I was shopping on the web today and came across this, which surprised me....
Hayneedle.com, which carries just about everything, now offers a line of CHICKEN COOPS! lol http://www.hayneedle.com/outdoor/green-living/chicken-coops-&-houses.cfm#N%3D127488+4295016902+4295016902%26view%3D55%26display%3Dgrid_view
Folks wanting chickens must really be catching on! ;)
Raising chickens becoming more popular?? :>
Hi Glenda, Out here it is going crazy. One of my customers just called to see if he could rent a chunk of my property so he could build small coops, and also rent one of my coops for his chickens. He thinks he can build the coop, house the chickens here and sell them together as a package. I told him I don't rent my property but because he was out of work I would give him use of one coop, and he could build the small coups for his project on a three month trial basis. After that he would have to pay if he wanted to continue. I don't really think there is much money in that myself... Well shall see....Hay
Those pre fab kits are available at all the feed stores around here.. They are very tempting, only cause everything is already cut, etc.
I seriously thought about building coops to sell.. but when I was moving and sold one of them, I saw how bad the market is for coops. Everyone can just throw something together and call it a coop, so there was no market..
I do hope you are right though Glenda.. There is so much benefit from home grown eggs & meat.. everyone should be doin it! :)
There is a big movement in Denver to legalize chickens. Both with a petition, and at the city council. The city council is even considering goats, lol. Chickens are legal in every suburb around Denver, but Denver decided not to be a "cow town" 50 years ago, and passed laws against chickens.
Maybe my girls will become un-undocumented. I have a tee shirt that say's "Free the Chickens". Sad because I grew up with chickens. It wasn't that long after WWII and the government encouraged people to grow gardens and have chickens in their backyards.
I totally agree with ZZ's, I think people should get back to a much simpler life style. Helping each other out whether it's barn rainsing or building a chicken coop. Neighbors ought to learn how to be friends again. A community garden is another great idea. I just met another customer two weeks ago, and he bought three seramas, well he brought one back and wanted to make an exchange. I told him it was fine and he could pick what he wanted. While we were talking another customer came in. We got into a conversation and it ended up where the three of us are going to make a five hundred mile trip together to a pheasant farm.
They both have postage stamp property and want to build a coop on my property and house some standard chickens. I told them they could at no charge and they are going to in turn help me build my avairy...A great exchange for us all.
I live inside the loop in Houston, TX. We have no zoning laws and probably never will have now. Many times the issue has been put on the ballot and lost. Because of that, there is a homeowner in my neighborhood with free roaming guineas. A real estate agent I know got 2 chickens for her birthday 2 years ago and Martin and Henrietta just cluck, cluck around in her back yard and at night they go into their little coop to roost. (Wonder is the word rest is related to the word roost). She lives in my neighborhood as well. Im envious of her two chickens. She gets a fresh egg every day. My property is really small and I have not thought of a way to have a Martin and Henrietta yet. I can see that catching on in a city like ours where there is a lot of tolerance of differences.
The company that makes the Eglu started in England, selling their coop and two hens right at point of lay to go with it, plus feed to get started with. They would deliver the whole kit and kaboodle and set it up for you. Apparently getting fresh eggs is/was something of a novelty in towns, but since many towns would still allow hens in the "garden" (backyard), this was a way to get 1-2 fresh eggs a day. It must have been pretty successful because they expanded and now sell the Eglus here in the US.
Of course, they are pricey, but if someone only wanted a couple hens or 3-4 bantams as pets and for a couple eggs a day, I guess people who are able to pay the price are willing to do so. Problem is, chickens are addicting, and soon you want a few more, or a variety of breeds, and then your fancy Eglu isn't big enough. :-)
There are multiple folks around here selling cute chicken coops with or without attached runs. And they are getting anywhere from $495 and up depending on the size of the coop. There was even one guy advertising his coops for around $1200.
Gallesfarm: my friend George that wants to build small coops, small attached run with three chickens and a weeks worth of food. Thats what he wants to sell them for $500.00. I told him to go four hundred fifty. We shall see but I love seeing all the activity stiring around the chicken industry...Hay
No wonder. People want healthy food and know they haven't been getting it. Organic eggs in the grocery store here are $4 a dozen. So, no wonder people want chickens.
Plus they are so entertaining and relaxing to watch.
I just love that sound they make as they amble about looking for things to peck. It kinda sounds like clearing your throat but kind of like muttering too. Anyway it's just a lovely comforting sound.
On another note, our nightly news recently reported on a huge egg farm just south of Houston, close to Wharton where a lot of those contaminated eggs came from. The SPCA had already done an expose' on the plant but nothing was done to shut it down. The pictures and stories were too horrible to watch. I thoroughly understand why people would want their own chickens, who eat a known food and are cared for properly. I get so cynical at times because it seems if there's a buck in it, someone will figure out how to exploit something or someone in an attempt to get more money for less effort. I dont know what they are teaching in out business schools these days but it certainly does not appear to be "ethics".
Steadycam3, I can't say as I blame you for becoming cynical. This is one messed up world we live in now when it comes to values. I was looking at your post a noticed where you live. I lived in Texas for seven years. I loved much of my time there. I lived in Houston on Heights blvd. That was late fifties very early sixties. I also lived in Baytown, and worked for the Sheriffs dept. Harris Co. and I lived in Galveston and Texas City as well as I was stationed at Ft Sam Houston, San Antonio. I often miss the area but don't think I could deal with the humidity anymore. Loved it when I was young though...Haystack