HGG Community Forums

CG I have a variety of chickens. Are you just wanting to lay and meat. Hens lay an egg every 24 hours. One of the best chickens out there is the Buff Orpingtons. They are docile and great for little kids. I also have Turkens which are great. Dominquers they are a dual purpose bird.

I would talk to your local extension office? They will be a great help. If you have a fence you can turn your hens out during the day. It will also help on your feed Bill if you can let them roam. Have a coop for night time. You need to check with the extension office which fit better for the colder climate their. If I was you I would go with the turkeys. They are cold hardy. They are one of the chickens that can handle the cold better. I love my turkens. Their looks bother some people because they look like a Turkey but their not they are chickens.

Yay! You can do this.
For chickens, there are usually three age groups to buy from. Biddies can be bought a day old from hatcheries or feed stores for a few dollars. They will need a brooder area ( large cardboard boxes with a light work good) inside for a few weeks. They can eventually be moved outside. Cons: You may have to buy a minimum amount (anywhere from 6-25), unless buying a sexed bird you may end up with roosters, you will have to wait months before they start laying. Started pullets will be a few months old and just about ready to start laying. They can be put outside directly. In my area (Alabama) these are typically the most expensive to buy usually running around $20-$30 dollars. Cons: expense, can be hard to find. Older hens can be found cheaper in my area for $10. They will be ready to lay right away. Cons: you do not know if hens this old are finished laying, or getting close to that point.

For breeds, you may want to look at brown egg layers like Rhode Island Reds, Barred Rocks, New Hampshire's, Buckeyes. Brown egg layers tend to be more cold hardy, less flighty, and dual purpose. They do not lay as much as some of the production breeds, but they have a meatier frame. You can also buy bantam versions of different breeds, but they will have bantam sized eggs. Many of the larger hatcheries will send you catalogs that will have different breed pictures with information about that breed. Feed can be a laying pellet from a store. Mine get pellets, garden scraps and bread scraps. And handful of fresh pick grass is always met with approval clucks. They also get let out of the coop to poke around for bugs, but I have to keep an eye on them because of a) predators always know when they are out b) chickens always know which veggies/berries are the ripest and they will pick them before you do.

For housing, mine are in a 10x10, with an 8' ceiling, area with two solid walls, and two walls with a kickboard and dog wire. It is completely covered. I have eight hens and two roosters in there right now, and they have a ton of room and seem happy. It is completely covered. 4 nest boxes are in the corner where two solid walls meet, around chest height. Where I am at I worry more about keeping my chickens cool rather than warm. One thing about housing - I do not use chicken wire because raccoons, bobcats, and possums can rip right through it. I do not know if you would have that kind of problem in town.

Costs for us: Coop - free aside from labor, we scrounged around for what we needed. Birds - we buy a few biddies every spring to replace older hens. This year we spent $18 on six. Shavings - $6 once a month. Feed - 50 pounds is $10 and last us a two weeks. From eight hens I get from between 7-10 eggs a day. It keps us, my in laws, and some friends in eggs. And once you have had fresh eggs from your own hens, you will never want ones from the store again. They seem pale and flavorless. Bleh. Keep the coop clean, because you will want your neighbors happy. Slipping them a few fresh eggs helps too. If you do let them out to poke around, you may want to clip their wings so they do not flap over your fence to parts unknown. There used to be an online forum called backyardchickens.com.

With your gardening, you may want to experiment with upright systems. We are trying out upright PVC pipes right now to grow strawberries. We are not sure how it will work out. For working outside, I used a playpen when my kiddos were babies. I would put them in the shade nearby. I know some moms like a sling, but I was such a klutz I was afraid of using them. Good luck with your appointment!

We bought a house over the winter and now I have a huge yard and can finally have a vegetable garden. Downside is I live in a HOA so I can't have chickens or meat rabbits and I'm pretty sure they would be upset with me growing corn. I plan on using the square foot system plus some container gardening. I've gotten most of my tips from Pintrest. There are a lot of ideas there. MY first seedlings have popped up and I'm getting ready to plant, although I have to wait a little as snow is in the forecast this weekend.

Also make sure that you pick out varieties that grow well in your zone. You will have to look it up based on your city and state as South Dakota has a few zones, even near the Nebraska boarder.

I've always been partial to rhode island reds. My granma had a big Rhode island hen in her flock and she was one if the dominant hens. For some reason I just always liked her pretty color and mean attitude. I don't think that's be the breed for me though haha.
I did a a few quick searches last night and the breeds that caught my eye are
-New Hampshire red: like the Rhode island but nicer?
-Plymouth rock: not a fan of the color but supposed to be nice and good for wintering
-Delaware: mostly for the butchering after they've finished being good layers
-Black Australorp: agin not a fan if black hens but these sound good for my location

And idea that just dawned on me is going back to my home state and asking my granma if she has any hens in her flock that she'd be willing to sell me. She keeps many different types (including all the ones I listed above) so id give me a vhance to try a mixed flock then sell or give the ones I don't like back. It's also give me some ready to lay hens immediately.
My local farm store only sells leghorn and a common black type. They also I my sell chicks that are around a week old so if have to grow then out. My granma orders new chicks regularly from catalog so I could easily have her order me some chicks or pullets then pick them up when they arrive!
I will look into the other breeds you guys suggested though (including the quail.) Want to consider all options so I can find the best bird to work for me. I'm looking for ones that can be decent egg layers (we honestly don't eat that many eggs right now, don't like the taste of store eggs) then I want them to also be friendly since it's a smaller yard with 2 young kids, and lastly I want them to have decent meat so when they stop laying I can get them butchered and have a tasty meal. As much as I'd like to keep ducks since their eggs are really tasty I don't think I will. So much work that I might struggle with later on.
As far as my city laws go I know hens are allowed. I'll have to do me check on roostets though. Especially if I buy chicks so I can get the roosters culled and butchered early if they aren't allowed.
I'm looking into different ways to build a chicken coop that will work do summer and winter. Pinterest here I come!

For my garden I have decided to do one of three different raised beds. The cheapest being to use large boards to make boxes, the most expensive is buying stock tanks.
I don't know what my zone is yet so I'll have to get that looked up and start planning what I can grow with the least hassle. I think most of what I want is doable. My coop will also probably be near the garden since the garden will be fenced off to keep kids and dogs out. But I can easily make some chicken wire covers that will keep the hens out of my veggies. When the kids are gone the dogs can be left indoors and the hens would have free roam of the backyard. I've kept smaller birds (parrots) so I'm sure clipping wings wouldn't be difficult for me. I'd hate to accidently chase an escaped hen into the busy road.

Now I just need to start making more specific plans and get this underway

The other thing you want to consider is are you also wanting them to set on their eggs for little ones. My hubby and I allow every breed to hatch one nest a year. Our best setters are Buff orpingtons and my wyandots.

Something else to consider my barred rock I ended up selling because I couldn't get them to set. A good meat bird is the Cornish. They are slow growers. Orpingtons are great for laying and their meat. I also like my game hens. Best setters out there. I don't care much for game roosters but the game hens are great. They are flighty.