The GF wants a chicken coop and chickens. Anyone have them?

[Aquabach]

So we finally have an important thread here.
I searched Long Island Chickens & Guns Club forum but didn't find much.

The GF wants chickens and a coop. She found a coop on line from Home Depot for like $250 which i doubt is good enough.
I have a big yard bordering a nature preserve.
I can at least keep the coop far away from the house and she says she'll do the work.
I'm sure she'll do a lot of it at least.
She wants 2 -4 chickens. We'll start with 2.

Anyone have experience with their own chickens in a non farm environment.
Not Malaka experience.
Not grilled or bbq'd experience but keeping them here on Long Island.

She wants eggs.
I'd like hardy ones that aren't too noisy ( no roosters) that look cool if possible. But truth be told, whichever freakin chicken she wants is what it'll be.

I found a place in Riverhead called Long Island poultry and there's some good info there but I'd thought i'd see if someone had an honest review of owning chickens.

Believe it or not, Amazon, doesn't have many reviews

[Synner]

The only thing I can tell you is that years ago someone in my neighborhood had them on their property. They started out so a couple and ended up with quite a bit of them (7 - 10). Whether by choice or by neglect they ended up out of control and the town ended up coming by and fining the heck out of the person and soon the chickens were no more.

[LazyLab]

I think I saw a Chicken Coop for sale in Starkies Nursery in Farmingdale. It was inside by the fish pond supplies.

[Diesel1]

Prianti Farms in East Northport sells chickens too. Most towns you won't be allowed to have roosters. Check your local codes.

When you start getting eggs, I'll happily take a few. I've read up on it a little bit and surprisingly fresh eggs last a long time and don't think they need to be refrigerated. Just double check that before eating a 30 day old egg.

[Aquabach]

Prianti Farms in East Northport sells chickens too. Most towns you won't be allowed to have roosters. Check your local codes.

When you start getting eggs, I'll happily take a few. I've read up on it a little bit and surprisingly fresh eggs last a long time and don't think they need to be refrigerated. Just double check that before eating a 30 day old egg.

That's true.
There are 2 ways to keep eggs. if you clean them they need to be refrigerated. If not they have a protective coating on them that makes them last. Not sure how long but I read that years ago.
In many countries they don't refrigerate the eggs because they don't wash them.

[imrich]

My sister had 4. The eggs were awesome. Check town regulations. Most allow hens but many don't allow roosters. Her chickens were quiet, ate a lot of bugs from the yard(they love ticks) and the eggs were better than anything you could buy in the store. Just make sure you lock them up in a sturdy coop at night. We aren't the only things that love to eat chicken.

[pandm]

She's turning you in to a chicken farmer?
Thanks.
You just provided me with years of material!
chicken hate.jpg

[Sig]

I have 2 friends that have chickens & another with ducks. One problem they've had were with fox &/or coons trying to get into the coops.

You will need a power source for a water heater in the winter so don't locate the coop to far away unless you like digging trenches.

[Destro]

Neighbors across the way have chickens. One day their beautiful rooster that goes cockle-doodle-doo (at all hours btw) ended up on my front lawn, and a fox ripped him apart. I watched the whole thing go down.

Sherm on the other site has them out East. I know that you have to watch out for predators (see above) and also they're a freakin' mess to clean, and roosters can be a pain in the ass (see above).

[hawkeye]

Neighbor across the street had chickens and a rooster for many years until their kid got older and they had to take care of them.
I enjoyed hearing the rooster early in the morning.
Although they eat tics, they also will bring raccoons and foxes to the area.

[Destro]

Neighbor across the street had chickens and a rooster for many years until their kid got older and they had to take care of them.
I enjoyed hearing the rooster early in the morning.
Although they eat tics, they also will bring raccoons and foxes to the area.

One thing most people don't realize about roosters is they don't just cockle-doodle-doo in the morning. When I first moved here, we thought, oh how quaint a rooster. Lovely.

Well, that thing called out at midnight, 1am, 3am all day. And every time it put effort into it like it was being murdered. Loud! Until it finally was murdered one day it got loose, and by a fox in my side yard.

Attracting fox is a great thing in my book. They are excellent mousers (eat more rodents than a pack of cats) and one of the cleanest and gentlest animals (well, unless you are a chicken). And if you have a dirty coop, you will attract vermin unfortunately.

[Postal Bob]

If you live bordering a nature preserve, you're going to have problems with foxes.

Also, do you really believe your GF will be cleaning up all the chicken crap that accimilates? That'll end up being your burden.

[SteveT]

Subscribed.
I also plan to pickup a half dozen at some point, although frankly I'd research and build my own coop rather than buy.

Old friend of mind years ago had chickens, she said she left a porcelain egg in the coop so the chickens were encouraged to lay. Also don't let them survive on grubs, else the harvest meat tastes poor.... Feed them corn... Apparently.

Only other thought that comes to mind is, no roosters in Brookhaven, check your town code, and ensure the coop is secured from above AND sides.

Good thread, should be interesting... Hoping for pics.

[Aquabach]

No Roosters!
they don't lay eggs, and if they wake my ass up on a day I can sleepin, there'll be chicken on the grill taht night.


I already have fox and raccoons.
Let the games commence!

! fox-and-chicken1.jpg

[Aquabach]

If you live bordering a nature preserve, you're going to have problems with foxes.

Also, do you really believe your GF will be cleaning up all the chicken crap that accimilates? That'll end up being your burden.

If that happens too often, i might forget to leave the coop door open at night.

Subscribed.
I also plan to pickup a half dozen at some point, although frankly I'd research and build my own coop rather than buy.

Old friend of mind years ago had chickens, she said she left a porcelain egg in the coop so the chickens were encouraged to lay. Also don't let them survive on grubs, else the harvest meat tastes poor.... Feed them corn... Apparently.

Only other thought that comes to mind is, no roosters in Brookhaven, check your town code, and ensure the coop is secured from above AND sides.

Good thread, should be interesting... Hoping for pics.

No Roosters!!!!

Not sure if this will be something I'll like or not and that she will maintain.
So a store bought coop to start is okay. I'm also real busy with a million other things right now so time is a problem.
It would have to be covered on all sides and top because of the many predators here.
I have raccoons, fox , and feral cats are by the marina just a 1/4 mile away.
The raccoons are climbing into my garden so they must be eliminated. Going to get a trap and then drown them as per NYS DEC laws.

If we both like it, I'll make a nicer coop.

BTW, you can actually rent chickens and a coop.
They drop them off and then pick them up in the winter.
I laughed when she told me. Told her to check how much it costs because i was pretty sure it was a yuppie thing and probably costs more than buying a coop and chickens for one season.
I was right. She hates that