What about us old folks

[fschutzman]

Hi, I fell in love with your website and chickens. I have a question. I and my wife are retired. We are both in our mid-sixties. Is that too old to raise chickens. I am in pretty good shape, but she has arthritis ,and is afraid that chickens is too much work for older folks. What do you think?

 

[redsoxs]

Greetings from Kansas and

! Great to have you with us! As to your age I say heck no - you will be able to handle chickens fine! The biggest challenge will be constructing a coop and run - that might require a little assistance. Beyond that the care and upkeep of chickens is quite simple. Watering, feeding, collecting eggs. And they will bring you and your wife so much joy! I wish you all the best and don't be afraid to ask ANY questions you have along the way! Good luck to you!

 

[Mr MKK FARMS]

Welcome!

 

[James the Bald]

Welcome to BYC! I've been told that 60 is the new 50! I'm 10 years behind you, and I was worried that raising quail would be too much for me. As was mentioned earlier, the toughest part of raising quail was making cages for them. Feeding, watering and collecting eggs is required daily, and I clean all of the cages once a week, putting the droppings into my compost pile. Right now, I have 64 eggs in the incubator to add to the quail that I now have.
"The Learning Center" has a lot of great articles, and there are plenty of experienced members who can answer questions in the forums.
Good Luck!!!
James

 

[BantamFan4Life]

 

[4H gal]

Welcome to BYC!!!

You are NEVER to old to raise chickens!

 

[drumstick diva]

my friend is 75 and has back problems but, it doesn't stop her. She only has 4 - 2 silkies, 2 seramas - but she keeps them as house chickens.

 

[gryeyes]

I started with chickens when I was 56, will be sixty at the end of August. I have fibromyalgia, so some days it's all I can do to fill feeders and waterers. I have a hand-truck (dolly) to move fifty pound bags of feed.

My flock has about fifty mature hens, two roosters, two ganders, three geese, four turkeys, 27 Cayuga ducks, about thirty juvenile chickens and now a free peacock which found its way onto my property.

I hired a contractor to renovate an old dilapidated, three-sided "garage" with a dirt floor into a large, four sided coop with ladder roosts and a "kindergarten" pen inside it. He built a large pond for the waterfowl, too, plus other projects.

My flock, as a group and as individual members all give me so much pleasure. I cannot imagine not having chickens, now.

 

[fschutzman]

Thanks everyone for the replies. You are correct. I think taking care of the chickens will be fun. I am already smitten by the chicken raising bug. I told my wife that they will be my chickens so she won't worry but I know she will fall in love. Right know I am reading the forum and it is the best reading fun I have had in years. I have been reading for days now. I think I am going to have a mixed flock, 4' X 4' coop with 4 chickens.

 

[sumi]

Welcome to BYC

If you can resist chicken match and keep the numbers low and manageable they really are not that much work and the benefits (fun times, chicken TV and fresh eggs) makes it well worth it! Enjoy the site and your flock!