what is a good type of quiet laying hen for a first time chicken farmer? I want 2-3 - small and quiet - but good eggs. I want to make a coop and an outdoor run, then free range when I am home.
If you want small chickens you might want to research bantam chickens. I'm no expert on poultry but I believe bantam refers to their small size and there are various bantam breeds.
I have had a few bantams....hens and a sweet little rooster. Less feed, smaller space requirements, but smaller eggs.
I can't comment on the noise. Hens will make noises but nothing offensive. I prefer to have a rooster but they are not necessary for egg production.
Excited about your interest in poultry! Any ideas on coop design?
Btw...I'm partial to buff orpington hens but they are not small...and have always been interested in lavender orpingtons.
Oh wow - the lavenders are gorgeous! I think too big for my initial phase though. As far as coop design, I am torn. I have a large shed I could convert to a coop and just add a 3 sided (chicken wire framed out with boards on the ground), but the shed is way too big to move around. I want to move the coop and run around the property so I don't end up with a mud pit. If I leave it in one spot for 7-10 days then rotate - I figure each area will have 28 days rest. The chicken tractors seem handy but perhaps too small? I want some space for these gals so that if I am gone at work for 8 hours, they still can peck and scratch about. Coop design ideas welcome too! Appreciate you posting my questions. Any ideas are MOST welcome for small and quiet!!. ALSO - I am also going to put in an edible landscape in the front of the home (vice boxwood hedges, etc). I am thinking of putting two almond trees between the windows, then 4 blueberry bushes, 2 raspberry bushes and 2 tea bushes. I hear these are pretty evergreens that make fine hedges. Any thoughts on that are MOST welcome too. What is everyone planting this year veggie garden-wise?? I can't seem to narrow it down. (as always)
From my experience of having a 10x10ft predator proof dog kennel with a coop inside where I would let the chickens out 8 would not suggest anything stationary. I only ever had a handful at a time and they will stink to.high heaven with a stationary base camp, especially if it gets wet.
I needed something completely predator proof, large enough for them to roam, but small enough to move on my own. I'll show you What I started but it didn't work as I envisioned. I purchased one of those plastic playschool houses with ideas to convert that As well because it was so.light weight.
The rule of thumb for chicken coops is 2 square feet of space per chicken, so you probably don't need as big of a coop as you're imagining for just 2-3 hens, especially if it's portable. Do a Google Image Search for "A frame chicken coop"--a coop in that style can dispense with the need for an exterior run entirely if you can commit to moving the coop every day or two. Another idea is to go ahead and convert the shed to a coop, fence in a perimeter for a run, and then cross-fence it into 2-4 smaller sections with a separate access door in the coop for each section. The chickens always go back into the same shed/coop to roost and feed, but you can use the sectioned run to do a rotation. You can even do things like sowing cover crops into the sections as when you move the chickens to the next to prevent potential erosion and to give the chickens something green to eat the next time they come into that section.
With a stationary coop you have two options for controlling the manure: mucking out periodically or the deep litter method. If you're going to use the deep litter method, make sure your coop door opens out instead of in! (Ask me how I know that...ha.) You can also do a Google search for "King Stropharia mushrooms chicken coop" and you'll find a video by mushroom genius/mad scientist Tradd Cotter about how you can use those mushrooms for mycoremediation in stationary coops and eliminate the smell and potential disease issues of chickens being always in one place. I've never done it myself, but I've seen it in action at Tradd's place.
You didn't mention why you want small chickens, but keep in mind that the smaller breeds tend to be flightier, more skittish, and noisier. Larger breeds aren't that much bigger, but tend to be much quieter, calmer, and docile. They also tend to free range better - they are better foragers, and won't spook & fly off into the trees every time the slightest thing startles them. I've kept chickens of all sizes, & won't keep any bird smaller than a Rhode Island Red anymore for those reasons.
Gail Damerow & Harvey Ussery have excellent books on raising small-scale poultry flocks, if you haven't already seen them. Lots of great advice on breed selection, coop design, and more.
Agree on the comment above about the flightiness of bantams (both literally and temperamentally). Bantams are also much more likely than standard and heavy breeds to wander through a neighborhood, roost in trees instead of returning to a coop at night, and disappear for a couple weeks and show back up with a clutch of new chicks (if there's a rooster around, of course). All that's fine on a larger property or farm, but from the emphasis on quiet chickens I'm assuming the query comes from someone living in an urban or suburban area.
Regarding "quiet" chicken breeds...there's really no such thing. Whether or not a chicken is loud or quiet is more a question of personality. Some hens cluck and squall every time they lay an egg, some do not. I've had ridiculously loud chickens of all breeds and sizes. I don't want to be overly discouraging, but the emphasis on "quiet" chickens seems to warrant a bit of a reality check in this respect. If having chickens make normal chicken noises while they lay, forage, and socialize is going to be a problem with your neighbors (or neighborhood association), you may not be in a good situation for chicken keeping right now.
All that said, I've kept chickens for going on 18 years now and just keep coming back to Easter Eggers for temperament and laying ability. They're mutts, really, not a standardized breed but they've got hybrid vigor. The closest thing to docile chickens I've ever encountered are Wyandottes--the sweetest and gentlest rooster I ever had (ironically named Rambo) was a Gold-Laced Wyandotte, and the hens are equally good-natured. They're not small chickens, though--they're built like tanks and are considered a heavy breed. Really, if you're looking for calm and (hopefully quiet), the heavy breeds are going to be your best bet. Black Australorps are also good layers, as well as the Buff Orpingtons that Meredith mentioned.
Totally second the recommendation of Gail Damerow's books. "The Chicken Health Handbook" is an essential part of any chicken-owner's library.
I had a total of three breeds of laying hens when I lived in the southwest. Dominique, Wyandotte, and Delaware, in that order. The hens were pretty quiet. The surprise rooster in the Delaware batch was a pain though. Loud, beat up the hens, and grew to a monster size by the time I gave away the flock. Anyway, the only time the hens got loud was when there was something to be loud about: egg, new bug, predator, things like that. It didn't happen often either. They were kept in a large fenced yard with a large coop and I used the deep litter method because the winters were brutal where we lived. Summer wasn't so kind, either. Lol But I would stay away from bantam breeds if you're looking for quiet and calm birds, as others have said. Best of luck!
I really like the Araucana breed and the related Amerucauna. They don't lay gangbusters right out of the gate like production breeds do, but in my experience they also seem to lay a lot longer than other breeds like Barred Rocks, Reds, and Orpingtons. Which means you can keep your flock at 3 hens and get a decent amount of eggs for some time without having to add to the flock. Plus they are pretty quiet and friendly, and who doesn't love those blue/green eggs!
I agree with Wyandottes. They are gentle and quiet. I also keep Black Australorps which are also very mellow, but they fly like the wind. They easily fly over my 5 foot chain link fence. I'm going to have to clip their wings, as they sometimes get in the road. Another chicken I really like is the Buckeye. Mellow, low on the pecking order. If you get 2 kinds, make sure they are both the same temperament. My barred rock picks on all the other mellower breeds.
There wasn't an emphasis on quiet. It was just a simple question to try to start some positive and encouraging fun farm discussion on this blog. It has nothing to do with an association or rules! Was just a question. Thanks for the "reality check."
You used the phrase "small and quiet" in multiple posts, it seemed important to you in the absence of a full understanding of your situation. Perhaps "word of caution" would have been a better word choice (I'm the commenter at 2/8/15 9:55AM). Like I said, my intent was not to be discouraging; chickens are fantastic but I don't believe in glossing over the potential downsides, especially for first-time chicken keepers. In any case, I'm glad you asked the question and that Meredith put it up as a post--I think it did exactly what you hoped it would.
I also figured since you mentioned the word "quiet" twice in your post, that you were looking for a quiet breed of hen. Sorry if there was a misunderstanding there.
Hi HotFlashHomestead. It wasn't you. Thank you for your kind advice and help. I do plan to take your advice! I didn't realize I had to explain down to the very detail my reasoning for people to not judge me and assume I am trying to do something wrong or bad. I refuse to be immediately judged in this way, so I won't put myself out there again even though I would love to be able to learn from the people on this blog, but its just not safe. I would never break an HOA rule or try to hide something like living, breathing animals which could be taken from me if I commit a crime. That isn't fair to the animal. I just wanted to make sure my small children could hold a small, quiet hen on their own. It made me sad that Meredith and the other reader assumed I was trying to hide something from neighbors or the law. I guess I should not be surprised b/c this whole blog is about judging the wrongs of someone else. I just didn't think I would be judged too!!
I'm sorry you feel that way. I at first thought you simply didn't want a loud breed...more of an annoyance than anything else. It was a mere miscommunication and I think you should step back and give US another go. I think you didn't know how it read and that's not a big deal! We took it wrong.
I was surprised to see your reaction to the suggestions that were made. I honestly didn't read anything that was judgmental towards you or was suggesting you were attempting to do anything wrong. Bringing up home associations doesn't necessarily mean they thought you couldn't have animals. I know one association that I used to belong to was more concerned about the noise factor than the animal factor.
Seriously, this blog is a safe place to ask questions for good advice. You don't need to explain things down to the last detail, but without more information, how could anyone be able to help you with more accurate suggestions that would pertain to your situation?
I don't understand how feathers were so easily ruffled but to each their own. I'd love if she stayed because 1 it was a misunderstanding 2 her plans especially for the plantings are bad arse and 3 we all have something to contribute! I'm not going to hold hands but sometimes we just have to brush it off chalk it up to experience and move on. Something readers on this forum haven is keen attention to detail! Lets take a dust bath and keep on clucking ladies!
I guess words really can be easily misunderstood. I didn't mean to come across as negative as I was hoping to be encouraging that no one was getting on her case. I sincerely apologize for my part in the misunderstanding and hope I didn't scared anyone away. I guess it's time I listen to the conversations, but keep my mouth shut since I am clearly not good at expressing myself through the written word. Sorry.
Valerie, no worries. This is not a forum where anyone needs to walk on egg shells. I feel that maybe She doesn't realize we wouldn't say anything with malicious intent when responding to her question. You better not stop contributing!
If you want small chickens you might want to research bantam chickens. I'm no expert on poultry but I believe bantam refers to their small size and there are various bantam breeds.
ReplyDeleteI have had a few bantams....hens and a sweet little rooster. Less feed, smaller space requirements, but smaller eggs.
I can't comment on the noise. Hens will make noises but nothing offensive. I prefer to have a rooster but they are not necessary for egg production.
Excited about your interest in poultry! Any ideas on coop design?
Btw...I'm partial to buff orpington hens but they are not small...and have always been interested in lavender orpingtons.
Oh wow - the lavenders are gorgeous! I think too big for my initial phase though. As far as coop design, I am torn. I have a large shed I could convert to a coop and just add a 3 sided (chicken wire framed out with boards on the ground), but the shed is way too big to move around. I want to move the coop and run around the property so I don't end up with a mud pit. If I leave it in one spot for 7-10 days then rotate - I figure each area will have 28 days rest. The chicken tractors seem handy but perhaps too small? I want some space for these gals so that if I am gone at work for 8 hours, they still can peck and scratch about. Coop design ideas welcome too! Appreciate you posting my questions. Any ideas are MOST welcome for small and quiet!!. ALSO - I am also going to put in an edible landscape in the front of the home (vice boxwood hedges, etc). I am thinking of putting two almond trees between the windows, then 4 blueberry bushes, 2 raspberry bushes and 2 tea bushes. I hear these are pretty evergreens that make fine hedges. Any thoughts on that are MOST welcome too. What is everyone planting this year veggie garden-wise?? I can't seem to narrow it down. (as always)
ReplyDeleteFrom my experience of having a 10x10ft predator proof dog kennel with a coop inside where I would let the chickens out 8 would not suggest anything stationary. I only ever had a handful at a time and they will stink to.high heaven with a stationary base camp, especially if it gets wet.
DeleteI needed something completely predator proof, large enough for them to roam, but small enough to move on my own. I'll show you What I started but it didn't work as I envisioned. I purchased one of those plastic playschool houses with ideas to convert that As well because it was so.light weight.
I love your edible landscape plans!
The rule of thumb for chicken coops is 2 square feet of space per chicken, so you probably don't need as big of a coop as you're imagining for just 2-3 hens, especially if it's portable. Do a Google Image Search for "A frame chicken coop"--a coop in that style can dispense with the need for an exterior run entirely if you can commit to moving the coop every day or two. Another idea is to go ahead and convert the shed to a coop, fence in a perimeter for a run, and then cross-fence it into 2-4 smaller sections with a separate access door in the coop for each section. The chickens always go back into the same shed/coop to roost and feed, but you can use the sectioned run to do a rotation. You can even do things like sowing cover crops into the sections as when you move the chickens to the next to prevent potential erosion and to give the chickens something green to eat the next time they come into that section.
DeleteWith a stationary coop you have two options for controlling the manure: mucking out periodically or the deep litter method. If you're going to use the deep litter method, make sure your coop door opens out instead of in! (Ask me how I know that...ha.) You can also do a Google search for "King Stropharia mushrooms chicken coop" and you'll find a video by mushroom genius/mad scientist Tradd Cotter about how you can use those mushrooms for mycoremediation in stationary coops and eliminate the smell and potential disease issues of chickens being always in one place. I've never done it myself, but I've seen it in action at Tradd's place.
You didn't mention why you want small chickens, but keep in mind that the smaller breeds tend to be flightier, more skittish, and noisier. Larger breeds aren't that much bigger, but tend to be much quieter, calmer, and docile. They also tend to free range better - they are better foragers, and won't spook & fly off into the trees every time the slightest thing startles them. I've kept chickens of all sizes, & won't keep any bird smaller than a Rhode Island Red anymore for those reasons.
ReplyDeleteGail Damerow & Harvey Ussery have excellent books on raising small-scale poultry flocks, if you haven't already seen them. Lots of great advice on breed selection, coop design, and more.
Agree on the comment above about the flightiness of bantams (both literally and temperamentally). Bantams are also much more likely than standard and heavy breeds to wander through a neighborhood, roost in trees instead of returning to a coop at night, and disappear for a couple weeks and show back up with a clutch of new chicks (if there's a rooster around, of course). All that's fine on a larger property or farm, but from the emphasis on quiet chickens I'm assuming the query comes from someone living in an urban or suburban area.
ReplyDeleteRegarding "quiet" chicken breeds...there's really no such thing. Whether or not a chicken is loud or quiet is more a question of personality. Some hens cluck and squall every time they lay an egg, some do not. I've had ridiculously loud chickens of all breeds and sizes. I don't want to be overly discouraging, but the emphasis on "quiet" chickens seems to warrant a bit of a reality check in this respect. If having chickens make normal chicken noises while they lay, forage, and socialize is going to be a problem with your neighbors (or neighborhood association), you may not be in a good situation for chicken keeping right now.
All that said, I've kept chickens for going on 18 years now and just keep coming back to Easter Eggers for temperament and laying ability. They're mutts, really, not a standardized breed but they've got hybrid vigor. The closest thing to docile chickens I've ever encountered are Wyandottes--the sweetest and gentlest rooster I ever had (ironically named Rambo) was a Gold-Laced Wyandotte, and the hens are equally good-natured. They're not small chickens, though--they're built like tanks and are considered a heavy breed. Really, if you're looking for calm and (hopefully quiet), the heavy breeds are going to be your best bet. Black Australorps are also good layers, as well as the Buff Orpingtons that Meredith mentioned.
Totally second the recommendation of Gail Damerow's books. "The Chicken Health Handbook" is an essential part of any chicken-owner's library.
Excellent points on the noise. My thoughts exactly. Thank you for sharing your experience!
DeleteI had a total of three breeds of laying hens when I lived in the southwest. Dominique, Wyandotte, and Delaware, in that order. The hens were pretty quiet. The surprise rooster in the Delaware batch was a pain though. Loud, beat up the hens, and grew to a monster size by the time I gave away the flock. Anyway, the only time the hens got loud was when there was something to be loud about: egg, new bug, predator, things like that. It didn't happen often either. They were kept in a large fenced yard with a large coop and I used the deep litter method because the winters were brutal where we lived. Summer wasn't so kind, either. Lol But I would stay away from bantam breeds if you're looking for quiet and calm birds, as others have said. Best of luck!
ReplyDeleteI really like the Araucana breed and the related Amerucauna. They don't lay gangbusters right out of the gate like production breeds do, but in my experience they also seem to lay a lot longer than other breeds like Barred Rocks, Reds, and Orpingtons. Which means you can keep your flock at 3 hens and get a decent amount of eggs for some time without having to add to the flock. Plus they are pretty quiet and friendly, and who doesn't love those blue/green eggs!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Wyandottes. They are gentle and quiet. I also keep Black Australorps which are also very mellow, but they fly like the wind. They easily fly over my 5 foot chain link fence. I'm going to have to clip their wings, as they sometimes get in the road. Another chicken I really like is the Buckeye. Mellow, low on the pecking order. If you get 2 kinds, make sure they are both the same temperament. My barred rock picks on all the other mellower breeds.
ReplyDeleteP.S. The Buckeye is an American heritage breed, and the only breed developed by a woman! In the buckeye state of Ohio, of course.
DeleteBuckeyes are awesome! I just joined a Buckeye group on facebook--I'm glad to see they're getting more publicity.
DeleteThere wasn't an emphasis on quiet. It was just a simple question to try to start some positive and encouraging fun farm discussion on this blog. It has nothing to do with an association or rules! Was just a question. Thanks for the "reality check."
ReplyDeleteYou used the phrase "small and quiet" in multiple posts, it seemed important to you in the absence of a full understanding of your situation. Perhaps "word of caution" would have been a better word choice (I'm the commenter at 2/8/15 9:55AM). Like I said, my intent was not to be discouraging; chickens are fantastic but I don't believe in glossing over the potential downsides, especially for first-time chicken keepers. In any case, I'm glad you asked the question and that Meredith put it up as a post--I think it did exactly what you hoped it would.
DeleteI also figured since you mentioned the word "quiet" twice in your post, that you were looking for a quiet breed of hen. Sorry if there was a misunderstanding there.
DeleteHi HotFlashHomestead. It wasn't you. Thank you for your kind advice and help. I do plan to take your advice! I didn't realize I had to explain down to the very detail my reasoning for people to not judge me and assume I am trying to do something wrong or bad. I refuse to be immediately judged in this way, so I won't put myself out there again even though I would love to be able to learn from the people on this blog, but its just not safe. I would never break an HOA rule or try to hide something like living, breathing animals which could be taken from me if I commit a crime. That isn't fair to the animal. I just wanted to make sure my small children could hold a small, quiet hen on their own. It made me sad that Meredith and the other reader assumed I was trying to hide something from neighbors or the law. I guess I should not be surprised b/c this whole blog is about judging the wrongs of someone else. I just didn't think I would be judged too!!
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry you feel that way. I at first thought you simply didn't want a loud breed...more of an annoyance than anything else. It was a mere miscommunication and I think you should step back and give US another go. I think you didn't know how it read and that's not a big deal! We took it wrong.
DeleteFor quiet though...don't get guinea hens!
I was surprised to see your reaction to the suggestions that were made. I honestly didn't read anything that was judgmental towards you or was suggesting you were attempting to do anything wrong. Bringing up home associations doesn't necessarily mean they thought you couldn't have animals. I know one association that I used to belong to was more concerned about the noise factor than the animal factor.
DeleteSeriously, this blog is a safe place to ask questions for good advice. You don't need to explain things down to the last detail, but without more information, how could anyone be able to help you with more accurate suggestions that would pertain to your situation?
Valerie
I don't understand how feathers were so easily ruffled but to each their own. I'd love if she stayed because 1 it was a misunderstanding 2 her plans especially for the plantings are bad arse and 3 we all have something to contribute! I'm not going to hold hands but sometimes we just have to brush it off chalk it up to experience and move on. Something readers on this forum haven is keen attention to detail! Lets take a dust bath and keep on clucking ladies!
DeleteI guess words really can be easily misunderstood. I didn't mean to come across as negative as I was hoping to be encouraging that no one was getting on her case. I sincerely apologize for my part in the misunderstanding and hope I didn't scared anyone away. I guess it's time I listen to the conversations, but keep my mouth shut since I am clearly not good at expressing myself through the written word. Sorry.
DeleteValerie
Valerie, no worries. This is not a forum where anyone needs to walk on egg shells. I feel that maybe She doesn't realize we wouldn't say anything with malicious intent when responding to her question. You better not stop contributing!
DeleteThanks for that, Meredith. I appreciate it.
DeleteValerie
Who's doing the judging???
ReplyDelete