keep chickens
Chickens are great - they are easy to keep, eat your waste and give you eggs - what a good deal! You can buy rescued battery hens or any number of breeds from specialist breeders across the country and support their small businesses. They are not expensive and people are really willing to share their knowledge.
Even in the city where we live we are permitted to keep six chooks (no rooster) in an easily built (or bought) coop and pen. We let ours free range every afternoon and they love it (gotta protect the vege garden tho!). We have had no problem with disease, just less snails and they even eat the wandering willie, and fertilise as they go - fabulous!
Kids love them and they can be friendly pets. Our kids even sell or trade the eggs -the double yolkers are especially good currency!
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how much land do you need?
Chickens appeal, but how much land do you need? Can they cope with a dog?
keeping chickens
well, we have them in a pen that measures about 2 x 4m roughly. Our late dog came onto the scene after the chickens and she learned not to bother them...one of the few things she learned actually! that said I imagine it very much depends on the dog, and possibly the breed of hens. Our red shavers can certainly defend themselves against cats but the orpingtons, although bigger, are more passive. Nonetheless they dont seem to be bothered by them. In fact I have to feed our 2 cats once the hens are back in their pen (they put themselves to bed when it gets dark) otherwise the hens come running to eat the cat food. And the cats are most unwilling to defend their food. Not sure a dog would be as intimidated!
You are not allowed by law
You are not allowed by law to keep chickens in a residential area. My neighbours would make my chickens dissapear if I bought any home and I would not blame them
depends on the bylaws
I think whether or not you can keep chickens in a residenital area depends on local bylaws.
I'm pretty sure that in some areas you can keep a couple of hens but no roosters (becuase of their crowing!). That's fine if you want your chooks for eggs and not breeding - you don't need roosters for hens to lay.
chickens
see comment below for link to Auckland city council bylaw for poultry
keeping chickens
In Auckland City you are allowed to keep 6 chickens. check out this link:
http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/council/documents/bylaw/part3.asp#3. We have had chickens for years and no neighbours have ever complained.
Chooks are great!
We have 4 chooks, 3 of them bantams and 1 large white (ex. battery) hen. They get all our food scraps plus a top up of pellets or mash. During the summer we are overrun with eggs and give them away to friends and family. Bantam eggs are half the size of an ordinary egg, when we have kids come to visit they love to help feed the chooks then take home a special little egg to have for their dinner.
Easy to care for, great recyclers of food waste and give back too. Our nearly 3 year old just loves getting into the coop with them to help feed and check for eggs. Highly recommended pets!
chooks in christchurch
we have 4 lovely chooks and are allowed them, however they have to be away from the boundary fences by a certain amount (would have to check on chch council website for specifics) found that they absolutely love puha and chickweed (really common garden weeds). also you can crush leftover egg shells, roast them in the oven and feed them back to the chooks for grit...i have read on chook website that using crushed oyster shells is not great for the chookies, (altho am not sure why this is)....anyhow it is a great to recycle the egg shells!
Another great use for egg shells is to crush and sprinkle around veges, as the snails and slugs don't like to crawl over them - it is also great for the soil!
Keep chickens
I would love to know where I can pick up rescued chickens (from Battery Farms) anyone know - North Auck