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!
We have 4 chooks. I laying hen and 3 little chicks. Except for the dilemna we are having about who will look after them when we go away for a fortnight they have been very little trouble. We let them roam free in our big and rambly backyard. A magpie occassionally swoops them but they run for cover and cluck very loudly until I come out. They are so funny... I agree, love their quirky natures.
We are keeping our chicks inside at night ATM and the hen is in the woodshed. They all get along. My aunt and uncle have a poultry farm and the working dogs are usually ok with them although if a dog attacks and kills a chicken unfortunately it has to be put down as once they get a taste for live blood they cant go "back".... but that is a farm.
The hen arrived by wandering into our front yard and we couldnt find the owners and the chicks were given to us for free by my 3yos co-op so i dont know how much they usually cost.
We have yet to buy a mobile coop for the chicks but i have seen them around for a couple of hundred dollars for large ones. Will be watching this thread
We bought 3 chooks, and dh made a coop. Our dog ate 2 but the coop wasnt that great. Only 2 got eaten because I had one in a box inside still because it was too cute (a 3 week old silky bantam)
Dh was the one who wanted them really bad, so I told him he had to build a better coop before we got any more. He did and they have a run that is about 2 metres long by about 1 metre, and we now have 3 again. They seem quite happy in there as we made sure they have a wire base on the run so the dog cant dig under.
About twice a week we tie up the dog and let the chooks roam free for a few hours, but they dont go very far. But you still got to keep an eye on the dog as our dog snapped the lead last week and chased them into the coop. Didnt eat them though as we caught her in time I love our chooks, but they do like to peck at anything that is small like fingers. Roosters are alot worse thpugh as I remember when I was young, my 3 year old brother got his face badly pecked to peices by the neighbours rooster that had gotten out. And roosters are noisey too.
Our hen is great with the kids... she is happy for them to hold her briefly... she is a bantam Polish hen. The chicks have been handled since hatching at the kinder so they are also used to it. Have to supervise the handling sessions though... and the child has to be sitting down... cant wander around with them etc.
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Seriously considering getting a couple of chooks
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