Don't call me Chicken

Hey Mr Pike---if you wanna keep hens then go ahead honey--whats to stop you--they stink and they are a pain in the butt to keep cleaning out-but the double yolkers would well make up for that...so go for it my chicken.

I think it's great that you can keep hens.If you kept them in your yard,I don't think they could just fly away.Surely,they have wings,but can they really fly?Why would a cat want to get a hen?That's just weird.LOL. I think you should keep hens as long as you have the required condition .

You shouldn't keep hens if: They don't have enough room to forage around in They don't have a fully enclosed run - cats & foxes will get in The edges of your run aren't buried underground at least 3 feet - foxes will dig You aren't prepared to keep their food and water clean and topped up daily You aren't prepared for sudden and unexpected deaths You don't have a sense of humour - I mean seeing a chicken run has me in stitches! LOL

I think it's a great idea to keep chickens, p1kef1sh! My aunt and uncle raised chickens when I was growing up and they require very little upkeep. You will need somewhere to house them and clean it regularly. They do fly around sometimes, but they are not all that good at flying. You need to keep plenty of feed on hand -and I hope you're not a stickler for absolute cleanliness because they do create a mess. Some type of enclosure would work best. I find no reason why you shouldn't enjoy the experience.

As with any animal, there are responsibilities involved with raising chickens, but with a little feed, water and a secure place for them to live, your hens can provide you with a very healthy source of low-cost protein. I have ten hens and they have provided four families with all the eggs we could possibly need. We buy commercial bagged feed - we'll use a 50 pound bag in about two weeks time at a cost of around $7 a bag. We use a wooden storage shed (portable type, like people use in their backyards) for our chickens, and have a small wire enclosure attached to one side to let them go outside. We also put wire over the top of the enclosure to keep them from flying out (they won't fly far - just a few feet) and to keep other animals from getting in. In the winter, we use a electric heater under their metal waterer to keep the water from freezing (available at your farm supply store or online), and we use a heat lamp over the area where they lay in the winter to keep the eggs from freezing (we live in North Dakota!). We also use a regular light bulb on a timer in the winter to provide them with the same hours of light as they have in the summer - this will keep them laying through the winter. Their shed does have to be cleaned out occasionally, but we'll probably only do it 3-4 times a year. We bed our hens with straw because that is what we have readily available, but you can use wood shavings or other types of bedding. I haven't really found any reason not to have my hens. We haven't had any problem with our cats or other animals bothering the chickens, but then we keep our hens confined in their own area.

hi pikefish if you live in a city having chickens can be a pain as if the chickens make noises all the neighbors will complain of course if you just had hens there shouldnt be a problem. depends on the city's zoning laws and regulations of course.

When I was a kid, my dad bought four chicks, which grew to provide us with eggs every day. They were much tastier eggs than you could buy in the shops and much more fun to collect. My grandad had also kept chickens. Grandad had a tall run at the bottom of the garden, with a roosting box at the end, and ramps, up which the chicken could walk. I used to love collecting the eggs there, so my dad followed suit. Our own chicken run was nearer the house, but not too near because the cockerel would be a pain in the mornings, sometimes. The run was around three to four feet high, and handmade with staves and chicken wire, and the roosting/nesting box, made from wood, was made by my grandad, who was a bit of a handyman. Both my grandad's and our run were almost the width of the garden... less the approach path, so they had room to roam. If you leave them running free, foxes will be a problem... not to mention domestic cats. I would strongly advise you to go ahead with your chicken brood... I can't think of any reason at all why you shouldn't keep them. But, if you get a cockerel too, you will have a rotating stock. Brightest Blessings, my friend.

Hmm I have thought long and hard about this p1ke my darling and I think the main reason you shouldn't keep chickens is because when mad Scottish women keep you talking til after 1am The Boss might send you to sleep in their Coop with them - and you know what - sleeping in chicken poop isn't too pleasant! xxx

ok I have no idea about raising chickens!!! Hellions yes chickens no. LOL!!! But My thought would be you would have to think of the start up cost. How much it's going to cost to build a chicken cope, wether you do it your self or if you have to contract that out(more cost than doing it yourself then again you may screw up and it will cost more to build it on your own), How many chickens are you going to need to make it worth having them, the cost of feed the cost of the a full grown chicken becuase if you just get a chick then you have to wait for them to get old enough to produce eggs while carrying the cost. The cost of fencing. If it's even permissable where you live to have chickens, plus the vets and the responsibilities. Then you have to think of if it's more costly to raise and get eggs for free than to spend the petrol and money that the farm asks for. So you have a lot to weigh. while your at it through in a cow for milk or to fatten to send to the butcher for your family later. maybe a turkey or a pig or little lamb for chops. Yum.... ok I need to go to the butchers you want to come with ...?

OMG...Are you serious?? LOL I could just see you cleaning out the chicken coop. Ummmm, no I can't. Don't those things cluck at 4 in the morning. I could just see a chicken waking you up, LOL I'm not sure what would happen to those chickens if they got under your skin. Maybe, end up in a frying pan covered with a crispy coating. I'm not sure it's a good idea if you don't know farming or how to take care of them. But that is just me. LOL

Smelly dirty things ,yes its true that a freshly laid egg is hard to beat but you can keep the coop to yourself, cheers.

Hi , I think it sounds like a good idea and you wont know until you give it a try I don't think they will just fly away and if they do they won't get far. Cats I am not sure I heard of them startig trouble . Just be sure to enclose the bird. I sure hope the cat minds it's business !

I say GO FOR IT!!!! My husband and I always joke around and say we need a cow and a couple of chickens in our yard because we have a big family. We go through about 2 dozen eggs a week and that is almost $6, with the way things are it will probably get much worse. But where we live such animals are not allowed. I hope all goes well for you if you decide to go for it!

Growing up we had over 200 laying hens we needed all that stuff that goes with chickens. But now I have my own house and I still love the taste of my own eggs. I have four hens. We have a large dog pen that they stay in. I have a little wood dog house with lots of straw in it. It is up off the ground a little. We have a tarp over the corner of the pen they have some shade. I clipped there wings so they cant fly over. my daughter has 4 cats so that is no problem. The hens torment the cats sometimes. LOL!! And cleaning it out would be just like you would do for a dog pen. we do it every other week. Just a last note make sure u pick up eggs everyday so they wont get over ripe.

I would suppose it depends on the regulations about keeping farm animals at your place and also whether you will not go into a fit when you decide to slaughter the old hen to make chicken stock and she runs around with her head chopped off. I do not know about the cat, but from all the Warner Bros. cartoons I watched, I know about foxes. And it does take a lot of cleaning up. But if you have been to the grocers and find that they put at least one bad egg in a carton, then I wish you all the best of luck in keeping chickens.

You appear to be thinking about a good idea, how interesting it is to get eggs from your own hen(s). It would be a great delight to have your own eggs. Hope you will enjoy this endeavour of yours. Best of Luck! (I have never kept hens with me, hence am unable to render you any useful advice)

If it pleases you to keep hens, then do so! It's as simple as that. I've always thought it might be nice to live on a small farm or ranch. So, I guess having chickens would be similar. I've been around chicken coops and they are perpetually stinky. But if you have cats with a litter box, like me, this won't be anything new. There are many upsides and downsides to it all. I like the free eggs part. Those eggs are getting expensive, so why not treat yourself to some freebies! Be well. Best of luck, either way.

my uncle had a farm while I was growing up and he had chickens as well as pigs, cows etc. I used to help him in the summer time. Yes foxes can be a problem but they were not for him. the chickens were the easiest of all to maintain, i thought. Keeping their space clean was a bit of a job but if you don't the smell is unbeleivably bad. The eggs were far better than those bought in the store. My uncle still will grow all his own veges. He leaves the animals to others but when we go to his house for a meal, everything is all fresh and locally grown. He even makes his own butter. There is nothing to compare. M

I think that you should go for it! If you don't end up liking it, you can just have chicken for dinner a couple times!

I think chicken can't fly-----except the yard is too low.