I am thinking about getting 3-5 chickens for the yard. I think it would be a fun activity for our kids and I have been wanting to give it a try. We have a relatively small backyard and live in Houston.

Any do's/dont's/recommendations for first time chicken owners? Any recommendations for where to get chickens in Houston?

Do's - don't get chickens.
Don't's - get chickens.

Don't let them get on your porch. They **** everywhere.

Do have fun with them. They are fun to watch!

Check Tractor Supply or a local feedstore. That is where we get all of our chickens.

Look into Guineas instead. Much more relaxed and quieter

Do's - Hens
Don't's - Roosters

They're pretty low maintenance and you can eat them if they become annoying. They do love to get under covered areas when loose and roost and poop, so you have to keep them off porches. They need a hutch or house of course. They can fly over fences unless you clip their wings. (Feathers on 1 wing, really). I've had to get mine off my roof before. They're not bright but you can train them to come to food. They'll learn to follow you around.

Buy pullets, but don't assume they'll all be females. We now have a rooster (thankfully he's very calm) that we weren't expecting. Sadly, gender re-assignment surgery isn't covered by my medical insurance.

MouthBQ98 said:

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They're pretty low maintenance and you can eat them if they become annoying. They do love to get under covered areas when loose and roost and poop, so you have to keep them off porches. They need a hutch or house of course. They can fly over fences unless you clip their wings. (Feathers on 1 wing, really). I've had to get mine off my roof before. They're not bright but you can train them to come to food. They'll learn to follow you around.

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We have had chickens a few times. One time a mean rooster kept chasing my 4 year old son, so much that he was scared to go outside. So I tried cooking him. I was just going to boil him and chop up the meat for a chicken salad. It seemed the more I boiled, the tougher that rooster got. I am pretty sure I was doing it wrong! I only ate a small portion and threw the rest to the dogs. It was like chewing a rubber tire.

Many years ago, I heard the term in the poultry industry called 'spent hens.' These are laying chickens that have passed their prime. After slaughter, their meat is generally sold to canning operations. The theory is the meat is so tough that it can withstand the intensity of the retort heating process. I was told that was one of the few ways you could the meat from older birds tender.

ttha_aggie_09 said:

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Look into Guineas instead. Much more relaxed and quieter

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LMAO, I spit out my Soda

I spent a summer/fall semester raising chickens with FFA in HS for Pasadena LS&R.

If you want eggs, sure, get chickens. Better yet, find someone else already selling yard eggs.

If you want pets, get a dog. (Or have fun explaining to your kids why you're killing them every 3-6 months.)

If you want meat, go to HEB.

If you want to use your small Houston backyard for ANYTHING else, forget about it.

Chickens are disgusting animals. Poop everywhere. I took home a couple of Grand Champion trophies from Pasadena, spent the next year and a half eating nothing but chicken, and never even toyed with the idea again.

Dang - I didnt expect such a unanimous rejection of the idea of having chickens!

I had chickens, quail, ring neck dove, ducks, and even guineas at one point in time in a suburb of Houston. They're really not something I would recommend on a small plot of land or in a neighborhood but it is doable. As others have mentioned - they're not the cleanest things in the world.

My grandfather grew up dirt poor in southern Arkansas and they had chicken almost daily because it was cheap and they raised them. To this day he refuses to eat chicken…

ttha_aggie_09 said:

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Look into Guineas instead. Much more relaxed and quieter

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/s /s /s /s /s /s /s /s

We did this when our kids were small. Instead of a coop, I built a 4'x 8; chicken tractor. Built it 3' tall with hinged roof sections and moved it around the yard daily. Would give the neighbors eggs which eliminated all complaints. We enjoyed the heck out of it.

Was just talking to the wife about doing it again, we've been without for prob 15 years. I'd recommend doing so the kids have a little better connection to the real world. My daughter constantly complained about taking care of them, yet she had her husband build a chicken coop less than a year after they were married, lol.

Go fully enclosed (including a roof) dirt run with attached coop. Try to make it so that anywhere the chickens are wont get sopping wet when it rains, and there really isn't much else to it. Easiest animal to take care of.

ttha_aggie_09 said:

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Look into Guineas instead. Much more relaxed and quieter

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9mm works really well on guineas. They don't taste terrible either.

txyaloo said:

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ttha_aggie_09 said:

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Look into Guineas instead. Much more relaxed and quieter

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9mm works really well on guineas. They don't taste terrible either.

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We used to give the Guineas in Brison Park in the historical district a run for their money after 2 or 20 drinks.

tmaggie50 said:

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txyaloo said:

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ttha_aggie_09 said:

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Look into Guineas instead. Much more relaxed and quieter

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9mm works really well on guineas. They don't taste terrible either.

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We used to give the Guineas in Brison Park in the historical district a run for their money after 2 or 20 drinks.

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I get triggered by guineas and peacocks. Had them running feral on my place as long as I could remember. I've thinned the heard significantly the last few years. Can't stand either of them.

I will say, the best scrambled egg I've ever had was from a fresh egg I found a peahen sitting on in the yard. It was huge, very rich, and delicious.

ttha_aggie_09 said:

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Look into Guineas instead. Much more relaxed and quieter

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op may not see what you did there, but I do.

Nah, just do it. They're easy and not a huge investment if it turns out to not be worth it. The comments about pooping on your patio is 100% true. They'll also not lay their eggs where you want them to. But the kids will just treat it as a daily Easter egg hunt.

Also, your wife will obsess over internet chicken groups and forums. Just know that your chickens aren't egg bound or have some terrible disease. They're just chickens.

hurricanejake02 said:

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I spent a summer/fall semester raising chickens with FFA in HS for Pasadena LS&R.

If you want eggs, sure, get chickens. Better yet, find someone else already selling yard eggs.

If you want pets, get a dog. (Or have fun explaining to your kids why you're killing them every 3-6 months.)

If you want meat, go to HEB.

If you want to use your small Houston backyard for ANYTHING else, forget about it.

Chickens are disgusting animals. Poop everywhere. I took home a couple of Grand Champion trophies from Pasadena, spent the next year and a half eating nothing but chicken, and never even toyed with the idea again.

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I grew up on a farm and we had chickens for eggs and to eat and they are good for that. But you are right, they poop everywhere and as a kid I went bare footed from May through September. Think about how messy it is trying to get the poop out from between your toes.

malibucharles said:

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hurricanejake02 said:

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I spent a summer/fall semester raising chickens with FFA in HS for Pasadena LS&R.

If you want eggs, sure, get chickens. Better yet, find someone else already selling yard eggs.

If you want pets, get a dog. (Or have fun explaining to your kids why you're killing them every 3-6 months.)

If you want meat, go to HEB.

If you want to use your small Houston backyard for ANYTHING else, forget about it.

Chickens are disgusting animals. Poop everywhere. I took home a couple of Grand Champion trophies from Pasadena, spent the next year and a half eating nothing but chicken, and never even toyed with the idea again.

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I grew up on a farm and we had chickens for eggs and to eat and they are good for that. But you are right, they poop everywhere and as a kid I went bare footed from May through September. Think about how messy it is trying to get the poop out from between your toes.

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You prolly still have worms. Get some Ivermectin from Dr. Fauchi!

tmaggie50 said:

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I am thinking about getting 3-5 chickens for the yard. I think it would be a fun activity for our kids and I have been wanting to give it a try. We have a relatively small backyard and live in Houston.

Any do's/dont's/recommendations for first time chicken owners? Any recommendations for where to get chickens in Houston?

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You might want to first check the rules governing your property, if any, then you want to feel the neighbors out on this. Regardless of the rules, the right neighbors will be the key to success or failure. If you have neighbors that are busybodies, nosy neighbors, Karens, or just plain d-bags, this is going to be a big decision.

I'm only saying this from the perspective of having gotten a fair amount of free chickens from local FB pages from folks that just wanted to have a couple of birds to enjoy but then found out their neighbors were a-holes.

Otherwise, get some birds, go with a chicken tractor style setup, Clip their wings (google it), get them quality starter and layer feed, and you should be good to go.