# New to Chickens. Looking for advice.



## Beckngoats (May 16, 2015)

We are thinking about getting a few Chickens as pets,this Spring. We live in the Chippewa Valley region of Wisconsin. We get pretty cold in the Winter. In fact, in a few days we will have a low of negative 25 degrees f. 
So, I have a few questions to start with: Cold hardiness,which are best? Since we want them as pets,which are friendliest? We don't care if they are good layers,and since they will be pets,we're not concerned about meat either.
Coops, what do you use?

Thanks!!


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## FineFolly (Dec 29, 2015)

We have had chickens for years, as pets and as food sources. You should choose the breed that appeals to you. Their friendliness is based in how you raise them from chicks.

I don't know if you are aware of this resource, but we order from:
www.mcmurrayhatchery.com

If you get chicks, get them used to being held and fed with your fingers. They will eventually imprint on your voice. The ones we raise as pets nearly break their necks in their rush to come when we call, and they love to get up on our knee and get treats, be picked up and so on.

Good luck with it all. They are very rewarding.

p.s. This is "Ola-Cricket-Eater" in the picture, as one of our kids named her.



Beckngoats said:


> We are thinking about getting a few Chickens as pets,this Spring. We live in the Chippewa Valley region of Wisconsin. We get pretty cold in the Winter. In fact, in a few days we will have a low of negative 25 degrees f.
> So, I have a few questions to start with: Cold hardiness,which are best? Since we want them as pets,which are friendliest? We don't care if they are good layers,and since they will be pets,we're not concerned about meat either.
> Coops, what do you use?
> 
> Thanks!!


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## Beckngoats (May 16, 2015)

Awe! She's beautiful! What kind is she? Thanks for replying by the way.


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## ShireRidgeFarm (Sep 24, 2015)

We have a small flock of buff orpingtons - about 26 hens and a couple different roosters. They are good egg layers and good for meat (which is why we chose them) but they also have a very laid-back personality and are pretty friendly as far as chickens go. They are so casual that it took them some time to figure out they really should get out from under your foot as you're walking...  Most of the hens don't mind being picked up, although some a more skittish. The coldest it's been around here is about negative 10 degrees F or so, and the chickens were fine (although we did put a heat light in the coop.) 

No matter what you get, I'd recommend hens only for pets. We've had 5 roosters so far - a buff orpington, an Easter-egger, 2 fayoumies, and a bantam (forget the breed) - and they've all been mean. Apparently there are nice ones out there, though, somewhere... 

We built an insulated, A-frame chicken coop with a mesh floor.Twice a year we hook it up to the tractor, move it aside, and clean all the poop and stuff out. It works pretty well. The only real problem we've had with it is one of my new goats has started pulling the shingles off the corners... :roll:

Hope that helps some, and good luck with your chickens!


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

In really cold weather you are going to want a breed that has very small or rose combs. The big floppy combs tend to get frost bitten. for very calm, gentle pet chickens I would suggest Orpingtons, Brahmas, Cochins, Rocks, or Welsummers. All of these are pretty much flightless and have low energy dispositions. 

Also in cold weather you want to pay attention to how you make your roosts. You want to put your 2x4 flat with the 4 inch side up for the chicken to roost on. If you put the 2 inch side up, the chickens toes curl down around the board and get cold. With the 4 inch side up, the chickens feet are flat and their feathers cover their toes while they are sleeping.


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## Beckngoats (May 16, 2015)

lol about the goats! Thanks Lauren, I have been looking at Orpingtons. There's just something about them that caught my eye.


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## Beckngoats (May 16, 2015)

Thanks Goathiker! All of this is just the kind of info I was hopping for. But, since this is The Goat Spot, I knew I would get great information!


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## PippasCubby (May 13, 2015)

Everybody has made good points. I will add, make sure your coop is free from drafts, yet well ventilated. You don't want wind blowing on them, but you don't want stagnant air either.

I second that rose comb breeds have a leg up in the cold, though my single comb HENS rarely get frostbite (roosters it's another story). Be careful with breeds like the Hamburg or Rosecomb Leghorn...in my experience, their combs are just as prone to frostbite as single combs (again, more likely the roosters than hens), and the birds aren't as hefty.

Wyandottes are at the top of my list for cold hardy, friendly, pretty birds.


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## FineFolly (Dec 29, 2015)

She's a Buff Orpington. And I agree on the cold breed considerations... but also, we add some heat in their roosting room when it's frigid outside with a suspended heat lamp to take the edge off the room.

We also use heat with their waterers to make sure they don't freeze.

I also wanted to tell you to get hens. Roosters can get territorial. We have had one go bananas without warning, and spur my poor husband. It's an amazing experience. They flap and climb your legs as they spur you over and over.

Those spurs are like getting punched with sawed off screw drivers! He had pock-bruises like you wouldn't believe! Most roosters are mild, but you never know, so hens are a sweet bet. From then on, when hubby went into the pen he had to hold the rooster off with a fan rake. We finally made chicken tacos with his onry self.

We did raise a Langshon rooster that is mild as can be, and he is just gorgeous. I have attached a pic of the breed. I would encourage you that it's best to spend time going through the catalogs and enjoy the process!

You can request a catalog from McMurray Hatcherie, and read the particulars on each breed to your hearts content. That helps with the choosing too.



Beckngoats said:


> Awe! She's beautiful! What kind is she? Thanks for replying by the way.


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## billiejw89 (May 7, 2014)

buff orpingtons are awesome!


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## Beckngoats (May 16, 2015)

Oh wow! He is gorgeous! Thanks everybody. I just emailed Murray McMurray for a catalog. This is getting exciting! 

So how do you keep the Chickens well ventilated,while staying draft free?


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## Beckngoats (May 16, 2015)

OMG! Cuteness overload!


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

You might check out Meyer Hatchery as well, that's where I get all my chicks.


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## FineFolly (Dec 29, 2015)

billiejw89 said:


> buff orpingtons are awesome!


They are sweet and so intelligent!

I also like the Blue Cochin hens. Fluffy and beautiful!

Does anyone have any experience raising Peacocks around goats?


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## Failingfarmer (Nov 24, 2015)

Chickens handle winters well. Last year one of our small hens stayed up in a bare tree, in the bitter cold, for a few nights, when our temps were way below zero. I am guessing one of the larger hens picked on her in the coop. She was fine and she did go back into the coop few days later. All hens handled daily will be friendly. We have two coops one is fancy the other is very simple (plywood triangle box). It doesn't even have a floor we toss hay on the ground. Both keep our chickens warm enough in winter. My girls (ages 8 and 10) enjoy our buff orphingtons and silkies the most but they love all our chickens. Even people afraid of chickens will pet our buffs because they will walk up to you and sit at your feet waiting to be pet like a dog! Our chickens ride in wagons, swing on swings, bounce on trampoline, and ride in Barbie car all in my kids arms.  I will attach pics of our coops.


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## Failingfarmer (Nov 24, 2015)

Here is our favorite chickens buffs and silky


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

I don't have a fancy or even unfancy chicken house :lol: I'll take a picture when they roost this evening.


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## Beckngoats (May 16, 2015)

Love all of the pictures! Thanks everyone for sharing!


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## GodsGarden (Feb 6, 2015)

We got our chicks from Cackle Hatchery. Very happy with them. They sent us 3 extra turkey chicks.

We also really like Buffs. Sweet easy going breed. So puffy! Our best pet chicken though was called an Ameraucana but she probable is just an Easter Egg Chicken. She lays blue greenish eggs. She is named Whirly after the horse in Seabiscuit. But we call her sometimes hawk chicken because she perchs on shoulders and arms like a hawk. She handles the cold really well. If I am right this year was her 8th birthday. But she might be older. I am really bad with dates.  But she is a cool chicken.


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## GodsGarden (Feb 6, 2015)

Oh, and forgot to say.... sweet pictures Failingfarmer. Would really like to see a picture of a chicken riding in a Barbie car! pretty please ray:


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## ShireRidgeFarm (Sep 24, 2015)

goathiker said:


> In really cold weather you are going to want a breed that has very small or rose combs. The big floppy combs tend to get frost bitten. for very calm, gentle pet chickens I would suggest Orpingtons, Brahmas, Cochins, Rocks, or Welsummers. All of these are pretty much flightless and have low energy dispositions.
> 
> Also in cold weather you want to pay attention to how you make your roosts. You want to put your 2x4 flat with the 4 inch side up for the chicken to roost on. If you put the 2 inch side up, the chickens toes curl down around the board and get cold. With the 4 inch side up, the chickens feet are flat and their feathers cover their toes while they are sleeping.


 Oh, most of our chickens did get frostbite on their combs during their first winter. The buff rooster had a tall, pretty comb but it's just a flat stub now, and even some of the hens lost a bit of their little crowns. It didn't seem to bother any of the chickens at all, and I haven't seen any more frostbite after the first winter, since the crowns don't really grow back. I honestly don't think the frostbite can be practically avoided in some climates.


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## Steampunked (Mar 23, 2015)

The best thing for avoiding frostbite is low moisture in the coop - it's better to have ventilation, and be cold, then have humidity build up. The moment those combs get damp, they freeze much more easily.

If you want to keep a large combed breed, there are a few short cuts that help - the coop must be well insulated and well ventilated - there are quite a few designs out there that manage both, even if that seems rather odd! Rubbing vaseline on the combs before a hard frost helps, because it stops moisture getting down to the skin.

Mostly chickens cope with cold much better than heat. Most chickens cope similarly well with rain, unless they have fluffy feathers. Australian silkies cope with rain as well, simply because they were never kept indoors much, and the weaker strains have died out.

Seconding the 2x4 suggestion - in addition, it tends to stop birds from getting sore feet, chickens are not meant to roost on tiny branches.

We have a number of big breeds, and everyone nests about five feet off the floor. I've never had broken bones from those huge girls landing, but at the same time, our chickens free range and are used to running around and getting a lot of exercise. If you ensure the chickens can forage during the day somewhat, they'll have less issues with delicacy.


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## Steampunked (Mar 23, 2015)

Oh, one thing I forgot - BUT...it's very important for healthy chickens! If they are going to be 'stuck' inside with inclement weather often, make sure they have a covered area they can dustbathe in. This will stop them getting too bored (bored chickens are bad. Bored chickens develop nasty habits like egg eating and feather pecking which can kill a weak chicken), and it will also assist with lice and so on. If there is an area they usually dustbathe in, it can have some anti-parasite dust in too, which helps keep the load down.


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## Bree_6293 (Aug 4, 2014)

We have chickens mainly for pets. Most of ours are different coloured sussex. They are all friendly and easy going and cope with cold. Then we have one Rhode Island Red. She is our lest friendly.. Not flighty but prefers to be left alone. We also have a welsummer. She is beautiful and easy going though for us more flighty than some of our others. We have a Wyandotte. She is very pretty but pretty dumb too... She forgets where the door is to her coop frequently.. But will sit on our laps too. Our final one is an australorp. She has got to be our best layer (blue egg layer too) and she is so chilled out and easy going. In Total we have 10 hens. They come when called and are really nice to have around. We mainly have them as pets but the eggs are amazing too! We had a massive sussex rooster once and he was the. Most gentle rooster and would sleep in our arms and loved laying in the sun all the time. He was useless at protecting his hens most the time as he would fall asleep in the sun and forget about them... He passed away at 7 years old 
Then we have had about 6 other roosters before and after him and they were all nasty! Even ones we raised from little chicks!! It is much more relaxed with out roosters, other than our sussex boy. He was just like having another hen around but we also got chicks from him


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## Beckngoats (May 16, 2015)

Loving all the info! I'm overwhelmed with all of the coop designs I've seen on the internet... Is there a " best" type that meets all of the requirements?


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