FARMING YOUR OWN CHICKENS in SMITHTOWN (live in, suburban, landscape)

[KellyFG]

Originally Posted by TANaples

I can close my eyes and see those chicken running amok all over my lawn and out into the street as I CHASED THEM. If you MUST have chickens, please, please, keep them in their COOP.

If chickens are raised correctly they will not wander away. My girls know my backyard is their territory, they rarely wander beyond my fence if when given the opportunity. There are several homes with free-ranging chickens along RT 25 in Calverton, they are smart enough to know not to cross the road.
The coop is the indoor living space for chickens, I would not advise that LI chicken owners keep their birds "in their coop". However I do suggest having an enclosed run or pen that the birds can roam around in most of the time. Chickens need access to dirt, they eat the rocks to grind the food in their crop since they don't have teeth and can't chew & they take dustbaths as a natural way of preventing mites.

[KellyFG]

Originally Posted by Crookhaven

Do the chickens have large talons?

No, roosters generally have spurs, which can be very large & dangerous if they rooster likes to flog people. On a rare occasion you'll see a hen with small spurs. They can be cut. Their toe nails are long but not sharp because the spend the better part of the day scratching at the ground with them.

[alamarina]

Originally Posted by Giznot

I wonder if it would be worth it. I only have one neighbor. They are nice people. I want to teach the kids about responsibility and care for something they would love.

That's how I started with my chickens. I turned it into a big science experiment for my (then) young daughter. Now the chickens are 9 yo and my daughter is leaving for college this summer. It was all accidental by the way. I was looking up ebay and accidentally got sent to a site called "eggbay" who was subsequently sued by ebay and had to change their name to "eggbid" Eggbid.com. You can buy all kinds of chicken eggs on there, incubators, and everything else you need for chickens and any other type of bird you want. Unless you want to do fancy pedigree type chickens, there's nothing better than a good old "Rhode Island Red" to start with. They are great brown egg layers and have nice personalities. The other thing to do is request a catalog from Murray McMurray Hatcheries, McMurrayHatchery.com Home Page. It's amazing to see how many different types of chickens there are! Have fun.

[KellyFG]

great advice alamarina...to the OP, you can visit backyardchickens.com too. Its a message board like CD

[OhBeeHave]

Originally Posted by headendtech

dont we turn this beautiful town into CENTRAL ISLIP while your at it//

What are you implying about chickens and CI?

[Giznot]

I think its a great idea just as long it does not bother the neighbors. I'm wondering out of all the coops I've seen there is no retractable chicken wire where you would pull it out and stake to the ground. Then you can relocate when you feel they tore up/composted the ground.

[Giznot]

Anyone have anything different?

[thebobs]

Originally Posted by Giznot

Anyone have anything different?

Yes, I have been dressing in a chicken costume for a few months now in alamarina's coop and nobody has noticed me.

[KellyFG]

Originally Posted by Giznot

I think its a great idea just as long it does not bother the neighbors. I'm wondering out of all the coops I've seen there is no retractable chicken wire where you would pull it out and stake to the ground. Then you can relocate when you feel they tore up/composted the ground.

your best bet would be some sort of "chicken tractor" google it & you'll see what I mean.
If you're handy you can build anything you wish. I use garden posts & rolled garden fencing to section off areas where my birds can go. It only leaves a few small holes in the ground when I remove it.
Post your question on backyardchickens.com, they have an entire section deicated to coop design.

[lialleycat]

Anyone near Rocky Point innundated with farm fresh eggs they'd like to give away with a contribution towards the chickens care (since I'm not sure it's legal to "sell" them)? I'd be looking to 'donate' at a level that would get me a dozen eggs. I can provide a carton. Perhaps for pickup this weekend? Must be able to meet the chickens too (just 'cuz they are so darn cute!)