Convincing my mom

[NatJ]

How are chickens easy to take care of????? Mine are far from easy. They need me to let them out of the run for at least an hour a day (usualy more), they get mad if I clean their coop or move ANYTHING, they have eaten all the plants in our entire yard, and they are so picky about what they eat but need to be bribed to do anything. They also steal my food and like to steal my beads. One of mine pulled off part of my shoe and tried to eat it a few days ago.

The choices you make can change whether chickens are hard or easy.

If the run is big enough, they do not need to come out. If they get upset when I clean, I consider that their problem not mine. They can't steal my food or beads or shoe unless I give them access to those things. Picky eating is typically a habit they develop, not an actual need.

Personally, I'd give them a big coop and BIG run, provide plenty of suitable food and water, and laugh at their demands instead of worrying about it.

Not saying that there is any problem with your way of doing things, as long as it works for you and your chickens, just sharing an alternative viewpoint. And yes, I exaggerated a little bit. I do enjoy interacting with chickens and spending time with them. But if I have things set up the way I like, they will be fine when I have a busy day or week or month. All I have to do is top up the feed & water and I know their needs are met.

 

[CatInTheHenHouse]

Before you do anything else, make sure your local housing restrictions allow for chickens - all the parental permission in the world won’t do you any good if the local laws don’t allow them.

If you aren’t getting started pullets make sure you have a plan for roosters. Sexed chicks aren’t 100% accurately sexed.

As for time, the deep litter/deep bedding method might cut down on the cleaning time? An automatic door might help with early mornings too, but (I admit I’m making some assumptions here) I suspect one of those will be outside of your normal budget (they’re around $100-$200 depending on the model) unless you put it on your Christmas list.