I just started a back yard flock myself. and have so enjoyed them. I have a buff orington and have found that she is the most friendly cooperative girl. I had couple of roosters by mistake LOL people keep giving them to me telling me they are hens LOL. they were beautiful and the epitomy of the male ego I think L. but you really can't have a rooster with so few hens. they are just too randy. and I found out the hard way they can really hurt your hen just doing what they do. with no malice. you don't need a rooster to get eggs and my goal is to get two to three more chickens and the feed and seed that I plan to get them from only charges 15 to 25 cents per chick.

see you soon and good luck

CG

Welcome to the wonderful world of chickens, they are better than TV! :)

I live in suburban Los Angles and have been keeping a mixed flock of standard size and bantams here for 11 years now. Growing up we had chickens on our farm, so it was natural to create my own flock as an adult. :)

If you click on my "My Page" link, there is tons of chicken info there that might help you, including info on books and websites. I'm not going to repeat what's there, here, to save space. :)

In the city, the city ordinances you usually need to worry about are not only zoning, but noise ordinances. What that means for the most part is hens are OK, but no roosters because of the crowing.

Take my word for it, even if you never SEE them--in the city there are plenty of predators, day and night, that would love a chicken dinner. So build your coop and run accordingly, nice and strong. It sure beats heartache and regrets later when you find your animals horribly massacred and dying in pain. Plenty of us here have suffered from "I knew this would happen..." Also, don't underestimate the dog and cats, they might surprise you one day--if not your own, then the neighbors' animals.

Most feed stores get their baby chicks in the Springtime, and near Easter. Chickens are relatively easy to keep, but take the time to learn how to keep them before you get them. Also line up a good avian (bird) vet in case of emergencies.

Most hatcheries sell chicks in lots of 25, so that they have enough company not to die from cold during shipping. Most hatcheries also throw in a few 'extras' for free 'for warmth'...guess which sex those extra chicks are? *G* Cock-a-doodle-oh-NO!

Local feed stores will sell chicks in smaller numbers, but have less breed selection, unless you can get them to split a chick order from a hatchery with you.

As for breeds...that's where the fun starts! There are as many chicken breeds as there are ice cream flavors. Feathersite.com has great breed descriptions with tons of photos, plus links to breed clubs. The short version in my opinion is though: bantams are small, cute, smart, fun and fiesty. Large, fluffy (heavy) breeds tend to be more docile, calm and sweet--Orpingtons, Cochins, Brahmas, etc. Rhode Island Reds and White Leghorns are great egg producers, but Leghorns tend to be not too bright and RIR can be bullies in groups. The ornamentals such as Polish and Silkies can be vulnerable to head injuries due to the protrusion of their brains through a hole in their skull, but well worth having (I have 5 and love them to death). You need to decide if you are having the birds mainly for pets, eggs, meat--or a combination.

If you DO get a roo, that is where you need to choose carefully. Select a breed known for calmness and sweetness to their hens, and you. You should never need to carry a broom into the yard to fend off an attacking roo.

Good luck and have fun! :)

Velvet ~:>

Velvet,
Thanks for getting back to me on this.
I've been reading everything on this forum about chickens, and I even printed out your narraitive and read it at work yesterday.

Can you tell me if getting fresh eggs and having entertainment outweighs the cost of ownership? (IE what does feed, equipment,...ect cost?)

Do hens make a lot of noise?

Does my wife really need to worry about birdflu?

What's a henweigh? (lol)

In my opinion, keeping chickens is well worth the initial outlay for building the coop and getting set up with birds and supplies. They are a self-propagating 'crop' (as long as you have a roo or a source for fertile eggs & cooperative broodies), they provide eggs, meat (if you want), companionship, entertainment, fertilizer and bug control. The cost for feed and bedding such as straw is usually minimal, straw is around $10.00 a bale and a 50 lb. bag of scratch runs about $17.00. But that's here in suburban Los Angeles, prices in the country where livestock is more plentiful should be lower. Of course, if you buy in small quantities expect to pay more, buying in bulk will cost less but make sure you have someplace clean and dry to store it. You'll also save money in the long run if you build a nice, strong, quality coop and run the first time. Don't skimp on building materials and make sure to use hardware cloth, NOT chicken wire. Predators can tear through chicken wire like tissue paper, and smaller pests like rats and mice can walk right through the holes. Once you get the coop and nests built, and buy your feeders and waterers, the month to month cost for keeping a few hens is certainly less then you'd pay for keeping a dog, for instance.

Hens DO make noise, during the day only, though. Not like roos, who love nothing better than to start crowing at 4AM and serenade you and your neighbors for the next two hours. But hens do cackle quite a bit during the day (less than a dog barks though, in my experience), especially when an egg is being laid. Ply your neighbors with fresh laid eggs and invite their kids over to pet a chicken. :)

Personally we don't worry about birdflu right now. It's mostly a problem in Asia and in areas where hens are kept in huge numbers and biosecurity is laughably poor. Keep your birds clean and healthy, and perform common sense duties like washing your hands after handling the birds, their eggs or their surroundings and you should be fine. There are plenty of OTHER illnesses such as Salmonella and Aspergilloitis you can catch from animals that are far more likely, don't worry! *L* I've never caught any illnesses from my chickens or anyone elses', and I handle my birds a LOT.

Oh, and...about 5 or 6 pounds! ;)

Velvet ~:>

I live just outside a little country village in upstate ny. and even in my village theres some rule about no farm animals. my friend in the village got some chickens but someone found out about them and he had to get rid of them. thats the only thing i would worry about.

i didnt really have time to read all the other info velvet wrote but if i were you i'd just go to the feed store, get some plymouth rocks (nice looking, hardy, and good layers), put them in my coop and see what happens. as long as you keep the chicks warm and they get a few months old you'll be in the clear.

As far as the cost factor, you can certainly buy eggs cheaper than you can "grow" them yourself. However -- your home grown eggs just plain taste better and I think that it is because they come from happy chickens! It might sound silly, but just try them and you will see what I mean. After awhile, eating eggs that come from chickens that live their whole lives in concentration camps and have to have to be debeaked to keep from cannabilizing each other just loose their flavor.

Chickens that are free to roam and socialize with chicken friends without being crowded into tiny cages lay tasty eggs. BTW, I am not a PETA person, but I do believe animals should be treated humanely before we eat them.

happycthulhu,

It looks like you have a nice spot to build a small coop and run for 1/2 dozen chickens. I live in Pulaski County, just outside the LR city limits and have raised chickens for a couple years now. Pretty soon, TSC in NLR should have baby chicks for sale. You will be able to buy 5 or 6 pullets and not have to worry about roosters. Another good place is Farmer's Supply over on Stagecoach road in LR. Their chicks come from Ideal Poultry in Texas and I've bought from them before.

Feed only costs around $8 for 50# and straw is about $3 or $4 a bale. Lots less than Velvet pays in LA.

I'm certain you and your wife will find raising chickens enjoyable and you'll have plenty of eggs. For large brown eggs I'd suggest getting two of each - Buff Orps, Black Austrolarps and Light Brahma. That would give you a nice mixture of colors in the yard.

If you have any specific questions about where to buy feed and such, just drop me an email. I'd be glad to help.

One more thing, I'd put the nest boxes in the coop with a door at ground level rather than in the shed. I'm not sure the window access idea would work.

Well, we've decided to get 3 each of Rhode Island Red, Buff Orpington and Black Australorps. Simply because that's what the local feed store has avaliable, and because I don't want 25 from McMurray's.

We're getting them this weekend, along with a waterer and feeder. Feed, bedding, and heat lamp. They'll stay in a 3x4 foot plywood box with plastic lining the bottom.

About how long do they need to be kept in this manner before I can put them in the run/coop that I am going to build?

From what I've read here and other places, these seem to be fairly common and well behaved birds.
Anything about these breeds that you would like to share would be appreicated.
Thanks.

happy...
I live just outside of Searcy, in White County, and I have had my experience with chickens, ducks, rabbits and goats. Chickens are by far the least expensive of the bunch. If you have a yard where they can get bugs, and grass, they love it, and we even go to our local Sexton Foods, and Kroger and buy thier "too old to sell" produce for pennies on the pound, just make sure they know it is for animals. Chickens love it. And yes home grown eggs are much better tasting and better for you not so much hormonal content as the store bought.
They can stink if you let the poo pile up, probably will be one of the rules of NLR. Hens don't make too much noise unless they lay an egg, they will let you know about it, but not too loudly.
Hope you enjoy your chicks.

I'm a big compost nut and plan on composting all of the waste.
My gardens ought to love it.

Congrats on the chicks! :)

Make sure your waterer either has a very small trough or fill the trough with marbles so that the babies can only get their beaks in to drink. We hear about baby chicks drowning in the waterer all the time, it's well worth the precaution the first couple of weeks. Also, make sure their enclosure does not have a slick floor. The chicks' legs are still firming up, and a slick floor makes for a condition called Spraddle Leg, due to the chicks being unable to get traction on their living surface.

The breeds you chose sound great, especially the Buff Orps--they have long been on my 'wish list'. :)

Velvet ~:>

What fun! No, you don't need a rooster, though you might just end up with one. One rooster for your hens is nice.

www.the-coop.org has tons of expert info about raising chickens, poultry flocks, etc.
http://www.the-coop.org/cgi-bin/UBB/ultimatebb.cgi

However, you should read a lot before attempting to ask any questions there! Velvet Sparrow is the informative source here on GW.

Sounds like good choices to me! Where are you going to keep the brooder box? We started out in our sunroom, moved them to the garage, and were more than ready to get them to the coop as soon as the heat lamp was no longer needed. The dust from their pine chip bedding and food was everywhere! My suggestion would be to get cracking on that coop soon as you can.

You will want to have some screening ready to put on top of your box pretty soon too. You didn't say how high the sides are, but it won't be long until they are looking for a way to jump out.

I don't mean to sound negative. The fun never stops from peeps to laying hens and you are in for a real treat having chickens.

Oh....did I mention how you may need to clean their little bottoms for the first week or so if they paste up? :-)

Which feed store are you buying them from? Keep us informed.

The box is about 2 1/2 feet tall. It was a mold I used in the past to build a hypertufa planter.
I'll also have to keep the top secure to keep our kitties out.
We plan on keeping this in our sunroom until I get the coop/run built.
I'm getting them from the local Farmers COOP here in Little Rock.
$2.50 per bird.