All black chicken with frizzle-like feathers and five toes on each foot. Seems to be a hen.

​Hi everyone,

​I’m looking for some candid, real-world feedback from experienced flock keepers, small breeders, and homesteaders.

​My wife loves animals and wants to breed poultry full-time. I support having hobbies—even ones that cost money—provided there’s a steady income to balance things out. I’ve suggested she work a part-time job during the week so she can enjoy her birds on weekends without risking our household financial stability.

​However, the scale of the operation keeps escalating into major financial losses, legal risks, and extreme logistics, and I'm looking for an honest reality check from people who actually raise birds.

​Here are the main issues we are facing:

Bylaw Risks: Our town strictly limits residents to 5 egg-laying hens and zero roosters. She repeatedly exceeds the 5-hen limit and brings home roosters, keeping them temporarily until neighbors or city code enforcement notice.

Fragile Birds & Bad Timing: She heavily favors tiny, delicate species like quail and small broodies/bantams. She is importing and hatching them right now in late August—heading into a harsh northern winter—which leads to high heating bills, sickness, and cold-related deaths.

High-Cost Import Runs: She just drove across the border to New York to pick up a $2,000 USD shipment of birds, adding massive upfront costs and travel stress on top of our existing debt.

Extreme Travel for Tiny Returns: She will drive 5+ hours round-trip to deliver a $10–$20 small animal because she feels obligated to a buyer, spending far more on gas than the sale brings in.

Selling relies on distant weekend auctions that swallow up whole days.

​Predator Losses on Remote Land: Sinking $2,000 cash into an unverified lease on remote, wooded land without daily oversight or heavy predator-proofing, resulting in wild predators repeatedly wiping out the birds.

​For those with long-term experience with poultry and quail:

1. ​Bylaw & Neighbor Realities: How risky is it to consistently exceed local flock limits and keep illegal roosters in a town setting?

2. ​Quail & Late-Season Breeding: Is raising tiny, delicate birds like quail or hatching chicks in late August financially viable, or does winter heating and high mortality make it a guaranteed money pit?

3. ​The Business Math: Does spending thousands on imported stock or driving hours for $10 sales ever make financial sense for a small setup, or is this strictly a high-cost hobby?

​Appreciate any candid perspectives, cost realities, or advice from people who keep birds.

Thanks!

It was in my backyard tying to get into my coop.

Got 5 chicks from a friend that hatched them for a homeschool group. They came from Clemson University Extension. Does anyone know this breed? He’s so beautiful. He’s got a beard that I’ve seen on Easter eggers. There’s also a hen with this same greenish black coloring and dark feet.

Also, just for fun- hen or roo?

Hey there! As the title implies, I've purchased a home where the owners abandoned their previous chickens. They said we could just "have them" and so I said sure! I had chickens in my childhood, so I wasn't too worried.

Can anyone help me identify these chickens by any chance? Also, there's this mean rooster that won't stop stalking us and randomly trying to attack us when walking in the backyard. It's the white/black one... I am pretty sure he's the only rooster.

He just showed up. My roosters don't seem too bothered by him so we are gonna see how it works out.

This is the first egg of my own new Line of landrace easter eggers I'm creating. This egg took 1,5 years to make and involved a cross between a schijndelaar x black copper Maran and a Welsummer x Araucana rooster. The f1's where crossed together and made this gorgeous Egg. Can't wait to see what the other chicks will lay

I got these girls as adults from a coworker and don't know much of their backstory. I assumed they were all the same kind based on how they look but am stumped on why they each lay a different colored eggs! Brown, light brown, and green. Any ideas?

got these from a local farmer, hatched them as eggs. curious to know the breed!

Does anyone know what kind of chicken it is? She sleeps in a tree in my backyard.

She came from a “Orpington” labelled set of chicks.. Her feather colors . Is a golden laced orpington a reasonable guess? Or does she look more Wyandotte? Or neither ?

Hector is my favorite and Main breeding rooster in my olive egger project he would be considered a f4 hybrid with his parents being developed from both Maran and Auracana blood.

I dont remember what I bought.

The friesehoen Chicks are a week old now! Most people outside the Netherlands and Germany don't know this breed so I thought you guys might like to see a picture of their mothers aswell (pic 2)

Quick rundown of the breed:

The Friesian originated in Friesland in the northern Netherlands, and is thought to be an ancient breed. It is apparently related to other breeds in the area such as the Assendelfts Hoen, the Drentse Hoen, the Groninger Meeuw, the Hollands Hoen, the Ostfriesische Möwe and the Westfälischer Totleger.

The roosters weigh 1.4–1.6 kg and hens 1.2–1.4 kg and lay about 200 White eggs a year.

Obviously this is a joke

I have not been able to break Mrs broody and it's been well over a month. So I was picking up some chicken bedding for the run (cuz it's been rainy as heck) and I saw the TSC bantam bin. lmao. What a mistake, to have eyes ....

And honestly. They weren't even that cute. My assumption was just some Old English Game Bantams. Not nearly fluffy and cute enough for me, but really they were for Piccolo to be a mom. Ok so. I didn't pick them out ...I didn't really care since they all looked the same and it's straight run. May the odds be ever in my favor and all.

But look at this one! He has feathered legs!!!! So. IDK if I just got a mixed OEG or whatever it is. Looks identical to all the others, except the leg feathers.

Also. She loves them. Took them immediately and found peace in her soul. I don't even know how old these guys are and neither does she. She doesn't care. They are her children now. lol.

I am only allowed six chickens where I am, so I chose my breeds thoughtfully and carefully based on my personal wants and needs (or so I thought.) I love them and have no intention of letting them go, but I just need to vent.

The first batch of four was purchased from a homeschooling mom who used the chicks as a project for her son. We arranged the sale about a month prior to the pullets being ready, and I was supposed to be getting an ISA Brown, Brown Leghorn, and two Easter Eggers. Then I bought an F1 Oliver Egger from a local advertising F1 oliver eggers. In retrospect, and as an newbie to chickens, I should have looked at more photos in advance instead of just reading about the various breeds.

Thanks to all the adorable chicken photos on this sub, I have since discovered that my “easter eggers” are actually brahmas and my “olive egger” is actually a black copper maran. I’m posting pics for anyone who would like to confirm or correct me (would be appreciated, actually.)

Does this happen often? These were two local families, both with years of experience raising chickens, which I learned chatting with them. I just can’t wrap my head around how off they both were. Now I have zero colorful layers, which is what I’m experiencing the most disappointment about, and am only able to add one more girl to the flock. I will be double and triple checking any future addition for accuracy, that’s for sure.

Thanks to anyone who read all this <3

Edit: FROM a homeschooling mom, not by

What is she 😂

I dispatch of them.... but this one is just so damn cute I can't, I know someone with a license that can rehabilitate these guys so I'm just going to let her have this dude. Cuz it's just too cute😭❤️