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Chickens

starsevol said:
Thanks Bob! Please tell me why you are not a fan of the big stuff, I want to take everything into consideration. I know they do more damage to gardens and plants when you free range them, and take up more space.
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It is mostly I don't like how they are built. Kinda big and fluffy. They tend not to have the brain power as some other breeds. But if you are wanting eggs they are what I would go with. The orpingtons can weigh 8 pounds or more. The red and white leghorns seem to be the best layers but are plain and drab. The bantams are cute but the eggs are teeny. I guess I am just biased being around the American games most of my life.
The polish are funny looking with them big top knots on their heads. You can get sex link layers where the color of their feathers is what sexes them. Most hatcheries have a minimum order of chicks usually around 25 or so. With cooped chickens you will need a good scratch mix and laying pellets or mash. And probably supplement them with oyster shells.
 
I don't plan to free range because we live in a plat. I will only let them loose when I am in the yard with them. I am leaning toward a coop design off the ground, with a pen underneath and a ramp. And perhaps a moveable tractor play pen for the daytime. I am still looking into ways to make it as predator proof as possible. Very very few loose dogs here. We do have skunks, possums and raccoons. Supposedly there are mink here but we are not really close to water.
 
As long as they have a pen where they can touch dirt is good, wire on their feet all the time is not good. Down here it is skunks, hawks and owls that take the most birds from friends of mine. Also the pen would need a top on it unless you plan on clipping their wing feathers so they can't fly.
 
crotalis40741 said:
It is mostly I don't like how they are built. Kinda big and fluffy. They tend not to have the brain power as some other breeds. But if you are wanting eggs they are what I would go with. The orpingtons can weigh 8 pounds or more. The red and white leghorns seem to be the best layers but are plain and drab. The bantams are cute but the eggs are teeny. I guess I am just biased being around the American games most of my life.
The polish are funny looking with them big top knots on their heads. You can get sex link layers where the color of their feathers is what sexes them. Most hatcheries have a minimum order of chicks usually around 25 or so. With cooped chickens you will need a good scratch mix and laying pellets or mash. And probably supplement them with oyster shells.
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I rather like the big fluffy ones, a bit like chicken teddybears. Orpingtons are one of my favs so far. I don't need em to be smart. :)
 
crotalis40741 said:
As long as they have a pen where they can touch dirt is good, wire on their feet all the time is not good. Down here it is skunks, hawks and owls that take the most birds from friends of mine. Also the pen would need a top on it unless you plan on clipping their wing feathers so they can't fly.
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Oh yes, they would have access to dirt every day (unless it snows of course). And I would want the topof the playpen covered to save them from hawks, cats and kids anyway. Orpingtons don't fly, at least the buffs don't as far as I know.
 
crotalis40741 said:
lol the yellow or black? or blue? I want a Japanese long crower.
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Da buff!! :)
I have read that they are super gentle and sweet for a big hen. Saw a pic of a little girl riding her little bike with a buff orpington under her arm!

Not allowed crowers of any kind, but that one is kinda neat!
 
crotalis40741 said:
Yeah they is cutes
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They sure is!
My mom had chickens for a year when she was a kid back in the 40s and my none too bright sister in law had a roo and a hen a few years back...she thought the hen wouldn't lay eggs without the roo and never thought to de mite them telling me they are dirty animals with parasites....other than that no one in my family have ever had chickens before.
 
Yeah mites and chicken lice can be a bad thing. But I do loves the birds. I have a neighbor with roosters so I get to hear them crow every morning.
 
crotalis40741 said:
Yeah mites and chicken lice can be a bad thing. But I do loves the birds. I have a neighbor with roosters so I get to hear them crow every morning.
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I know they take dust baths to help with the mites and lice, but I also plan to look into other solutions as well.
 
I am sure you will do fine, usually you don't have too much problem if you buy chicks from a hatchery, the most problems happen when you buy bigger birds. A friend had a big kelso rooster come in and we had to spray it with raid then wash it to get rid of the mites and lice it had. I had never seen a bird that badly infested.
 
crotalis40741 said:
I am sure you will do fine, usually you don't have too much problem if you buy chicks from a hatchery, the most problems happen when you buy bigger birds. A friend had a big kelso rooster come in and we had to spray it with raid then wash it to get rid of the mites and lice it had. I had never seen a bird that badly infested.
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I am planning on pullets, probably from McMurray.
 
They are a good hatchery, my aunt used to get them from there quite often. Now I want chickens, thank you Beth lol
 
Yes, I was happy with our McMurray order, too. Sounds like everybody buys from them!

I would not try to keep the chickens off the ground. Not only is wire mesh uncomfortable to walk on, but chickens like to scratch up the ground underneath them and eat any insects they find. They LOVE maggots! Really keeps the fly population in check - and provides free protein! Also, I believe I read someplace that they eat some of their droppings, which still contain valuable nutrients. I think I remember something about vitamin B deficiencies in chickens not allowed to live on dirt and to scratch and feed from it at will. You would have to look that up as it has been MANY years since I have been involved with them.

Great discussion - brings back lots of old memories!
 
I keep coming back to read this thread. It's brought back so many memories of my sweet little chicken! You're gonna have to keep us jealous city dwellers updated!
 
starsevol said:
I prefer LFs but if Rick thinks they will take up too much room I will go with banties. Even if I don't get egg production with the banties, I will get weed and insect removal and great compost. I know about the light in the coop, we used to have a rabbit and needed a light for her so her water wouldn't freeze. Black Australorpes look interesting too, they appear to be another form of the Buff Orpington.
I like that website, it looks like I can choose any number of whatever I want. And I know I don't want to mess with chicks. Some nice big pullets look good to me.
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I agree on the chick raising but did you see the shipping prices on the young hens. If we do it this year it will be chicks messy as they are I can't affoard the shipping, unless I'm reading it wrong $70.00 for one, ugh.
 
I love to hear roosters crow, but I hate them and they hate me. I've never had a nice rooster, except one an Aricana rooster very sweet. I usually have a chuckle with people who think one must have a rooster to have eggs, except for the few guys on here and hubby proves how unnecessary men are, lol. Then I chuckle when people don't understand that a dairy animal has to give birth to have milk.
 
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