Q: How long does a chicken live?
A: Chickens usually live 5-8 years although some have lived as long as 20 years.
Q: Are Golden Comets the best layers?
A: We have specially picked this breed for their egg laying abilities as well astheir sweet temperaments. Most breeds of chicken lay around 220-250 eggs per year, the Golden Comet hens (Red Sex-Linked) lay around 300-320.
Q:What are some of the benefits of raising chickens?
A: Chickens are pets just like a cat or dog. They have amazing personalities and are enjoyable to be around. They give owners many benefits such as eating organic, being self sustainable, eating local, composting, and gardening. In the past they have been viewed as "for farmers only" or "unclassy" In the past 10 years or so, chickens have been rapidly gaining in popularity and their "for farmers only" view is quickly being turned into
Q: Are chickens noisy?
A: Not really. You don’t have to worry about noise from your chickens. We only supply hens (not roosters that crow). With some hens, once a day you may get a minutes worth of squawking as an egg is laid. Otherwise, they will only make noise if something is disturbing or frightening them.
Q: Are the chicken coops fox, raccoon and dog proof?
A: That is what we have designed them for. They have a wire bottom and are made of the sturdiest materials. The chickens are meant to free range during the day with the door open so they can come and go and then be locked inside the coop at night so that they are safe from predators.
Being fox, raccoon and dog proof is essential in a coop, don’t buy one that hasn’t got a mesh floor because it is very upsetting to arrive in the morning to find feathers everywhere courtesy of Mr Fox.
Q: Do chickens and dogs get along?
A: It depends on the breed and temperament of the dog. We recommend that the interaction between new and existing pets be supervised, regardless of breed or species. Most dogs are fine with chickens if introduced under supervision.Our Chicken Care Pamphlet that we send our renters via email has a step by step process on introducing your dog/s to the hens.
Q: Can chickens fly?
A: There are very few breeds of chicken that can fly properly and the Golden Comet is not one of them. A chicken’s flying could be described as making large flappy jumps. Without clipped wings, they are capable of flying for short distances, such as over fences (5 feet max.) or into trees (where they would naturally roost). Domestic chickens will usually fly only to flee perceived danger.
All the chickens at RentACoop have their wings clipped. This is like cutting fingernails and, when done properly, it does not cause any pain to the chicken. Clipping only shortens the flight feathers of one wing, making flight and landing unpredictable, so they get comfortable being on the ground.
Q: Do chickens bite?
A: Chickens do not have teeth. They can peck but it feels more like a weak pinch than anything else.
Q: Do chickens smell?
A: Nope, not if you take care of them. If you have lots of chickens in a small space and don’t manage them properly, surely they will smell. We recommend that they free range for at least an hour a day and switch out the pine shavings once every week or two. If you follow our recommendations you should not have any problems with smell.
Q: Do I need fencing around my property? Will my chickens escape?
A: Chickens stay reasonably close to their coop and generally don’t wander far. While the hens are out of the coop, we recommend that they be supervised. We recommend supervised free ranging because of daytime predators such as fox, hawks and neighborhood dogs. Not so much because they will wander off.
If you have any questions that weren't answered above, send an email to Tyler@RentACoop.com and we'll be happy to answer them (usually within 24 hours). We also highly recommend checking out Backyard Chickens- It is an excellent resource for information with great artivles and connects you with other backyard chicken owners!
- Chicken Q & A -
