To chicken or not to chicken?

Question

my family has a medium sized backyard, and want to keep chickens. but i have some questions first.

- mom says they will attack her in the back yard. i dont think so. will they?

- are they expensive to keep?

- are they high maitnance?

- are they tame?

- are hens noisy?

- are they smelly?

- do you know any good, helpful sites on chickens?

any help will be appreiciated... thanks!!!

Answer 1

Chickens are lovely animals for a start

I have 34!

no, the chickens will NOT attack her . . .they may walk after you if you have something like a treat in your hand or if they are hungry (they are very intelligent creatures)

no, chickens are not expensive.. the most expensive part will Be the hen COOP which is a necessity. .. they HAVE to be secure and safe from predatorsfood isn't that expensive either only averaging about €7-€10 a bagalso you wont have to go to the shops to get eggs!

no, in general hens are not high maintenance , unless you go for a breed like silkies or a breed with long tail feathers/feathery feet but even then chickens are not too high maintenance

Yes, chickens are friendly PROVIDED they are handled regularly and from a young age and not scared or spooked and/or chased.

TIP a good way to be-friend you chickens is treat them to little bits of bread of your hand and let them get used to a specific call and your voice.

in general again chickens are not noisy  roosters can be quite (when they crow obviously)

but that being said....hens who have just layed and egg will cluck for about 3 minutes after to let everyone know ..  also they do make these cute little sounds throughout the day but not loudly. .

no, they are not smelly animals if kept in the right conditions .. ie . . .having a clean coop and area/run.  basically good husbandry and a good cleaning routine is the answer to smell-free chickens.

Here is a few helpful sites

http://www.backyardchickens.com/raising-...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken

http://www.cyndilou6.com/care.html (quite slow to load)

My advice would be go for it .. they are well worth it

Answer 2

Doubt that chickens will attack your mom.  

Chickens aren't very expensive to keep, especially if you collect and eat the eggs.

Chickens are very easy keepers.

My chickens are tame.  I used to have a rooster that would come on the porch and drink out of your glass if you were foolish enough to put it where he could get to it.

Chickens do make quite a bit of noise.

Chickens do sort of have a smell.

I know that you didn't ask this, but the do like to roost on anything that they can climb on, and they will p**p all over it.

Answer 3

I raise chickens and will give you the best information I can.  It almost sounds like you are in town and your neighbors may not like them.  They will p**p on everything and you will drag it into the house.  Yes some roosters are very mean and will attack anything they can they do have spurs and it hurts if you are spured and normally those wounds will get infected.  

Chickens can be expensive to raise they need to be protected from preditors, they do need feed, water, some people do give vitiamins, and yes they do get deiseases. Some chickens are tame, most chickens are noisy, if the chickens are kept in a small area or you have to many in a spot they get very smelly.

If you are looking for a pet and a few eggs try to go with the bantams (this would be like a "toy" breed of a dog) I would suggest the araucana they lay colored eggs that are anywhere from a bluish to green in color, They are very tame and like to be handled. If your mother has a fear of being attacted do not get roosters. chickens are great at eating bugs when they free range our yard whe have no ticks. they can be kept pretty cheap. If you are talking a small flock a 50 lb bag of cracked corn is something you might want to check into.  YOU NEED TO KNOW THAT HAVING FEED ON HAND WILL BRING MICE, I love my chickens but don't keep there housing or feed to close to mine. (they will eat small snakes)

If your mom is not into the idea of having chickens in her yard I would let this subject drop. Save your money and get an acreage of your own someday. If your neighbors are close by you are asking for a problem, dogs, gardens, chickens get in the road, the list can keep going.  Most vets won't see a chicken if you have a problem and it is easy to get attached to a small flock, I find it easier myself to raise larger flocks. If Mom has said no just wait until you have your own place.

Answer 4

I have chickens they are GREAT!!

here are 2 links that will for sure help you.

http://www.gomestic.com/Pets/Unusual-Pet...

http://www.gomestic.com/Pets/Pet-Chicken...

the first is on chickens as pets, the second is about which breeds are best..

NO they are not expensive or hard..

some are tamer than others..

hens are NOT mean!!

they are not noisy.. dogs are worse.. ours make cute sounds...

not smelly if you have room for them..

check the links

Answer 5

no. but my freind owns a farm. she says that there are diseases, yes there noisy, yes there are smelly, and dependeing on how you treat the chiken. if you treat it badly, it will NOT BE TAME! IN FACT, IT WILL BE REALLY MEAN!!!!! sorry. kinda exaggerated on that. anyways, thats all my friend told me. but you can go on Google and type : how to take care of a chiken.