What is best caged breed

[lady and her girls]

I am becoming a chicken outlaw and I would like to have 3 hens but thier going to have to stay caged and out of sight. I think I have found a loop hole that may allow 1 hen per person in the house....What in ya'lls opinion would be the best breed to cage raise? Ps just bought my first store eggs -brown organic-3.36 doz

 

[Gonzo]

There's several breeds that do well in confinment. Australorps do well, as does Orpingtons. Both lay large brown eggs. I would research any breeds you're interested in before buying any. Hope this helps!

 

[lady and her girls]

I do like speckle sussex for the temperment and color, another favorite is the araucana with their ruffled beards and sweet temperment.

 

[mandelyn]

The breeds listed above will do well. Mainly stay away from any breed that is described as being "Great foragers"... those are the ones who have a mind to be free and don't handle confinement well.

Just be sure your cage location does allow for wing stretching and movement, and that it is light and airy. And bear in mind some hens are quite vocal, varies by breed and hen. Some will sing a loud egg song before and after laying that stretches on forever, others won't say a word about it. I can hear my neighbors, 2 hens specifically, from inside their garage when they lay. You wouldn't know they had chickens if it wasn't for those two hens and the rooster. My rooster sings the egg song, only one hen does it, and it's quiet.. relatively speaking.

The smaller the cage, the more often you'll have to clean it. When I had an uninsulated coop I had to cage mine in the winter. I had a basement room I could devote solely to them, so the dust wasn't an issue the shopvac couldn't handle, and I would let them loose in the room to stretch their wings and goof off while I cleaned cages.

Your cage location should allow for the dust, which can be toxic when the poo dries out and goes airborne, which is why the cleaning frequency is important. It will also coat everything in the same area. If you're thinking of in a garage or storage shed, their dust will land on everything in it. If you're thinking in the house, you'll be cage cleaning everyday. Pine bedding would be the best bedding choice. Wire bottoms aren't great on the feet long-term, and the poo will stick to the wire. You'll also want to line the cage sides about 8 inches high in plexiglass or wood, to keep the bedding inside it when they scratch around. Or else sweep 5 times a day.

But if you can keep it clean, fresh, watered, fed, and airy, you won't have any issues.

 

[mistyfeather]

check out www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html its the handy dandy chicken chart!it will tell you about how any chicken does in confinement