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Miscellaneous FAQs: Find a chicken mentor, the best way to learn about keeping chickens is to
<br />volunteer with CRR, or spend time with someone who already owns city chickens.
<br /> What can I expect to spend?
<br />o Start-up costs: for coop, maintenance, tools, cleaning, equipment, heating/cooling
<br />appliances, dishes, nets, food storage, scale, fencing, security locks, lighting, motion
<br />detectors, monitors, cameras, permit application = $2000-3000
<br />o Annual supplies per bird: for food, bedding, nutritional supplements, hygiene supplies,
<br />utilities= $300
<br />o Veterinary care per bird per service: office exam $66, fecal test $28, plus other services
<br />as needed for illness or injury $?
<br /> How long do chickens live? 2-10+ years
<br />o While many birds won’t make it past the age of 2 some can live to be 10+ years.
<br />o You must plan to care for your chickens for their entire life as re-homing is difficult and
<br />shelters in the Twin Cities do not take chickens
<br /> How much time per day can I expect to spend on chicken care? 30-60+ min/day
<br />o Monitor and observe them twice per day
<br />o Daily maintenance to shelter and fencing
<br />o Minimum twice yearly large scale maintenance (deep cleaning coops, hauling bedding,
<br />re building fencing, etc) which will take hours/days.
<br />o Much more time will be needed if foraging time is supervised, any birds are sick, etc
<br /> Where do I get chickens?
<br />o Adopt! Chicken Run Rescue, Minneapolis Animal Care and Control, etc
<br />o If you purchase chicks from a breeder, this is a high likelihood you will accidentally get
<br />roosters. You won’t be able to tell they are roosters for several months, after you’ve
<br />become bonded. There are no more rooster homes in the Twin Cities area.
<br /> How many chickens should I get?
<br />o Chickens are flock animals so a minimum of 2 is recommended
<br />o Start with the lowest number possible until you know you can handle more (ie start with
<br />2 for the first year and increase as space, time and resources allows) it is easy to find
<br />more chickens to adopt but will be almost impossible to re-home unwanted birds.
<br /> What kinds of breeds do I want to get? Recommendations on breeds
<br />o Meat chickens, Cornish, Cornish-cross, hybrid meat type birds: These breeds aren’t
<br />meant to live past 5 months of age and they have chronic pain issues, joint problems,
<br />heart attacks etc. These birds should be euthanized after 5 months of age for humane
<br />reasons.
<br />o Hybrid egg laying, sex-linked, egg-laying breeds: these breeds are bred to lay an egg a
<br />day, and often have health issues associated with their over active ovaries, including
<br />laying internally, egg-yolk peritonitis, cancer, lash eggs, nutrient depletion, poor feather
<br />quality, and more. If you get this breed, anticipate increased veterinary bills and
<br />decreased lifespan.
<br />o “Heritage” Breeds: Are breeds usually bred for shows or other physical characteristics
<br />rather than their egg laying potential. Often these have less health problems.
<br />o Production (aka fake) Heritage breeds: many “heritage breeds” have actually been
<br />crossed with egg laying breeds to increase production, and therefore have increased
<br />health problems related to their over active ovaries.
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