I have been thinking about getting 2 chooks for ages now. I have a few concerns before we get excited though.
Our darling dog is the biggest concern. I am worried that he will eat them. So apart from keeping them in their coop all the time what other options do I have or is that it?
How much do they cost to keep going? Our local egg farm has point of lay pullets for $25 each, is that reasonable? or expensive or cheap?
How much does a chicken coop cost to buy? I know that DH would want to make it but TBH if I bought one it would be put together quicker and have less sharp edges.
Do they peck at the kids? I have already had a phase of dog fear because Sarah got her face licked so if I can avoid them being scared of them that would be the best.
How many eggs per fortnight do you get? I am currently paying $4.70 for 20 huge eggs from the egg farm but if I get about that or more and it works out cheaper then I will be really happy.
How big is your dog? My little fluffy co-exists just fine with our girls.
I think that $25 is reasonable but you could check your local battery farm and rescue some older girls.
How many eggs is variable - in moult they lay none, in winter they lay less and in spring they might lay one a day.
Upkeep is cheap, straw for thier box, table scraps and layer pellets is pretty much all they need.
Alf would be bit bigger than a fox. He is very protective of 'his' yard and 'his' humans. He has tried to attack other dogs before. He is a fighting breed crossed with a hunting breed.
Chooks and kids are very compatible. If anything you have to make sure the kids don't terrorise the chooks because then they won't lay. Roosters are another story
I grew up with 2 dogs, 2 cats and 6 chooks. They were always free to roam the garden, and they certainly learnt how to hold their own against the other pets. You could always have a "chook time" where the dog is locked up for a while in the chook house while the chooks scratch around in the garden. They love to eat the insects etc.
We had 2 or 3 chooks in our previous house - I loved them. Not like I love my other pets, but I really loved their quirky nature. We had a dog (Staffy X Lab - slightly smaller than a lab) and a cat that would co-exist quite happily with the chickens. At any given time of the day you could be walking past our house and see all four of them on the driveway sitting there together.
We had a coop that the chickens could get in and out of as they pleased throughout the day. At night they would go in as it got dark and we would lock them up for the night. They do scratch and dig your garden up though if you let them go free range, so if you have a precious yard you will need to consider this.
As for the kids, teach them the softly-softly approach. Our chickens loved to follow me around, as long as I didn't approach them. They didn't like to be petted or picked up, so we left it like that. I would copy the noises they made and we would 'talk' to each other, they would follow me around the garden, and then go on their merry way when I went back inside. So, if you teach your kids to just go about their day without terrorising the chooks, you will find that a happy relationship will naturally evolve.
Your dog, well, hard to tell without knowing your dog. Like I said, my dog was just fine with ours, she was fine with our cat - but she wasn't like this with all animals. The best idea would be to have the chooks in their coop and allow the dog to meet them through the cage. Watch your dog, see how he reacts. If he is agitated and anxious about them then you know that they can't share the yard at the same time. Although if you are able to calm him down while watching the chooks then over time he may just accept them into 'his pack' and territory and he will protect them from other predators.
Our chickens were on the older side. They would lay one egg a day in spring and summer and then nothing when they would do their nudie run (moulting - drop all feathers at once) and then in winter one would lay most days and the other wouldn't lay. But there is nothing like fresh eggs and knowing they've come from your own backyard!
I would have chooks again now, but our backyard is just too small with our dog, cat and toddler. I personally couldn't have chooks and not let them out to roam the garden - but I'm just a softy like that!! But one day I hope to have a bigger yard and I will get more chooks then for sure!
Seriously considering getting a couple of chooks
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