Scared to get chickens!

[alinas2010]

I look at peoples posts about ducks and think the same thing; “Man I’d love some, but those seem like a lot of work compared to my chickens!”

I really love the hentertainment our chickens provide and although the horror stories on here do worry me, the benefits outweigh the risks of the bad things happening. I’m sure it is very similar with ducks.

If you go down the chicken road, the best piece of advice I’ve been given for chicken keeping, is have a chicken first aid kit. You can’t avoid every sickness and injury, so it helps to at least be prepared

 

[KentuckyDuckMomma]

Of course not free ranging is fine! Most people don't recommend it anyway due to predators. I've free-range my chickens because my main reason for having them is for pest control.
What breeds you get depends on what your main purpose for having them is. But I would definitely recommend heritage breeds over hybrids that were created to produce a lot of eggs. The hybrids are very prone to egg issues and typically have short lives.
How many you get also depends on the space you have.
So what do you expect from your chickens? Once we know your goals, I'm sure other members will chime in with what breeds will suit you best.

I’d love pest control but they could only be out while I’m home and supervising them. I mainly want eggs. Nest birds is something I’m hoping to eventually get to if I can get the hang of chickens/keeping them healthy and alive

 

[Isadora]

I’d love pest control but they could only be out while I’m home and supervising them. I mainly want eggs. Nest birds is something I’m hoping to eventually get to if I can get the hang of chickens/keeping them healthy and alive

What do you mean by nest birds?

 

[KentuckyDuckMomma]

I look at peoples posts about ducks and think the same thing; “Man I’d love some, but those seem like a lot of work compared to my chickens!”

I really love the hentertainment our chickens provide and although the horror stories on here do worry me, the benefits outweigh the risks of the bad things happening. I’m sure it is very similar with ducks.

If you go down the chicken road, the best piece of advice I’ve been given for chicken keeping, is have a chicken first aid kit. You can’t avoid every sickness and injury, so it helps to at least be prepared

Is that something you can just buy or something you researched and made? Seriously, I’m NEW to chickens lol

 

[KentuckyDuckMomma]

What do you mean by nest birds?

So sorry! Meant MEAT birds lol

 

[Isadora]

So sorry! Meant MEAT birds lol

Lol, No problem. I figured it was a type of some kind I just wasn't sure what.

 

[alinas2010]

Is that something you can just buy or something you researched and made? Seriously, I’m NEW to chickens lol

I ended up with a few things on my own and after some unwarranted scares, i did some research and made one. I think i fell victim to seeing all these horrible accidents and illnesses on here and then thought my chickens were sick every time they sneezed or that they were going to pick up every parasite known or end up having a one in a million accident…in reality, I don’t know that I’ll ever use 3/4 of the things in there, but it sure makes me feel better having them.

There are some great articles and advice for putting a kit together on here.

 

[TheyBeChillin]

It does! I wouldn’t want anymore than 4 just starting out anyway.. eggs are sooo expensive! I just see where people post about certain wood chips have mites in them, fleas and lice from outside animals, water belly, feet issues, and I’ve had no issues with my ducks so I just didn’t know if chickens are so particular or just the people are?

I don’t have enough experience with chickens to know whether the chickens or people are particular, I have to admit. I do apologize I can’t answer that question.
If I were to take a guess, I figure the breed and how many chickens someone owns also has a lot to do with issues appearing.
The Rhode Island Reds and Barred Rocks are very hardy breeds, so that probably also helps. I’d suggest getting a hardy breed like that to start with. I know a family that owns Orpingtons, and they really like having them. I believe that was the breed they started out with.
I’ve never had any issues with my wood chips. I get the Pine shavings from Tractor Supply, using the Tractor Supply brand.

 

[tripletfeb]

Chickens are literally, the easiest animal I have ever cared for. And I've had lots of animals in my life. They are even easier than my fish! I do the deep bedding method and only clean them out twice a year. Can't do that with ducks. Chickens are as prone to illness or disease as ducks are. And I don't free range mine all the time, sometimes I simply don't feel like having to lock them up when it gets dark so they stay in their run and coop area. Can't get much easier than having chickens for their eggs

 

[aart]

eggs are sooo expensive!

They are expensive when keeping chickens too.
My hens haven't been laying for a couple months due to molting and winter break.
I had to keep feeding them tho.
The 4 eggs I got this last week cost about $10 per egg.