Backyard chickens. Yay or nay? Tips? Advice? Am I crazy?

[runNjump86]

We have the room and I’m not looking to raise a huge flock, just 4-6 layers for personal egg production and maybe to sell to friends/neighbors. Egg prices are increasing quite a bit in CA due to new laws (which I’m not against, just drives prices up but is better for the animals) and I’m wondering if it would be worth having a small flock.

I’ve never raised chickens before. I used to hate the birds until I farm sat for my vet several times and had to care for her birds. She had around 40, all in different flocks. It was a simple set up, and caring for all of them took me about 20 minutes if I had to empty/refill water containers.

Opinions? Advice?

[Jackie_amp_Starlette]

Yes. Warning, Chicken Math. Started with 6, now sell 10 dozen or more eggs a week (I feed them organic feed). They can be addicting!

[djangology]

I keep ducks in a typical suburban backyard. I have three ladies and they’re giving me 2 eggs per day on average. I think we’re going to go get a half dozen more ducklings next month (expecting that some of them will be drakes and will either be given away or eaten).

I opted for ducks because they’re less vertically inclined. This makes them less likely to hop the perimeter fence and go visit the neighbors. It also means that they’re respectful of the 28" wire fence I made their pen out of. It also means they won’t eat everything in my raised garden beds.

They don’t scratch like chickens do, so they have less of a scorched earth policy when it comes to lawns and gardens. They also flock like sheep do, so they’re a little easier to round up.

Plus, the eggs are delicious and AMAZING for baking.

[trubandloki]

[QUOTE=djangology;8041615]
I have three ladies and they’re giving me 2 eggs per day on average.[/QUOTE]
Interesting. I did not know ducks produced more than one egg a day.

[Megaladon]

I say DO IT! I absolutely adore mah chicka babes. Go visit Backyard Chickens and cruise around the forums, lots of great info. I did that for a couple of years before I got my birdies. Enjoy them and good luck!

[saultgirl]

[QUOTE=trubandloki;8042000]
Interesting. I did not know ducks produced more than one egg a day.[/QUOTE]

I think she meant she’s getting 2 eggs per day total.

[saultgirl]

[QUOTE=runNjump86;8040746]
We have the room and I’m not looking to raise a huge flock, just 4-6 layers for personal egg production and maybe to sell to friends/neighbors. Egg prices are increasing quite a bit in CA due to new laws (which I’m not against, just drives prices up but is better for the animals) and I’m wondering if it would be worth having a small flock.

I’ve never raised chickens before. I used to hate the birds until I farm sat for my vet several times and had to care for her birds. She had around 40, all in different flocks. It was a simple set up, and caring for all of them took me about 20 minutes if I had to empty/refill water containers.

Opinions? Advice?[/QUOTE]

Chickens are fun. I don’t think I could say I ever hated birds, but I wasn’t a huge fan, until I got my chickens. Now I love them.

[djangology]

[QUOTE=trubandloki;8042000]
Interesting. I did not know ducks produced more than one egg a day.[/QUOTE]

Oh, I should have clarified. We’re getting 2 eggs/day total, meaning they’re not each laying 1 egg per day. It means they’re probably each laying 5 days per week or so.

[runNjump86]

[QUOTE=saultgirl;8042453]
Chickens are fun. I don’t think I could say I ever hated birds, but I wasn’t a huge fan, until I got my chickens. Now I love them.[/QUOTE]

My experiences with chickens when I was younger was not good. Mean hens, small child, I remember running and crying. Plus I used to find them disgusting with the smell.

Now that I’m no longer ten I’m much more open minded about them :lol:

[Martha_Drum]

Love my little chickabiddies. I have 3 Speckled Sussex ladies, about 4 years old, and four Golden Laced Wyandottes, just 6 months. I get between 4-6 eggs daily and they are just the funniest little feathered people to watch. Mine free range during the day when I’m around (I work here on the farm), but they are locked in a stall when I’m out and roost in their enclosed coop, which is actually located in a stall with my rabbit hutches, at night. Their names are Patsy Cline, Dolly Parton, Barbara Mandrell, and the younger ones are Fiddle, Dulcimer, Mandolin and Banjo.

[Mango20]

I have two hens in the backyard and they are EASY. Just check to see if food/water needs to be refilled and gather eggs, and clean the coop once in a while. Much easier than taking care of horses!

[french_fry]

My BF and I go through at least a dozen eggs a week (more like 2 dozen a lot of the time) and even paying for free range organic it’s no more than $10ish weekly.

I find it hard to believe that enough chickens (sounds like you’d need at least 4 or so?) to produce at least a dozen eggs a week would cost less than $10 in materials and labor but maybe I’m wrong?

[trubandloki]

[QUOTE=french fry;8049182]

I find it hard to believe that enough chickens (sounds like you’d need at least 4 or so?) to produce at least a dozen eggs a week would cost less than $10 in materials and labor but maybe I’m wrong?[/QUOTE]
I guess it depends on where you are and what you feed.
My chickens certainly do not save me any money on eggs. They end up being really expensive eggs in the end.
But I like my girls, the eggs are a bonus (for Mr. Trub, I am not a fan of eggs).

[BeatriceLBD]

We love ours! We bought them to eat ticks & other insects around the farm. They are hysterically funny, have decimated the tick population and I sell anywhere from 2-8 dozen eggs a week. We have about 15 chickens and 4 ducks.

We find ourselves frequently standing around watching what the birds are doing lol!

They are easy to take care of and fun to have around. Occasionally we lose one or two to nature but they’re great critters to have around.

[french_fry]

[QUOTE=trubandloki;8049263]
I guess it depends on where you are and what you feed.
My chickens certainly do not save me any money on eggs. They end up being really expensive eggs in the end.
But I like my girls, the eggs are a bonus (for Mr. Trub, I am not a fan of eggs).[/QUOTE]

I mean, my cat definitely costs me more than $10 a week and all she ever gives me is the occasional pile of yakked up cat food on the carpet so I’m not judging at all! :lol: I’m just pretty dubious that this could actually be considered an economical alternative to the high price of eggs in CA, which is what I think the OP’s original idea stemmed from.

[Sunlight_Star]

Love ours too! Buff Orpingtons and Wyandottes…friendly, good foragers.

Free Range Chicken Gardens by Jessi Bloom. Interesting book, lots of good ideas.

Chicken treats?? Freeze dried meal worms. You should be able to find them at your feed store.

[red_mares]

This is should be an obvious, no-brainer - check with your local zoning before you get your chickens.

My county has some areas where chickens are not to be kept. My neighbors apparently missed the memo.

[Dexter]

Chickens are seriously addictive! I started with a few and now have 16! Bantams are the most cuddly, but only lay tiny eggs. My Easter Eggers lay a pretty blue egg, and they are fairly tame. My big Rhode Island Red hen is one of my favorites -she pretty much runs the barn!

4 chickens will generally give you 3 eggs a day.

Mine did free range until I had a number of losses to dogs, coyotes and raccoons. Now they hang out with me in the barn and have supervised turnout. The raccoons got into a fenced in chicken coop, and a dog ripped a coop apart to get to the chickens, so you do have to be careful.

But they are worth it!

[Hulk]

I totally love my chickens, they are magical little creatures indeed. If your on the fence of yes or no here is a huge shove towards yes! Warning they are massively addictive as others have said, and just a few quickly turns into just a few more.

[Marcella]

I love my chickens. We’ve had many over the past 10 years, and even raised some for meat once. They each have their own personality, and some are friendlier than others. If you handle them regularly, they can be quite affectionate. They don’t require a lot of work, although I think eggs are less expensive from the grocery store. However, a fresh egg is delicious! They are awesome at eating bugs, which was the initial reason we got them. The one downside - they dig and scratch, and our landscaping is hideous because they either ate my plants, dug around the roots and killed them, kicked mulch all over the grass, or otherwise scratched things up.