Pros and cons of chicken ownership

[terryj]

My neighbors rasie chickens. They have 4 different types. One of the types has what looks like long black fur all up their legs. They said they are mean. They also have a rooster that has its days and nights mixed up. I go to bed to a rooster cockadoodledoing. They have a sign in their yard, Chickens for Sale. I told them I would take mine fried please.

 

[Mary]

Yep, at the store.....LOL LOL

I produce eggs without benefit of a man/rooster. Why wouldn't hens?

 

[AgilityDog]

My hens had eggs with no rooster! I had 4 hens and more eggs than we could eat.
Also had pigs - we trained them to get in the cattle trailer to be taken for slaughter by hooking it to the gate and moving their feed into it for a week or so. I'm soooooo mean.
I got an angus bull for my anniversary, once. He made tasty calves.

 

[Mary]

My hens had eggs with no rooster! I had 4 hens and more eggs than we could eat.
Also had pigs - we trained them to get in the cattle trailer to be taken for slaughter by hooking it to the gate and moving their feed into it for a week or so. I'm soooooo mean.
I got an angus bull for my anniversary, once. He made tasty calves.

Thank you, Laurie, for proving it is possible.

 

[BDMc]

I may have shared this story before: One Easter, one of my brothers and I received an egg each. His hatched first, and was a duckling. Mine was a chicken. By summer they had grown, and would follow us down to the pond. We would go in swimming, the duck and chicken would follow. Always had to keep an eye on that chicken, just like my little brother, it would go right in even though it couldn't swim. Another brother and his wife bought a place that was for a while the largest chicken farm in Massachusetts (before they got it). They have had small flocks off and on for the past 20 years.

 

[CThrock]

Every Easter when I was little we would get a baby chick, they were so cute but then they grew up to be mean and aggressive with us. My mom got eggs from most of them we also had a rooster till the neighbors started complaining. Then my parents decided no more chicks for Easter just the chocolate ones. yummy So that's about as far as my chicken experience go's.

 

[Mary]

I may have shared this story before: One Easter, one of my brothers and I received an egg each. His hatched first, and was a duckling. Mine was a chicken. By summer they had grown, and would follow us down to the pond. We would go in swimming, the duck and chicken would follow. Always had to keep an eye on that chicken, just like my little brother, it would go right in even though it couldn't swim. Another brother and his wife bought a place that was for a while the largest chicken farm in Massachusetts (before they got it). They have had small flocks off and on for the past 20 years.

Maybe I should get a duck? We had one when I was a kid that drank martinis.

 

[CThrock]

We had ducks with a little pond, but the ducks flew away, probally got to HOT here in AZ.

 

[Karlynn]

My sister, aside from her alpacas, has chickens and guinea hens. She had eggs like crazy for about a year, but all the hens have stopped laying. She has one hen in particular that is almost a pet. She calls her Tiller, because she follows my BIL when he mows and finds all the tasty treats the mower churns up. Every time I go visit my sister, Tiller is usually sitting in their garage. She even has taken over the cat bed there. She returns to the roost with the rest of the chickens in the evening, but during the day she camps out in and around the garage (attached to the house) and the pond area. Their DARNED rooster starts crowing at 2 in the morning!

When my sister first got her chicks she was told they were all hens. She ended up with 2 roosters and 22 hens.

They do keep the bugs down - but her guineas really keep the mosquitos down. But they are pretty noisy at times and sound like a rusty screen door.

 

[Mary]

My sister, aside from her alpacas, has chickens and guinea hens. She had eggs like crazy for about a year, but all the hens have stopped laying. She has one hen in particular that is almost a pet. She calls her Tiller, because she follows my BIL when he mows and finds all the tasty treats the mower churns up. Every time I go visit my sister, Tiller is usually sitting in their garage. She even has taken over the cat bed there. She returns to the roost with the rest of the chickens in the evening, but during the day she camps out in and around the garage (attached to the house) and the pond area. Their DARNED rooster starts crowing at 2 in the morning!

When my sister first got her chicks she was told they were all hens. She ended up with 2 roosters and 22 hens.

They do keep the bugs down - but her guineas really keep the mosquitos down. But they are pretty noisy at times and sound like a rusty screen door.

Hmmmmm . . .
Do they have to worry about Tiller flying away?

 

[Bina]

The wings of hens and ducks can be clipped to inhibit their flying off.

 

[njean]

Mary, why don't you get a goat? I bet it be a lot more fun & it wouldn't crow!!

 

[njean]

See....look how cute!

[ link ]

 

[Bina]

Well, as a matter of fact I had ducklings too.
Got a phone call late one spring that a teacher had brought in some eggs to hatch out in the classroom as an educational experience for the students. Oh, how I hate that. Pick a smaller breed, dumb dumb.... So animal rescue sent me to pick them up.
Anyway, Muskovy ducklings get huge fast, and I found out that they needed a bigger farm and more attention.
(These guys consume copious amounts of insects outdoors.)

 

[Bina]

Pygmy goats are a blast....gotta have at least two.

 

[Bina]

NOrma, that is a great clip.

 

[Mary]

Mary, why don't you get a goat? I bet it be a lot more fun & it wouldn't crow!!

We don't have a big enough yard. If we did, I would get a pygmy in a New York minute!

 

[Bina]

Another great pet is the African pygmy hedgehog....ask me if I've had one.

 

[Cooker]

What if I only want to raise one chicken?

If its a rooster it will hump your leg

 

[Bina]

I hear that Chimps tend to hump alot too.....OMG.