I've got a chicken info site here with lots of chicken stuff that might help: http://jackshenhouse.com/ And the #1 rule that bears repeating, to avoid heartaches: Make your coop & run STRONG. Absolutely predator-proof, don't 'make do'. We've all read tons of sad stories on this forum from people who knew their coop wasn't quite up to snuff and their flocks were massacred. Learn from our mistakes! :( As for gentle breeds, you can't go wrong with Silkies and Cochins. Both are very sweet, docile breeds. I've also found that the larger, 'heavy' fluffy breeds are generally quite docile and calm--Orpingtons, New Hampshires, Jersey Giants, Wyandottes. I'm also fond of Americaunas. Belgian d'uccles are dainty and friendly. I'd avoid the higher-strung breeds such as Leghorns, and Rhode Island Reds can be quite aggressive and may bully other birds. I LOVE my Polish hens, but the breed has a reputation for being skittish (which I attribute to them not being able to see very well until whatever it is is right ON them, due to their large crests). Avoid Game Fowl, as they are bred for cock fighting, where aggression is prized. feathersite.com is a GREAT resource with tons of pictures that can help you decide on breeds. Any chickens you get, since you want them for pets and eggs, you should spend LOTS of time with, especially at first when they have just arrived and are off-balance in an unfamiliar place. Handle and pet them lots, pick them up for a bit and carry them around, or sit with them on your lap and pet them--reward them lots with little food tidbits so that they learn to associate you with good things such as food, nice pets and praise. Chickens are VERY food-motivated--the way to a chicken's heart is through it's stomach! :) Make yourself the Beneficent Food Goddess to them, the little buggers'll love ya! As for building materials, check places like Craigslist for people wanting to get rid of old fencing, wire, lumber and such. You just might be able to get it for free, especially if you offer to take it down for them. Do you plan on getting adult birds or chicks? Any roosters? Velvet ~:>

Some breeds are more prone to going broody than others--Orpingtons, Silkies and Cochins are great moms, for instance, while Rhode Island Reds, Polish and White Leghorns rarely go broody. What breed(s) do you have and how old are they? Typically if she went broody once, she'll do so again. Make sure you provide a little chicken Nirvana--lots of fresh food and water, greens, room to forage and the right kind of nests. Springtime usually triggers the 'Mom' instinct because of all the ample food, pleasant weather and baby-raising areas. My hens far and away prefer the dark, hidey-hole type nest. They instinctively want to hide their clutch of eggs to brood, away from predators. I use wooden nest boxes set on the ground, with ample fresh straw to nest in. Also, I have attached a curtain of black landscape cloth (2 thicknesses) across the front of the nest boxes, with a slit cut up the center so the hens can enter and leave easily. They love it, this Spring I had ELEVEN broodies! There IS such a thing as it working TOO well... Also, try leaving the eggs to be collected until the end of the day. Sometimes this gives hens incentive to go broody. Have fun with your birds! :) Velvet ~:>

it has been four days, we had a bit of excitement the second nite when one did fly out. but now they are going to bed with the others just fine. the second nite we had the chickens, one flew over the fence and I ran into the woods after it. there me and the dog, Dot, are running this little road runner around the woods. I got caught in a briar bush and lost site of them. and i'm thinking I am 37 years old and I am stuck in the woods at nite in a briar bush. LOL but I was really haveing fun whadda ya think is wrong with me. anyway I hollered out to my hubbie who wasn't doing anything but standing at the edge of the woods, he has a bit more sense then I do I reckon. I hollered out "I can't see them and I'm stuck." He said dot's got it cornered and god bless her she did. she didn't put a tooth on it, she just cornered it under some brush. I am sure she could have gotten a hold of it if she had wanted to. and she certainly was excited about the whole event. I was able to just reach down and pick it up and it of course was screaming its head off. S dot ran along beside us so excited, I still am not sure why she didn't grab that bird. If It hadn't been for her I NEVER would have caught it. She sure is a good dog, she actually listens better then my girls LOL. We had clipped the wings, but obviously they were still able to fly some, so hubbie started to clip it a little more then we nicked her and it started bleeding. We felt just awful. but she seems fine, and they haven't tried to fly out since. I wonder if the ordeal of being chased through the woods by a dog not much bigger then her and a crazy women scared her outta her naturel instincts. LOL chicken ingenue

Hmmmmmm. Sometimes these upscale places do not know the difference between oh, say, French peasant food and French cuisine developed and tested, by trusted experienced chefs, with the recipes carefully guarded, and handed down through generations. For instance, Italian royalty did not eat squid. Squid is what gets caught in the fishermen's nets and is cut out and tossed to the street urchins who did not have the money to buy fish and vegetables. I Googled *Chicken Skin Salad* and one came up from Daniel Boulud's ''Cafe Boulud Cookbook'' linked below. Yuck. I guess it is just a matter of what one is used to. I mean if someone tried to explain hot dogs to a visitor I'm sure the person would cringe. "Hot dogs! Why yes siree, they are a favorite of almost every American! You just take some pig intestines and rinse out the fecal matter, and then fill them with ground up snouts and tails, and liver and hearts and spinal cord and whatever else is laying around after a hog butchering. Mmmmmmmmmm. Oh and lots of salt. LOTS of salt. Then boil 'em. Boy, I could sure go for one right now with onions. Hey wait! Where are you going?? Don't you want to eat here? No, I wasn't kidding, why?........" Here is a link that might be useful: Chicken Skin Salad