Homestead Haven Beginnings

Chickens, Chickens, Chickens on the brain!!!

Praise the Lord, I'm a gettin chickens.  We live in the city, so DH could just not understand that as a country gal in the city I needed chickens when we have a grocery store right down the street where we can buy eggs!!  But finally agree he did, so now I am getting my chickens...

Does anyone know how to go about buying chickens???  I want them as a learning tool for the kids, but I also want to benefit from the eggs...any chicken info would be much appreciated.  Do I buy eggs to hatch, my sister did it that way, or is it better to get them as chicks?  If I only have two, do I need a coop or just a little cage, or can they go free??  Like I said, I would greatly appreciate anyone expertise in this area!

Blessings, Rossie

Hi from Melissa

{ 05:50, Thursday, June 29, 2006 } { Posted by Anonymous }

I have no idea about chickens, but you used to be able to buy chicks from Round Up on Rosedale Hwy. I'm not sure where you live but if its in the city limits, I don't think you can have chickens. We live in the county so we could, but we are staying with my parents and they do not want animals, wah! Please email me sometime at melissa@badgertools.com.

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{ 06:25, Thursday, June 29, 2006 } { Posted by southernbelle }

I hope you'll keep me updated on the chickens! You are living a dream of mine! I can't convince hubby to go along with the idea! I wish I knew more about them and what to do to get started. I know here in the Spring our Feed & Seed Co-Op sold chicks. If I were to get some that's probably the first place I'd go to inquire. I hear a lot about people ordering chicks and they get delivered to the post office and you have to go pick them up.

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{ 12:38, Friday, June 30, 2006 } { Posted by jenna }

How exciting! I am new to chickens too, AND my dh & I live also in town. We bought 4 chicks back in April from our local feed store. They were a couple weeks old at the time and are about 3 1/2 months old now. Our city lot is very small, only 5000 sq ft, and is surrounded by neighbors on both sides and an alley with more neighbors in back, so we do not let them loose because they can fly over fences! They are in a moveable chicken tractor that we (meaning mostly my wonderful dad) built. It is a little A-frame contraption that is about 8 ft long by 4 ft wide. There are pics of it on my blog if you want to take a peak.

http://www.homesteadblogger.com/jenna/15688

I am by no means an expert, since I've only had them a few months, but it's probably late enough in the year that I would try looking in the paper or asking at a co-op or feed store for half-grown pullets (or grown). The chicks are fun to have, but if you got little chicks now, they wouldn't be old to lay until late fall or winter (4 - 6 months old). I'm still waiting for an egg... If they start laying at 6 months, I might not see anything until September!!!

Good luck!

Chickens are fun.

{ 09:16, Friday, June 30, 2006 } { Posted by deedee06 }

Rossie, Your husband is a good sport for agreeing to having chickens. When we were newlyweds on the farm, I ordered some from a mail order poultry company called Murray McMurray. They were somewhere in the midwest and they had a huge variety of chickens, ducks and geese, etc. Hopefully they are still in business because I found them to be a reputable company. If any chickens arrived dead, they would refund the price of them with no arguement. We had trouble with raccoons when we had ours. My husband set traps and caught some, but they sure wiped out a lot of our chickens. Fresh eggs have a much higher sulfur content than store bought. A friend, who is into natural foods big time, says that sulfur is lacking from the American diet due to over processing. Have fun!

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{ 12:00, Friday, June 30, 2006 } { Posted by Anonymous }

Hi, you could check the local co-op, feed&seed store. Most places require a minimum of 20 or 25 chicks, you may have to find someone to share an order. Murray McMurray is a good company to order from, you pick up your chicks at the post office! I would keep them in a coop, there are portable coops, do a Google search. Have fun!