>>23075310Chicken are super easy but you need to be mindful of predators when you are building their coop/run/whatever you are doing. Our chickens are in a yard which my beagle has 24 hour access too so we have no problem with terrestrial predators so long as they don't get out the yard. We have a lot of shrubs and bushed for them to hide from hawks in but we haven't had hardly any problems with hawks, except for them picking off a few very young bitties once or twice. We have a pretty serious fox and if they decide to leave the fenced in area they are taking their life into their own hands. We clip one wing so they are less likely to do this.
Some people, like my buddy, have chickns in runs that are covered on top but I like them to have the room my backyard affords, even if there is a little more dangerous. They get a wider variety of forage/bugs that way. They eat all the stuff out of the garden which is beneath us. Chickens are a no brainer to me, they turn all food scraps directly into eggs and fertilizer. They are living composters and funny animals. We love our birds.
We might spend 40 bucks a month on them? I don't know, my wife takes care of all that. We more than make up for it in eggs though. I often sell them to coworkers, give them to my ma etc.
The goats are indeed for milk though our doe has not yet reached the age to be bred, so they are just pets right now. We have a doe and a wether and want another doe (you want at least three so they are more secure and less lonely).
