Speaking of chickens...

[Serendipity]

Are they difficult to keep and care for? What kind should a person begin with? Do they help save $$$ on the grocery bill?

Thanks much!

:)

[Doran]

Are they difficult to keep and care for? What kind should a person begin with? Do they help save $$$ on the grocery bill?

Thanks much!

:)


Ack -- big question. I'd try Googling Basic Chicken Care, or Raising Chickens as a start. Your local Dept. of Ag, Cooperative Extension and/or 4-H will have printed materials. You could also try here (http://forum.backyardpoultry.com/viewforum.php?f=3).

Read up a bit and then maybe you can narrow the focus of your questions a bit. Not trying to instruct, but each of these questions could take a one page answer. Hoping you find some useful info. at sites suggested.

Cheers,
Doran

[Jenstet]

We have chickens. I thought they would be cute and some responsibility for the kids.

They were a bit of work when we first got them. Day olds. They are so cute and fun to have in the house. Then they get bigger. They are very friendly but I have to tell you. I was pregnant when they first started laying and the first few eggs just grossed me out. They are not quite eggs yet. Soft and not hard and shell like. Then the other thing that grossed me out was the warmth of the egg. Like I said I was pregnant and it ruined me on eggs. I am just now able to cook eggs for my son and he just turned 5 years. I know I'm weird.

All in all they are great. Not terribly expensive. The coop for us was the big expense. We had 12 chickens which was more eggs than we could possibly eat. We have never had a lice or mite problem. The only problem we have had is with raccons and fisher cats. we now have 4 left. In the winter it can be a problem making sure the water is not frozen.

I would just suggest you price everything you may need. Water tanks,food bin, water heater if you need it in winter. Those things can add up. We got our stuff from Blue Seal. They sold us the chicks and helped answer all our questions.

[astrid]

Are they difficult to keep and care for? What kind should a person begin with? Do they help save $$$ on the grocery bill?

Thanks much!

:)

Really.....it's a bit embarrassing! We only have four hens, and we're pretty new to chickens-- we got them as pullets in August. We have two Buff Orpingtons and two Barred Plymouth Rocks. (the Buff who laid our first egg is in my avatar with dd!) They started laying in October and since then we've not bought any eggs. We don't raise them for meat, :eek: they're more like pets who live outside and lay eggs for us. There are four in our family (me, dh, dd 10, and my mom) and we don't EAT a lot of eggs, but we bake quite a bit. We usually end up giving a dozen or so away every now and then because we can't use them all up. In November we got about 4 eggs per day, but now we're down to about 2-3 per day. It seems like it's starting to pick up again, though.

I have found that they're less work than a dog, and SO entertaining to watch. We live in a suburban neighborhood of old Victorian homes on small lots, so they have a big run and a coop but do not free-range. I"m afraid of roaming dogs, etc. Seriously, I love them so much; I'll never live chicken-free again!

I'm rambling here; Doran was very wise when she said it's a HUGE topic. Have fun researching!

[Tammy]

I have never raised chickens for meat....so I can't comment on that aspect. I love having chickens around....(Ok...I only have 2, LOL) they are funny to watch....and provide plenty of eggs!

I wouldn't say I would spend less having them (of course I spend more)....but the quality of the eggs they lay are well worth it!

If anything happened to our chickens....I am sure I would shed a few tears...(which really isn't like me, LOL)....

Also...I am in Florida...so the cold weather isn't a problem at all here!

Tammy

[Eleni]

There is a site called backyardchickens that has tons of info.

We are making our first foray into chickens this spring. I am ordering around 25 chickens for meat, and 10-15 for eggs. My friend is encouraging me to order more meat chickens so I will have enough for the year, but Im going to hold off on that....just to make sure I am capable of raising chickens and they wont die. :rolleyes: