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This is super exciting - I was thinking of checking about a BYC thread, since I couldn't find one in A/T or the pet forum. I grew up with chickens on a ranch/acreage, had talked some stable friends into getting some (that I was doing most of the maintenance on, since I didn't have the space), and now finally have a yard to keep my own. My current set up is the Eglu, since my sister had an extra one (because of renos and other things, she went off chickens for a little while), and I'm going to be upgrading to the Eglu Cube this summer. Because I'm in an urban environment, they suit my set up much better than a traditional coop, though if we moved out of the city, I would probably build something. My neighbours here were a little doubtful at first, I think. But so far, the chickens don't bother them at all, and they seem to spend some time watching them since they keep me up to date on flock dynamics. My current chickens are quite young, at about the 8 week mark. Two Ameraucanas (though I have my doubts, and are probably easter eggers), one Welsummer and a Gold Laced Polish. One of the Ameraucanas is a rooster, as it turns out so I'll be bringing him back and getting another pullet. I am getting two more next month, a Mille Fleur and a Blue-Laced Red Wyandotte. GrauFrau posted:What are some of the breeds and their differences? Generally, you have some breeds that are meant for laying, some for meat, some that are dual-purpose, and then ones that tend to be all-around useless (silkies... I'm sure there's a reason for them, but I can't find it.) For the average BYC person, the chicken are going to be a cross between egg producer and pet, so you want some that are good at both. For example, Leghorns, as others have mentioned, can be quite dickish even though they're some of the best for egg production, so if you have kids that want to interact a lot with the chickens, they might not be your best choice. ZoneManagement posted:How do they react around cats? I'd guess the majority of cats would be too small to go after a full grown chicken, but my cats enjoy just about every small prey that enter my yard. And aren't birds of prey an issue? I've never seen a full-grown, healthy chicken taken down by a cat, but they do hold a certain fascination for them. My cats' favourite windows are now the ones that overlook the run, and the cats of my immediate neighbors will just sit on the grass and observe. I've no doubt that they've tried to take the odd swipe through the wire, but I haven't actually seen it. Metamucil posted:Don't they fly? I would think that a large part of the appeal of suburban chickens is that they can be contained by a fence. If that didn't matter, I'm pretty sure everyone would be raising something more awesome, like peafowl. As far as the flying, most of the heavier breeds are pretty much groundbound when they're fully grown. They can sort of glide a bit, especially when they're younger and lighter, so you can clip one of their wings until they get heavier to keep them from getting out of the yard when they free-range. Lyz posted:So it looks like in the next couple weeks I'll be culling my current herd of egg-eating shitheads, and bringing home some 6 week old Silver-Laced Wyandottes. My question is, is 6 weeks old enough to put in an outdoors coop, or will I have to rig up something indoors for them with a heat lamp (and cat-proofing)? I really like your set up! Generally, the rule of thumb is 8 weeks, BUT... keep in mind, it's June, soon to be July. Depending on where you are, if it's fairly warm at night, they should be fine. I put mine out early because it was spring, and when I closed the coop at night, they kept it pretty warm with their body temperature and insulation. If you're in a warmer area of the country, you should be fine this time of year.
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Jun 18, 2011 03:09
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Yay chickens! I currently have 7 in our yard - 2 "Ameraucanas" (aka Easter Eggers, since they came from a hatchery), a Welsummer, a Belgian d'Uccle, a Barnevelder, a Speckled Sussex and a Polish. We're slightly over the city limit of 4, but we give the neighbours "hush eggs" to keep them quiet. Everyone who sees them loves them, and I'm a little surprised not more gardeners have at least a pair, if only for the work they do. I'm the crazy chicken lady on the block now  We have them in an Eglu, which we keep inside a much larger run, and they get some free time in the yard in the afternoons, but this will quickly change since I need them to clean the garden before I gets to planting, so I'm going to pen them in there for a few hours a day to get rid of my weeds and dig the whole thing up. Re: eating fertilized eggs - you might have eaten them without realizing it. On the Backyard Chickens website, several people have reported hatching eggs from Trader Joes. Might be worth an experiment...
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Apr 3, 2012 05:35
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Ceridwen posted:As much as I enjoy my chickens, they won't be getting vet care. If they get too sick for me to think I can take care of it myself I will euth them. We got them ultimately as "utility animals" (not really farm animals, since we don't have a farm), not pets. By the same token I won't have a problem rehoming them for cash on craigslist if we need to move to a place that won't allow them at some point in the future. I don't think either view is a problem (pet vs. farm/utility animal) as long as you know which one you are doing and prepare for that (set money aside for the vet or mentally keep some distance so you don't get too attached). This is kind of how we are as well. Also, a friend of ours who's a vet was over one day and mentioned that by the time birds are noticeably sick, often it's too late anyway. I guess they can be good at hiding problems. They're around for eggs, and for working in the garden. The entertainment value is just a bonus. I'm used to doing a lot of my own vet-y stuff (horse/ranch background), but the problem with backyard chickens is that if you buy dewormers or whatnot, it comes in packages designed for flocks of 10,000. There might be some companies that do smaller doses, but that's what we have in the feed store, so it makes for some fun math trying to figure it out for 7 chickens.
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May 2, 2012 00:15
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US Foreign Policy posted:I'm purchasing a new house here soon, and I want to start keeping a few chickens for egg purposes. However, I'm obviously new to this, and while I have grand visions I could also really use the voice of someone who knows whats up. Is there anyone willing to say, exchange PM's or IM info so I can ask you a million small questions? Starting with which breed to get, because I want like..9 different breeds, but plan on at most 3 chickens. Bonus points if you're also familiar with keeping goats A really good resource is backyardchickens.com, with coop designs, breed threads, etc. It might be good for the nitty gritty aspects, as I found it really helpful. As Inveigle said, check the local ordinances. This will save you untold headaches.
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May 10, 2012 23:33
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