Your best bet is to go to the library and take out a bunch of books, learn as much as you can from them. Keeping chickens is not difficult at all but it is a commitment. Your chickens will need you to make sure they have clean water and food everyday. They will need to have a secure coop and get locked up at night. In my mind those are the most important basic needs they have.

For me the biggest negative is that we do not having anyone who can care for them if we go away on vacation. But the biggest plus is not having to buy store bought eggs! plus I love my girls :)

-Sheila

I have also had trouble finding someone to care for them when we want to go away. But I love my flock and know each of their personalities. They are so much fun to watch and we love the fresh eggs. I have a lovely broody hen who accepted 4 orphan chicks last year along with her own. I'm hoping that she'll foster some more chicks this year so I can increase my flock again. We had four mean old roosters who died tragically of broken necks about a week ago and the flock seems so small without the old bast**ds...uh, pass the dumplings. Cheryl

Start with just a few hens.The roosters can really be a pain to deal with(I have two right now)I got fertile eggs to raise chicks from a broody hen because my four borrowed hens had laid good all season and I didn't know what to do to keep a hen from being broody.Thought she deserved to have chicks!That got us started.Watching those chicks with the mama hen was so fun.My husband called them a chicken circus.He built me a chicken tractor and then a real chicken house with an attached yard with a roof.Its all very predator proof.A good setup really makes taking care of them easier.Do get books from the library and google chickens to learn all about them.Posy Pet

You'll worry yourself to death until you try it. Then, you will either love 'em or hate 'em. Do you want pets or something that will earn it's keep (at least partially)? Mine started loosing thier glamour when feed/upkeep prices raised without the price of eggs raising. Then the bird flu scare (here in Germany) dictated having them inside (atleast covered by wire)made them real ugly. I gave mine to someone that liked them better than I did and haven't looked back. Rabbits take up less space and smell better with useable manure and (I think) taste better. Don't molt, get scaly leg or impacted crop, bird flu, keep eating and stop laying in winter, etc.

Just my 2 cents. If I had a bigger place to free range, I'd get them again for entertainment (no expectations of a profit or steady product)

Enjoy whatever you decide.

Dave

If you don't get chickens, you will always wonder if you have missed out on something great. If you do get chickens, you will know. Never put off to tomorrow a pleasure you can enjoy today.

We free range ours and my main suggestion is to start with just a few. If you plan to have a rooster with the flock (which I feel is important especially if they free range) you will need about 10 hens for the guy.

Our big mistake was starting out with 75 chickens. We couldn't charge enough for the eggs to pay for the feed out here in the middle of nowhere and they were being distructive to my gardens. We sold half of them and this year plan to sell another 25 or so to get the flock down to around 10. A big drawback for us was being tied down. I figured we could always get somebody to look after them if we wanted to go away, but our nearest neighbors are several miles away and our closest relative is 50 miles away.

Even with free-ranging, they have to be locked up and night and let out in the morning.

About the snake thing---we don't have venomous snakes in Maine, so I could be wrong, but I read once that snakes are only a problem with young chicks. The book said, Pity the poor snake who gets into a house with adult birds.

I'm with Sheila---predator proof housing, clean water and food, and the worst for me, also, is finding people to care for them when you're gone. A bunch of neighbors volunteered to help me until one of my female chicks grew into a very protective (read aggressive) rooster. He's now gone, but the volunteers haven't re-volunteered.

Yes you do! I got six little chicks two months ago here in California and they were kept in the kitchen for all that time until two weeks ago they went outside. I kept them in a large refirdge box and wire on top with a red heat light bulb.
Boy they are not like those corn fed foster farm chickens, nope they love french fries, pizza and pasta just like those chickens who drive cars to fast food resturants. They eat all the time, I do give them chick starter and they love the corn left over in my kids TV dinners.
Ihave two barred rocks and two white delawares and two red delawares. They are so friendly and today went into the chickem pen outside for the first time. ( I did still have them in the box outside for a two weeks). You will enjoy having them around, got any scraps??? Besides if you decide to get rid of them, just give them to the nearest chinese resteraunt, they will take anything. They also take pigeons, Ooops! you thought you were eating " Chicken al a king", didn't you? Good luck. Bill C

Yes, you want chickens! :) If you want them for eggs and pets, there are breeds that are personable, friendly, clever, sweet and make great additions to your family.

If you want them for meat, home-raised chicken tastes AMAZING, and growing your own food is a terrific, empowering feeling.

There are breeds that mature quickly and are bred to be meat birds, and there are dual purpose breeds that are good for meat and eggs, and there are ornamental breeds as well.

Whatever route you choose, read anything you can lay your hands on to gain as much knowledge as possible as quickly as possible--books, magazines, online forums (like this one!), websites, hatchery sites, blogs, etc. Talking to other poultry owners is a great resource, and when you have a chicken crisis (and you will, sooner or later), those folks are vital for help. Chickens never have a dire problem unless it's 2 AM on a holiday weekend and the vet is closed for three days!

I've got a chicken info site here that might help, I raise my flock for pets and eggs, but I've also raised and processed meat birds:

http://jackshenhouse.com/

Start small with a few birds to make sure you like chickens and don't get in over your head. Once you are hooked by having a few hens...you'll decide you need a rooster...then you just won't be able to resist hatching chicks... You have been warned, chickens are addictive! *L*

The most important thing you can do for your birds is to keep them healthy and happy, and house them securely.

Have fun! :)

Velvet ~:>

We had chickens and I think next time around I'm going to get guinea hens instead. Guineas eat snakes and bugs and don't make dusting holes like chickens do, nor do they leave behind the manure mess that chickens do.

They're loud, I heard.

Don't forget ornery........A friend of mine had some layin' hens as well as a couple Guinea hens. She also had a small orchard that every fall we would drive over the mountains to visit and pick fruit....The only safe way to do that was to pack your 5 gallon bucket between you and the devil birds.......If you didn't pay attention and got w/in 10-15' of them they came after you spurs up....Thanks, I'll stick w/ run of the mill hens.....lol........