poultry

[El Jefe]

Originally Posted by NewChief

Keep threatening to get a few yard birds for eggs. Vegetable garden is a pain in the ass here due to deer and wife not wanting to erect a good fence due to aesthetic concerns. Chickens would make me feel better.

How much work would 3-4 hens be? We are gone for prolonged periods, but I figure neighbors/friends would take care of them for free eggs.

I should say that I already buy fresh eggs fairly cheap, so I know those benefits. I think my kids would enjoy having some birds around, though.

Not much work at all, make sure you have somewhere to house them at night though. One of the hardest thing about having chickens is they have countless predators. I have had chickens killed by: Dogs, Raccoons, Possums, Weasels, Hawks, Coyotes, Owls (srs), and you can have more depending on your geographic area. Dogs and hawks will kill them during the daylight, most of the others wont, so if you can keep them locked up at night they seem to live a lot longer.