The truth about backyard chickens

[water4two]

Like many before me have said having your own chickens is not going to save you money! There is a thread here on BYC that is titled something like, What did your first egg cost you? It is so true.

I love my girls (even the roo that I never wanted)! It has been very rewarding and sad at times.

I like how people that do not have chickens or have never raised them are the most informed about them!

Here is the best question to ask someone to tell if they have been around chickens.....Do you need a roo for a hen to lay an egg? It still makes me laugh about how few adults know the answer to this question!

If you never picked up after a dog or cleaned where it sleeps it will stink. This goes for chickens too. If you have to many chickens for your coop for it size then you will have issues from, injuries to stinkyness.

My kids have been involved from the chicks arriving to feeding & cleaning. They have learned so much about raise animals, good & bad, happy & sad parts too.

My biggest issue was that I wanted one of each breed.

Read about each breed before you buy. Look up where and when a local poultry show will be held and attend it. There will be people (who care for and raise chickens) to talk to face to face and you can see the different breeds up close and personal. I saw a jersey giant in person for the first time a few weeks ago and let me tell you they do not lie about the giant part.

Good luck and you are in the right place to learn and to make an informed choice about raising chickens.

 

[Lucy_R]

I'm wondering, if we only wanted say, 2 to start with. Is that too small of a number? Do they need a bigger flock to be happy?

 

[speckledhen]

I think it's best to get at least 3. That way, if something happens to one, the others have a pal left.

 

[wsdareme]

Quote:
Has anybody explained "chicken math" to you? LOL!! You might start with 2, but it won't be long before you have a lot more than that!

Seriously, though, 2 would be the minimum number. Chickens are social creatures and need companionship. Personally, I'd probably start with at least 3 or 4 in case something happens to one of them. (Actually, I started with 12, but I knew I would have room for them.) And, depending on if you want them to produce all the eggs you'll use, you'll need to have enough hens to give you the daily number you'd like to have. Take a look at the breed selector tool at mypetchicken.com and you can find the size and frequency of egg production of the various breeds.

 

[maryboland]

Well here's my 2 cents. I'm 74 years and my husband 78. This winter I got a yen to have chicken again. We had them many years ago when our kids were small and I got to thinking this year that the eggs from our own chickens all those years ago tasted much better than the expensive "organic" eggs I was buying. Also, I doubt that those commercial eggs labeled organic and free range get a very varied diet or are really anything like free ranged. Any producer can claim "free range" even if the birds just have a tiny outdoor space. Also I believe we need to reduce our carbon footprints and produce more of our own food locally. On the other hand, I thought maybe it didn't make sense to invest in a project like that so late in life. Well after much cogitation, this spring I went for it. For 12 hens I built a 64 sq ft pen with a predator proof run the same size. And then from noon to dusk I let them out into a quarter acre area that is fenced but not really predator proof and thus not suitable for nightime. They are now laying an average of seven eggs a day.

I didn't really add it up exactly but the coop, run and fencing for the quarter acre came to about $1200, so yes the eggs are expensive unless you spread that cost over years. But my daughter, her husband and the grandkids will inherit the property and the coop will last for many decades with some maintenance. The organic feed I buy is costing me $1.25 per dozen eggs while inferior organic store bought eggs are $4 and up per dozen. So I'm saving $624 or so per year and that pays for the coop in two years or so. After that it's all savings. So the economics aren't really that bad. And I feel good about eating eggs from hens that are having a happy, healthy life and are as local as you can get.

Furthermore, if you live in a warmer climate, you won't need to spend near as much for your coop. We are in the Colorado Rockies at 7000 ft with real winters so we had to build something well insulated.

 

[Beekissed]

Coops can be built from scrap or scavenged materials...they don't have to cost you a fortune to be cute and functional...its really in what you are willing to spend to have a few fresh eggs. It always amuses me when people talk about spending a lot of money to get/keep chickens.

Trust me on this....if it were expensive, I could never have nor would I ever still keep chickens. I have lived below the poverty line all my life and I still maintain a beautiful flock of over 30 dual purpose chickens that are healthy, thriving and actually MAKING me money and saving me money on food costs.

I am a single parent without the benefit of child support with a pretty low paying job...and I manage to have chickens without stressing my finances.

So all this talk about how expensive chickens are is a lot of hooey....of course its all expensive if you have to have the cutest, most insulated, best lookin' coop on the block type set up with "Ft. Knox fencing" and every fancy piece of chicken accessories that you can buy.

Its also expensive if you are buying exotic play toy birds that are fragile and sickly, can't support themselves in egg production or eat you out of house and home because you insist on feeding them 24/7, plus "treats", plus medicines, vet care(don't even get me started on that one), specialized feeds, etc., ad nauseam.

A good coat of paint and some imagination can turn a scrap lumber coop into a aesthetically pleasing dwelling for your chooks. Fencing can be found second hand or scavenged and made to look presentable.

A good family dog that is kept outside can deter most predators and these kinds of dogs can often be found for free. Good, dual purpose breeds that are cold or heat hardy can be found in your local ads if you are looking in the right places and they are often quite reasonably priced. Heck, you could get a $40 incubator and make all the chicks you wish....someone like me would give you all the fertilized eggs you could want~for $2 a doz.

Get birds that do well in your climate, build their immune systems, provide adequate shelter and you should have little problems. Its keeping chickens, not rocket science.

Being practical about their health care and husbandry can save you money also....you obviously can't pay $7 for a chicken and then turn around and get a $1500 surgery on her and save money. If you pay $7 for her and keep her for several years enjoying her eggs and then process her for chicken soup, you have actually MADE money in the long run. If she is injured to the degree that she either requires killing or vet care, the choice should be easy~you only spend what you would pay on the replacement value of your investment.

 

[CityChook]

Save money? No.
Get the best eggs ever? Absolutely.
Give a finger to the horrifying industry that abuses battery hens in the name of profit? For sure
Have a beautiful, calming addition to your back yard? Yes
Teach your children to care for a pet? Yes
Teach your children where their food comes from? For sure
Get to feel like it's Christmas every day when you check the nestbox? Yes
Test your construction skills? Yes
Receive nutrient rich poo for your vegetable garden? Definitely
Give you an opportunity to hose off your patio occasionally? Yes
Encourage your children to eat healthy food? Yes
Pain in the patooky when you go out of town ('cuz you'll need a pet sitter)? Yes
Prove all the naysayers wrong? Easily

I am in the city. People are amazed when they come to my house and see the chickens (I have 4). I adore watching kids discover them and I like teaching the adults, too. Seems there are so many negative perceptions out there that when they see my clean, non-smelly chickens in their beautiful coop/run, they can't believe their eyes. I've held my hens so many times to allow kids and adults alike to pet their downy feathers (99% have never even seen a chicken up close let alone touched one) and they can't believe how clean they are.

I would recommend a minimum of 3. That way, if one dies you will still have the pair to keep each other company. They are very social creatures.

The coop is a lovely addition to my backyard. It was built for permanence and safety (and can be repurposed into a gardening shed or even a guest room!!) - I have never lost a chicken to a predator. They have a run and are allowed free range time in the evenings a few days a week. They are a wonderful addition to my home.

BTW, I walk out to the coop in high heels every day to open their pop door. I have yet to step in a pile of poo that ruined my day.

 

[marymac]

Beautiful family... including your chickens!!!!

 

[joebryant]

There are solutions (as already given here by others) for all the claims you've been told.
If you are already buying free range/ organic eggs, you ain'ta gonna save a nickel getting your own chickens. Chickens are like children, you don't realize what they're costing you until the bills start coming in. The person you're buying from is probably not making enough to pay his/her feed bill (saying nothing about housing, bedding, vet bills, ... ad nauseum. BUT if you like chickens,... go for it.

 

[noodleroo]

CityChook; I love the pic. Your little girls are so beautiful and everybody looks so happy, chickens included!