Newbie chicken owner!

I've FINALLY talked DH into getting some chickens on our suburban lot. I checked into zoning and all that, I'm fairly safe as long as I don't get a rooster.

I am not raising meat chickens, just egg layers. How many eggs can I expect from one of my girls and how often? What are the most prolific layers? We haven't gotten them yet, still "researching" them. DH is going to build a chicken tractor for them.

Excited,
Michelle in Michigan

Welcome to our little happy group of chicken owners! I have rhode island reds...who I think are the absolute best layers. I get one egg nearly every day from each of them. I also have black sexlink, red sexlink, and what I think is a game hen. The red sexlink is mean as all get out...and the black is so sweet...but doesnt lay as often.

There are tons of types to choose from...but if I were to start over with only one breed it would have to be my RIR's. Hope that helps! Feel free to ask any question you want! I am up waiting for some eggs to hatch in the next 24 hours! It is very exciting!

Good luck!

Melissa in Iowa

RIRs = Rhode Island Reds? Is it better to start out with chicks? I'm thinking that it would be, so they would be used to us and us to them. Chickens kinda scare me (I know, stupid, but birds freak me out), but my daughter has been begging...and it's one more small step in sustainability and self-sufficiency.

Michelle

I really love my Buff Orpingtons. They are the sweetest, friendliest and most 'pet-like' of all my standard chickens. They lay an egg a day and i have gotten eggs all winter from them in New England (((Brrrrrr))). They are like lap dogs and love to cuddle. Good Luck in whatever you choose.

My heaviest layers are the Americaunas, Buff Brahma and Barred Rocks. I've been getting an egg a day from each of them all through the winter. The Black Austrolorpe and Gold Laced Wyandottes have been reliable layers through the winter too. All of them have very friendly, calm temperaments too, especially the Barred Rocks and Brahma.

Another consideration in your zone is cold hardiness. It will probably be better if you stick with chickens with pea or other smaller combs because they don't frostbite as easily. And of course the more heavily feathered chickens have an advantage in the cold. You might find this chart helpful, because it includes info on size of eggs, how heavily they lay, temperament and hardiness.

http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html

The www.mypetchicken.com and www.feathersite.com sites also have a lot of good information on the breeds.

Thanks for the info!!

I'm assuming it's necessary to have a heat source in the coop during the winter? It's been below zero here the last week or so.

MsKatt, you are in the same temp zone as me. I use a heat lamp in my henhouse in the winter because as we both know, it can get cold here. My henhouse is an 8x8 wooden shed. We cut a "chicken" door in one of the doors so they can come and go as they wish, but they haven't been out in a couple of days because of the cold. We also put a glass window in for daylight and have a covered window (hardware cloth) that we can open in the summer for air circulation. For access to cleaning and gathering eggs, we open one of the doors. It sits on a cement slab to keep critters out and so far has worked very well. Of course we put straw in it on top of the cement. We have 30+ hens and 3 roos, and are getting 25+ eggs daily right now. All the chicks are Austrolorp except Rocky who is a RIR rooster. (my baby) He is the dominant roo over Bruno and Clyde. Bruno is solid black and Clyde has the most beautiful golden-tipped head and neck feathers you could lay eyes on. Bruno is my "watch rooster". He starts crowing at every little sound or sight around. We use scarecrows to keep raptors out of the pen and between them and Bruno, our girls are safe. We have our chicks in a 50 by 100 fenced in pen except in good weather when we let them free range in the evening for a while.

MsKatt, my mistake, you are in temp zone 5b, not 4b. But you would still need some kind of heat in the henhouse in the winter.

Get one of everything! LOL.

I like the buff orpingtons also. My rooster is a buff orp that I raised from a day old. he is the only one that survived our original batch. long story. We ended up getting 6month old hens after that because I didnt want to wait for so long for eggs. So all of my eggs hatching today (hopfully) will be buff orpington crosses.

i'm with patchouli, get a mix. you will find out what you like best, and get more of those next time. good for you for supporting your daughters interests. i never thought i'd consider having chickens {messy birds}, but my oldest son kept dreaming. then we studied for three years before we got them. it has been wonderful, and i learned that as long as they have a clean dry place to live, they don't smell bad at all. the poop only stinks when it's wet LOL

Mcamden, I only wish my late Buff Orpington roo was a sweetie. He started out fine, but after a year, he turned mean. I had to take a stick with me every time I went out to get eggs because he would attack me. My DH used to laugh at me because of that. I hit him one time too often and blinded him in one eye. That still didn't stop him. Then one day when DH went out to get eggs, Tawny attacked him. Of course the next day he was chicken soup.

oh, what sweet revenge. when they aren't good for anything else, they still taste so good when you grow your own LOL

Yep, they sure do. And that's why I am planning on incubating some this spring. I want those for meat more than anything else. I might keep some hens for egg laying and put some of the mature ones in the freezer for chicken and dumplings next winter. But I am getting so I just can't eat store-bought chicken any more. I already have a hard time eating store-bought eggs. (Like when you go to someone's house for breakfast and that's what they use.)

you need to check this out, esp where he explains what breed of chicken is used for going to our supermarkets. and the evisceration expalnation is nice too...

www.themodernhomestead.us

tf

Thanks, tf, will look at it at my leisure (that's a joke...I don't have any of that rare breed)

oh, cornish cross aren't rare, just mindless, tastless, fast growing on little feed, etc.

we are hatching out some of our own. many will be crosses, but still good layers/foragers and hopefully good tasting too! The Buckeye is on the Slow Food USA Ark of Taste menu!

TF, the rare breed I am talking about is time...not chicks. I was supposed to be retired, but it seems that I have less time than when I was working. Besides the chicks, I am an eBayer, quilter, president of our local library boosters, deliver commodities, and active in church activities. I also make chemo caps for the cancer society, quilts for the sheriff's dept, and Project Linus. So, as you can see, I have little time. Oh yes, we are retired UAW members and are somewhat active there, too.

well, you may not have much time, but you sure kno how to live ;-)

sorry, i can be a little slow on the puns, that was a good one though!

congfrats for giving yourself to serve others. don't forget YOU now and then...

I say get a mix, that way they are easy to tell apart and you can name them all and love them :) And you can see what you like. I love barred rocks and buff orpingtons as well as the easter egg layers, because who doesn't love a green egg? also, for curb appeal, silkies are fun, although more spotty on the laying.

You should probably use a heat lamp. I'm in zone 5-6 and i don't really use one, as I have 27 chickens and they huddle together for warmth, but if you were worried, you definitely could. I have one for the super cold nights.

You will love them. They are full of personality and lots of fun. WAY more than you could imagine!

I have only one hen and one rooster at this time, but that's
going to change real quick next month. Chicks on the way.
If you order from the online sites of hatcheries, they
ship 25 chicks or more- to keep them warm for the trip.
If your daughter is really small, don't tell her how many
are coming, because often, many don't take the trip and
are casualties. Also, don't take her to the post office
with you, before you check the box and remove those
that don't make it. I have a leghorn hen that lays a jumbo
a day when the weather is good. She is really mean, though,
and does not sit on her eggs. If you have many layer hens,
you will get plenty of eggs daily all total. I read that the
Cochin breed is very loveable, lays brown eggs, make
very good mothers, and are great pets that have a sweet
temperament. They are very 'fluffy', and are fun to look
at, and are good meat birds, if you are inclined. I would make
the investment and purchase the pullets only, and the
hatcheries are very good at sexing chicks. Be prepared,
though, to have a plan in place if you accidently get a
cockerel or two with your order. I really like rhode island
reds, I have owned them before. They are big birds, lay
large brown eggs, and are very hardy and easy to care for.
I don't remember if they were very tame or make good
mothers as mine fell prey to critters before we got to
that stage. I think all of the hatcheries offer good chick
care info on their sites, and read info from several, as they
offer a lot, but some have a tidbit or two the others don't.
Always keep their places clean, with a warm house to
hide in from weather and vermin. Give them plenty of
fresh water and love and attention from your daughter,
and you will thoroughly enjoy them.

here is more info, my sons want some...

http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/poultry/chickens/cochin/index.htm

no big surprise but i would like to highly reccomend buff orpington. big, pretty happy gentle wonderful and good and quiet for neighborhoods. great layers. sweet, tame, i could go on and on.

Bigbuffy, I have had orpingtons. Somewhere in these threads is where I put my two cents in about orpingtons. My big, supposedly gentle, quiet rooster was all of that for about a year. Then he started attacking me. I had to take a stick to ward him off when I went out to get the eggs. In fact I hit him once in the head and blinded him on one side. This went on for over a year with DH laughing about it until the day Tawny attacked him. Next morning, "off went his head"!!! He did make delicious dumplings. I will say that the hens were nice, tho.

I am really looking forward to my Blue Cochins. I chose
them for their broodiness, and quite frankly, they
are just so cuddly looking. I am also getting some
white crested polish as they offer large eggs and I
want a good laugh every time I wander out to collect
eggs. It would also be great if some 4Hers found some
of my birds to be something they would like to show.
I also have some Ameraucanas ordered, as I
have heard they are sweet, and I look forward to blue-
green eggs. Eventually I may order the Maran, and that
would complete my multi colored carton of eggs with a
dark chocolate colored egg. I would like to sell a rainbow
of colors at local markets. I think it would be unique.

My rooster is a buff orp. I raised him from a day old chick, and he was the only survivor of a badger attack. He is more protective of our hens then any rooster I have seen. While he doesnt come and sit with me like my rhode island red roo used to...he is not mean. He does stand up to us but has never attacked. All of our new chicks are now 1/2 buff orp, and I am looking forward to seeing what they look like as adults.

truest, how far are you? my kids want cochins to show...

Tf I did a google map search - truest is about 8 1/2+ hours away from you (near Austin)

oh, gee. os that all??? i think i can drive to ohio in 12 LOL

only time i've been to Austin i flew ... there is a cochin breeder that belongs to our bantam club, i am saure if i call we can get some... do they need a fenced area, how do they get along in tall grass & weeds, & with other fowl...

I think the recommendation is that they stay in when
it's muddy- as their leg and feet feathers get balled up
with mud. Also, if you want to breed them they need
their feathers clipped in strategic areas to help with
getting the job done. Otherwise, they do just as well
as other chickens at foraging around and getting along.
They don't really have too much feathering that it
would interfere with watching out for predators. I think
they are just so sweet and full o' fluff, and hens can
weigh 8 pounds. Wish I were closer, Tamara, I would
love to share my Cochins- better get them grown first, huh?

well, one day...

ok this is second post and I've only been a member for a few minutes, my wife is gonna be mad cuz im spending all sunday reading. haha anyways loved this thread as someday gonna get chickens. ironic that so many people have buff oringtons as that is what I wanted. does anybody have ideas on chicken coops? that seems to be major hurdle for me. gonna hafta build from scratch. room is not problem have 10 acres, predators are though. coyotes hawks badgers fox bobcat around here in nevada. cant wait to read your responses.

Horseman, I did an easy thing when we built my coop. I bought a wooden shed and set it up on a 4 inch concrete slab. One reason being that we have critters that can dig under most coops, and I didn't want that. Of course, it depends on what kind of money you have to spend on it. There are numerous plans for coops which others on this thread can tell you about. We also have predators, Coyotes, hawks, eagles, badgers, fox, bobcat, raccoons, possums, skunks, etc. etc.

Good luck

Hey Horseman...I was pretty proud of mine. I will find the thread where I put the pics and stick it on here so you can see. We lost our entire first flock (except our one and only Buff Orpington!) to a badger. We call our coop Ft. Knox.

Mel

Ok...here it is.

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/755900/

Mine took us about a day to put together since everything was built so we didnt really cut anything. Plus it is moveable, and had a drop in floor.

I will add some pics of the building process too...

I have a mix now, but started with Buff Orpingtons, Barred Rock, Easter Egg Layers, RIR, and Red Sex Links.
Our Buff roo was great, had a great temperment we had a RIR rooster that attacked us every time we went near the barn. He finally became noodles last summer after flogging our 10 year. My buff hens are the sweetest gentlest girls... I had a red sex link that would jump up on my shoulder and sit when I went out to sit with them, several of my Buff Girls would jump up on my lap and perch on my legs... they just wanted their "cuddle time" But, I bought them as day olds, and we handled them a lot.... we lost a lot to predators, including my beloved Red Sex Link that sat on my shoulder :(( went to the coop one morning and had bodies everywhere, it was horrible for us.

Then, for a few weeks, it seemed every day we'd be missing one or two or three. We got about 10 Raccoons, and one day hubby was out doing something and a Red Fox just happened to come behind the barn in sight of my hubby. At this point, he was keeping the gun with him all the time.... I told him to hang the fox behind the barn... something I had seen my dad do when I was young.... we haven't lost any to predators since then, knock on wood.

I'm going to order a new batch this spring, buff orpingtons, red sex link and barred rocks... I don't think you can go wrong with any of them, and I really think if you handle them a lot before you put them in the coop, no matter what breed, you won't have a problem with any of them being "pets" one of our barred rocks "talks" to hubby every time he's near her. :)

Oh yeah...I forgot I was adding pictures! Hahaha....sorry

And the run...

I would recommend that anything you build should be bombproof...if something can climb the wall and get in...you will loose chickens...if the wire is too small gauge then something can tear through it...and you will loose chickens. If something can burrow under it and get in...you will loose chickens. We learned this the hard way and it cost a lot more to make it right after loosing the chickens then it would have if we just did it right the first time. Good luck with whatever you decide though.

Hey, Mel, the only thing that got into the henhouse once was a possum. It got in thru the chicken door and was hiding under the nest boxes. DH came running in to get his pistol. I told him to take my shotgun, but forgot I hadn't unloaded the slugs from the previous deer season. (We keep a loaded shotgun in the house...we don't have kids around here) He did and I heard a "BOOM", went out and he had shot the possum with the shotgun. Shot went through the possum and the wall of the henhouse. We are still laughing about that. But we did get the possum. We haven't had any varmints around for a while, but am always on the lookout for them. One other thing that seems to ward off varmints, although I don't know why is that we have orange snow fence around our pen. We have noticed that it works to keep critters out of our garden, so maybe it is doing the same thing for varmints. We had a bad year for coyotes last year but they didn't touch our flock. We also have bobcat and bear around here. So maybe the orange fencing works on them. I don't know, just a guess.