We're getting chickens!

After waiting for 4 years, and going round and round with the city for almost a year (other families more than us, much more actually) the city voted to allow folks to raise hens in our city! We can only keep three at this time, but we hope after a while, when the city sees that it's not a big deal they'll allow 5 or 6.
Now I'm waiting to get the official ordinances so I can build my supercoop and get the bestest eggs you can eat, fresh eggs from chickens that walk around, eating bugs and pooping on the grass.

Only hens? no roosters?

Roosters crow at the crack of dawn. Not good for the neighbors.

One mile from my house, my wife's best friend has some acres and 8 chickens.
We get fresh eggs from them. She has a 10 yr old son and has turned this into a little business and lesson learning experience for her son. Pretty cool.

Roosters also turn eggs into chicks and you do not need that.

I grew up raising chickens (on a farm). Can't say I miss them. But, my kids love visiting Grandma and Grandpa with the animals. They think it's one of the coolest things ever to gather and wash the eggs.

spitfirebill wrote: Roosters crow at the crack of dawn. Not good for the neighbors.

We had a beautiful rooster that made great soup when he wouldnt shut up. Danged thing crowed all day. We gave him a few weeks to see if he would grow out of it, but no dice.

If you use a fixed run, won't be grass long. None the less, cool for you. Any thoughts as to what you want, egg or bird wise?

There's a lady near me who's been working carefully on breeding an Araucana variant that lays intensely blue eggs. Stupid expensive birds, but I find myself rationalizing getting one or two.

Oh, a japanese beetle trap, without the bag, works well in the run for providing free food. I've heard of the wonders of placing a pie pan under it so it tinks when a beetle falls into it. The claim is the chickens will run over to get the beetle. never noticed it to work with my birds though.

spitfirebill wrote: Roosters crow ALL THE DAMN TIME. Not good for the neighbors.

Near my in laws, there are a lot of free chickens. Damn roosters. hard to sleep some nights.

Our neighbors have had chickens in Ann Arobor for a few years. Get some of the exotic ones- they look really nice on top of producing eggs.

alfadriver wrote: Our neighbors have had chickens in Ann Arobor for a few years. Get some of the exotic ones- they look really nice on top of producing eggs.

Funny, we used the fact that you folks in A2 can raise chickens and we can't as a discussion point last night. Ann Arbor isn't very rural, but Fenton is almost all rural. Heck, you can raise hens in either Manhattan or Brooklyn for cryin' out loud.

We're not sure what breed yet, but we aren't looking to raise meat birds but layers. My plans for a run is a large A-frame structure like this but larger

Then you can move the coop all over the yard to allow them to eat and fertilize everywhere. At night they would go into the regular coop, this would be for critter protection during the day.

My neighbors across the street keep chickens. I think they have about a half dozen of them. No problems at all with noise or smell as far as I can tell. Theirs are for eggs, they have some friends nearby who raise chickens for meat and then they share so it works out well for both families.

Are they original recipe or extra tasty crispy?

Why does a chicken coop only have 2 doors?

If it had 4 it would be a chicken sedan!

You only need a rooster if you want more chickens.

Don't forget to build a henway.

DrBoost wrote: Ann Arbor isn't very rural, but Fenton is almost all rural.

Fenton is rural? You city folk sure have a sense of humor.

The moveable coops are typically called "chicken tractors". Here is mine

We slide the axle under the rear and move it with the lawn mower every weekend.

Here is a picture of my wife, the chicken whisperer, that shows a little of the inside

Do you have a totally open bottom (THE CHICKEN TRACTOR!! GOOD LORD I'M TALKING ABOUT THE CHICKEN TRACTOR!!) or is there a mesh like on the sides? I've seen plans that call for mesh on the bottom but I don't think I'd want to do that.
And yes I know, Fenton isn't totally rural, we have TWO McDonald's!!

spitfirebill wrote: Roosters crow at the crack of dawn. Not good for the neighbors.

I've lived where there were a lot of roosters, and they definitely don't crow just at the crack of dawn.. I think this idea started with cartoons showing the sun rising and roosters crowing at it. The truth is they crow at anything and everything. See a bug? COCKADOODLEDOO! Hot chicken across the coop? COCKADOODLEDOO! Feeling lonely? COCKADOODLEDOO!

Trans_Maro wrote: Don't forget to build a henway.

I'll play along!

What's a henway?

(hurr hurr)

dculberson wrote: Don't forget to build a henway.

I'll play along!

What's a henway?

(hurr hurr)

DUUHHH!!! He wrote A Farewell To Arms.

Sheesh! Some people are soo uncultured.

DrBoost wrote: Do you have a totally open bottom (THE CHICKEN TRACTOR!! GOOD LORD I'M TALKING ABOUT THE CHICKEN TRACTOR!!) or is there a mesh like on the sides? I've seen plans that call for mesh on the bottom but I don't think I'd want to do that. And yes I know, Fenton isn't totally rural, we have TWO McDonald's!!

Ours is an open bottomed version. Chickens like to scratch and roll in dust. A wired bottom would hinder that. When you park them over an ant hill you dont want anything stopping them from the buffet

logdog wrote:

DrBoost wrote: Do you have a totally open bottom (THE CHICKEN TRACTOR!! GOOD LORD I'M TALKING ABOUT THE CHICKEN TRACTOR!!) or is there a mesh like on the sides? I've seen plans that call for mesh on the bottom but I don't think I'd want to do that. And yes I know, Fenton isn't totally rural, we have TWO McDonald's!!

Ours is an open bottomed version. Chickens like to scratch and roll in dust. A wired bottom would hinder that. When you park them over an ant hill you dont want anything stopping them from the buffet

Thanks. That's what I thought but I don't have any actual experience.

Open bottom on my tractors as well.

I did try mesh bottom once. Not good. First it mashes the grass down, second it prevents the chickens from scratching. Poo gets stuck in the mesh. Mesh gets stuck in the ground, making moving the tractor very difficult.

I have two of these:

Bought the first one used, mmm, 15 years ago. Built a second about 10 years ago.

Another potential chicken owner here. We have been talking about it since we bought our house almost 2 years ago. My biggest concern is I am going to be the one who ends up doing all the care and upkeep of the dang things.

logdog wrote: We slide the axle under the rear and move it with the lawn mower every weekend.

So, move it about once a week? Yours looks pretty large, do the chickens stay in there for days at a time, full time, or into a separate coop every evening?

My in-laws have about a dozen layers they mostly roam the yard, with 3 acres the chickens dont wander all the way to the fence, I guess it helps that tha compost heap and orchard, and goat pen are all close enough that they dont get too hungry,they have a pretty good attrition rate though, probably lose one every 2-3 months, although at that rate they wont have to worry about what to do with the inedible old ones that don't lay anymore.

I grew up raising chickens and I'll let you do your gentleman farmer thing.

I've got room and am in the country so I can raise them, but I don't want the hassle. But chickens are MUCH better than turkeys.

You've never seen a dumber animal than a turkey. I have plenty of wild ones around me so I get to be a turkey voyeur without all the work, mess, cost & smell.

Those will be the most expensive eggs and meat you've ever had in your whole life.

I want a friend close by who raises chickens. To me, that's the best of all worlds.

Remember, Chickens kill more people in the US every year than Pitbulls. They are often trained to fight and will turn on their owners in a heartbeat. Viscous, deadly animals.

OK, that is completely untrue.