Can you have chickens as pets if you dont have a farm?If so, where can you buy eggs?

Question

also, what things do you need for them? Is it illegal in some states? Because I live in virginia. *This is my first time asking

Answer 1

Yeah, I have a few times. It was cool. I also had ducks. We bought a big inflatable swimming pool for them to play in. It was crazy good fun.

Answer 2

As far as I know, chickens are legal to own in all 50 states, but there are often zoning restrictions in cities and towns. You don't have to be a farm to own farm animals, but you do need to be in a location where chickens are permitted. Surprisingly, quite a few cities allow one or two chickens.

Regarding hatching eggs, some people here are suggesting your local organic food store or whatnot, but that's not a good idea because first of all, the eggs must be fertile -- and that only happens when there is a rooster among the hens. Just because a farm is organic does not mean they have a rooster, because hens will lay with or without a rooster. But if there is no rooster to mate with the hens, the eggs do not hatch. Secondly, the eggs must be fresh -- fertile eggs only remain viable for about a week, and eggs in a store are often older than that. Thirdly, the eggs must not be refrigerated. Hatching eggs should be kept a room temperature until put in the incubator or under a broody hen.

An organic food store might be able to put you in touch with a farmer who has hatching eggs, but unless you KNOW the eggs meet the above criteria (fertile, fresh, unrefrigerated), a better option is to buy them on ebay. Search for "hatching eggs" and you will find plenty of choices -- ranging from expensive rare breeds to cheaper mixed lots of common breeds. You will need an incubator if you want to hatch your own eggs. There are small mini-incubators that hold 3 chicken eggs -- also available on ebay. Search for "mini incubator." Or you can make your own: http://www.alin.or.ke/tech-note/data/incubator.html

More on keeping chickens as pets can be found at:
http://www.birdhobbyist.com/articles/BirdHobbyist/Species/PetChickens.html

Answer 3

You can buy chicks at a Southern States store in Virginia. You'll need a yard and some daily corn, plus a dish of water, not much else. As long as they are "pets", you aren't a farm so there aren't too many rules, though if you live in a city you might want to check the local bylaws.

here is a sample of the rules if you wish to keep many, many chickens: http://www.virginiaplaces.org/agriculture/poultry.html

but I believe if it's just the one or two as pets, you're exempt.

poo-cahk!

Answer 4

There's no legal restriction on keeping livestock as pets, and you could easily get eggs at a local farm (find several, write down the addresses, then send them each a letter in the mail with your inquiry).

However, I really have to recommend against it. Chickens are just plain unsuitable as pets. They're filthy, smelly, and ill-tempered. I may be biased, as I was attacked by a pair of roosters yesterday, but I stand by my warning.

Answer 5

Most local communities allow hens but not roosters, but there are some diffrence so check you local (city not state) zoning laws.

You don't want to start with eggs (incubators are expensive) you want to order day old chicks... You can get them from Ideal Poultry, McMurray Hatchery, or others. Typically they want you to buy 25, because that is how many fits in a box so they don;t shift to much in shipping (I know its strange but you do mail them and they come out fine!)

If you want fewer, contact your local 4H club and they may be able to give you the name of someone who is incubating chicks in your area.

Chicks are easy. You need a brooder, which is basically a box with a heat lamp, because chicks need lots of heat. Other then that you need chick feed, fresh water, and lots of bedding (pine shavings). Here is a good site: http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/BRKRaisingChicks.html

Chicks are fun. Make sure you get "pullets" or female chicks, they cost a bit more, but if you have mutiple roosters they will get pretty aggressive... Good luck.

Answer 6

Most farm supply or horse supply type of sotres have baby chicks in the spring.
You can order the from the hatchery but y ou have to order 25 at one time so that would mot likely be to many for you to keep as pets.
Check around locally in the spring that is when most stores carry them and you can buy one or as many as you want.

Answer 7

uhhhh i never knew chickens were illegal in some states ....but i live in CA and ya in the country area u could say and i have 16 chickens !!! they r the best but i dont have a farm our neighbors do but all we have is chickens....and fish but ya i have a green chicken it lays green eggs and a white one with green feetys that lays blu eggs theyr lots of fun and all u need to feed them is...scratch u can get it at walmart and other places 2 but they eat evrything bugs left over food really and ya ull love it if u can have them

Answer 8

I live in texas and here they gave us a baby chick when we were in the third grade if we wanted one , cuz we were doing a project on how chicks develope inside the egg it was really cool cuz we got to see them hatch and i live in the city and i kept here in the city and they never told anyone anything oh and u need chicken food.and also when i was small we used to have like about 15 chickens

Answer 9

around Easter you can buy the chick. Buy chick feed a heat light and set them up ( need more than one.) in space where they can get into the light and out of it so they do not dehydrate. They make okay pets. I have 60 of them. I'm hatching 26 more.

Answer 10

I think the zoning laws would require them to be "out in the country" -- not in the city. Look at your local yellow pages and see if you can find any. Also try a "whole food" store, sometimes they carry local eggs / produce, etc.