when we married 6 1/2 years ago, my husband accidentally started me in homesteading by buying me some pepper and tomato plants. By the time I got bitten by the bug, he told me on no uncertain terms that there would be no chickens. He had grown up on a 'one at a time' place, and he had had to take care of all of the animals (cleaning out a 500 chicken coop). Over the course of the last 2 years I have slowly been getting him around to my point of view (I raise them, you kill them, no selling involved) Today I had a wonderful shock. My mother found me a source of rabbits at a local feed store and also noticed that they had day old chicks. She told this to me and I told my husband. He then informed me that he would rather I get the chickens than the rabbits! So now I have 20 buff orpington and 2 easter egg chickens on order for the 31. Does anyone out there have any experience on these birds? I've been reading up on rabbits and now have to cram on chickens!!!! thanks annette

-- annette (j_a_henry@yahoo.com), March 19, 2000

Answers

It starts with a little tomato plant!! Great story Annette. Bet your hubby secretly misses those little buggers after all!! Good Luck....Kirk

-- Kirk Davis (kirkay@yahoo.com), March 19, 2000.

Annette,

I've raised both. They are very nice birds and we've had both kind set for us. Chickens were our first critters (don't let your husband read this), we now have sheep and are getting our first 2 hogs this spring. We started as gardeners too. Believe it or not we actually got our first chickens when we were graduate students in Miami FL. We lived in a hispanic neighborhood. Many of our neighbors had fighting cocks so our aracauna's were quiet by comparison!

They aren't difficult to raise and believe me will bring you hours of enjoyment. I remember my kids use to eat their breakfast in our Wisconsin basement when we got an order of mail chicks one year, just so they could watch them.

With a little care, they will bring you many hours of enjoyment, bountiful eggs and a nice chicken dinner or too. Good Luck and don't forget to enjoy them!!!!

Kim

-- kim (fleece@eritter.net), March 19, 2000.

Annette,

If you haven't checked out the archives yet, here's the address for you to cut and paste ( I don't know how to hotlink)

http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-one-category.tcl?topic=Countryside&category=The%20Hen%20House

At last look, there were 82 postings about chickens. Good references from Countryside forum folk.

Good luck!

-- sheepish (rborgo@gte.net), March 19, 2000.

Raise both breeds the same .I have a mixed flock with no problems .Tell hubby it could be worse , I have 100 chicks ariving on Mon.!My hubby didn't want any animals , but he sure enjoys eating them !We now have 2 pigs "1 pregnant" and another in the freezer , a goat , 5 beef cows , 4 dogs 3 cats "2 pregnant" and I cant even count chickens .Coming soon lambs , more goats ,a milk cow ,and whatever else stricks me . As long as he doesn't do chores on a regular basis its O.k.Oops forgot the rabbit.Good Luck

-- Patty Gamble (fodfarms@slic.com), March 19, 2000.

Patty: I'd better hide your post from my husband! He was raised in farm country, but in town. He worked while growing up on several different farms, including cleaning/debeaking/shipping chicks. His brothers won't even eat chicken to this day after that summer! Les (my hubby), is finally getting into the swing of things and getting used to the animals as we get them. I'm working on him to accept the idea of a couple goats this summer, and maybe a couple beef calves. Our biggest problem is having a relief feeder when we need to be gone for a few days. What do you do? In our area, there just aren't a lot of people willing to come feed/water/clean for anyone else, even if they are paid. Some are too elderly, or work hours that don't permit them to be here when needed. Kids live too far, so not many options. Jan

-- Jan (Janice12@aol.com), March 19, 2000.

HMMMMM, YOU WERE TOLD YOU COULD NEVER GET CHICKENS, AND NOW HE WANTS CHICKENS INSTEAD OF RABBITS? SOUNDS LIKE HE WANTS TO GET SOME OF HIS CHILDHOOD BACK - WHICH I'M SURE WILL BE GREAT. CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR HUSBANDS NEW FOUND WAY OF THINKING. I'M 33 YEARS OLD AND HAVE BEEN RAISING CHICKENS SINCE I WAS A TEENAGER. I WOULD BE LOST WITHOUT THEM. I HAD STARTED OUT WITH A FEW, AND JUST KEPT GETTING MORE, HATCHING THEM OUT ETC. SEVERAL YEARS AGO, I WAS UP OVER 150 CHICKENS (I THOUGHT SELL THE EXTRA EGGS, MAKE SOME MONEY.) YEAH RIGHT! WHEN YOU HAVE 5 YEAR OLD HENS, THEY WON'T MAKE A PROFIT FOR YOU! OF COURSE, THIS IS MY OWN FAULT. ON OUR PLACE A HEN GETS TO RETIRE AND DIE OF OLD AGE, UNLESS SHE GETS HIT BY A CAR, KILLED BY OUR DOG (THEY SHOULD KNOW NOT TO GET IN REACH OF HER CHAIN!), OR KILLED BY SOME UNKNOWN ANIMAL. ANYHOW, AFTER LOSING MONEY FOR SEVERAL YEARS, I HAVEN'T BEEN HATCHING ANY OUT LATELY SO I'M NOW DOWN TO 30 SOME. ANYHOW, I'VE RAMBLED. MY MAIN REASON FOR THIS MESSAGE IS TO CONGRATULATE YOU AND TO TELL YOU TO HAVE FUN WITH THEM! IN FACT, I THINK YOUR HUSBAND IS GOING TO BE A LOT MORE INTERESTED IN THEM MORE THAT WHAT YOU THOUGHT, OR HE THOUGHT FOR THAT MATTER! GOOD LUCK.

-- MICHAEL W. SMITH (KIRKLBB@PENN.COM), March 19, 2000.

Jan, I know your question was mostly directed to Patty, but I thought I'd chime in anyway. We are really blessed in that our neighbors trade farmsitting with us. They have horses, rabbits, cats, and a dog, and we have sheep, chickens, ducks, geese, and cats. They go on long vacations (2-3 weeks) in November, so we watch their animals, water plants, etc. We go in the summer (2 weeks) and they watch for us. Summer is easy time for us....not many vegetables to pick (just for meals), not breeding or lambing season, etc. November is an easy, although wet time of year for them. We can also see each other's places from our own which is a bonus.

Maybe you can swap services with someone in your area? I know the feed store here and the veterinarian's have bulletin boards. If you have a similar local spot maybe you could post it. Also, they might actually know the of some possibilities and provide a reference or two.

It's so lovely to have this lifestyle, but it's so much more appreciated when you can actually get away from it for a couple of weeks!

-- sheepish (rborgo@gte.net), March 19, 2000.

Annette,I too am luckey that my only close neighbor does chores when we go away .We take a 6 hour drive to visit family about every 4-6 weeks .Sheepish had some good ideas.

-- Patty Gamble (fodfarms@slic.com), March 19, 2000.

Thanks for the encouragement. by the way that was 50 not 500 chickens, my husband had to take care of. his dad had an egg business, and always lost money on it. That is one of the reasons I refuse to get into the selling aspect. Not that I don't admire the people who do! Good for you, and you make available food for people who can't. But I'm stuck here in the city (Vancouver, WA) and can only have a few animals that are alowed by the city. I do have lots of family close by and that is what I'm planning to do with the extra eggs. My aunt and uncle have 7 kids and I'm sure they can use them. Sheepish, I do look at the old q and a's, they are the best source for someone who can just have a few things and dream about the rest! I might add I do a lot of dreaming! thanks annette

-- annette (j_a_henry@yahoo.com), March 19, 2000.

annette, I have some laying hen that I raised from day old chicks. I had 2 buff orpingtons. When all the other chicks were in the pen, the buff orpingtons would still be outside. It was like they just hated for the day to end and stretched it out as far as they could. When they became grown hens, they would be outside way after the others were on the roost. They just ran around frantically trying to get one more grain of scratch or catch one more bug or whatever. Maybe these were just mine but the ones I had seemed to really want to be nightowls. If anyone else had the same eperience with them, I'd lke to know. It's nothing for or against them, just iteresting. Eagle

-- eagle (eagle@alpha1.net), March 20, 2000.

Annette- I chose Buff Orpingtons for my home flock. They are quiet and (don't laugh!) rather affectionate. The hens are willing to set if you want them too, and the roosters are not obnoxious. They (well, mine) are very careful with their hens, though. Spike, the oldest, is adament about every one getting back to the coop in the evenings. He runs around shooing the girls inside, complaining when they go the wrong way. Gizmo is learning, but after all he's only 5 months old. I keep most of my flock at a friends place (no roosters in town!! wouldn't want to attract attention) and they had a large bloack and white rooster that was very hard on the hens. His name is Stew. as is his function now.

Any how, I have never been sorry I chose the breed I did. They get a little hot here in the summer (Central Valley, CA), but they should do well there in WA. OH, a note... it took the girls quite a while to start laying, 5 1/2 months or so, but once they did they have laid an egg a day during the spring, summer and fall, and an egg every other day thru the winter. I give the friends who own the barn all the eggs they want, and sell a few dozen each week to pay for feed. Free eggs and (next year) chicken meat... who could ask for more?

Lastly, when we got them, I snuck them into the back yard as a "Y2K" project. My hubby was always very clear that if nothing happened, the girls at home would join their cousins AT ONCE. Now, if I get up early enough, I can catch him tossing out scratch to them in his BVDs after he makes coffee in the AM! They kinda grow on you.

-- Kelley (businesscents@hotmail.com), May 06, 2000.

I've had both Buff Orpingtons and Araucanas, and like both of them. I think the Buffs are my favorite breed of chicken. I never had one go broody, though. The two araucanas both hatched out clutches of chicks without our help or knowledge! When we had excess eggs we gave some away to close friends and family and sold enough more to pay for the chicken feed, at least. When we get chicks again, we will finish the chicken tractor and keep them in that, to keep them safe, and hope to have a few eggs to sell -- there is such a big difference between fresh and store-bought that you will never have trouble finding customers.

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), May 06, 2000.