I want chickens.
Yankee Bill thinks I’m nuts.
Photo by YayAdrian
First of all, apparently our town code doesn’t allow for chickens.
Secondly he sees chickens as being loud, stinky and a lot of work.
And finally-he’s afraid the kids will turn them into pets and we’ll be stuck with un-eatable* chickens for life.
(*note: I’m aware that un-eatable isn’t a word.)
On the OTHER hand, town codes can be petitioned for changes (there are lots of articles out there about the urban chicken movement and how to start the process), chickens give you eggs (and eventually meat), chicken poop is great fertilizer, and apparently if you keep just hens the noise issue is relatively small. I’ve also heard that they are very fun to watch!
So I’ve been on a toot about the whole chicken thing for a while, reading up on it and searching websites. If, in my dream world (or when the economy really tanks and folks lighten up a bit on the backyard poultry), I had chickens I think I’d use a “Chicken Tractor” setup-basically a small mobile hutch with a completely enclosed yard that you can move around and let the chickens scratch and eat in the grass.
Of course in my dream world I also am 20 lbs lighter and a professional actress, so what the heck.
Isn't this adorable and practical? Photo by Arabella Benson
A great place to read up on backyard chickens is The City Chicken. She’s got articles, photos of chicken tractors, and more!
So, do any of you keep backyard chickens? Do you have any advice or tips?
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
I don’t have any practical experience with raising chickens but my husband’s great aunts used to have a yard full for the exact reasons you mentioned (eating the grass and fertilizing the soil). They lived in Auburn, NY and became quite famous for their “chicken sh*t tomatoes”…apparently the tomatoes positively flourished in the chicken fertlized soil.
They did eventually eat the chickens, my mother-in-law tells about this Italian soup that was made from boiling the chicken feet. She says it was wonderful and it never occurred to any of the children that it was gross to eat that part of the chicken. Nothing went to waste!
I’ve wanted to raise chickens for a while, but our town won’t allow it either, and other aspects of gardening have taken priority for now.
My FIL belongs to a farm that lets you buy your own animals, then they raise them, and you pay to slaughter. He has about 50 chickens per year, and a pig. The meat is awesome! But you don’t get the eggs and fertilizer that way…
If you search for “chickens” on http://www.myfamilylovesit.com, you can find info on experiences with backyard chickens. Predator problems have necessitated changes in the housing (or lack thereof) for these chickens.
When my brother and I were kids we had backyard chickens. They stayed in a “chicken coop” at night and laid their eggs there. During daylight, they roamed the yard, eating insects, etc. On one occasion, we rescued a chick with an injured leg and took care of it in the house, initially in a shoe box. It recovered until it was too old to stay inside and/or my parents’ tolerance of its presence in the house ran out! This chicken never “fit in” with other chickens. There was no aggression, just “outsider” status. We definitely would have objected to eating that chicken. I’m not sure about the others. The idea of eating any of our backyard chickens never came up. I think that was because my mother had unpleasant memories about having seen chickens killed for food by decapitation during her childhood. We raised a pig for food once, and my brother and I were very resistant to eating that. On the other hand, we did not object to eating cows that we “knew” from my grandfather’s farm.
I don’t remember any problems with a noise issue. As best I remember, we usually had a group of hens and one rooster.
My husband — the new maple-syrup lover — has this same chicken fantasy. I don’t share it.
We do live in an area where we can have chickens. In fact, there are homes not far from us that keep chickens. I know because I can hear them at all hours of the day — especially early morning.
So far I’ve been able to avoid livestock in my yard, but it’s getting harder to object.
I have had chickens for two years. We got our two girls during chick season in 2009. They were so cute, and friendly. We got a red sex-link and a leghorn (but since it was a girl, hubby wouldn’t let me call her Foghorn. Oh, poo.) They were a bit to take care of, time consuming, just like any baby. Temperature needs to be just right, food, water, keep the cat away, etc. Within a month most of their feathers were in, and the down almost gone. Still cute little buggers. My kids loved taking care of them….just got to remember to wash your hands EVERY time you touch them.
When their temperature is ready, and the nights were warm enough, outside to the coup they went. They grow FAST. We used a large enclosed dog house, built a nesting box (essentially a cat litter pan on legs), and built a 4′x4′ enclosed chicken wire run with a perch. Temporary, but it worked, and they have plenty of room. We live on a standard city plot, .16 acre.
By June they had laid their first eggs. OMG – you can really taste the difference! At first, the eggs were small, but after a few months of almost daily eggs, they are jumbo size now. The sex-link lays about 5-6 days a week, the leghorn, about 4. Throughout the winter without a sun-lamp to extend the light hours, they don’t produce as much.
They are the easiest pets to take care of. And unlike dogs or cats, they give you something in return…yummy eggs! Every morning about dawn, we go out & feed & water them. We feed them egg layer feed (which contains all they need including grit). We also every couple days give them some scratch (bird food, corn & sunflower seeds). Their coop is filled with a heavy layer of Timothy hay ($5 a bundle at the feed store) to keep them cozy & warm. About once a week, we’ll feed them kitchen scraps…oh, they love that (greens). On occasion we give them a cracked egg to eat…yes, it sounds strange, but they like it and it’s good for them.
They are VERY conversational. When we go out back, they will have a ‘conversation’ with us. It’s so cute. They are quite verbal also, but not in a bad way. When the sex-link lays her egg, she will caw for a bit. It can get loud, but only lasts a couple minutes. If you immediately go outside & ‘congratulate’ her, she quiets. No neighbors have complained. She will also bellow if she needs some more water or if there is a predator in the yard. As for stinking? Nope. Just cover the old pooped floor with more hay once a week, and about once a month clean out the coop and scatter it on your garden bed or in your compost pile. They like to ‘play’ with you when you’re cleaning out their home. Easy-peasy.
They really do make good pets. Even after two years, the kids still like to take care of them. They don’t mind being held, and will actually come to you when called.
This chick season, we just purchased three more. After a couple years, the hens will slow down on their egg production, until it stops at about 5 or 6 years old. After that, you can choose to just have the hens as pets or *cough* have them butchered. If you feed them lots of table scraps, I heard their meat is tender & tasty even at that age, though I don’t think we’ll be going that route. If some day we decide to get chickens for food, we will purchase “meat” birds, and not become attached to them as we have the hens.
If you know what you’re getting into, and is something you want to do, it is a very rewarding endeavor. Good luck with what you decide!
Thanks for posting such an informative comment! My husband and I are seriously considering getting chickens and your post is appreciated.
I love the idea of backyard chickens. I know of a backyard in upstate NY that would do well with the chicken tractor idea!
When my kids were young we had chickens, both “layers” (eggs) and meat birds. One of the chickens became a pet that the kids even dressed in doll clothes. It was a successful experience for all. Of course we lived on 75 acres in the middle of nowhere so the noise was not an issue to neighbors.
One of my daughters lives in surbaban Hawaii (Oahu), the first morning I was there I was awakened by the cocckle doodle do of roosters! Wild chickens & roosters are all over Hawaii!
My husband has talked about getting chickens, but it won’t happen this year as he will be busy with the 25 pheasant chicks he just ordered. We will see if they weather better than last years, as all 25 got eaten by some larger animal.
We got day-old chicks last spring and now have four laying hens. We’re also in upstate NY on about 1/2 acre. They live in a coop in the backyard and free range during the day. Although, last summer they were rough on the garden (at times eating tomatoes right off the vine!), so we’re going to confine them further this year. Our family really enjoys having them — the eggs are second to none. I can’t even tolerate supermarket eggs any more. Since we raised them essentially from birth, they’re friendly and docile and allow my kids to pick them up and pet them.
As for Yankee Bill’s concerns — our chickens are not loud. They cluck occasionally, but they’re much, much quieter than our neighbor’s dog who barks frequently. And chickens are easy-peasy to care for — not a lot of work at all. Let them out in the morning, make sure they have food and water, and lock them up at night. The smell is minimal. We use the “deep litter” method in the coop and spot clean frequently. And they’re relatively frugal. We probably spend less than $10 per month on food and supplies. And in return we get 3-4 fresh eggs per day and endless entertainment (they’re so fun to watch!).
All in all, having chickens has been a great experience!
I too wanted chickens for the wonderful eggs I know they lay. But after thinking about it long and hard, we decided not to get any. We have two dogs and two cats. The chickens would be more work they the eggs were worth I think. We live in the city and it would be cutting it close to even fit a tracker in our yard. Maybe some day if we move out of the city.
I grew up on a farm & I loved chickens (and ducks).
The suburb that I’m in is very snooty & inpractical so no chickens but I guess the city code against famr animals is because someone in the 1970′s had geese that would chase people….
Chickens are great & you have to make sure where you keep them at night is varmint proof. They can be very tame & lovable. I used to have one that would sit on my shoulder all day if I allowed it. The ducks & chickens I grew up with kept most of the bug problems at bay in the garden – boy do I miss that feature now! And you can train them to come when called, stay out of certain spots, etc. And they are so funny when they run around….
I need to go google Murray Mcmurray now & see if they still have a hatchery – just to look @ the pics of the different breeds.
My neighbour has chickens and I buy eggs from her. I don’t know the type of hens she has, but she gets them from a lady and they are already grown, The last bunch started laying about 2 days after she got them home. I guess sometimes it takes them longer to start to lay when they are moved. She has also raised them from chicks , but that takes a few months before they start to lay, and she says if you count the time it takes to raise them and the cost, the ones she buys already grown and just starting to lay works out no more expensive for her.
I love to hear the rooster crowing in the morning, it doesn’t bother us at all, but if you had close neighbours perhaps you wouldn’t want to have a rooster. You don’t need a rooster to have eggs. But since she has a couple of hens that like to nest she usually lets them have about 8 eggs each to raise, especially if she has a type of hen that lays extra big eggs, then she will set a Banty hen and just add the other eggs to the nest. Here farm fresh eggs run up to $4.00 a dozen, I only pay $2 and have said I’d pay more, because I know what her hens eat ( I look after them when she’s on holidays). But she told me she pays for everything with the $2/doz ( not her work though, but she says it’s not work, there her pets).
She keeps about 4 families and themselves with eggs ( we are all seniors and 2 to a family) She has about a dozen laying hens at any one time. Besides the hens that give big eggs she usually has 2 banty hens, and some “odd ball” hens that people give her when they don’t want to look after their hens any more. one set gave her green eggs, It was odd to open a carton and see a couple of greenish egg shells , but the eggs are just the same.
Hope you can get a few, You would I’m sure enjoy watching them and the eggs are a bonus.