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<blockquote data-quote="KDM" data-source="post: 130919" data-attributes="member: 314"><p>I have 80 or so free range birds and I bless them and curse them in the same breath.&nbsp; Free range means free to crap where ever and dig dusting holes where ever.&nbsp; They also give me lots of nutritious eggs and there in lies the rub.&nbsp; You have to take the good with the bad. IMO, every household should have at least 4 hens in a portable coop, aka &quot;Chicken Tractor&quot;.&nbsp; The hens don't make noise and if you keep moving the tractor every two days, the crap doesn't have time to build up and smell.&nbsp; My lawn looks great since I have a continuous fertilizer distribution system, but I don't know how it would look in town with using a tractor.&nbsp; One MAJOR thing to consider is the dog and cat problems in town.&nbsp; The coop will have to be almost bullet proof and fully enclosed with floor to keep the stray pets from getting at your birds.&nbsp; My coops are very well built and I also have Bertha (my 12 ga) to deal with unwanted visitors.&nbsp; Folks in town won't have that option when dealing with stray critters.&nbsp; With 80 birds, I go through about 15 bucks worth of food a week.&nbsp; With 4, it would be about 30 bucks a year and that's if you don't feed them your table scraps.&nbsp; Chickens WILL eat just about anything.&nbsp; They will pick bones clean, eat any vegetable scraps or leftovers, and anything else you would normally just throw out of the fridge.&nbsp; We waste very little at our house.&nbsp; Everything edible goes to the feathered velociraptors in the yard.&nbsp; You can plan on getting about 5 eggs a week per hen.&nbsp; They DO NOT always lay an egg a day.&nbsp; They have to take a day off every now and then to rest.&nbsp; Also, they will need at least 12 hours of light per day to keep laying, which isn't really a problem as the light and heat source for winter can be the same thing.&nbsp; Winter isn't as big a deal as some like to think.&nbsp; Just keep the wind off them, have a light/heat source, and food.&nbsp; They are pretty tough birds.&nbsp; We've had some get out in winter and spend 3 days in sub zero temps without dying.&nbsp; They lost some of their combs, but are still alive and kicking.&nbsp; For in town breeds I would go with ISA Browns.&nbsp; They are friendly, quiet, and produce large eggs.&nbsp; They do well in confinement, but keep in mind that a person should have between 2-3 square ft per bird in their coop.&nbsp; They do better when they can move around a little bit.&nbsp; It keeps them healthier as well.&nbsp; Probably more info than most of you wanted, so if anyone wants to hear more, PM me and I'll have my wife fill you in.&nbsp; She's the real authority when it comes to &quot;Her&quot; birds.</p></blockquote><p></p>

[QUOTE="KDM, post: 130919, member: 314"] I have 80 or so free range birds and I bless them and curse them in the same breath. Free range means free to crap where ever and dig dusting holes where ever. They also give me lots of nutritious eggs and there in lies the rub. You have to take the good with the bad. IMO, every household should have at least 4 hens in a portable coop, aka "Chicken Tractor". The hens don't make noise and if you keep moving the tractor every two days, the crap doesn't have time to build up and smell. My lawn looks great since I have a continuous fertilizer distribution system, but I don't know how it would look in town with using a tractor. One MAJOR thing to consider is the dog and cat problems in town. The coop will have to be almost bullet proof and fully enclosed with floor to keep the stray pets from getting at your birds. My coops are very well built and I also have Bertha (my 12 ga) to deal with unwanted visitors. Folks in town won't have that option when dealing with stray critters. With 80 birds, I go through about 15 bucks worth of food a week. With 4, it would be about 30 bucks a year and that's if you don't feed them your table scraps. Chickens WILL eat just about anything. They will pick bones clean, eat any vegetable scraps or leftovers, and anything else you would normally just throw out of the fridge. We waste very little at our house. Everything edible goes to the feathered velociraptors in the yard. You can plan on getting about 5 eggs a week per hen. They DO NOT always lay an egg a day. They have to take a day off every now and then to rest. Also, they will need at least 12 hours of light per day to keep laying, which isn't really a problem as the light and heat source for winter can be the same thing. Winter isn't as big a deal as some like to think. Just keep the wind off them, have a light/heat source, and food. They are pretty tough birds. We've had some get out in winter and spend 3 days in sub zero temps without dying. They lost some of their combs, but are still alive and kicking. For in town breeds I would go with ISA Browns. They are friendly, quiet, and produce large eggs. They do well in confinement, but keep in mind that a person should have between 2-3 square ft per bird in their coop. They do better when they can move around a little bit. It keeps them healthier as well. Probably more info than most of you wanted, so if anyone wants to hear more, PM me and I'll have my wife fill you in. She's the real authority when it comes to "Her" birds. [/QUOTE]

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