Chicken keeping? - Sadly no cocks

[Seregios (Att. at Law)]

Any of you fine kiwis keep egg hens? I just started with a Wyandotte and a Cinnamon Queen and have so many questions.

Why do they scream for no reason?
Do you clip wings?
Best type of hen house/ru
Bath time?
Supplements?

Any knowledge is welcomed!

 

[j666]

@Angel Baby Firefly

 

[B. F. Bugleberry]

I know that once it starts hitting ~115°-120° outside, the chickens start spontaneously dying of heart attacks. Gotta build a nice deep chicken bunker to keep em cool.

 

[LateNightMuffin]

i never clipped wings. they gave themselves dirt baths when they needed/wanted them.

 

[latter day taint]

I have 4 silkies we keep in a chicken tractor. We move it daily. Cuts down on both yard work and chicken feed

I also got a mister for the tractor to help with the heat.

 

[Curt Sibling]

I live in a heavily-urbanized UK hellhole, so the only chickens I see are frozen in ASDA.

 

[MerriedxReldnahc]

I'd love to keep chickens but they aren't allowed in my area of the city (in theory anyway. Someone a few blocks down has them) Fresh eggs can't be beat, I've gotten them from family friends and they fry up better than store bought.

 

[Strange Wilderness]

Don't own Chickens but my next-door neighbors growing up owned chickens and I would take care of them when they went on vacation. They had a pretty nifty set-up a coop and fenced in yard with 15 or so chickens. The coop had multiple egg laying boxes and a solar panel to power the heating pad for their water dish so it wouldn't freeze in the winter. There was also a raised bar in the main area so the chickens could roost and huddle together for warmth in the winter. The flock consisted of different breeds and the pecking order was clear based on their behavior the black chickens were the first out of the coop in the morning and the last in at night and got first dibs when I gave them treats while the white and brown chickens had to peck at the scraps.

One year there was a bad hawk problem and the owl statue they had set up wasn't working so I lost three chickens in two weeks and even had to chase away a hawk as it was in the middle of attacking a chicken which miraculously survived. To keep the hawks away me and my sister strung up this silver tape on the fence posts to lure the hawks away because the light and noise would scare them away but after another attack my Dad strung up a net of the silver tape all over the yard to keep the hawks away. Didn't lose another chicken after that and my neighbors were appreciative of my efforts to keep the chickens safe.

 

[Coffee Druid]

After a big storm hit my neighborhood awhile back I found a random chicken wandering around my yard. She looked well cared for and just kind of roamed around for a day. When I woke up again she was gone. Hope she got home safe. I can hear a rooster crowing occasionally several streets down so I’m assuming that neighbor owned her.

I’d love to own chickens, but my family dogs would kill them in a heartbeat. maybe when I have my own place. I’ve rarely eaten farm fresh eggs and I’m sure I’m missing out.

 

[The Dude]

Mrs. Dude got into fancy bantam chickens this year because a neighbor gave us a free bantam coop. It's more of a hobby/pet type thing because Mrs. Dude loves chickens. My mother has had chickens twice with her second flock being started this year because Mrs. Dude got into them (my mother and wife are close friends and enjoy many of the same interests). My mother's birds are all full size and she does it more for the eggs.

Each run has a dedicated dust bath set into the ground with a ring of concrete fancy wall blocks and then filled with quality sandbox sand. Each run has trees for shade, and the run at our house has one side of the run covered in one of those curtains made from strips of rattan wired to it to provide more shade. Other than that, we just make sure they have quality feed from local farm/ranch shops like CAL Ranch or IFA.

 

[SweetDee]

Chickens mostly make the most noises after they lay an egg. Or when the roo crows. Or when they see a predator. Or whenever. It's like asking why a dog is barking.

If you have them in a coop with a run, theres no need to clip wings. If you live in a fenced ( a HIGH fence) in property or have a lot of land, no need. Otherwise you might want to, yea. Chickens can fly short distances and hop fences fairly easily.

The best type of coop and run is always the biggest you can afford/willing to house. Free range is always best if you can manage it for a few hours a day. Mine are free range from sunup to sundown.

Bath time? No. Just no. They can keep themselves clean as long as you clean their coop and yard.

High protein crumble for egg laying/ table scraps/ whatever they can scratch up in the yard. Look online for what foods are bad for birds so you won't give them any: like coffee, chocolate etc. Otherwise, they're like garbage disposals. It's nice to give them your leftovers.

 

[Orion Balls]

You don't need to heat your coop. In fact, it's unsafe. If you have the proper size box, the chickens will adapt to the temperatures as they change. Meanwhile, if you heat the box in the winter and the power goes out, they WILL freeze to death. Also, please don't clip their wings. I have no logical reasons to give, I'm just not a fan.

 

[Pocket Dragoon]

I don't know much about chickens, other than they're filthy & shit too much; like bland flightless pigeons.

But if y'all wanna know about quail; I'm your huckleberry.

. Also, please don't clip their wings. I have no logical reasons to give, I'm just not a fan.

Snakes and also other predators, along with being able to escape abusive coopmates.

 

[Seregios (Att. at Law)]

Thank you all for your insight and wisdom