bushes over 3 feet high.
We can't have fences.
We can't leave our garage door open for more than an hour, and aren't allowed to have anything in our yards.
... chickens are completely banned. So I'm waiting until spring to get them in my neighbor's yard (owns a farm, it's okay for them to have chickens.)
We've talked to the HOA repeatedly. They say no. Never give me a reason, and if they happen to, I give them the facts (they are **** stupid reasons to say no) and they just shrug and say - "That doesn't change our answer."
So chickens are a no fly. Hope it's not the same for you. Over half of our neighbor voted 'yes' on the provision I suggested to add to the ordinance. Still a no.
Oh well. Counting the minutes until my mother lets us move.

 

[MsChickenMomma]

As some of you may already know, my family may or may not be moving to the city this winter. If we do, I have to re-home all of my chickens. All except Sunni, my house chicken. I should know for sure if we are moving or not in about 2-3 weeks. My mom just told me today that if we move, I am allowed to take Sunni and one other hen with me. I of course chose my Henny. (yes, her name is Henny) She is almost completely blind, she has lots of special needs, and she doesn't do well to change. So I am going to keep her. I don't think anyone could give her the care that she truly needs.

So if we are moving, I will soon have two house chickens. Henny is very old, and we aren't sure how much longer she has with us, so it may just be temporary that I have two house chickens.

Because the city we may be moving to says NO chickens, they won't be able to go outside. Unless we go to a park or a families house and they come with. I don't want to risk someone seeing them, and then having to give up my babies. Because Henny is so blind, she won't have free run of the house like Sunni does. She will be in a little coop in the basement that we'll make her. She likes staying in the places she knows best. She already never leaves the coop. Not even to go outside. It stresses her out too much. I fear that I am going to lose her this winter, because she is becoming very weak, so I don't even know if she'll be coming in the house or not. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.