Chickens

[Jennifer]

Read into which hens are not as chatty-- I have several breeds and my Faverolles are the most noisy. They really get to singing sometimes! Try backyardchickens.com if you can stomach another forum, haha. You will be buried in information in no time.

If you are getting into it for the first time I'd suggest chicks in the spring, yeah. They have to be kept warm, indoors, at first... approximately 95° the first week, then 90 the second week, 85 the third... shave off about 5° each week as they mature until you are close to outdoor temperatures. Unless you want rowdy teenage chickens in the house, it's best to do it when you can put them outside quickly. They make a lot of dust in the house!! You will be excited to get them outside by the time they are ready for it, haha.

You can also buy "started" pullets at shows, meet-ups and so forth if you don't want to mess with chicks. Started pullets are generally just old enough to be laying eggs, or will start soon. Chicks are great if you have kids to teach or want to raise chickens that will be friendly with you, but if you are not concerned with this you might want to get them started. I don't recommend started birds from a hatchery as they are almost always beak clipped (this does not grow back and is arguably cruel as it causes permanant nerve damage) and sometimes come with parasites and/or illness. Find someone local you can trust that has healthy birds. Beware craig's list, sometimes you hit a home run but a lot of people unload unwated/sick birds that way. The chicken forum above has a thread just for NY chicken owners and an entire classified section to get you started.

No matter how you raise them, I guarantee they will lay you better tasting eggs and that their lives will be better than anything you get at a grocery store. Give them acess to some grass, weeds and bugs and they will further reward you with eggs that are very tasty, have more nutrition, and are lower in cholesterol than confined factory soy-fed birds. If you have a bird that doesn't work out, you still gave it a better life than a supermarket chicken and they make fantastic soup. You can use all parts of the bird, including feet, to make a fantastic chicken stock that is easy to do.

If it interests you, they can actually make fantastic pets, too, depending on the breed-- Mine are better pets than my parrots. I have one faverolles hen that jumps into my lap and sleeps. She purrs/trills too, it's pretty cute. But I understand if you just want them for lifestock-- nothing wrong with that!

[Jennifer]

By the way, check first to make sure you're permitted to keep chickens. Some townships have strange laws about when, where, and how many birds are allowed. Sometimes you are only allowed a set number of hens per acre, or that the coop must be so many feet from a property line, etc. Some areas just ban them. It would bite to get into chickens only to be told you can't keep them.

[Elmo]

By the way, check first to make sure you're permitted to keep chickens. Some townships have strange laws about when, where, and how many birds are allowed. Sometimes you are only allowed a set number of hens per acre, or that the coop must be so many feet from a property line, etc. Some areas just ban them. It would bite to get into chickens only to be told you can't keep them.

Hmmm...didn't think about that. I must check.