Hi,
I am new to the whole chicken thing and was wondering which breed is the quietest and needs the least amount of space? What do you do to the eggs before eating them? Which breed of chicken lays the kind of eggs that you eat or do they all? Can I block their living space off with chicken wire? How tall does it need to be?
Thanks.

Also, how old does a chicken have to be before it starts laying eggs? And do they lay eggs non-stop?
Do you bathe chickens, hens, or roosters?
Thanks again.

OK, first of all, don't be ashamed to ask questions. We were all newbies at one time, and you have to ask in order to learn, right? No question is a stupid question. Folks that post here come to help and learn themselves. I don't claim to be an expert but I'll share what I know. There are many, many breeds and crossbreeds of chickens (see the breed page at www.feathersite.com). These different breeds were developed for egg production (white or brown), meat or just for ornamental reasons (pretty to look at). Some can serve a dual purpose, such as be good for eggs and also for meat. So, before you decide what breed you want, you have to decide what purpose you want them to serve. I'm gonna assume you want chickens for eggs. Well, the best white egg layers are White Leghorns and Leghorn crosses, which are light birds but tend to be flighty and loud. There are several good brown-egg layers like Rhode Island Reds and RIR crosses, Black Australorps, and Barred Plymouth Rocks. These are heavier dual purpose birds and tend to be more docile and quiet, but take more space per bird. One of the articles at the following site gives the square footage needed, depending on what size breed you choose: http://home.earthlink.net/~manzanovalph/cyberlibrary.html Sounds like you want to convert a corner of your barn into a chicken coop. Alot of folks do that. I'd use at least 6 ft. high chicken wire to section it off. If the chickens still manage to fly over, you can clip the first 10 flight feathers on one wing of each bird (to about 1 inch long) to limit the ability to fly. All chicken eggs are good to eat. If the eggs are soiled, you can wash them in warm soapy water, otherwise, there's no need. Most breeds begin laying at 5.5 to 6 mos. and will lay steadily as long as they have 12-14 hrs of light per day (proper nutrition and water) until they molt their feathers at around 1.5 yrs. old when they will take a break to grow new feathers. Otherwise, they will take a break from laying during the winter, too. The heavier breeds lay best through the winter if it gets pretty cold where you live. Most people don't bathe their birds unless they are getting ready to take them to a poultry show. Chickens will stay pretty clean if you keep a deep layer of shavings in their coop which you stir up often and completely replace when it needs it. They also like to take dust baths where they dig in dry dirt or sand and fluff it through their feathers. This also helps control mites and lice. If they aren't able to get outside just put the sandy soil in a pan and watch them go to town -- they LOVE to dust bathe. Other than the articles at the site I mentioned, I highly recommend you also read the book by Gail Damerow, "A Guide to Raising Chickens." If your local library doesn't carry it, it can be ordered through amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, or borders.com. Good luck to you! You'll have alot of fun raising chickens! And, remember, if you still have questions, just ask.

Just from my little experience I enjoy the Barred Rock because they are very gentle. They are easy to handle and are like a pet. Some others are quite skiddish. I like the Araucanas also for their color variations, I should say Americauna. Good Luck.

The Rhode Island Red only need 1 sq. ft of floor space.
IT SAYS in a graph i have....

Rhode Island Reds have a calm character.Despite of the size, they can definitley be held in small compartments. Excellent egg layin through out the year. { they lay up to 200 eggs a yr.} Rhode Island reds are a god choice for small flock owner. They are probably the best egg layers of the dual purpose breeds. Reds handle marginal diets and poor housing conditions better than most breeds and they don't stop laying eggs.

That was just a short summary on it, but look it up, i think it would best suit a beginner like you { no offense} You should look some info on it on the internet.

Get McMurry Hatchery to send you a catalog. They have a good selection with info to boot. We have ordered from them with good success. And hey, Martha Stewart shops there. They must be good. Now that your smiling, remember to keep it enjoyable. If you like piddling with them everybody stays happy. We have a Buff Brahma rooster that jumps like a dog to get treats that we hold out. Araucanas for all the pretty colored eggs they produce. Australorps and Red Stars for large egg. But I must tell you the Stars put out some jumbos. What it boils down to is what do you want from them. One of our free chicks from McMurry is one of them five finger jobs. A Salmon Faverolles. It will be interesting to see next years hatchlings. Well, keep everbody posted and have fun.

Barred rocks are very gentle.

Well I'm just 12 but I know a lot about chickens. If it's your first year getting chickens I would say Wyandottes are a good choice. They are good egg layers,good broody hens,get very big,and are very friendly with people. The bad thing is they need to have lots of space. Like almost all chickens they will stay healthier if you let them free range. This is because they go in the woods and eat the right plants to keep theem healthy. If you are going to get a lot of hens I think it would be best if you got at least 5 roosters to keep them safe. I guess I like wyandottes because I have one hen who's very friendly. I like her so much I think of her as a pet and named her HENNY PENNY. Well maybe this will help some people who dont understand chickens.

Americanas R great for eggs. They are calm and pretty quite. They lay large light-turquise (or greenish) eggs . Eggs of all chickens can be eaten, but some breeds lay more eggs per year than others. Yes, they can be enclosed in in chicken wire. 4 feet high should be enough.

I would like help to find several breeds that will
strive in our area and produce eggs that we want.
We live in New Mexico at about 7000 feet, it is cold and snowy during the winter and hot and dry during the summer. We do get all four seasons including lots of wind. I would like to get several breeds of chickens that will do well together and lay the large brown eggs with the orangeish/yellow yokes. We do not want a rooster just chickens to lay eggs. I would like to have a dozen or so eggs a week maybe even 2 dozen, so how many chickens do we need and what breeds will meet our needs?

Thanks for the help!

Any other advise on coops, books to get and read would be very help full.

Thanks!

Gringo,

I am currently raising my first flock in Northern California.

I recommend the following books because they seem to be sold everywhere and I found them extremely helpful.

Storey's Guide to RAISING CHICKENS by Damerow
ISBN: 158017325X
The Chicken Health Handbook by Damerow
ISBN: 0882666118

Also, I continue to receive word-of-mouth advice from several different sources such as local feed stores, friends who raise chickens, this web site. Then I compare the information and heed the advice that makes the most sense.

Even though I am a newbie, I know that starting off with good stock is a really important part of a successful flock. I cannot tell you how pleased I am with my birds from McMurray Hatchery (www.mcmurrayhatchery.com). I have also been told that Stromberg's Hatchery is really good and my local feed store purchases their seasonal chicks from Privett Hatchery in New Mexico (www.privetthatchery.com). The McMurray web site gives good descriptions about each breed and how they take to cold and windy climates. I would also suggest you give Privett a call since they are local and ask them what they recommend. It is in their best interest to give you good advice.

If you get a chance to purchase Storey's Guide to RAISING CHICKENS, the book has a whole section on breed selection and will help you consider your main goals in raising your new flock.

Good luck and have fun.

Steve