Thursday, February 12, 2009

#2 Where do you live. City or country side?

#2 Where do you live. City or country side?

This may not sound all that important but it may have a effect on the breed of chickens you keep. If you live out in the country and have a little bit of land then you can probably keep just about any kind of chickens you want. But if you live in suburbia you may need to take this into account when choosing your chickens.

Noise.....

One of the most common problems with keeping chickens in a urban environment is noise. Chickens can make a surprising amount of noise and you may find this a problem, for you and the people who live next door. For this reason it may not be a good idea to get a rooster. As every one knows roosters crow in the morning, or as some say Cock-A-Doodle. What a lot of people don't know is that roosters can start crowing before the sun comes up and keep at it all day long. They Don't Stop.

Hens can also make a large amount of noise. They often make noise when they are laying a egg, but they also make noise when they are upset by something like a predator. You cant do a lot about the noise the hens make during egg laying but some breeds are more likely to make noise that others when they are just upset by something. Leghorns make a lot of noise all the time and are best avoided if you think noise may be a problem. Barred Rocks and Rhode Island Reds are much quieter.

Space.....

If you live out in the country space is probably not a issue. It is up to you if you want to let your chickens free range on your property or keep them in a coop. If you are going to let them out to free range on your farm it is not that important what breed you choose. Some breeds are a little better than others at finding food to eat out side and avoiding predators but in my experience most common breeds do fairly well. If you let your chickens out you will loose some to predators but that is the way of things on the farm. If you are going to keep your birds in a coop the post important thing is not to overcrowd them. I have found that Rhode Island Reds do well in a coop. Leghorns are a good choice if you are wanting to keep each bird in a cage. Leghorns seem quite happy to spend their time in a cage.

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