pross/cons of chickens?

[Brennigan]

Getting hens might not change your life but it will definitely change theres forever!

GREAT post.
But it will probably change your life too. And for the better.

 

[ccabal]

I hardly every do any "coop-cleaning" except just throw more leaves/grass in there and cover the old poop. During the summer I collect bags of grass clipping, and in the winter I use leaves. Its the deep-litter method. Surprisingly, there is no smell. When things start getting messy, you just throw fresh mulch over the old stuff, and pile it on like lasagne.
Later this spring, I will go in with a bucket and harvest some awesome compost from the bottom of my coop, for my garden!

 

[rancher hicks]

If you hang around here long enough, you'll get lots of ideas and methods any one of which will work for you.

Chickens litter can be used for lots of things. I use it as a mulch around my trees. I have a vegetable garden too of course, but it's good for shrubs and flowers too.

As for coops? There are lots of ideas and designs. Chicken coops are pretty easy to build with the right design.

Saw one in a magazine where the guy was in NYC and trash picked a dresser and made it into a coop for three hens.

Have you seen these? Just google coops or trailer coops and you'll find lots of ideas. That junker in your brother in laws yard just might be your next coop.

 

[JacobMaxwell]

Chickens are not very expensive at all as pets go. Where I live, a large bag of regular dog food costs 3 to 4 times as much as an equivalent amount of layer pellets.

 

[JacobMaxwell]

GREAT post.
But it will probably change your life too. And for the better.

X2

 

[lghrnlvr]

i started out with 6 white leghorns from tsc. it was the biggest mistake i ever made lol. i am now up to 7 adults, 6 6 week old chicks i hatched and 34 eggs that i just set in the incubator. my 6 chicks went thru a 20lb bag of chick starter grower in 6 weeks. it cost me $8. my adults eat a 50lbs every 2-3 weeks which cost $16 with scratch mixed in at $15/50lbs. i get 5 eggs a day and dont sell any. i probally should start since im running out of people to give them to. my main coop is a recycled rabbit hutch. i use a plastic part from a lawnmower on the ground for nest boxes. my chicks run is made from plastic bread trays wired and zip tied together. I have "junkyard chickens" so I used materials that I had laying around the property.
my chicks have a feeder and waterer front tic. it helps cut down on waste. my adults get their feed thrown on the ground and have the bottom 6in of a 5 gallon pail for water.
Chickens can be as cheap or expensive as you want. I do things the cheap way. do what works best for you.

 

[Sirracha]

Build a bigger coop than you need. They will grow or multiply quickly.
Fodder is cheaper food. You can make it stretch by cutting the grass into 2" strips. They seem to love the seeds and also that length if blade. Fermented feed is also cheaper, cost recovery wise. It isn't flicked everywhere and only requires a refill every week for me, in a 5 gallon bucket from Lowe's.
Build a big enough three stage compost bin so they can feed, poop, and turn your pile for you.
If you get bored, have them play rugby with cherries or grapes. Tetherball with cabbage on a string, or scratch in a Gatorade bottle with holes drilled in so they can kick it around to release food.
I use sand in my coop. Scoops out just like kitty litter.
They love straw hay. Toss some in the nesting box so they can make their own beds and also throw some in the run and watch them go at it looking for seed heads.
I built PVC pipe L shaped waterers with nipples. Fill it every week or so. Helps keep the water clean an also gives them something to do.
I started all this craziness when pincher bugs ate my $3 Safeway basil plant. Call me crazy. No more bugs.
Recover the cost of feed by selling or bartering your eggs. I've gotten many a great deal on dozens of eggs. Feed chicks back their shells. I nuke the shells for 20 secs it kill off germs and makes it easier to crush into tiny pieces by hand.

 

[Phoenixxx]

Also make sure you drain any sprouts very well after each rinsing.  They can go "off" easily if moisture is left in so you'll also want to smell the sprouts before you feed them.  We do really well sprouting in winter...but we've had a few batches go off when it's hot and humid.  Try Mung Beans (chinese bean sprouts) - very easy to sprout and grows quickly.

Back on topic, the pro's definitely outweigh the cons.  Our only cons are you can't go on an extended vacation (we have nobody locally that can care for them) and the worry of something 'getting' them, even though we have a really strong setup.  Oh, and we haven't slept in past sunrise since we got them...They get kinda angry when you don't let them out "on time"   

Solution for sleeping in: put food in the feeders when locking up the night before and/or leave a door open to the outside (if you can without risking your birds). Back to reading the thread now!

 

[luvameracauna]

To be honest I had chickens in middle school (6 of them) went through 2, 25 pound bags of feed every 2 weeks and I paid for it all, on a 13 year olds salary of almost nothing!! But still had $ left over at the end of the month. If that tells you anything

 

[Phoenixxx]

The only cons for me were:

1) I jumped right in, buying 2-year-old "rhode island reds" that were actually production birds, not healthy and never layed like they were supposed to because they had already reached retirement. So, before you get birds, RESEARCH YOUR BREEDS.

2) Chickens get sick? Worms, lice, really? Be prepared for these. You will find loads of info and treatment options here on byc

3) Chicken math.

On the pros side:

1) I get yummy eggs in all kinds of pretty colours now.

2) rooster soup will stop ANY cold or flu DEAD in its tracks - I haven't been properly sick once yet this winter, despite the abnormal and everlasting coldness.

3) chicken tv!

4) super low-maintenance once you find the right balance of birds for your setup.

5) free lawn and garden maintenance - to a degree

6) chicken math