# I'm getting Chickens!!



## Anna (Oct 17, 2007)

I'm so excited. I love being as self sufficiant as I can be, it makes me feel so good about myself. Goats and chickens just seem to go hand in hand. Milk and eggs. I've wanted chickens for ages but my parents have always said they are to messy and the dogs will eat them. I got smart, checked out all the books, made out some coop plans and had a long talk with mom and dad about exactly what I want for my birthday (3/23). LOL, how many teenagers ask for 5 laying hens and a chicken coop for thier 16th!?! :ROFL: The dairy I show with raises chickens and I think he is going to let me buy a few from him. They will probably be mutt chickens, but I dont care, I just need something to learn on, ya know? I may get lucky and steal a few pb's. Spring break is next week, so that's when will get to work on the coop, I think we may just divide a side of the goat barn and make a run for them out from it. having the run in the pasture, gives double pretection. I'm literally bouncing off the walls here. I'll probably have lot's of question for those of you who raise 'um! SO bare with me for a while. :shades:


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

sounds fun!! I liked my pet chicken but other chickens I dont really care for


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## AlaskaBoers (May 7, 2008)

cool!  
We have 28-ish layers (heavy breeds) and 1 rooster, we hatch a few of our own. They really aren't very messy if ya clean it every few weeks, but it can get dusty.
Also a lot of fun showing them! very low maintenance


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## bheila (Jan 10, 2009)

You are going to love having chickens. I went from having 2 then 130 and now I'm slowly working my way back down to a managable 50 chickens. Then I can focus on my goat addiction more


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## deenak (Oct 10, 2007)

Oh how fun. My daughter is getting ducklings at the end of the month but I would rather have chickens. I think you have a good plan starting out small that way you can prove to your parents that you can take care of them. Hope you have good weather for your building adventure!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

congrats....I love the eggs..it is worth it..... :greengrin: :greengrin:


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## Epona142 (May 26, 2008)

You'll love it! Congrats!

I've always had some kind of poultry, and now we have lots of layers and ducks and geese and quail.

:clap:


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## Anna (Oct 17, 2007)

My family really doesnt eat very many eggs since it's just 3 of us here now, but the few we do eat will be from my very own and very loved hens.... That just gives me a lot of pride. The chicken industries are so cruel most of the time in my oppinion,both the meat type and layers, I've been there and seen that. I respect the farmers and the workers, but it's hard for me stomach a product from commercial opperations like that. The fact is for some reason animal rights regulations hasnt even begun to touch the tips of a feather. We have regulations for everything it seems, yet thousands of birds are kept SO inhumanely and slaughtered in the same manor. I haven't eaten eggs from the store in 2 years... I just cant support that. I love getting the dairy's extra eggs. They are so yummy! My parents think I'm a little loony but it's something I'm passionate about. I'm not going to go around dissing everyone that has anything to do with it, it's the way things are and have been, I understand that. LOL. I'm just doing my little slice of changing, by eating my own eggs. Mom and Dad knew it would happen sooner or later :wink: I have two families already wanting any of our extras!


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## Cinder (Mar 3, 2008)

Hooray for you! I love our chickens, as do my children. It is so fun collecting fresh eggs everyday from our happy free range chickens. I'd be happy to help with any questions you may have regarding them. I did a lot of research before and since I've gotten them several years ago.

Here's a great site that will also help you: http://www.backyardchickens.com/ We send people from there over to here all the time who started with chickens and are getting into goats.


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## Amos (Oct 2, 2008)

Thats great Anna! No you're not loony at all! We have about 250 chickens right now, and many other fowl, you'll love them! No I don't think you're crazy, for my 15th birthday I got some geese :ROFL: I wanted another goat for my 16th but that didn't happen. Its great that you're trying to be self sufficient as possible.


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## Anna (Oct 17, 2007)

Thank you guys so so much! Daddy and I have the pen all planned out and will probably start to work on it Thursday or Friday. I'm so ready to see them put into action. As soon as the coop is done I'll be ready for my chickies. We have reserved 10 2 month old Buff Orpington chicks! Yay. I have question though, my dad is a know it all (county agents- :roll: ) and says that I will probably loose several and that's why we are getting that number (really only wanted 5 hens or so). At 2 months (actually they will be 10 weeks now), I dont think it would be normal to loose half of my chicks at that age, would it??? I mean if he is willing to buy them, that's fine, LOL, I'll gladly take 10 hens. 

I would just like to know realisticly how many I could expect to loose, if any?

Also, Buff Orpingtons,at around how many months do they start laying?


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## sweetgoats (Oct 18, 2007)

If I have to have Chickens to have eggs, I would never have another egg. I guess it is because as I was growing up we have every type of bird, and we hatched them all. I was so tired of seeing them and they always seemed to dive bomb me, I think they new I hated them so they were trying to get at me for it. :chick:


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

by the time they are past teh 5 week mark you rarely loose any unless it is due to animals killing them


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## Thanatos (Mar 16, 2009)

I agree aout of the 20 ish chickens we have had the only one i lost after 2 months that wasn't killed by dog(chickens like to escape their pens like nigies) was a "special" one and he drown in a full water dish. coulda got out but didn't :sigh: . other than that the eggs are great. since mine free range and I havent figured out how to train them we egg hunt daily. But they are great. Mine even mouse for me and turn our compost.


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## Hailee's Herd (Oct 5, 2007)

You will love chickens. They are a joy, but they are nice to raise from when they are babies because if you spend a whole lot of time with them they will become extremely friendly.


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## keebausch (Feb 14, 2009)

Chickens are fun. We spent a lot of time with them when they were little and now they are really tame. You can pick them up and hold them.


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## Anna (Oct 17, 2007)

Just an update on my "chicks":

I actually ended up with 4 Buffs, 3 Barred Rocks, 1 easter egger. My dog killed one the barred rocks as we were putting them in the coop for the first time... it was pretty sad :sigh: but I wasnt attached yet and learned the lesson early that you just cant trust any other animals around poultry. They have grown so well. They are all just beautiful birds.

About 2 weeks ago Queen Kathryn the easter egger surprised me with my first egg! So pretty and bluish green. She's been laying dilligently every day and half, and hasnt varried at all form that. If I get her egg in the morning, I'll have one the next afternoon. I'm ready for my brown eggs now, but I'm trying to be patient. Any day now :dance:


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## Hailee's Herd (Oct 5, 2007)

That's cool! Show some pictures. I have an Easter Egger too. Great eggs. I just had some actually.  My little Silkie hen's are the best though, they are soo small but are pretty much all yolk.


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