thinking of getting chickens - many questions

[black_cat]

Unfortunately, the more 'exotic' you get with chickens, the less likely you are to find sexed chicks.

 

[Cattle dog Mom]

i think i will stick to a run at first (maybe one of the moveable ones). we have hawks and i don't want them being hit by cars. i probably prefer a pullet but i think that would difficult to find some in the more exotic breeds i want. auto sexing sounds perfect but i'm not seeing too many interesting looking breeds that are autosexing. i found a few CL listings for more exotic breeds... how do I tell if they're a good buy (like i'm getting healthy chicks)? unfortunately they're unsexed but there are the ayam cemani ones i want. since they're unsexed, how do i know they're not just giving me males and selling as unsexed?

Because your average person has NO CLUE how to attempt to sex a chick. And if they are a "breeder", reputation is important. Word gets around! If everyone that bought "straight run" chicks from them got ALL cockerels, word would get out! That said, you COULD get 3 cockerels. But that doesn't mean that the seller KNEW they were male. It means you got unlucky! Again, if you are violently opposed to cockerels, don't buy chicks! It's really that simple. Because even if you buy "pullet" chicks from a hatchery, you can STILL get cockerels! Hatchery's SAY that on their sites. (That chick sexing is NOT 100%.)

 

[CinnaBun]

Be careful with Craiglist (and similar websites). There are many, many posts of members thinking they are buying a specific breed, but in reality they got something completely different, often paying $$ for a mixed breed.

 

[Cattle dog Mom]

Be careful with Craiglist (and similar websites). There are many, many posts of members thinking they are buying a specific breed, but in reality they got something completely different, often paying $$ for a mixed breed.

But that is really no different than anywhere else. It isn't like chickens are registered. Even hatchery birds often don't fit the "standard" for the breed! For instance birds like Appenzeller Spitzhauben's having gigantic crests like a polish. Brabanters not having a beard NOR muffs. (They are supposed to have BOTH.) And on and on.

 

[black_cat]

But that is really no different than anywhere else. It isn't like chickens are registered. Even hatchery birds often don't fit the "standard" for the breed! For instance birds like Appenzeller Spitzhauben's having gigantic crests like a polish. Brabanters not having a beard NOR muffs. (They are supposed to have BOTH.) And on and on.

However, a mixed breed is still different than a purebred bird that is poorly bred.

 

[Cattle dog Mom]

However, a mixed breed is still different than a purebred bird that is poorly bred.

Oh absolutely. But for what some hatchery's charge for "rare" breeds, I would think they should STILL have the characteristics of that breed! (And some ARE crossbred! Hence not having the correct breed characteristics. It is NOT always just "bad luck".)

 

[Aunt Angus]

Hi!

Here are my thoughts based on my experiences:

Taking care of chickens is not hard at all, tbh. Once you get them set up, they are pretty darn easy. But like @aart said earlier, that isn't easy or cheap.

I have 2 Silkies. Mine are not at all on the bottom of the pecking order, even though they are my only 2 bantam hens. My other 6 hens are standard sized. I lucked out in that I got my Silkies from a feed store, and both turned out to be girls. The other unsexed chick I got turned out to be a fella, so I now have a rooster.

I do not cull (ahem.. slaughter) my chickens. They are my pets. If they are ill, I take care of them. I have a vet when needed. If I were to get more chicks now, I would get sexed, sex-linked, or autosexing birds. I do not want another rooster. The itty bitty bantam one I have now is plenty! That could be a good option for you, too.

I am terrified of losing any of mine to predators, so I have them in a covered run. I let them forage every day in a closed in yard for a few hours. But I supervise them VERY DILIGENTLY. Because I'm a crazy person. I am building them a new area once the rainy season ends. It will be a large area (I'm thinking 1000 sq ft or more) made with woven wire fencing fortified with electric wire. I have lots of predators out here in the woods: coyote, bobcat, raccoon, skunks, foxes, and so on. I also have hawks and owls, so that area will be covered with heavy-duty bird netting. Like I said: terrified of predators AND crazy.

But for 5 or so chickens, you don't have to do anything crazy. I currently have a welded wire dog kennel wrapped in hardware cloth and covered with a welded wire roof. It works great. It is about 200 sq ft, which would be very spacious for 5 chickens. An option I'd also considered was a chain link kennel that I could wrap in hardware cloth.

Enough rambling!

I can sum up everything with my own question: Why didn't I get chickens sooner? My life has been greatly enriched by having them.

 

[Doug in NY]

the only chickens we have lost to predators have been silkies. We have in the past 8 or 9 years ago on a different farm had a Fisher visit and kill most of the chickens in the coop. We got better at predator proofing our chickens since then.
We hatch our own eggs and any roosters left over in the fall go to the Amish and get processed into food. They taste pretty good, although there is much less fat than in a store bought chicken.

 

[Cattle dog Mom]

I currently have a welded wire dog kennel wrapped in hardware cloth and covered with a welded wire roof.

Do you have the whole kennel wrapped in HC? (Other than the roof.) Of just 'x' number of feet up from the ground?

 

[Aunt Angus]

Do you have the whole kennel wrapped in HC? (Other than the roof.) Of just 'x' number of feet up from the ground?

Just 4 ft up. I have electric poultry netting now, and I HATE hardware cloth, so I stopped there.