by Melissa Caughey of Tilly’s Nest
1. Chickens can be addictive.
Once you have a flock I think you might find yourself wanting more. There are so many wonderful beautiful breeds and colored eggs that you might just find yourself becoming a chickens addict.
2. Get a bigger coop.
Whether your purchase a coop or build one, I would recommend making it just a bit larger to accommodate a couple of extra chickens. Build it once. This makes it much easier on the wallet if you add to your flock later.
3. Visit local poultry shows.
Can’t decide on the breeds you want? Definitely check out local poultry shows where you can see the birds up close and visit with those who raise them. It’s always fun to talk chicken with fellow chicken aficionados.
4. Chickens can be messy.
Keeping a clean coop and run are key in preventing health issues from arising in your flock. Daily tidying, weekly cleaning of the feeders and waterers, and regular deep coop cleanings are essential. Be sure to keep this in mind when designing your coop.
5. Roosters crow 24/7.
They will even crow at the moon! Keeping roosters can be wonderful but it also adds another dimension to keeping chickens worth researching.
6. Fresh eggs are SO better.
Once you taste a fresh egg, you will not want to eat store bought eggs again. Fresh eggs from your own chickens are chock full of nutrients and the taste of fresh eggs cannot be beat. Take the challenge. Crack one of your fresh chicken eggs in a bowl and then crack open a store bought egg into the same bowl. The difference in the yolk color alone will have your stunned!
7. Life is better with chickens.
You bet it is! There is nothing in the world like keeping a few hens. They are entertaining. They are great with pest control, eating ticks and other bugs. They lay the most fantastic eggs and they teach plenty of life lessons to the family to name a few.
What other tips would you share with our community now that you have a flock of your own? Be sure to leave a comment below!
About the author: Melissa Caughey is a backyard chicken keeper, beekeeper, gardener, and cook who pens the award winning blog, Tilly’s Nest. She lives on Cape Cod, Massachusetts with her family of four and her Miniature Schnauzer. She regularly writes for HGTV Gardens, Community Chickens, Grit magazine, and contributes to Country Living Magazine. Her blog was recently named one of Better Homes and Gardens Top 10 Gardening Blogs. Melissa is currently working on a backyard chicken book with Storey Publishing to be released Spring 2015.
39 Comments
I like keeping chickens and I love broody hens they add to your stock a lot if you have the right broodies my favorite is partridge rocks I have 2 or 3 hens that set up to three times a year starting in mid to late April and if you get over stocked with chickens thanks to the broody moma hen you can sell several off and add some coin to your pocket another good breed I like is speckled Sussex they seem to lay good and are broody as well and both partridge rock and Sussex’s are very pretty and are good breeds to take to poultry shows
We live in the city & have had hens for several years. We’ve named all of our birds. We currently have 2 young birds and 2 older birds. They’re like pet dogs, they come when called and love to be rubbed/scratched under the wings. We currently have 2 coops, 1 for each age group. 1 of our older bitties isn’t accepting the youngins just yet. We love our birds. They come in the back door to peek around and say hello, they follow me in the yard and love eating out of my hand. We love our birds and eggs. Jonesy
Can you have a few (3 or 4) chickens in a town home patio. ? Does anyone do this? I want to so badly ..
You’ll have to check you’re town laws about keeping chickens, but you most certainly can keep a couple of them on patio.
I live in a small town, just about on the edge. I checked to make sure it would be allowed. No more than six and no roosters allowed here, so I have four lovely pullets. Yesterday we got four eggs!
I have about 30 chickens. They are like my children. love them a lot. there are lots of benefits you can get by having them.
They clean my garden by eating all grass, unwanted bugs ect.
They are poops help growing my plants.
They give very fresh & organic egg & meat for my small children grow healthy.
They eat all out leftover foods so no wastage.
Very easy to maintain them.
That’s one of the best decision i have made having them.
Love to listen to them talk whenever I go outside. They eat any bug or grasshopper they can find & love to see what you are doing when you are digging in the yard. They are always happy & friendly. I just love to pick them up & when children visit they are such a joy to help teach them little folks where eggs come from. Children just love to hold them & my hens seems to love cuddling with anyone who will hold them for a few minutes. Their happy little voices as they talk to me are a very comforting source. They even know what time it is as it gets dinner time. They will come up on the porch & try to see in the glass door to let me know it is time for them to eat. I just love each one & they seem to know their own names.
I haven’t counted the number of birds I have for a while, but I noticed the number of white leghorns seemed to be off. (I have a wide variety of birds.) Then I saw the coyote running across the field with one of my Welsummer roosters. I frantically called all of the chickens home to the coop (a little grain in a tin can), only to find out that both of my Welsummer roosters were missing, several of the leghorns and a couple of the other birds. Now, when I go to work at the farm, I’m loaded…with a good scope.
The raccoons got 10 of my 16 juvenile replacement birds. I think predator hunting is going to become a favorite past time. I love nature, but they’re messing with my kids!
I started with 5 chicks and I’ve taught them how to herd back into the pen after a day of forging. I can;t wait to get more and am already enlarging their space!!
No matter how nice you set up their nesting boxes, once they find a “good” spot, that is where they want to lay (even if it is your front porch under your swing). Smaller breeds with long wing feathers, can fly just about anywhere, and will chase you and your children (have them guard you with sticks while you are hanging your laundry). Breeds with unique feathers (like frizzles or silkies) can’t get off the ground so they can’t protect themselves by getting away quickly (like from your cat, roaming dogs, or said evil chicken mentioned in previous sentence).
I started with 6 bantams and now have 20, including a Buff Orphington hen, chicks and 3 roosters. I love my 2 Cochin roosters, and now 1 Silkie. They are sweet boys that, take care of the hens and chicks, they even get the nests ready for sleeping. I love seeing the enjoyment children get from gathering the eggs. I have had pet chickens for 3 years, and I am not mentoring several families with their first flocks. Addicted? Absolutely!
I love my 11 hens and my rooster! They are so much fun and easy to care for – and always want to be nearby when I am working in the garden or around the property. Its peaceful to sit in their yard and watch them “being chickens” , for lack of a better way to desribe it. More relaxing than a fish tank for sure! A bonus is my rooster, John Boy, doesn’t crow very much at all.
I’ve learned that patience truly IS a virtue! Waiting for the first egg, and then waiting for the first egg from EACH of them is agonizing! LOL! Now we have two cameras in the coop and one in the run! Only hubby can see the one in the run, but we both can see the egg boxes from our laptops so we can see who laid what in which nest! We can also see when they’re all inside the coop and on their roost, then we go close the pop door remotely from inside the kitchen. There’s a small camera monitor there too with infrared light so we can check on them even after their coop light goes off. One night they didn’t make it up to the roost before their light went off and one straggler couldn’t see to make it up there. She kept trying and failing. Hubby had to go out and turn on the spare light just long enough for her to find her way up to the roost.
I am TOTALLY addicted to my ‘girls’ and my roosters. They are wonderful alarms to something amiss in the yard, they keep nasty bugs away and dispose of my kitchen garbage very nicely! Since I raise my chickens from babies it is a wonderful sense of pleasure to call them in the afternoon and watch them come running for their evening ‘treat’ of garbage. My rooster is always called Rooster Cogburn and each one has become attached to the name along with the general personality that goes with it! I have also become a watchful keeper and try to protect my flock from predators, as much as I love wild critters, I HATE it when I lose a beloved hen.
Just a beginner, but oh what joy I have already received from my hens. If I have to go away for a day, I have longings for them. I miss them! I have a chair next to the coop so I can talk to them. When I go into the coop my ladies run to me and gather around my feet waiting to be “petted”. I have to be careful how I step fearing I will step on one. Most of them jump onto the roof of the coop so we can see “eye-to-eye”.
I am so in love with the eggs. Everything I have read here..I agree with. I have future plans for my hens, but hopefully I can be pleased with the outcomes. Keep this forum for more ideas!
Chickens create amazing social opportunities! My family, my neighbors, the electrician, the Fed Ex driver, the man who delivered a truckful of concrete, they all are immediately drawn to the hens. Everyone wants to meet and talk about the girls, and an offer of fresh eggs is never unappreciated. The arrival of baby chicks this summer simply doubled the fun, the babies completely charmed every visitor. A tiny peeping chick really brings out the sometimes surprisingly soft side of people 🙂
I learned that they each have their own quirks and personalities. I love to sit and watch the antics of some of the more “animated” girls and I realized that I have turned into one of those people who just sit and watch the chickens pick the ground. It just doesn’t get any better than that.
8. Chickens can tear up a flower bed or garden in just a matter of minutes! 9. Chickens are a great source of entertainment! I continue to laugh (out loud!) when watching their antics!
Hi! For the past x-amount of years I have wanted to raise chickens in my backyard. I live in a town that currently prohibits this but in the past year a group of us started fighting city hall. How it turns out is unknown but there has been success in changing the laws and mindsets in bordering towns. Sometimes I think if I am clever enough I can keep a few girls under the radar! My husband concurs!! We are working so hard at keeping our vegetable garden, small orchard and my herb garden organic, hens would be a perfect addition. I have the space for a small flock and believe they would be a perfect addition! I follow your columns here and your blog figuring knowledge is power!
One thing worth noting for people considering chickens for the first time is that you don’t just add new chickens to your existing flock – so do some research first. Chickens don’t readily accept new chickens into their flock. It can be done, obviously, but takes some time and strategizing.
Fewer bugs in the yard! Unfortunately for me, the mosquito population is still the same but the flea, tick, beetle and caterpillar population has gone WAY down. I’m loving that. And baby black snakes have all but disappeared from the backyard. They’ve all moved out to the front yard where no one hangs out and that’s just fine with us! And manure, don’t forget the manure! More manure for the garden, cheaper too.
I have three indoor hens. I am not permitted to have chickens outside whereI live so they live inside. My girls are beautifull , healthy and happy. The individual I had purchased them from still had the mother hen who was very much in a bad way. She had gotten into a fishing line trap set by his niegbor. He had so many hens that he couldnt take all the time required to tend to her needs. When she came to me her feet were black. her comb and woddle very pale. Breast bone completely raw and scraped from dragging herselfe around. through many epson salts soakings. Much babying and love she is doing very well. She has no toes, breast completely healed and is able to strut around on her little foot pads. Her name is Momma. She does not do tricks. She is not exotic. Momma is just a wonderfull friend. She loves to cuddle. She loves to squeek and squawk. Gives me a fresh egg every couple days. Screams when I come home because she knows its play time. I am posting this because people should also know that these critters are individuals that are desserving of as much love as any other pet or family member. They are receptive to being loved and they will love you back. they are not to be given up on. Momma is a huge joy in my life. My whole familly adores her and my friends that come visit bring her and the girls little treats.
I’ve kept chickens in a makeshift pen with a roost made from the kids’ recycled wooden jungle gym set to buying a chicken tractor second hand. Once you get accustomed to the lovely hens free ranging in your yard, clucking quietly as they peck away at treasures, you really miss them when they’re gone. I live in hurricane-prone south Louisiana, and one thing I’ve learned down here is that there is a mystical creature that can somehow reach in and steal a chicken without leaving a trace of feathers. Second, I’ve learned that when we evacuate before a hurricane, it’s a tough decision whether to lock my hens up or let them run loose–neither ends well when we have a 5-foot storm surge. Right now, I don’t have chickens, having given my last mother/daughter set to my elderly friends who live farther up the bayou with safer accommodations. Truthfully, though, I really do miss them . . . . .
I was terrified of birds… and we got chickens anyway! Now I can’t imagine a day without them!!! I’m even making my ‘chicken wish list’… for all the ones that I want to add to our flock! Not scared of birds anymore 🙂 They are the best therapy around- except for my horse.
I love what the chickens do for the my horses! They really are an asset in desensitizing your horse. I have a 12 & a 14 year old and what they do with the chickens and horses together is amazing. Bomb proof is an understatement. They run around their feet at meal time cleaning up all the dropped grain, scratch apart all the manure for easier pasture fertilization & eat bugs. I do get one stepped on occasionally but usually its a sore toe and the poor chicken is better in a day or to with a little rest. (No shoes on the horses). I always recommend chickens to horse people if they don’t already have some.
Hi I have always wanted a flock last year i got my first. I have 6 chickens right now and love them all. They are so fun.
Coyotes are not longer “just cute harmless animals” to your wife and kids after their first visit to the chicken coop and suddenly I’m no longer a “Radical”
That is a fact!!
My chickens are like grandchildren. I love to watch them patrol their range for bugs. I started with 30 hens and I have increased to 40 hens and 3 roosters of heritage breeds.
#8 Line up a long list of family, friends & neighbors who will take the excess product off your hands. My 6 girls are very prolific…6 eggs almost every day even in the South ‘ s summer heat.
What kind of chickens do you have? That’s the kind i need if the lay all year long. Just getting ready to start my first flock.
My flock has grown from six to 25 birds in the last few years. I’ve learned how much of a personality each one has and how much they like to “talk” to me at the coop, especially at feeding time with fresh garden tomatoes (their absolute favorite), canteloupe and squash. They’re facinating critters to watch and the best stress-relievers for me!
My chickens have taught me to slow down, take 15 or 20 minutes each day to relax and enjoy nature.
I completely agree! I have a depressive disorder and the girls and my Bantam Roo, are a great reason to get up, get moving and get outdoors! I enjoy sitting out with them which is important also! They are so enjoyable even in the cold Pennsy winters.!
BEWARE>>>THEY ARE ADDICTIVE, so make sure you build bigger than you “think you need”
A lesson worth remembering:
Each chicken has his or her own personality. Enjoy them as individuals, not just as a flock. Mine are all named. That’s important, too!
I started with chickens just about 2 years ago and one thing I’ve noticed is that they are a starter animal you get chickens and all of a sudden you have rabbits, ducks, goats, etc. LOL. We love our chickens not only do they provide eggs but they also eat the nasty bugs we don’t want in our garden, till up the raised beds and fertilize at the same time. Not to mention they’re more entertaining than I ever thought they’d be.
A year ago, I was swapping out my 4-year old flock for some new ones. I knew I was going to be without new fresh eggs for at least 2 months, but I thought I could live with store-bought eggs for that long. BIG MISTAKE!! After the first egg, I knew I couldn’t eat them. So pale & runny, with absolutely no taste. All of those eggs were scrambled & given to the dogs & the new chicks. I had to buy eggs from the farmers market for 2 month before my new girls started laying!
Hi, my name is Jan, and I have chickens. I never realized when I first tried chickens that I wouldn’t be able to stop. “Just a few won’t hurt.” Then there were a few more, and a few more, and pretty soon there was no stopping. I started out with 3 hens and one rooster and now I’m up to 2 roosters and nearly 30 hens. Be warned! Join a support group!
I so LOVE chickens!! I don’t care if they are messy or noisy. The eggs and the company of my hens are more than enough “pay”! I started out with 5, and when predators and age took them, I gave it some thought (for about 5 whole seconds) and placed an order for more. Now I’m up to 14 and a friend has a young rooster that she can’t have in town, so he’ll make it 15. We rehabbed an old shed into a nice insulated condo that is easy to clean and they have plenty of room in the winter, and two nice big windows for breezes in the summer. Those EGGs are soooo good!!!