I have both chickens and guineas. Cleaning out the coop takes about an hour twice a year. No big deal. I have minimal rodent problems, my cat takes care of them. They are fun to watch, and even with 20 they are still pets. The eggs are great, and if you sell some you offset the cost of feed. You will never make money on a small poultry operation, but you can eat better, and it makes a great hobby.
I recall once a week for cleaning out the chicken barn.
Egon
Bird:
Some folks just don't appreciate the finer things of life. I can recall taking just the raw yoke, mixing it with brown sugar, beating it well and then eating.
Egon [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
ive never heard of not being able to buy 5 chickens??? i have always bought whatever i want, even just 1. do you need 25 to maintain an ag excemption or something like that. we just put hay in their coop, on the floor and everything, then when it gets dirty we change it. our biggest problem with preditors is dogs. i just make sure i have a good clean close range shot so they dont suffer. alot of people dump unwanted dogs out hear from time to time.
i've had chickens for a year & no rats except in horse barn. i used pine shavings as bedding in the coop & have no odor probs. You can get smaller quantities of chickens by going to a local feed store. I started out w/ 6 & then got 10 more this year. you pay a few cents more per bird, but you don't have to order as many. at least thats the way it is at my local feed store.
OK, I'll give it a go. I pretty much wanted to anyway. The talk of parasites and drawing rats to my property has obviously made me a bit leary, but it's probably a case by case scenario.
I'm going to the show in Hamburg, NY in a couple weeks so maybe I can pick some up there, but from what I've gathered, anywhere you order them (MacMurray, Ideal) has a 25 minimum order. I would like to have them sexed anyway and I don't know if that's an option buying at a show...
if you can' get what you want at the show, check ideal poultry online. i think their limit to ship is only 15, but they sometimes stick in a few extra roosters for extra warmth. if you want meat, order straight run. generally runs about 50/50 hens&roosters, but you can eat the roosters in 4-5 months.
Most hatcheries have a 25 minimum. They do this so the peeps stay warm when in transit. It can get cold in the cargo hold of an airplane.
'round here you can buy as few or as many as you want for about $1 each.
[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
"I'm not from your planet, monkey boy!"
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'round here you can buy as few or as many as you want for about $1 each.
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Mail order or do you live close to a hatchery?
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