hi,
I have been considering getting some chickens for quite some time, but hubby is very against it - probably as he is allergic to eggs and hasnt eaten one since he was under 2 when they realised he wasnt right with them (my opinion is that its now in his head and he is fine as he eats things that are made with eggs.....)
anyway - i guess the idea of them being at home is out of the question, i have just been reading the thread about some neighbours complaining and i can see it happening here! (used to be a semi rural area, now built up all around, we used to keep a pony here, neighbours had goats, chickens, horses etc - now its all new houses!)
I do however have quite a bit of land at my disposal!
I run a livery yard so have facilities there, but i also have an additional 5/6 acres elsewhere which i could use.
So, i would be wanting something that can have quite a lot of free run and be happy with this.
The 5/6 field did have some geese on for years but they seem to have suddenly vanished - which is rather concerning. there are no remains so.............. There is a nice pond there so i would be worried they would drown!
At the yard, there is about 1 fox left as the local land owner gets a guy to shoot them..... i dont like that idea but i do understand they have to be controlled etc. At this place though, i would somehow have to contain them more as despite there being more land, there is more mischief they could get upto - ie, getting into tennis court, ornamental lawns and gardens etc.
I COULD have the option of using one of my back paddocks which is further away from the ornamental gardens etc, this is maybe 2 acres and has shelters in - i would put a front on one of these as a coop. They would have free range all day on the land, hopefully staying in that paddock! There is no pond in this field so i guess would be better?
I would prob be looking at dual purpose chickens (but i would have to find someone else to do the deed for me!) and am also interested in having some turkeys (until Christmas.... again, would have to find someone to do the deed for me, pluck etc etc!) I understand that there is extra precauctions i would have to take with mixing turkeys and chickens, can anyone go into more depth about these?
ALSO - finally, how noisey are they REALLY??? How far would you say they could be heard? I am thinking i dont want to annoy anyone!
So - based on the above. What do you all think would be my best option?? And what variety, management methods etc.
I have 2 young sons and it would be my hope that as they grow up, they can take an interest in them as they seem to enjoy scrambled egg for breakfast!
Sorry for the long post and thank you for taking the time to read it