some advice, please

I'm in the chicken-tractor planning stage. I really only want a couple of chickens, first because I like chickens and second because I'd like to have fresh eggs. I spent summers on a farm but all we had was a slightly mean rooster that I loved (I'm in a neighborhood and no matter how much I'd LOVE to have a rooster I'm not going to impose that on my neighbors -- some people don't like the crowing and if so they don't deserve it). Anyway... I'm also researching breeds, and I really think the best input comes from Dave's Garden folks. All that being said, I think I want two hens, either Rhode Island Reds or Plymouth Rocks.

Any thoughts/suggestions/warnings? Noise, broodiness, vaccinations, anything? All input welcome, both on the tractor and its inhabitants.

Thanks!

If you want hens that lay every day, I've got a Buff Orpington that lays almost every day, winter and summer. She's a big chicken though. I also have an Ameraucana that lays the colored (green) eggs and she lays probably 5 or 6 a week on the average. They are both nice chickens, not too noisy and peaceful enough.

I also have several banty hens that are cute little girls. They lay smaller eggs and eat less feed. They seem less messy too. If I could only have a few for eggs, they would be my choice. Only, you would need at least 3 if you want a couple eggs a day. They are small, and some days the girls skip and slack off. They are most apt to go broody in the spring too, which will cut down on production of eggs, or will produce more chicks if you can get a couple of fertile eggs. Good luck, they're all fun.

Thanks, PeggieK -- I'm considering bantams as well. I do have cats, and I think the bigger the chicken the better -- less likely to be intimidated by the kitties (who are ALL wusses). I'll check out the Orpingtons, too!

I love my Rhode Island Reds. Very talkative and nice.

I really loved my aracauna/americauna ( the green egg ones) who layed most days and I'm a huge barred rock fan.

Wyndottes are really chatty, so if you are looking for quiet, I wouldn't go for that. I think you should get three or four chickens, as you may lose one to predators or illness and you don't want to have one girl all alone, because she'd be lonely! Plus it is so much fun to see them interact!

I love bantams. I have three bantam brahmas, who are small, but wide, like tiny linebackers. I've seen them hold their own against cats. It is important to keep an eye on that at first, however. Good thinking there.

The cats have never been around chickens, and I'd rather have hens that will put them in their places than risk becoming cat food. One good peck and the cats will leave them alone; I'm confident of that. Bantams are mighty cute, though. Maybe three would be better than two, but I'm also hesitant to set up too much of a pecking order. Or are they happier if they have a pecking order?

Three's not going to set up much of a pecking order. Banties are definitely cute, but you want to use the eggs, right? That's something to bear in mind. I know bantie eggs are usable, but with only two or three hens to lay, I'd stick w/ standards.

My RI Reds, Buff Orps, and Ameraucanas all lay very very reliably. I'd "grade" the Buff Orps down only b/c they tend to go broody and they don't lay then.

I'm leaning toward the RIRs. I've always said (well, ever since I wasn't a teenager anymore) if in doubt, don't. And I have more doubts about the bantams than the regulars. So... maybe I'll get some chicken wire this afternoon, and maybe he won't run when I say, oh, sweetie... ;}

Don't worry about banties not being plucky enough to stand up to a cat. I've seen banties more plucky and defensive than big chickens. We have one who was ready to take on the new little terrier yesterday afternoon. I had Penny on a lease and knew the little hen was no match for the dog, but that little hen wasn't backing down and she doesn't even have chicks and isn't setting on a nest.

My choice would be Americaunas or Araucania? hens. They have delightful dispositions and are good layers and mothers.

As for the chicken tractor, for just a couple or three little hens a ring of poultry fencing held in place with electric fence posts and a sheet over at least part of it for shade with a small wooden box in it that has a floor & is up off the ground on a few bricks would be good enough. They will be loose when you move the pen but once they are tamed they should be easy to put back into it.

An old 4' X 8' shipping crate would be plenty large enough for several little hens and probably can be obtained for very little. You can lay it either way depending on if you want to be able to walk into it or have to bend over and reach in. Then you could have them in a pen during the day and put them into the crate at night or during bad weather. A nice coat of paint should prevent any complaints from neighbors. We had one once and it lasted for years. It laid on its side & the front was divided into 2 doors that were wood frames with poultry wire. There was also a small door on one end. I could get into it very easily. It had originally been built for small dogs to live in.

Best wishes on your endeavor.

Bantams are absolutely wonderful, I wish I had gotten them years ago, we enjoy them more all the time...good luck!!

I'm so grateful for all the input! Since we're talking about living creatures, I don't want, once again, to say, "if only I'd known!"

Leaflady, thanks especially for starting my mind running on the pen. Where is Hughesville? My folks live in Jackson, just out of Cape Girardeau.

Hi there. Obviously, go with whatever makes you the most comfortable. Are you starting with hens, pullets or chicks? I have never had any trouble with my cats or my dog when I have started the chicks in the house. At first they were really curious, but I had screen on the top, and they got over it. Now they just accept them as part of the family, I guess :)

All chickens have a pecking order. From the experience I have had, chickens that grow up together have the pecking order pretty firmly established early on, so they don't actually have to peck each other much to maintain it. It has been a little harder introducing new pullets to the flock later. ( I always do it in at least 2s or 3s so they have someone to hang out with and it distributes the pecks amoung more than one bird.) So I'd suggest getting 1 or 2 more birds than you think you want. It is likely that you may lose one of natural causes or predators, then you'll still have a couple birds that casn hang out together. One chicken is a lonely girl. Good LUck!

Thanks for the advice, Hens. I'd thought 2, now I'm thinking 3. I have a friend here at work whose daughter raises chickens for 4-H and I'll get some from her if she has one of the breeds I'm considering and wants to sell them. I think I'd rather get chicks (though not really teeny ones) both because they're cute and because I'd think they'd get used to me quicker. But if I ran across a couple of RIRs someone needed to find a home for, I'd do that.

And while I've heard the term all my life, I don't know what a pullet is. Shameful for a farm girl to say, but there you are. We didn't keep chickens.

Young female chicken, that's all. I'm sure there's an official cut-off date, but we call them pullets until they begin laying and then they're hens. The young male is of course a cockerel.

Gotcha. Thanks. Now I can sound like I know something when I'm talking with chicken people.

Yes, us chicken folk are a snobby bunch, so you better watch your ps and qs, or pullets and hens, as the case may be :)

One thing to think about is do you want them to come straight run ( equal chance of boys and girls) or pre-sexed ( girls or boys only.) It is really hard to determine a chick's gender until it is about 2 or 3 months old and starts crowing! LOL THat's how we found out we had a couple of roosters. The easiest way to do that is get them from a hatchery. But then, you often need to get a set #.

One thing you could try is joining your local freecycle group. That is a email list of free stuff to give or take. Ours has hens on there relatively often. Maybe yours does as well. Or you could let them know that you are looking to split a batch of chicks with someone. So much to think about :)

BYH, brought up a good point about making sure you get female gender chickens. Some breeds are sex linked by color at hatching but there aren't many who are. Maybe you should just advertise that you are looking for a few baby pullets and see if someone knowledgeable in sexing chicks can help you out. I know big hatcheries sex chicks at hatching time but you usually have to buy at least 25 at a time unless you are going to pick them up at the hatchery. If you live near enough to one you may be able to work something out with them on sexing the breeds you are interested in. Best wishes.

Thanks; I was wondering how hard it was to tell them apart. It's not that I'd mind having a rooster -- I'd love it! But for my neighbors' sakes... you know...

I'm also contacting the local humane society. They may have a line on some orphans, which would be fine with me.

I'd best get this chicken tractor built, though!

Hi brigidlily,
I'm a little late getting in on the conversation. I tried something different this year. I chose 1-2 different types of chicks from the feed store this spring to get a better idea on temperment,eggs, appearance, etc.
Unfortunately, I had to chose from 'straight runs' and almost all of them were roosters. I cant have them here so have been taking them one by one over to my friends house, as I realize they are roosters. It has been hard to do because I had fallen in love with them before I knew they were males.
The calmest and quietest ones I have are the Buff Orpingtons. And they lay almost every day. I've heard that Aracauna's are nice, but the 2 I got are skittish and have been very loud since they were just chicks. Maybe mine are misfits. One is black and white, the other is gold with silver tipped feathers. My New Hampshire is pretty quiet and I hear they are similar to the RIR.
Isn't it fun planning? People just don't have a clue until they get into it. My husband thought I was nuts for liking them. It's so funny now. I catch him out gazing @ all the girls doing their thing, when he doesn't realize someone is watching.
Good luck, let us know what you get.

Thanks, NowRot! I do appreciate the input. I'm leaning toward the Orpingtons from what I've been able to read, though the RIRs are still in the running. What I actually plan to do is get adults so I'll KNOW they're female; I wouldn't know what to do if I wound up with a rooster, unless he was a pretty quiet rooster!

It's not like with a cat. If you're wanting a cat, all you have to do is announce you want one, and one will show up. I do take my animals very seriously, and I'll educate myself as much as I can before taking on a new one. But of course experience is the best teacher.

Dominiques are very good chickens as well. They're pretty much a sex link breed (able to be sexed by color site when born). They are very good foragers and very spunky and very friendly. I have buffs and Doms and my dominiques are even friendlier than my Buff Orps.

TOO MANY CHOICES! Should I get one of each? That might be the best idea anyway; I don't plan on breeding them. Are the Dominiques good layers? (I would like eggs.) I'm sure they're all fine at "fertilizing..."

Thanks for the input, dingydoo.

Yes, they are good layers, they are beautiful chicks. Yes, you should get one of each! LOL

One of each... Rhode Island Red, Buff Orpington, Araucana, Wyndotte, Dominique... I've gone from two to five... hmmm... and everybody thinks I should get bantams...

I KNEW I should have gotten a farm instead of a lot...

I can't believe nobody suggested Barred Rocks yet! They are smart, confident chickens, who lay huge brown eggs almost every day.

Why only get one breed? How about getting one or two of each?

True, an assortment is never boring. We have a friend that has all one kind and says they get kinda tired of looking at the same thing every day.

He only notices that he feels that way when he comes over and sees our motly crew, though. Each breed has their own funny personalities and that's fun too. Since we name all of ours, it's easier to tell who's-who. No matter what kind you get, you'll love them.

here is my 2 cents. get some heirloom breeds. since you will bec9ome a
devotee of your girls, then you need something to work at. I mean in a
good sense. the rare and endangered are the best. any of them.
take a look at some of the sites. dominiques were recommended here,
and you should take a look at some of the others too. anyone can get
a RIR or a buff orp, but only a select few will have the endangered, and
take the time to make sure they are healthy and have a small enough
flock to be able to maintain them in the style they should be...lolol..

they are all smart and pretty and don't roam from home. they are sweet
and sassy and watchful. cats do not usually ever hurt chickens, and they
make good sleeping buddies too. feather beds surrounding you!!
and their feathers make great toys. and decorations on cats heads and
tails.

take a look at some of them. they are really healthy and well constructed
for barnyard living and scrounging out the bugs.
regards,
sheri, and good luck no matter what you get, you will love them none the less.

WigglyPaw: True that domestic cats almost never bother chickens. Our cat gets pushed around by some of the chickens, LOL.
Watch out for the hungry, feral ones, though. We've lost a few teen chickens to a huge, hulking, feral cat that comes around looking for a meal.

adding barred rocks... resigning job to take care of chickens... ;}

With all this info, it probably will come down to what's available when the tractor is finished. I have three cats, but I'll be more worried about them than about the chickens! As I mentioned earlier, they're all wusses. I'm sure the chicks will be able to handle them.

I wouldn't recommend keeping both standard size chickens and bantams in the same living quarters. Their spunkiness usually isn't enough to compensate for their puniness, when it comes to the pecking order.

Similar with my favorite chickens, the Polish Cresteds. They are disadvantaged in the pecking order, because their plumage blocks their vision. They just can't compete for the food on equal terms.

i disagree, owl. If they are raised together, they can get along just fine. I have a mixed flock with no problems ( bantam and standard) in fact, my silkie hen is #2 dominant to everyone. It is halarious seeing my standard chickens shy away from her royal highness. It probably just depends on the circumstances.

As to what to get, go with what you think is best. See what's available. They are all wonderful :)

BackyardHens I completely agree. I have 4 different kinds together and Princess our oldest Silkie Hen is the reigning queen of our yard!! All seem to get along fine. The Frizzles are a little more agressive when I give them tomatoes but heck we fight for our favorites too.

I have bantam and large polish that I raise with Sumatras(bantam and large)
They have no problems getting along
And Sumatras are not mild mannered birds,but they rarely bother the Polish

Huh. Well, I can't keep my fat girls (Barred Rock hens) in the same pen with the Polish Cresteds, because they terrorize them. I've read on polish crested websites that it's best to keep them segregated, just because they can't see as well. Mine definitely get bullied. The cresteds are free-ranging until we get the second coop built.

I wonder if the Barred Rocks are jealous -- the Cresteds get to play outside and they don't? ;p

How long have they been together? Do they just need to establish the pecking order? It is funny, my mother had one mean hen who would peck the others, and she taught that behavior to everyone. Even though she is dead now, the chickens that were pecked by her have continued that behavior with the next generation of chickens ( the ones who started it were Rhode Island Reds) So maybe you would have better luck another time if you introduced them all as chicks. hmmm........weird!

Most of the Barred Rocks are a year older than the Polish Cresteds. But I've seen for myself, the Cresteds can't see the food as quickly, nor can they always see someone coming up behind them. My cresteds really are at a disadvantage.

The lowest-ranking Barred Rock hen has a damaged eye pupil---probably got pecked in the eye by another Barred Rock! Barred Rock owners, what do you think? Are they bullies?

I only have one, and she is really sweet. I handled her a lotas a chick. I don't know how she would be with younger chicks, tho. The problem with bullying that my mom had came from Rhode Island Reds.