Today's Wall Street Journal had a front page article related to people keeping chickens as pets. Bonus: eggs, of course.

So...

... do you have chickens? (Not in the 'fridge, I mean LIVE ones!)

If so, do you consider them to be pets? Or working farm creatures?

Nope. Even though I grew up on a farm I'm allergic to feathers! Even if I wasn't I wouldn't have them, I have a phobia about birds---they terrify me.

Yup! Lots of them. This year's pullets are about to start laying (they are singing and singing) and then the eggs will be like zucchini around here - keep your car doors locked when you visit or you know what will happen.

No but we buy only free range eggs.

I was watching where come cities are lifting the regulations to keep a few as pets/layers :D:D:D
Wonder how happy some of the neighbors will be with the roosters crowing at dawn?

I was a free range poultry farmer for years. Alas, here, too - rules against poultry raising.

No, but I remember having them when I was young (back in the dark ages, of course). I was in 6th grade when we turned the last of them into main courses. So I do know first hand about the phrase "like a chicken without its head". Also, the smell of hot, wet feathers.

yep! had them for over 8 years now. yummy yummy eggs and when they get too old yummy chicken and dumplings!

No, no chickens yet, but I did find out it's ok to have them where I live. But my yard is not fenced in at the moment. I would like just a couple, for the eggs. I have to do some more research.

We live in the 'burbs and have 2 chickens. We plan on getting 2 more next year;> No roosters to keep our neighbors happy. And we have a little under 1/2 acre so they can free range. They're hilarious to watch and are extremely tame since we handle them so much.

We had chickens for a few years....they were so much fun to watch! Then two dogs got into our pen and killed or maimed several of our hens...After that the ones that were left got chicken fleas from some replacement chickens we got....We tried everything and couldn,t get rid of them We finally had to get rid of the chickens....sad, we sure enjoyed the wonderful eggs. Now we have our property fenced in, but I don't think our dog would allow any chickens on the place....

I don't think our dogs would let them live.

LOL :lol: :lol: :lol: :thumbup:
Just on fabric....

I always wanted chickens.....fresh eggs for breakfast I have enough property but I can't do it on my own. On top of which there are sooooooo many raccoons they would eat the chickens before I got to the eggs. I watched a program on FitTV and was shocked you can have chickens in Brooklyn NY.

I used to have 6 leghorns, the best white egg layers. Darn racoons got in the hen house and killed them. I tried again. Not good. I wish I could eat racoon, Icky, cause I shoot everyone I see. If they are walking on the side of the road I will swerve to hit them.

Way to goooooo :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: PETA wouldn't like it but let them live with raccoons. When I first moved into my house I had a screened back door. I heard noise in the kitchen and thought it was the cat, all of a sudden it was walking out through the screen door. I freaked I thought the screen was broken and I didn't realize it. I ran to grab the cat's tail. it was a tiger cat so the tail looked like a raccoon. I then realized the cat was in DD room. A raccoon broke through the screen walked into my kitchen and took a bag of apples I had in a basket on the floor. Even today when the sun starts to go down I close the back door for fear a raccoon with push the screen in even thought it is a new door and make themself at home. I can't have a Bar-B-Q becasue if I grill out the raccoons think it's a party for them, for days I will have at least 4-6 raccoons on the deck. Where I am it is always open season for raccoons, they are considered a nuisance animal or something like that. They also carry rabies and fleas. yuck!!!!!!

We live in a small subdivision, and enjoy reading the paper each morning on the front porch. For the last month, I've been hearing a rooster crow and just love it. I can't imagine where he lives, but I hope no one complains about him. It reminds me of when I was little and spent time at my grandparent's farm.

Would like to have some but there are fox around and I don't like to feed the wild animals.

What kind are good for laying eggs? How many do you need? Do they need to be fenced in? How do they know to stay home?

We have turkey families (we call them our kids) now. We saw 1 hen and 12 babies today. Sometimes we have to stop the car to wait for them to cross the driveway.

Love living in the country!

yes. I have 15 chickens 1 is a rooster. I live in the country and so my chickens run free in the day and when the sun starts goin down my husband goes and closes them up as they head for the hen house then. I have had chickens for many years. I love to watch them and enjoy the eggs too. but oh the foxes and cyotes etcI sure understand wanting them dead.

a family of say 4 need about 1 dozen hens they lay eggs approx. every other day. they stay close to their hen house.mine has a connected completely enclosed wire pen for days i'm gone.If you live close to someone or in town you could keep them penned. there are many hens just for eggs. others raised for meat. check out hatcherys on the internet. they will have info and pictures. then buy from someone close by. or a feed store.

I would love to have them but unless they live in the house with me I couldnt keep them in the woods. We have fox and fischer cats that would love to have a chicken dinner. some of them are so pretty.

I've heard that chickens sometimes pick on each other... does that happen often?

Yep, I have 12 hens and 1 rooster and am currentlly incubating 2 dozen eggs. I have raised chickens for 7 plus years now. None are currently pets. I did not raise this last bunch so was not able to train them except to call them. I can call a chicken like ther is no tomorrow. :roll:

Thank goodness we have never had a problem with predators. We built our hen house and chicken yard in the back yard. The chicken yard has a 6 foot chicken wire fence with bird netting 'roof'. My girls are free-range all day and when I call them or DH does chores, they go right in the coop.

The rooster is nasty and next time he jump-kicks me his neck gets twisted. He's too old for stew pot. I don't butcher anymore as DD and DH can't handle eating something they have taken care of. Geesh, however the eggs are bar-none to store bought.

I have 4 Morans(sp), two New Hampshire Reds (I really like these girls for layers and meat), six Rhoade Island Reds ( I don't like this breed, but they are excellant layers and good roasters), and the rooster. Can't remember what he is.

BarbM - we have fox, coyote, vulchers, and who knows what all. I think because we have a Great Pyrannese(sp) in a run in the yard, that is why we do not have any problems with predators. He still is 20 feet from the coop.

We only have the rooster for protection for the girls and when I want to incubate eggs. The rooster has to fertilize the eggs to have baby chicks. No rooster no chicks.

Hens lay an egg just about every 24 hours. That's how long the cycle takes. Weather conditions, breed, health, have alot to do with how often they lay during heat and cold.
The amount of hens to keep depends on how many people are in the household and how many eggs they eat a day. We get between 6-12 eggs a day for three people. We don't eat that many eggs, so we sell the excess.

Eggs can be gathered daily and left on the shelf in the egg basket for up to 10 days provided they are intact. During this time, when enough eggs are collected, they can be incubated at the same time and will hatch usually within 24 hurs of each other. Once eggs are refrigerated, they become sterile and you cannot incubate. Eggs can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 months with no problem if intact. DO not wash egs as you will wash off the protective coating which if washed off will allow bacteria and germs to permeate and ruin the egg. Ok, EGGS 101 done.

As far as racoons- I see one especially in the daytime, I shoot it, hit it with the car, whatever I have to do. We have the highest incidence of rabies in our county in the state due to coons. Had one last year tried to attack the dog then me. Can't shoot in the head if your gonna have it tested for rabies, so shot it 6, yes 6 times before it gave up. I was ready to grab it and twist. I watched every shot go in and exit other side. It was highly rabid. Had to quarantine our dog for 45 days for safety sske even though he had had his rabies shot. Have not seen any this year. Around her we say, Shoot, shovel, shut up.

My yards not fenced in either however they have something call an Eglu Omlet. Google it, it is a self enclosed chicken coop and run combo on wheels so you can move it around the yard. From what I remember they cost around $500. I would love to know if you decide to get chicken since now you can have them and not worry about your yard not being fenced in. If you decide to do it let us know.

trupeach, sometimes those are called Chicken Tractors. DH and I built one and use it for the chicks when they are old enough to be out of the 'nursery'. Ours is too heavy for me to move much, but we also used it for all the roosters we had a few years ago. Needed to seperate them from the hens so that we didn't have problems.

Leghorns lay about 6 eggs a week, I bought 6 pullets and we are a family of 4. We had 3 1/2 doz eggs a week, the neighbors were avoiding us, the dogs and cats got sick of scrambled eggs. I made quiche, deviled eggs, pickled eggs, omlets, ect, ect. LOL, I do miss the hens though, a rooster is unnecessary and very aggressive. I spent more on chicken feed than I ever did on eggs. If you get some, enjoy! I sure did.

I have 8 hens, no rooster. :(
And yes, they are our pets. DD has them sooooo spoiled.
Just this morning, I look out the back door to see my 7 year old DD and her favorite hen "Miley", relaxing on a bean bag chair on the back porch. Priceless! :-D

No eggs yet. They are only about 4 months old.
Poor Miley, has a crossed-beak, so I have to make her soft oatmeal twice a day to make sure she'll eat.
We have 1 acre, so they pretty much run free all day until the sun sets, then we lock them in the hen house for the night.
We have too many critters out here.
Our backyard butts-up to the national forest and we have raccoons, deer, cougar, fox, coyotes and I DON'T want to know what else.
I've heard neighbors talk about seeing black bears & panthers here a few years ago. (before we lived here)

I would love to get chickens again. I have a chicken coop for night-time, but they would be free-range during the day. They are so much fun. No roosters for me though. I love the eggs and so do my neighbors! No chicken killing for me though. I also have to keep Maggie (choco lab) away from them.

I think they only do that if they are overcrowded and are kept like the large egg producers do, all lined up in cages.

I have just purchased 6 chickens and am waiting for my first eggs - I cant wait for the great yellow yolks compared to bought eggs - They are pets my husband talks to them all the time - I live in Australia and am allowed 10 as I live in a small country town. I have just joined and am not sure how to use all the links etc but will learn

Welcome Loris, have fun with your chickens, but beware, the eggs need to be at least a couple of weeks old before trying to boil them. If the eggs are too fresh they are very hard to peel. Eggs will stay fresh in the fridge for at least 6 weeks.

Yes, we have chickens on our homestead now. DH built two chicken tractors; 7 in one and 15 chickens in the other. Started out with 44, but his dogs broke into the tractor and killed almost half of them at four weeks old. Now at about nine to twelve weeks old, they are big enough to free range. Dogs are penned 24/7. Black barred rock roosters are crowing. Rhode Island red rooster trys to answer him. It sounds like he is croaking like a frog.

My husband just built me a nice chicken house and I have 13 chickens. Might have to eat one. They should be old enough to start laying soon. I just bought two fake eggs to put in their nest. We enjoy sitting on the back porch and watching them as we let them run free during the day and close them at night to keep varmints from getting them. They are pets.

We have bantams and a few guinea hens and yes, they are pets but only one has a name, Petula. She is a white cochin bantam and I think she looks like a chicken in a childrens' story. We have a few cockerels, including one very mean one who happens to be Petula's son. He chases people, especially me! My legs are always all scarred and bruised in the summer because he attacks me and once he tore my ear open (I was bent over kissing my favorite lamb, a former bottle baby and house resident) goodnight.

Everyone I know says that they would put that mean chicken into a pot, but my DH likes him and refuses to kill him. I think he likes to I cooked him, I would probably choke on the meat!

All in all, they are a lot of fun and much more intelligent than people think.

Yes, we have chickens. Actually, our GD has chickens, which are "housed" at NeeNee and Pawpaw's. They have names and are definitley pets. And we do have the eggs to counter balance the feed, ect. (HA)

No, thank goodness ;)

Yes we have chicken pets. Our boss rooster is named Pecker McPecker. He is a great gentle leader. The chickens are all so tame you can carry them around and they eat out of your hand. And we get eggs! Our other rooster is Elvis he loves the ladies. We keep them in a pen. There are other things out there that will eat them if we didn't.

I live in a subdivision so we can't have chickens but about 1/2 mile away there is a chicken farmer. Early in the morning we wake up to a faint sound of roosters and chickens. Just far enough to enjoy but not close enough to bug us.
My parents were city farmer. We had 1/4 acre and had chickens and ducks.
We like to travel to often to raise chickens, ducks or rabbits. It is hard enough to find cat and dog sitters.

We have 14 hens currently, over the years we have had more and less. They aren't really our "pets", but there is one hen that I dote over- she is my oldest one at 6 years. She is the last one to start laying in the spring and the first one to molt and stop laying in the fall, but I am attached to her and I will keep her until she dies a natural death.

I like to keep different breeds, and if I am unhappy with a breed I will only keep those birds for about 2 years and then I replace them with a different breed. We have hatched out several batches of chicks in our incubator and it is a lot of fun.

I have been designing a chicken quilt in the back of my mind lately. I would like to do an applique block of each breed of chicken that I have kept (I would design the blocks myself to resemble each breed), and then border with Ohio stars (I live in OH). I don't know if this quilt will ever come to fruition, but it is fun to think about!

Amy J.