I'm live in Georgia and I live in a subdivision in the suburbs of Atlanta and even though my mailing address includes the city, I actually live far out in the country. My house is the very first house on the left as you enter the subdivision, thus I am keeping all my chickens to the leftmost part of my huge backyard. Already having researched local ordinances, I KNOW FOR A FACT that I am not zoned to have chickens even though the lot on the other side of the road of my subdivision has chickens. As a matter of fact it was one of their chickens LITERALLY crossing the two-lane road, barely missing death by automobile, that recently got me into chickens.
There was a debate within my household of 10 (me, my spouse, 6 kids and 2 in-laws) as to what to do with the saved foul. I recalled a law regarding dogs and the fact that in most parts of the world, they are not considered property. I knew where the chicken came from, but I figured since they were free-ranging them and allowing them to cross the road entering our subdivision, that I was going to push the edge of the law and keep it. I have kept said chicken, a rhode island red, for over two weeks and it is a great backyard pet. I do have it penned it what was an unused fenced in vegetable garden and I have given it a dog-house full of pine shavings, and provide it with ample chicken-scratch/crumbles and fresh water. It seems fairly happy. We just found at this morning that it can indeed still fly because it greeted us at our backyard door this morning. My children love to hold it and interact with it either on their playset, trampoline (probably not the best idea), etc.
The aquisition of this chicken and the subsequent purchase of supplies to substain it with the hope of one-day obtaining an occasional egg, I found contacts at the feed store (which wasn't local at all and required a visit to an even more rural town) to legitimately acquire another chicken to keep it company. Long-story short, I aquired a mother and 9 chicklets (3 male, 6 female going by the head ridges) from an actual farm for the bargain cost of $10 ($1 per chicken). The seller was actually extremely pleased to be rid of thise mother and her brood because she had them under a heat lamp in her feed shed and the mother was making it very difficult to obtain access. Said, brood now resides in an incubator that I created using one of those kiddie pools (as a base) with rabbit wire wrapped around and a circular top. Later finding chicklets missing, I wrapped screen around that to prevent the midnight escapes. I've got down on the heat-lamping because they are now about 11 weeks old (the lady claimed they were 9 weeks old at the time of purchase).
So, basically clueless about chickens, I'm experiencing that 'exciting' learning phase where everything is new, novell, and often smelly.
I'll probably post the above in a few other areas so as to get some pointers of basic tips (I have read most of the FAQs, btw), but I'm excited about discussing chickens and what I can do to keep them as healthy pets 'with benefits' (eggs). Eventually, though, I want to have all 10 outside with the first 1.
Some questions I have or topics that I've heard about but am clueless:
-Wing Clipping...Should it be done?...Can I do it myself? If so, how and how often?
-Do I need to get rid of the 3 male roosters to prevent more chicks or can they be fixed/silenced (LOL) as kept as pets or will they just fight?
-My one outside seems happy despite the approaching winter....Should I consider bringing it into my indoor patio area where I'm keeping the mother and 9 chicklets?
-When should I send the mother and chicklets outside in the pen area with the 1 already outside? Will there be fighting or do they quickly gel?
-More questions to follow....
-
