When we moved to Prescott, we intentionally bought a house in a neighborhood that was considered a little outside the mainstream -- people who like it joke about the "Ecohood," those who don't refer to it as The Barrio, but this town really doesn't have one that deserves the name. One of the great things about this place is that a lot of folks in our neighborhood have hopped on one of the latest urban/suburban hipster trends -- backyard chickens. We got our first chicks in April and it's been a whole lot of fun; if you've got a little corner of the garden, like fresh eggs & chat with your neighbors in advance (mentioning the fresh eggs, we found, doesn't hurt), I'd urge you give it a try this Spring!
Last April, AM & I lined up in front of the local Olsen's Grain an hour before they opened, as we'd heard rumors of a new shipment of day-old chicks; the previous month we'd sauntered in at 10:00 a.m. expecting to come home with a clutch of baby cluckers and were out of luck. The slightly shell-shocked salespeople told stories of a line 50 people long when the doors opened and the paid departure of the last little fuzzball just 20 minutes after the doors opened. A month later, there we were, feeling a bit like over-eager fans at a Grateful Dead show, swapping stories with our fellow line-sitters and hoping we might score some of the precious incoming chicks. We'd extensively researched breeds and settled on several that we wanted -- none of which, of course, were in that morning's shipment. We walked out with two ISA Browns and two Silver-Tipped Wyandottes, not entirely sure what any of those words actually meant.
A day old when we got them, they were just as IZ_ and goofy as anyone could have hoped, and pooped, ate and cheeped pretty much nonstop. They spent the first month or so in a high-topped cardboard box with a 100 watt bulb for warmth. Once they'd lost the fuzz & fledged, they moved out to the backyard chicken run (formerly chainlink dog run) and an A-Frame coop lovingly constructed for about $10 out of scrap lumber and cast-off roofing from the Habitat for Humanity ReStore (that's the ST2 in the background for Ducati content; the coop is lying on its side while I install the hinges so that one wall folds up for egg retrieval.)
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4004/4249518386_59e0e844be.jpg)
After a suitably awkward adolescence with half fuzz and half feathers, they started to look positively matronly and in mid-summer gave us our first egg. The Browns -- which turn out to be a cross between Rhode Island Reds & Rhode Island Whites -- were a good month earlier with the egg production than the Wyandottes, but as of September, we're seeing a consistent three eggs a day, and four a day more often than not. They've backed off to two or so a day during the winter, but we still haven't had to buy eggs since the Fall.
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2710/4248749219_80d8af8449.jpg)
They devour bugs in the garden, give us plenty of pooped-on straw for the compost pile, and are generally entertaining. While they're laying hens rather than meat birds, we've acquiesced to the 14 year old's demands that they not end up in a stock pot. I enjoy their antics & personalities a lot, but I'll admit mixed feelings on that deal. They're not pets.
But the most surprising part is just how relaxing it is to just watch them be chickens. Our neighbor, who daily brings them greens and melon rinds that they devour, has become a big fan. We were standing out by the coop one afternoon talking about the chickens and general events around the neighborhood, when we simultaneously realized we'd both been silent for a good five minutes. Just standing there, watching the chickens scratch and peck. Just being, in the spirit of a good zen master. Think about it -- Chicken, egg? Cross the road? Why do you think of our best western zen koans seem to come from chickens? For a few bucks worth of feed, it seems we're getting more out of this than just eggs.
If you bought more and scratched little trenches in the dirt and put the feed in there, you could make a living, clucking, pecking, gigantic smiley face.
Yay livestock!! I've wanted chickens for a while, I've got to get outside the city limits though. Bravo to you [clap]
Great story!!
I thought all of Prescott could be constidered an Ecohood. ;)
I glad to hear your story! I have plans for chickens come next spring.
The only concern is how to keep the chickens in the very cold days. I've been told a 100w bulb will do the trick in their coop.
you're my hero
good early warning for various disease as well (west nile, maybe the avion flue?)
Quote from: The Architect on January 05, 2010, 02:50:03 PM
I glad to hear your story! I have plans for chickens come next spring.
The only concern is how to keep the chickens in the very cold days. I've been told a 100w bulb will do the trick in their coup.
Where are you located? They actually seem happier on the cold days than in the heat of summer. (edit: I just remembered from the DIMBY thread -- you're in New England, so your cold is a bit colder than ours.)
Ours aren't very smart (even measured against the low bar set by average chickens) and prefer to roost at night on TOP of the coop I built for them instead of inside it. They've been fine there down into the high single digits with no sign of frostbite or other real problems. The one time I was really worried about them was after a day-long, 35 degree rain when they insisted in hanging out in the front, unsheltered part of the run. They were completely soaked to the skin with a big storm moving in that night, so we went out and bodily stuffed them inside the coop and boarded up the door. Good thing, because the storm packed sustained 60 mph winds & higher gusts with lots of snow & frigid temps. Probably would have woken to frozen fryers if we hadn't intervened. The bigger problem is making sure they've got water available on days when it doesn't get above freezing. Other than that, I just remind myself that people keep chickens in New England & upper Minnesota just fine, so ours should be OK.
My brother has many "yard birds" on his property - chickens, pheasants, and wild turkeys. They are confined to some degree (the local wildlife would decimate them otherwise) but thrive just fine in southern MN.
Quote from: The Architect on January 05, 2010, 02:50:03 PM
I glad to hear your story! I have plans for chickens come next spring.
The only concern is how to keep the chickens in the very cold days. I've been told a 100w bulb will do the trick in their coup.
you're my hero
I just came back from spending a few days on a friends farm (hippie commune really) in VT. They have two dozen chickens in a coop made of an old farm trailer. They built a cover for the trailer using hardware cloth covered in tyvek - not pretty, but what do you expect on a hippie commune. No electricity or external heat source of any kind. They actually used to have a nice 2 story coop, but that has been converted into living space and that is where we stayed (no shit - also no plumbing or electricity). Actually, chicken litter (shit and straw or woodshavings) stays freakin' warm due to composting. It will keep most coops quite warm. It got down below zero the days we were there and the chickens did just fine. There is also a gander living in a dog crate that guards the chickens, but that is another story.
We are going to get some in Silver Spring this spring. The city allows up to a dozen chickens but no roosters. Hard to believe that we would be allowed to have them in such a densely settled urban area, but it is true.
That is so cool [thumbsup]
Angler, where in VT were you?
Quote from: DesmoDiva on January 06, 2010, 07:28:05 AM
Angler, where in VT were you?
Southern. Guilford area, just over the MA line.
As a weird coincidence, the Washington Post had an article today about urban chickens being confiscated in DC. Here is a link to a larger story on the laws in metro DC http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/13/AR2009051301051.html?sid=ST2010010601470 (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/13/AR2009051301051.html?sid=ST2010010601470)
It says that in Montgomery County the coop needs to be at least 100 feet from any structure used as living space. That might be a little tough for me......
Very cool. My neighbors across the street have a few chickens. Not sure if they are egg-layers though.
Stella and I get our eggs from friends of ours that have a small ranch outside of Denver. They have somewhere around 70 free-range hens. Really tasty eggs. Bick and Fresh Pants can attest.
They also have goats that they milk and make really yummy cheese with.
Good with [bacon] and the aforementioned eggs. [thumbsup]
Quote from: Randimus Maximus on January 06, 2010, 04:04:59 PM
Very cool. My neighbors across the street have a few chickens. Not sure if they are egg-layers though.
Stella and I get our eggs from friends of ours that have a small ranch outside of Denver. They have somewhere around 70 free-range hens. Really tasty eggs. Bick and Fresh Pants can attest.
They also have goats that they milk and make really yummy cheese with.
Good with [bacon] and the aforementioned eggs. [thumbsup]
Why you selfish bastard! I sent you those great steaks and you fed me greenery with them instead of getting up with the sun and making me steak and fresh eggs??!! Stella, kick him in the shins and have Bryan bite him for me! [cheeky]
Clemson, SC (Clemson University) is changing its' ordinance to allow chickens to be kept within the city limits.
The ordinance spells out requirements for how chickens are housed, can't roam around, can't slaughter them outside and NO roosters and only eight hens per household. It even spells out chicken feed storage and twice weekly cleaning of cages and specifications for cages.
You also have to register with the city and pay a one time fee of $15.
If you already had illegal alien chickens before the ordinance, they are grandfathered in, but you've got 90 days to register them or I guess they are subject to deportation. ;D
My wife and I used to travel as consultants to the Nuclear industry and would always go to the county fairs. It is make the beast with two backsing amazing how many types of chicken and how VERY strange some of them are. There are indeed some very cool chickens out there.
LA
[thumbsup] [thumbsup] [thumbsup]
My dad picked up a half dozen a few months back. He's down in Tucson. If you ever make it down South for a run to Mt. Lemon or Kitt Peak, we can stop by and you guys can talk poultry. He made them a nice resort! [laugh]
The s/o and I had a dozen "Easter eggs" for breakfast when we went down for a visit on Christmas morning.
I'll see if I have a few pics to post.
Quote from: ZLTFUL on January 06, 2010, 06:46:52 PM
Why you selfish bastard! I sent you those great steaks and you fed me greenery with them instead of getting up with the sun and making me steak and fresh eggs??!! Stella, kick him in the shins and have Bryan bite him for me! [cheeky]
The farm was not operational the last time you were here.
And Brian has authority to bite you wherever he wants for misspelling his name.
Well that actually sounds pretty cool. Although I wonder since I'm in Kentucky now if they would have to be fried? [roll]
My wife has bugged me about getting Chickens for years. I could hold her off while we lived in Alaska, as I had no idea
how keep them alive during 6 months of winter. Now that we live in rural Texas I am out of excuses and it looks like I'll be building a coop soon. My neighbor keeps fighting cocks. He says he doesn't fight them anymore but I wonder why he has 30 or so roosters. Seems they bring in some money. He says he sells a dozen fertilized eggs for about $100. They must make one hell of an omelet.
How much to the chicks cost and what does the feed cost?
I just saw a local fox again this morning. :-\ I'll have to build a real fence to keep him out. Also to keep out Duke (black lab.) Not only will he eat the chicken eggs but he'll also eat their coop.
Totally of subject ----> When my oldest daughter was 3 we had a few friends over. We were all sitting around our table. My daughter spots a fox outside across the street. She says "oh fox!" Of course everyone thought she said something else. I was the only other person who saw the fox. So it's a bit of a joke in our house and amongst friends.
Quote from: The Architect on January 07, 2010, 04:14:11 AM
I just saw a local fox again this morning. :-\ I'll have to build a real fence to keep him out. Also to keep out Duke (black lab.) Not only will he eat the chicken eggs but he'll also eat their coup.
Totally of subject ----> When my oldest daughter was 3 we had a few friends over. We were all sitting around our table. My daughter spots a fox outside across the street. She says "oh fox!" Of course everyone thought she said something else. I was the only other person who saw the fox. So it's a bit of a joke in our house and amongst friends.
Foxes (and black labs, for that matter) are prodigious diggers, so in addition to the above ground fencing you'll need to bury wire mesh all around the perimeter. It's not that difficult in the overall scheme of things, but it does mean you'll want to think through the spot you pick for the run pretty carefully, because moving it "just a couple of feet" isn't going to be an appealing prospect.
And if you've got hawks & owls in the area too, you'll want to put some sort of wire screening along the top of the pen as well.
I was lucky in that we had eight of the 6'x6' framed chainlink panels on hand from an unused dog run; the chicken run is 12'x6' with the remaining two panels on top for hawk protection. We've got a few foxes in the neighborhood, but a LOT of skunks, raccoons, hawks, owls & the occasional coyote so they'd be snacks if we didn't enclose them pretty well at night.
Several of the backyard chicken folks in our neighborhood lost a bird or two last fall to a raccoon or raccoons that had learned an interesting technique -- the raccoon would find a bird sleeping too close to the chainlink fence, reach through and POP! pull the chicken's head right off. Usually the head & some neck was all the critter got, but apparently it was worth the effort because stories of headless chickens were a staple of neighborhood gossip for a while there.
My cousin has chickens (and roosters - and even a peacock!) in Hilltown, PA. They roost in the pine trees. We went over Christmas eve, and there amidst the snow were a few of the chickens in the pine branches! They like to stay above the foxes and predators.
Chickens of Fire (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ztnxG6PGlU#normal)
a friend of mine's whole neighborhood inculding him has chickens. they do something really cool i guess ive never seen it but sounds like fun. they have chicken shit contests. i guess it consists of a 8'x8' box drawn out like a tic tac toe board and they bet money on the square that the chicken shits on. its something that id like to see some day because i guess the bets go into the 100's of dollars [thumbsup]
Well, now it looks like I've got the featured entertainment for our next neighborhood party all lined up.
Quote from: triangleforge on January 10, 2010, 06:08:48 AM
Well, now it looks like I've got the featured entertainment for our next neighborhood party all lined up.
;) ;) ;D ;D ;D
Chickens are fun. I didn't want to get them, but my wife insisted. She was right.
So it's time for chickens.
I have the birds lined up but no coop. I just can't find the time to build one. >:( So I've reached my last resort.
http://www.hayneedle.com/ (http://www.hayneedle.com/)
I can't believe I've ordered a chicken coop. Just doesn't seem right?
Quote from: The Architect on April 13, 2010, 07:14:32 AM
So it's time for chickens.
I have the birds lined up but no coop. I just can't find the time to build one. >:( So I've reached my last resort.
http://www.hayneedle.com/ (http://www.hayneedle.com/)
I can't believe I've ordered a chicken coop. Just doesn't seem right?
Which one did you order? Our homebuilt one does the job OK, but I must admit that I cast the occasional envious glance on our friend's store-bought coop, especially when I put my back into it and heft the hinged panel (basically one whole side of the A-frame) to gather eggs. One of these days, I'm going to replace the 1"x6" lumber that makes up that panel with some light plywood.
How many birds are you getting?
We're getting 4 birds; 2 chicks and two 1 year olds. I forgot the name of the breed but the person were getting them from is further north than us. They should be ale to handle the cold.
I ordered this one:
http://www.chickencoopsource.com/chicken-coops/chicken-coops/chickencoopdeluxe.cfm (http://www.chickencoopsource.com/chicken-coops/chicken-coops/chickencoopdeluxe.cfm)
There were so many reasons not to to get it
-It might be too small for when the chicks grow up which means I'll have to add an addition.
-On back order.
-Made in China.
But I did and it's one less thing for me to do in my life.
I guess we're gonna raise a few turkeys this year.
At DIMBY you'll be able to see TIMBY
was at a company dinner with my wife's coworkers a few months ago...
one of the coworkers said he raises pigeons...
I wanted to take a crap on him
Our cook in Saudi when we were kids used to cut the heads off chickens and make us watch them run around the yard headless squirting blood....charming memory, savage culture
Aunt had an old Polish Chicken Farmer living across from her farm...had a coop(?) must have been a 100 yards long....we bought eggs from him...he was pretty crazy in a not so good way...we think it was from living with the unholy racket of a billion chickens carrying on 24x7x365
Quote from: RAT900 on April 13, 2010, 02:40:44 PM
was at a company dinner with my wife's coworkers a few months ago...
one of the coworkers said he raises pigeons...
I wanted to take a crap on him
Our cook in Saudi when we were kids used to cut the heads off chickens and make us watch them run around the yard headless squirting blood....charming memory, savage culture
Aunt had an old Polish Chicken Farmer living across from her farm...had a coop(?) must have been a 100 yards long....we bought eggs from him...he was pretty crazy in a not so good way...we think it was from living with the unholy racket of a billion chickens carrying on 24x7x365
That's barbaric....
you hang them by their feet so when you slit their throat they drive the blood 300 yards while flapping their wings.
Much more humane. ;)
Quote from: ducpainter on April 13, 2010, 02:43:11 PM
That's barbaric....
you hang them by their feet so when you slit their throat they drive the blood 300 yards while flapping their wings.
Much more humane. ;)
I always was taught to bite their heads off...isn't that the proper way?
Quote from: RAT900 on April 13, 2010, 02:44:54 PM
I always was taught to bite their heads off...isn't that the proper way?
Ozzy...Ozzy...Ozzy... [bow_down]
Quote from: ducpainter on April 13, 2010, 01:18:51 PM
I guess we're gonna raise a few turkeys this year.
At DIMBY you'll be able to see TIMBY
Excellent.
It might be a good idea to reduce the roman candle activity this year. Unless you want TIMB (turkey in my belly.)
Quote from: The Architect on April 13, 2010, 04:18:46 PM
Excellent.
It might be a good idea to reduce the roman candle activity this year. Unless you want TIMB (turkey in my belly.)
They'll be safe and sound in the 'turkey coop'. ;)
Can I take one for a ride on the KTM?
Turkey ridin cupcake [moto]
;D
Quote from: Monsterlover on April 13, 2010, 04:37:09 PM
Can I take one for a ride on the KTM?
Turkey ridin cupcake [moto]
;D
I'm sure it wouldn't mind diggin' its' spurs into your neck.... ;D
Quote from: triangleforge on January 05, 2010, 01:42:35 PM
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2710/4248749219_80d8af8449.jpg)
I'm a horse. I SAY I'M A HORSE, MYSELF!!!!
Quote from: ducpainter on April 13, 2010, 04:50:57 PM
I'm sure it wouldn't mind diggin' its' spurs into your neck.... ;D
so...
That's not quite how I was picturing it
[laugh]
Quote from: Monsterlover on April 14, 2010, 02:54:08 AM
so...
That's not quite how I was picturing it
[laugh]
optimism....
realism.... ;D
Quote from: ducpainter on April 14, 2010, 03:01:16 AM
optimism....
realism.... ;D
Some folks look at a turkey and say "why," ML looks at a turkey and says "why not?"
[laugh][laugh][laugh][laugh][laugh][laugh]
I was also thinking we could have turkey jousting at DIMBY
;D
I've had chickens for about four years now - they're so much fun! I'm up in Alaska and they do just fine in the winters. I cover the screen windows with vinyl sheeting, use a heated dog water bowl instead of the standard waterer to keep their drinking water from freezing, and stuff their coop full of hay. They even venture out in the snow from time to time :)
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u162/akliz/winterchickens.jpg)
Those are some good looking girls! [thumbsup]
Thanks :) My rooster (I live in the boonies...no one cares about the noise) is the hard-to-see black one in the middle. The girls are generally good, but occasionally eat their eggs before I get them [bang]
It's good to be the rooster, apparently! [thumbsup]
Of course, it's a live fast, become soup young kinda life...
I've been raising my own turkeys
(http://paularickert.net/albums/userpics/2010-03_turkeys01.JPG)
Raising or baiting into your backyard, in hopes they'll be hanging around come November? ;D
And this probably belongs in this thread too:
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4043/4525890863_08c83e8e03.jpg)
I always knew chickens and ducs could be friends :) I too am curious about the turkeys...raising or luring? Either way, they look neat!
Quote from: AkLiz on April 16, 2010, 08:17:55 PM
I always knew chickens and ducs could be friends :) I too am curious about the turkeys...raising or luring? Either way, they look neat!
They wander through the yard every now and again. Wild as can be.
I was at my dad's house in Tucson this weekend and snapped a pic of his chickens and the coop he made.
(http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss158/izaac10_album/IMG_0833.jpg)
He has a good looking bunch of chicks. The coop is pretty cool too! It's made of steel 2x4's, has 3 levels and approx. 10'x10'x10'. He has me thinking about getting my own chickens now! That might be too difficult though to keep up with moving every 12 months with a 1/2 dozen chicks in tow! [cheeky]
Carl and I ordered chicks a couple of months ago. He is building out coop and house.
We have ordered 2 of each (Delaware, Orpington, Plymouth) I have an inquiry in about a Sizzle and a Frizzle.
We were looking for egg layers and Carl wanted some for their meat.
(Frizzle and Sizzle would be so I could get attached to two without the worry of them becoming dinner.) :o
They hatch on or around May 5th and then we will go pick them up!
So this is all new to us, but I am wondering not about once they get big.... but how did everyone start their day old chicks?
What did you keep them in? (Box, rubber maid, brooder)
I would like to be able to keep it simple and easy for me to clean, any suggestions.
We do not have a garage so they will be in our house until they are big enough for their pen.
What is sprattle leg? I see causes for it like...not covering their litter when they are real young are there other things that cause it that I need to be concerned about?
Please let me know if their is anything you know from experience that doesn't seemed to be mentioned in books or on line.
I do understand they need to be very warm and need water and food but was wondering if there is other stuff...
What did you do to start them off?
I read that the first couple of days you need to place "screens" on the water container so they don't drowned or drink to much...they mentioned not to use newspaper because it is to slick....what have you used or done?
Do they usually survive from all the traveling they do as a day old chic? If you get 6 do the 6 usually make it into the pen?
I have read a lot from different sites and blogs...are their ones anyone recommends?
http://www.backyardchickens.com/ (http://www.backyardchickens.com/)
http://www.chickencrossing.org/ (http://www.chickencrossing.org/)
http://www.small-farm-permaculture-and-sustainable-living.com/what_do_chickens_eat.html (http://www.small-farm-permaculture-and-sustainable-living.com/what_do_chickens_eat.html)
http://www.birdhobbyist.com/articles/BirdHobbyist/Species/PetChickens.html (http://www.birdhobbyist.com/articles/BirdHobbyist/Species/PetChickens.html)
http://smallfarm.about.com/od/farmanimals/a/chickensupplies.htm (http://smallfarm.about.com/od/farmanimals/a/chickensupplies.htm)
http://dblrsupply.pinnaclecart.com/pages/CareTipsforBabyPoultry.html (http://dblrsupply.pinnaclecart.com/pages/CareTipsforBabyPoultry.html)
I am really excited about raising them and a bit worried about the start! :)
Thanks for any info you can send my way!
Congrats, Polpetta -- it's going to be a lot of fun! I'm no expert, but all four of ours are still alive, so here's what we did:
Brooder: we used a cardboard dishwasher box in the office/TV/guest room, which worked great for four until they were big enough to go outside, and I suspect would have managed six. One thing you'll definitely need is a trouble light or something similar to hold a 100 watt bulb for heat, and a thermometer to measure the temp in the brooder. If I remember right, they need to be 90-100 degrees for the first few days (just like under momma) and then you gradually raise the light higher to reduce the heat to room temperature. Since it's for heat, it's on all the time.
Water: we used an inverted bottle waterer that fed a little tray for them to drink from. It gets disgusting fast (as adults, we've got them on bottle waterers that have the little crook neck & ball bearing valves -- Petco stocks them for rabbits and crated dogs. Much less messy.) I haven't heard of a real drowning risk, but I read in a bunch of places that when they first arrive they'll be REALLY dehydrated but haven't learned to drink yet, so you should dip each chick's beak in the waterer as soon as you open them up.
Newspaper: we used newspaper, just laid flat in the bottom of the box; it worked fine for us. Where it gets wet (it will) the chicks will practice scratching and will rip it into shreds.
I've heard that you've got about a 10% chance of any given chick sold to you as a hen being a rooster. If you can't keep roosters (we wouldn't have been able to), Carl may get one for the stock pot a little early.
Good luck and have fun!!!
Quote from: Polpetta on April 29, 2010, 01:50:02 PM
Carl and I ordered chicks a couple of months ago. He is building out coop and house.
We have ordered 2 of each (Delaware, Orpington, Plymouth) I have an inquiry in about a Sizzle and a Frizzle.
We were looking for egg layers and Carl wanted some for their meat.
(Frizzle and Sizzle would be so I could get attached to two without the worry of them becoming dinner.) :o
They hatch on or around May 5th and then we will go pick them up!
So this is all new to us, but I am wondering not about once they get big.... but how did everyone start their day old chicks?
What did you keep them in? (Box, rubber maid, brooder)
I would like to be able to keep it simple and easy for me to clean, any suggestions.
We do not have a garage so they will be in our house until they are big enough for their pen.
What is sprattle leg? I see causes for it like...not covering their litter when they are real young are there other things that cause it that I need to be concerned about?
Please let me know if their is anything you know from experience that doesn't seemed to be mentioned in books or on line.
I do understand they need to be very warm and need water and food but was wondering if there is other stuff...
What did you do to start them off?
I read that the first couple of days you need to place "screens" on the water container so they don't drowned or drink to much...they mentioned not to use newspaper because it is to slick....what have you used or done?
Do they usually survive from all the traveling they do as a day old chic? If you get 6 do the 6 usually make it into the pen?
I have read a lot from different sites and blogs...are their ones anyone recommends?
http://www.backyardchickens.com/ (http://www.backyardchickens.com/)
http://www.chickencrossing.org/ (http://www.chickencrossing.org/)
http://www.small-farm-permaculture-and-sustainable-living.com/what_do_chickens_eat.html (http://www.small-farm-permaculture-and-sustainable-living.com/what_do_chickens_eat.html)
http://www.birdhobbyist.com/articles/BirdHobbyist/Species/PetChickens.html (http://www.birdhobbyist.com/articles/BirdHobbyist/Species/PetChickens.html)
http://smallfarm.about.com/od/farmanimals/a/chickensupplies.htm (http://smallfarm.about.com/od/farmanimals/a/chickensupplies.htm)
http://dblrsupply.pinnaclecart.com/pages/CareTipsforBabyPoultry.html (http://dblrsupply.pinnaclecart.com/pages/CareTipsforBabyPoultry.html)
I am really excited about raising them and a bit worried about the start! :)
Thanks for any info you can send my way!
I'll relate my experiences with ducks and turkeys...I hate chickens.
I've never received a dead bird via mail.
You don't need to keep them in the house. You can keep them outside as day olds if you use a heat lamp. Just make a wire circle and hang the light over it. You can add some heavy paper around the bottom to stop drafts. The circle keeps them from smothering in a corner. The chicks will tell you if they're warm enough. If they congregate in a pile they're cold. If they move away from each other they're too warm.
Water and food should be raised off the floor. Birds were designed to eat their food while standing. It also keeps them from shitting in their food and water.
Let me know if you have any specific questions.
Raising birds for meat and eggs is fun.
this is odd... here in Toronto, home of the 'steve jobs wanna-be turtlenecks' in all the coffee shops and 5 degree fahrenheit winters the city is considering allowing chickens in your backyard.
i'd love some cluckers in the yard but my cardboard cat would get jealous.
(http://www.jamesstorie.com/mostro/chat.jpg)
Hey Polpetta,
I started my chicks in a giant Rubbermaid bin (I used a box cutter to remove most of the middle section of the lid and pop-riveted screening on the top) and when they outgrew that, I moved them into a small kiddie pool with screening around the edge. They lived in my home office until they were big enough to move outside (we still had snow on the ground when I got my chicks home), and it got DUSTY in there!!!! Be forewarned [roll]
I used pine shavings - not cedar, as those are often treated with somethng that's toxic to birds. I also got lots of GREAT advice from www.backyardchickens.com (//http://) :) One of the suggestions there was to use a square dowel as a roost, even in the brooder (I put holes in the bin about 2 inches from the bottom for the roost - the chicks were all over it. I was *incredibly* lucky and didn't have any of my chicks die...that's unusual and I honestly don't know why I lucked out, because I didn't really know what I was doing.
Good luck!!!!!
Thanks! This is great information! I was getting a bit worried and now I am really excited again ;D
I have been thinking about the rubber maid idea a lot and was really happy to know that it works!
I am also glad that the chick's seem to live! I am not worried about them arriving dead, but me not knowing something being the cause.
Carl and I really liked the square dowel roost and [thumbsup] for telling us to keep one in the brooder.
We have bought the baby chick feeder and water and Saturday I will get the rest set up so it is ready for next week when they arrive.
How long before you change the chicks from the regular water feeder to "(as adults, we've got them on bottle waterers that have the little crook neck & ball bearing valves -- Petco stocks them for rabbits and crated dogs." I guess I don't know when they become adults?
"The circle keeps them from smothering in a corner." So do you think in the rubber maid I need to be concerned about corners? It will be Carl's job to check every morning that they are still alive. I will be attentive the rest of the day!
So the funny thing is this was my idea, and Carl was a bit shocked because I don't like birds. He has been thinking about raising rabbits for a while. We have been talking about rabbits but I thought I would rather start with chickens. My thoughts have been, that if I have them as chicks I will get over my fear because my want to care for them and keep them healthy will be greater. (I have no reason to fear birds other than seeing the movie when I was too young) I like being part of raising my own food, it is just a step forward from growing our own vegetables and fishing to fresh eggs and meat. This may lead to rabbits but we will see how I am with eggs and knowing there is one less chicken in the pen that I raised.
This is really great, if you can think of anything else let me know!!!
Quote from: Polpetta on April 30, 2010, 07:18:43 AM
How long before you change the chicks from the regular water feeder to "(as adults, we've got them on bottle waterers that have the little crook neck & ball bearing valves -- Petco stocks them for rabbits and crated dogs." I guess I don't know when they become adults?
Don't sweat it too hard -- I don't remember distinctly, but I know we poked a hole in the side of our cardboard box after a few weeks and set up a bottle waterer. I remember worrying about whether or not they'd figure it out, but chickens are pretty curious critters and tend to peck at anything new & unusual in their environment, and quickly discovered that the little metal thing gave water whenever they pecked it. As they grew, I poked another hole a couple of inches higher. Nate's advice about raising food & water is very good and I'll do that next time, though I suspect they'll still find ways to shit in it -- I've never encountered animals quite so adept & enthusiastic about crapping in and on things.
Quote from: Polpetta on April 30, 2010, 07:18:43 AM
"The circle keeps them from smothering in a corner." So do you think in the rubber maid I need to be concerned about corners? It will be Carl's job to check every morning that they are still alive. I will be attentive the rest of the day!
In my decidedly non-expert, just-four-chickens-to-my-credit opinion, i would guess you'd be fine with just six birds -- smothering becomes a threat primarily when you've got enough birds to form a recognizable pile, and it's a huge issue in the big commercial chicken houses where you can lose hundreds of birds very quickly if they pile up in a corner. A circular enclosure would be better, but plenty of small broods have done just fine in rectangular cardboard or Rubbermaid brooders.
The other thing that I forgot to mention about the brooder -- be VERY careful that you're not creating a fire hazard, especially if you choose to put it in your home (again, outside would be better). You've got a hot bulb burning pretty close to lots of flammable bedding, plastic, whatever, so along with checking your chicks frequently, be sure to double check that your heat source is still good and stable and not too close to anything flammable.
The only health issue we had with any of ours was when one of the chicks "pasted up" -- a nice way of saying "she had so much dried crap all over her butt that she couldn't crap anymore." It's a deadly condition, and I had to grab & clean her off with wet paper towels, etc., much to her profound, lasting chagrin. Now that I think about it, she's the lowest bird in the pecking order, and that's probably all my fault. [laugh] Oh well, she's ALIVE at the bottom of the pecking order.
Most important -- have fun; you'll do just fine!
Quote from: IZ on April 25, 2010, 08:43:09 PM
I was at my dad's house in Tucson this weekend and snapped a pic of his chickens and the coop he made.
He has a good looking bunch of chicks. The coop is pretty cool too! It's made of steel 2x4's, has 3 levels and approx. 10'x10'x10'. He has me thinking about getting my own chickens now! That might be too difficult though to keep up with moving every 12 months with a 1/2 dozen chicks in tow! [cheeky]
That's a splendid chicken coop -- My compliments to your dad!
Quote from: triangleforge on April 30, 2010, 08:32:46 AM
That's a splendid chicken coop -- My compliments to your dad!
Thanks. That's the prototype. The man is friggen McGuyver. He builds everything! Meanwhile..I'm more like McGruber. [cheeky]
If you want to talk chickens and building coops, ride down to PHX sometime. We'll take a trip to Tucson for a buzz up the Catalinas, stop by Renaissance bikes and then swing out to my dad's for chicken talk and beers. [beer]
Chicks arrived on Friday. I made a brooder out of a $15 rubbermaid drawer and $5 clip light. They like drinking out of the bottle rather than the standard waterer. The chicks seem happy. The dogs on the other hand are wondering why we won't give them the new squeaky toys.
(http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs089.snc3/15726_1455409233528_1482243195_1195308_2977401_n.jpg)
(http://hphotos-sjc1.fbcdn.net/hs109.snc3/15726_1455409073524_1482243195_1195306_5596222_n.jpg)
(http://hphotos-sjc1.fbcdn.net/hs109.snc3/15726_1455409153526_1482243195_1195307_657734_n.jpg)
They are just wonderful, they are cute and make me laugh a lot ;D
They of course are sooooo much easier then I thought...I had been worrying so much and then it is a no brainer. You can really see if things are OK by watching them and the way they act! :o
Boy they are really messy [roll] Carl made a great brooder, so it is pretty easy to clean!
We have been letting the dogs sniff them and then I have been placing them on the dogs head, neck, ears and back. (My hands around them loosely when I do this.) Fritz and Bogart actually lay on their sides. Jasper was a little to interested so he was told no and now he is a bit shy with them. (The way we introduced our three dogs) We're OK, now here is your brother and we are a family...our choice not theirs, now they don't want to be separated.
Any way this is really fun and I am looking forward to seeing them grow, I can't believe they are already growing.
Thanks for the great tips!
(http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-sjc1/hs521.snc3/29657_1282378581005_1276294830_30708488_899916_n.jpg)
A friend of mine's mother has 12 eggs that are about to hatch in her kindergarten class.
I've got 4 chicks coming this weekend. Looks like I better get busy building a coop...
Im super excited for the fresh eggs.
there's something strangely therapeutic about staring at chickens just hunting a pecking... I get lost in the moment. But then again, I get the same feeling when I watch clothes spin in a dryer.
...I think I need to get out of the house more. :-[
Oh your chicks are so cute!! And IZ_ :) Yay, chicks!!
I have had them for 3 days now... (http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs329.snc3/29053_1321063139867_1029470466_30740642_4317894_n.jpg)
I got twice as many as I wanted, so I think I will put an ad out on CL once they get a little older. I am surprised at how loud they chirp, it is such a delightful little noise to hear when I wake up in the morning.
Luckily I just put new siding on the house, so I will build a coop that matches with all of my scraps!
Quote from: Vindingo on May 16, 2010, 08:42:53 AM
I have had them for 3 days now... (http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs329.snc3/29053_1321063139867_1029470466_30740642_4317894_n.jpg)
I got twice as many as I wanted, so I think I will put an ad out on CL once they get a little older. I am surprised at how loud they chirp, it is such a delightful little noise to hear when I wake up in the morning.
Luckily I just put new siding on the house, so I will build a coop that matches with all of my scraps!
Congrats!!! Can't wait to see pictures of your coop :)
What kind are they?
I am having so much fun getting to know mine and watching them grow. WOW they grow fast....mine now have tail feathers, they are really cool!
They are so great, I ordered a couple just as pets today ;D
I love to hear them and watch them stretch and peck and flap their wings...they are too funny flying in their brooder and then running into the others.
They are really use to me know and fall asleep on me and they like to hang out on my shoulder.
(I can't believe I was afraid of them before [roll] )
Do you guys know why a chicken coupe has two doors?
Because if it had four doors it'd be a chicken sedan!
Boo this man.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
Polpetta says: [roll]
sac
Quote from: Polpetta on May 16, 2010, 02:35:58 PM
What kind are they?
I am having so much fun getting to know mine and watching them grow. WOW they grow fast....mine now have tail feathers, they are really cool!
I have no idea what kind they are. The lady who gave them to me that she ordered "egg laying hens" and assured me that they are all female. I guess we will see. Some are all yellow, and some are yellow with brown stripes on their backs.
One of my little chicks is starting to get some feathers, it's kind of bitter-sweet. They wont be cute little puff balls for much longer, but they are going to be chickens soon!
They crap, A LOT. 9 birds is too many, so I might be getting rid of some sooner than later.
I think the deep yellow ones may be Orpington's, they are suppose to be great layers! That's my only guess though.
With the ones I have, they also are the two that seem to snuggle in and fall asleep the fastest on me? I am amazed at how fast they grow.
Good luck :)
Well "the girls" are getting bigger and this is such a really cool process :D
Here is their new brooder, the first one was great for the first two weeks, they needed more room!
(http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs533.snc3/30267_1298835312413_1276294830_30744212_2967463_n.jpg)
(http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs553.snc3/30267_1298822072082_1276294830_30744196_6012125_n.jpg)
(http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs513.ash1/30267_1298830472292_1276294830_30744206_7070537_n.jpg)
Your birds are looking good!
I think mine are at about the same stage, ugly duckling teenager stage. Their feathers are coming in, they are starting to fly a bit.
Question about the ball bearing water'r - Do they actually get water from it? I got one yesterday and they were pecking at it, but the water level hasn't gone down all that much. When I had water in an upside down jar with a little trough, the water seemed to go much faster. I can't tell if it was from evaporation or they were just drinking more water. I am debating weather or not to take the other waterer out so they learn to use the drip waterer.
I will have to get some pictures up, and start on the coop this weekend. They are starting to roost on the top of the big bin...
I can't wait to see your pictures! :)
They totally drink the water from the ball bearing water, we have two and now the one that is positioned slightly higher is the one that they drink out of the most. They do drink out of both. The other water container was just a mess, this keeps things cleaner and they are really drinking and they like to peck at it...it's what chickens do [cheeky]
For two days, I mixed a little gravel and their food in a separate plate and now I have been hanging greens in their brooder and I sprinkle a little greens around on the floor of their brooder. They totally snack on the greens I have been counting the weeks till I could give them treats! ;D
I think one of my Delaware's is a cockerel, I have ordered 5 more hens, they should hatch on Monday. I am having so much fun! This time I picked out a couple to specifically be pets.
We are working on our coop this weekend too!
Post your pictures!
Did you decide to keep all 9?
The poults (turkeys) arrived today.
16 2 day olds...
and 7 weekish olds.
The older birds came from the grain store as leftovers.
We got them for $5
Pics to follow.
Very cool, what type of Turkeys?
I've had trouble with turkeys. They have that whole kamikaze thing down to a fine art. [laugh]
I'm beginning to think some sort of Avian Flu is spreading through the DMF. Hope I don't catch it.
Quote from: Polpetta on June 04, 2010, 06:05:45 PM
Very cool, what type of Turkeys?
All but 2 are broad breasted bronze...
Two are white...not sure
exactly what they are
Quote from: ducpainter on June 05, 2010, 04:03:09 AM
All but 2 are broad breasted bronze...
Two are white...not sure exactly what they are
They are DIMBY dinner plate specials.
Quote from: lethe on June 05, 2010, 04:05:37 AM
They are DIMBY dinner plate specials.
They could be, but they belong to someone else.
This is a cooperative effort.
23 Turkeys will eat a
lot of food come October.
I used to raise 20 every year and at the end they'll eat 150lbs of grain a week.
Grain back then was $6ish for 50lbs.
It's $14 something now.
Quote from: howie on June 04, 2010, 07:45:39 PM
I'm beginning to think some sort of Avian Flu is spreading through the DMF. Hope I don't catch it.
I've got two birds for you. Seriously. 9 is too many for me, and I would love to keep 4, give my mother 3 and you can have 2!
Im in NJ, so they aren't all that far away... [moto]
This is the coop...
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4066/4671872260_c79c317f15_b.jpg)
This is their brooder
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4026/4671247763_0afdf39bae_b.jpg)
They'll fill the 'porch' when they're grown.
Lunch Break.
Building the coop today!
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4024/4682223743_7180beda0b_b.jpg)
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4007/4682223775_82b344a0d1_b.jpg)
more pics to come later...
This is one of the best threads ever IMO. Amazing how many chickeners are on the dmf.
mitt
Quote from: mitt on June 08, 2010, 08:42:34 AM
This is one of the best threads ever IMO. Amazing how many chickeners are on the dmf.
mitt
Chickeners [laugh]
Buncha fricken fahmahs
Quote from: MrIncredible on May 16, 2010, 05:52:05 PM
Do you guys know why a chicken coupe has two doors?
Because if it had four doors it'd be a chicken sedan!
a chicken sedan [laugh] classic
Polpetta, your chicks are looking great!! :) They grow so fast :) Mine wound up living in a kiddie pool for a couple of weeks before it was warm enough for them to move outside. Thanks for sharing the photos :)
Quote from: Dan on June 08, 2010, 12:32:33 PM
Chickeners [laugh]
Buncha fricken fahmahs
You sound just like my neighbor, Mitch, who grew up on a Maine chicken & crop farm a whole bunch of decades ago. "Theah goes fahmah Brad" seems to be how he says hello lately. [cheeky]
One of ours woke us up night before last, clucking and squawking at about 1:00 a.m. -- right outside our bedroom window, which is a good 50' from the chicken run. We scrambled for shoes & flashlights and went out to find the gate to the run open (we'd forgotten to close it behind them after letting them run free in the yard that evening) and three of the four hens accounted for. A search of the yard found one dazed and confused Wyandotte hunkered down in the side yard. She didn't have any visible injuries, but she seemed pretty shell-shocked by whatever she'd just experienced. By the next morning, she was just fine.
We've got coyotes, raccoons, skunks & weasels that could conceivably have snagged her off the top of the chicken coop where ours always roost for the night, but I'd have expected her to be at least bloodied by any of those. We've also got great horned owls around, but there's not a whole lot of flying room inside the 6' x 12' x 6' chicken run (with a the coop taking up a chunk of that) for a bird of prey with that kind of a wingspan. The other possibility is a human chicken rustler who dropped her and scrammed when the hen started squalling and the outside lights came on.
It'll remain a mystery, but it does remind us to be more diligent about remembering to close the gate behind the girls at night...
Congrats to everyone who's got chicks coming into their awkward adolescence -- your first egg is right around the corner!!
good thing you got all your birds back! I have been worried about raccoons.
started raining this morning so I haven't been able to get anymore work done on the coop
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4018/4685317915_00feb2641e.jpg)
Great thread.. when I'm finally out of the city I want to raise chickens.. I eat 6eggs every morning,and a few with dinner sometimes as well.. chicken is also my main source of meat.. anyone raising them find it hard to eat chicken affterwards? I doubt I will..
Quote from: triangleforge on June 09, 2010, 07:56:41 AMyour first egg is right around the corner!!
I do love me some homegrown eggs. We can barely eat the store ones any longer.
What with the materials to build the coop, feeders and waterers, feed, and so on, I think our cost per egg is down to not much more than a dollar each...
Quote from: cokey on June 09, 2010, 09:09:25 AMI eat 6eggs every morning,and a few with dinner sometimes as well..
Hey, if a life insurance company calls you about a policy some guy took out on you, just go along with it, OK?
Quote from: cokey on June 09, 2010, 09:09:25 AManyone raising them find it hard to eat chicken affterwards? I doubt I will..
Meat chickens are different breeds from layers. There are very few, if any, true "all-purpose" breeds. Layers tend to be the "pet" chickens, so people I know who want to raise chickens to eat have one batch for that (to which they never become attached) even if they have a different batch of layers that they view as pets.
Our total cost is pretty reasonable; I haven't calculated it out, but we're definitely below the cost of free-range eggs from the store. A big part of that is that we had the most expensive piece of equipment -- eight 6'x6' dog kennel panels & associated hardware -- already on hand & built the coop out of scrap materials.
Good advice on the differences between layers & fryers -- I've never raised them, but I understand that some of the meat breeds put on weight so fast that they can't really walk by the time they're ready to slaughter, about six months in, IIRC. I found a good resource describing the differences at http://msucares.com/poultry/management/poultry_best_breed.html (http://msucares.com/poultry/management/poultry_best_breed.html) -- and learned there that our Wyandottes are actually considered a dual-purpose breed, which explains why our plump black & white hens lay smaller and fewer eggs than the scrawny little brown Rhode Island crosses, which lay these massive, almost duck-sized brown eggs.
I have heard that free-range laying hens that have lived out a full life make the best stewing & soup chickens. It's kind of a moot point for us, as the teenager declared them off limits to the stockpot... unless they live long enough for her to head off to college in three years or so, then all bets are off. (Shhhh -- don't tell!) I like 'em and really enjoy their odd, quirky personalities, but they're not pets.
5 are egg whites only lol..
There was tht one time, first time my wife ever cook me bfast.. 6 whole eggs in one shot.. I felt my chol shoot sky high lol..
I used to work at a Perkins (breakfast type restaurant) and one time I made myself a 10 egg cheese omlette for dinner.. .
and lived.
;D
So I wasn't able to buy a coop. The coops were either on back order or the people I was purchasing it from would receive it damaged.
I built a coop. Sorry for the IZ_ cell phone pics.
(http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1282/4688233494_6c1fa7a45a.jpg)
We were given 5 chickens. More than I wanted but I had no choice. Two adults, one is a year old and the other we don't know. The adults are rode island reds. Three two month old. I don't remember the breed names. One is a blue something or another and I don't remember the other two.
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4009/4688233316_46e2fd8d9c.jpg)
This one is Rosie (the kids named them.) Whenever you're outside she's right there next to you. It's the cutest thing.
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4033/4687601025_8fa64bf1b7.jpg)
We've had them for two weeks and no eggs yet from the adults. I hope they start laying soon or my wife is going to warm up that pot.
That' looks like a great coop -- much nicer than the one I built, and the kind of thing you'd pay a whole lot of money for if, you know, someone out there had been willing and able to take your money for a prebuilt one! [thumbsup]
Good luck with the egg production; wonder what's holding them up? Once they do start laying, you'll find the eggs make great barter fodder -- we've got a home brewing friend who happily swaps a 1/2 gallon growler of whatever he's bottling at the time for a dozen eggs. Just polished off what was left of his Hefeweizen, so our girls better get going so we've got a surplus again soon!
DP -- I'm really looking forward to seeing how your turkeys fill out! I really prefer wild turkey (both kinds, but the liquid kind's for another thread) or anything with a little more flavor than the frozen birds from the supermarket, so would like to talk a ranching friend of ours into raising a few...
I forgot to mention, we couldn't decide on where to put the coop. So I made it as light as I could and added removable wheels. I can easily cart it around the yard if we need. I We like where it is now.
I have a few theories on why they're not laying. 1. the car ride, about an hour, was too traumatic for them. 2. The introduction to the kids and the dog was too traumatic for them. 3. The feed I bought is really intended for the little birds. It's not laying feed.
The one excellent side effect of owning the birds has been that they eat bugs. Lots of bugs! Ticks, spiders, misquotes, black flies, ants, etc! They are efficient little exterminators. [thumbsup]
Our hens went WAY beyond what any of the books said they should before they started laying. They started in February, which is also not supposed to happen. Once they started, it was as if they were trying to bury us alive in eggs.
Quote from: The Architect on June 10, 2010, 08:44:40 AM
3. The feed I bought is really intended for the little birds. It's not laying feed.
If it's a medicated feed (antibiotics added; some chick starters have it, some don't) I've been told you don't really want to eat the eggs anyway -- they'll give you a super-low dosage of antibiotics, which turns your body into a great environment to breed resistant strains of bacteria.
Quote from: triangleforge on June 10, 2010, 09:08:43 AM
If it's a medicated feed (antibiotics added; some chick starters have it, some don't) I've been told you don't really want to eat the eggs anyway -- they'll give you a super-low dosage of antibiotics, which turns your body into a great environment to breed resistant strains of bacteria.
Wow. I'm going to have to read the ingredients as soon as I get home. I'm feeding them some Poulin Grain stuff and we give them some corn. They're usually pretty good about additives.
A dose of antibiotics is certainly not what I wanted.
They do eat a lot less than I had expected. I guess the bugs have been good enough for them.
This is what we're feeding them.
http://www.poulingrain.com/product_details.php?product_id=88&category_id=5 (http://www.poulingrain.com/product_details.php?product_id=88&category_id=5)
Anyone know what MOS is?
MOS: Is a natural product containing Mannonoligosahrides and Beta Glucans. These natural compounds help to prevent infection and spread of disease-causing bacteria by natural stimulation of the animals immune system and binding toxins. MOS has been proven effective in cattle, swine, poultry, rabbit, pet foods, and many others. Extensive research has proven MOS to be effective in diets with or without growth promoters.
In english I'm not sure what this means.... ???
The Organic Poulin Chicken feeds do not contain MOS.
Mannan-oligosaccharides (MOS) are widely used in animal feed to encourage gastrointestinal health and performance. They are normally obtained from the yeast cell walls of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Some brand names are: CitriStim, Bio-Mos, SAF-Mannan, Y-MOS and Celmanax.
From Celmanax:Celmanax® is a yeast extract and yeast culture for all classes of livestock. The product is manufactured by an environmentally sound process using biotechnology in a new way to modify yeast cell walls. The product also contains metabolites normally found in yeast cultures. The yeast culture component of Celmanax provides all of the benefits associated with yeast culture. It can help to improve palatability of the feeds, which can be helpful in increasing feed intake.
Other searches resulted SAF Mannan is classified a a prebiotic that helps maintain a healthy immune system, supports natural defences, promotes a healthy gut flora, maintains and promotes gut health.
I've noticed that our birds like to stick together when they are in the run. I've also noticed that they will poke their little beaks at anything that is in contrast to its surroundings. For these reasons I've taken to calling our chickens my "flockin' peckers."
sac
"Oligosaccharides" are chains of sugar base molecules longer than 2 units long. (Disaccharides include things like table sugar.) Oligosaccharides, then are everything from complex sugars through starches on to cellulose. The "manno" part means that some, or possibly all, of the monosaccharide base units consist of mannose.
Mannooligosaccharides, then, are fancy starches.
Speaking of fancy starches, our hens will happily (nay, enthusiastically) eat styrofoam, so a) hens have no common sense about what's good for them and b) hens can survive just fine eating almost anything.
Architect -- I'm pretty sure one of the big differences between chick starter & layer feeds is added calcium, which the layers need to form eggshells. Finding a way to supplement that - lots of chicken growers keep a small feeder of crushed oyster shells available to the hens - might help them get with the program. Ours seem to do fine on the calcium they get from the layer feed, FWIW.
Quote from: triangleforge on June 10, 2010, 07:20:54 AM
<snip>
DP -- I'm really looking forward to seeing how your turkeys fill out! I really prefer wild turkey (both kinds, but the liquid kind's for another thread) or anything with a little more flavor than the frozen birds from the supermarket, so would like to talk a ranching friend of ours into raising a few...
Well, we had one mortality of one of the day olds. It happens.
In the past when I've raised birds the hens average 23+ lbs dressed, and the toms go close to 30. It helps to get them as late as possible so they don't get too big.
The first year I raised them the toms were so big some people couldn't fit them in the oven.
I feed commercial grain free choice. Right now the chicks are on a 28% protein medicated starter feed. It's the only way you can keep them alive when they're confined to the brood pen. Once they go out on the porch and they're less inclined to eat their own poop they go off the meds and eat a grower ration.
I'm not ready to raise them on grass...maybe someday.
Thanks for the coop pic's, they are great [thumbsup]
Our run is ready, coop is still in process.....
Here's our "flockin' peckers." as Carl calls them [cheeky]
(http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs313.ash1/27817_1311092538836_1276294830_30779977_7439833_s.jpg)
Girls in the run, we keep them in their run during the day
(http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs283.snc3/27817_1311092938846_1276294830_30779978_1235229_n.jpg%5B/url%5D)
Here are the new ones!
(http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs263.snc3/27817_1311093818868_1276294830_30779979_3786606_n.jpg)
Couldn't resist look how fluffy she is!
(http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs263.snc3/27817_1311103099100_1276294830_30780003_133871_n.jpg)
I found out that if they have paste butt.... once you clean it, then apply baby oil and it helps! Just learned that today :)
coop is 90%. I still have to paint it and some other little odds and ends. They are living in it now.
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4001/4691058979_a1d35c5f58_b.jpg)
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4006/4691684690_395f09991a_b.jpg)
Aww, cute chicks.
Mine are currently in the stage where they look like vultures.
Vindingo, very cool! [thumbsup]
mstevens, post some pic's!
My 6 week old chicks actually were chirping at me to bring them in for the evening, last night. They are just a crack up. I was running a little late.
I am anxiously awaiting to see if any of my hens are really roosters...
We've been getting more visits from one of the neighborhood turkey familys...2 adults, 2 teenagers.
In the yard (one of the youngsters was hiding):
(http://paularickert.net/albums/userpics/2010-06-19_turkeys1.JPG)
And after the whippet barking and camera stalking caused them to take flight...I got a not-so-great action shot of one of them:
(http://paularickert.net/albums/userpics/2010-06-19_turkeys2.JPG)
BUMP...
Anyone get eggs yet? None for me, I think 5/9 chicks turned out to be roosters.
Chicken dinners soon!
Quote from: Vindingo on September 06, 2010, 07:04:33 PM
BUMP...
Anyone get eggs yet? None for me, I think 5/9 chicks turned out to be roosters.
Chicken dinners soon!
Not yet. I'm hoping the end of the month. Turns out the two old girls are just too old.
That rooster part sucks unless you have a pot big enough.
Our initial 4 chicks are now 3 pullets after they got out of the fence and something made off with one. If they're anything like the last batch, they'll probably start laying in February (which, according to all the books, they're not supposed to do) then push out an egg per day and bury us in eggs for most of a year before slowing to a crawl. We have 2 of our original 3 hens left and between them we get about 2-3 eggs per week. I'm pretty sure one of them has quit entirely.
Our girls (born around mid-April 2009) started laying around the end of September 2009; the first eggs were odd-shaped and infrequent -- and we didn't eat them because the hens were still on chick feed with antibiotics. We switched them over to layer feed.
The ISA Browns (a pure laying breed) started laying first, and the Wyandottes (an egg/meat breed) were probably three weeks to a month later. We got up to four eggs a day from four chickens, and then they tailed off a bit in the winter, down to one or two. We didn't push them to lay in winter with artificial lighting, but I think we only had one eggless day. They started up again in Spring, and then began slacking again in the heat of summer.
There was about a week in July when I thought they'd stopped laying completely -- that was until I discovered the cache of a dozen or so eggs tucked away in the corner of the garage where they'd set up an alternate laying site...
Looking back on the year plus, I'm still pretty amazed that we've still got all four of them. Pretty good for novice chicken-keepers in a neighborhood that we share with skunks, raccoons, coyotes & all manner of raptors, not to mention the dozens of other ways a hen can meet her maker...
Well, it really happened today, we found our first egg ;D
Carl found it, at first he though it was one of our wooden eggs....the girls were being noisy so he went to check on them and that's when he saw it!
It is little but shaped perfectly and had a nice strong shell :o
Well, we have no idea which of 12 hens did it... but this is very cool!
Congratulations!!!!! That's egg-sellent news!! Sorry, I couldn't resist the pun.
Hey now you can have eggs and [bacon] [bacon] with home-grown eggs!
LOL [cheeky]
We figured out which hen is laying, I saw her lay an egg the other day. She was walking around right before and I couldn't believe how much she fluffed her feathers out. She almost looked twice the size! (I was out in their run because Carl just built them a larger hen house.) This whole thing is just so amazing :o
The "girls" are starting to use their nesting box's too! (Well their sitting in them)
So far we have 12 hens (we can't believe there wasn't one rooster) one small egg, and two eggs that did not have a complete shell.
Here is a picture of the one right before she laid the two eggs that were in sacks not shells.
Carl did have [bacon] and a egg for breakfast Sunday! I though since he did all the building it was the least they could do was provide him with breakfast [cheeky]
(http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs615.snc4/59503_1402787631156_1276294830_31009693_3561_n.jpg)
Here are our two peeps.
The "big girls" hatched in May
(http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs303.ash2/58381_1402796111368_1276294830_31009705_6451713_n.jpg)
and our "little girls" hatched in June.
(http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs710.snc4/63044_1402799511453_1276294830_31009710_1297432_n.jpg)
Very pretty girls! Glad to hear they've started earning their keep! [clap]
That's what Carl said [cheeky] oh and tasty [laugh]
Our buff Orpingtons are about the same age but don't seem to be anywhere near laying yet.
The one seemed to get really loud, talking a lot for a couple of days.
She is the only one out of the 6 that seems interested in it? All of them in that peep seem the same size so I am not sure why she is laying and the others are not?
Well...
it seems one of the turkeys injured a leg or some such...it couldn't move very well, and since turkeys will pick on the fat kid...
when I went out yesterday to water there he was in the corner with a bloody head and back...
still alive and otherwise healthy.
He met an early demise...he probably weighed 25 lbs dressed so he was plenty big.
My question to all you would be what are your plans for your laying birds when they are no longer productive?
Pets?
Quote from: humorless dp on September 30, 2010, 04:30:00 AM
My question to all you would be what are your plans for your laying birds when they are no longer productive?
Pets?
We have a 9 quart cast iron dutch oven. Plenty of room for a standard bird.
Quote from: humorless dp on September 30, 2010, 04:30:00 AM
My question to all you would be what are your plans for your laying birds when they are no longer productive?
Pets?
Death and consumption.
sac
There was a city boy who had just moved into the country. He went walking around to check out his surroundings and found a farmer selling chickens. The city boy went over to the farmer to see how much he was selling them for. The farmer asked him if he wanted a male or a female. The city boy asked for both. So the farmer said, "Here you go, one cock and one pull-it." The city boy confused asked him what he meant. The farmer said, "A cock is a male chicken and a pull-it is a female chicken."
The city boy said, "Oh," and went on his way with two chickens one under each arm.
A bit further down the road he saw a donkey for sale. He went to the man who was selling it to find out how much it was. The man said, "The ass is 15 dollars." The city boy replied, "No, I want the donkey out side in your yard." The man just said, "That's an ass." The city boy, new to these terms, just said, "Oh." and bought the donkey.
As he was leaving the man yelled out, "Wait, the ass gets a bit stubborn about going over hills, so you have to scratch him behind the ears to get him going again." So the city boy is going back home and the donkey stops dead in its tracks and he can't get it to move. He can't scratch its ear because he would have to drop one of the chickens and it would run away.
So the city boy starts to fuss and yell at the donkey. While he is doing this a beautiful women walks up and asks him if he needs help. The city boy thinks, hey why don't I try to impress this beautiful women by using my new slang terms that I learned today.
So the city boy turns to the woman and says, "Yeah, could you hold my cock and pull-it while I scratch my ass?"
So. . .
that's how you met LM?
;)
We got eggs!
Two. One egg is about 3/4" long and the other is about 1 1/4". They should get bigger?
Quote from: The Architect on October 02, 2010, 04:48:04 AM
We got eggs!
Two. One egg is about 3/4" long and the other is about 1 1/4". They should get bigger?
The first eggs most birds lay aren't typical of what they'll do when they get into full swing.
My rooster wakes up at 5:55am. [bang]
Where is the "sharpening my knife" emoticon?
I think I might have chicken for dinner next weekend.
We are getting small, large, and jumbo eggs....from just two hens...it's cool but very silly [cheeky]
Is there anything I should do to help the other ones start laying?
Bake one, maybe it'll scare the rest into laying..
omfg
good one!
[clap]
[laugh]
LOL [roll]
We know have 3 laying out of the 6 that are at the right age.
Our Orpington started with small eggs and now is laying small, large, and jumbo....she seems to be constantly laying double yokes? Is this usual? The one Delaware and Plymouth are laying small eggs.
It's pretty cool we are getting about 3 a day right now!
Has anyone else had a hen that kept laying double yokes?
Got my first egg today!
(http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs391.ash2/66991_1477451369475_1029470466_31088407_6233919_n.jpg)
I think it was roughly a $300 egg.
Quote from: Vindingo on October 20, 2010, 08:07:54 AM
Got my first egg today!
(http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs391.ash2/66991_1477451369475_1029470466_31088407_6233919_n.jpg)
I think it was roughly a $300 egg.
Gotta love raising animals. ;D
I had a thousand dollar piglet once.
He didn't even taste good.
Back when I was gonna be a hunter, I shot a $1200 duck, and the dog wouldn't go get it.
Today was my first time killing a chicken. I had two fried eggs from his sister to start the day.
I was a bit nervous and excited. I invited a buddy over, but he had no intrest in helping me, or watching me kill the chicken. I tied the chicken upside down, and it didn't struggle at all. Its eyes rolled back almost as if it went to sleep. I grabbed behind its neck and cut across its throat. I don't think I cut deep enough because it only bled a tiny bit and started flapping around and squawking. I grabbed its neck again and cut a bit deeper. I felt bad because had no intentions on letting the bird suffer more than necessary, but it is what it is.
I had water boiling as I waited for the blood to drain. I bring the pot outside and the bird is too big! I run to the store, and buy a bigger pot. As I am filling the bigger pot with water, rooster #2 lets out a huge crow. I decide that I am going to have my hand at this again. I sharpend my knife so it is razor sharp. I grab the bird and this time the nerves have calmed and I take care of it the right way.
I think plucking the feathers is what will keep me from doing this very often. It smelled bad and it was a pain in the ass. I read online about all types of contraptions beforehand, but decided I should do it the old fashion way at least once. Two times was enough for me. It smelled like a combination of wet dog and urine.
Gutting and butchering the chickens wasn't so bad. Once the head and feet were off, it was meat, and I have cut up plenty of chicken. One chicken was cooling off in the fridge while I cleaned the other. I have to say that I prefer butchering a cold chicken to a warm ones. Reaching up inside to pull out a warm heart was odd. I looked at it in my hand for a while and expected it to beat. Now all I have to do is decide what I want to cook for dinner tonight.
(http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs291.snc4/40911_1481064139792_1029470466_31093437_3692145_n.jpg)
(http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs939.snc4/73250_1481064619804_1029470466_31093438_6622117_n.jpg)
(http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs924.snc4/73736_1481064939812_1029470466_31093439_4263506_n.jpg)
Quote from: Vindingo on October 20, 2010, 08:07:54 AM
Got my first egg today!
(http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs391.ash2/66991_1477451369475_1029470466_31088407_6233919_n.jpg)
I think it was roughly a $300 egg.
It gets better. I'm down to $18 per egg.
Nice job on the butchering. Let us know how you prepare it.
Save those hearts
they're the best part!
Nom!!
I'm not a huge fan of chicken hearts, or liver so I tossed them. I have eaten them plenty of times, but I just don't care for them. I ended up just breading one of the breasts and making a chicken cutlet sandwich. It was a bit tough, and not as delicious as I had hoped.
I think I will make soup with the other bird.
Ya I was expecting it to be tough. You're going to have to slow cook them some how. A soup is a good idea. How was the taste of the meat?
I agree with you on those parts. I just give them to the dog, not my taste.
Maybe a Coq au Vin with one of them?
mitt
My sister suggested coq au vin also... said that is what they do with the "old" birds or coq (rooster).
The meat tasted fine, it was juicy and well...tasted like chicken. It could have been psychosomatic, but it tasted fresh. Another observation I had was that the skin was much thicker and tougher than store bought bird's skin. I would imagine that delicious skin is something commercial chickens have been bred for.
Might also be the breed -- if they were a laying breed (looked like maybe a Rhode Island White?) or a mixed laying/meat breed, then they're not going to have the same build as a pure meat breed.
And since they made it this long, I'm going to assume they're not meat birds - friends who've raised those tell me they know it's time to start slaughtering and processing chickens when the birds can hardly walk anymore, after just six months or so.
I'll second the coq au vin or a good chicken soup - soup made with a six-month old meat bird will never taste as good as one from a tough old rooster or hen.
Quote from: triangleforge on October 25, 2010, 10:07:41 AM
Might also be the breed -- if they were a laying breed (looked like maybe a Rhode Island White?) or a mixed laying/meat breed, then they're not going to have the same build as a pure meat breed.
And since they made it this long, I'm going to assume they're not meat birds - friends who've raised those tell me they know it's time to start slaughtering and processing chickens when the birds can hardly walk anymore, after just six months or so.
I'll second the coq au vin or a good chicken soup - soup made with a six-month old meat bird will never taste as good as one from a tough old rooster or hen.
Finishing off the old layers...or any bird or meat critter for that matter on some corn for a few weeks will help that some.
My old dairy farmer neighbor always says "There's no better 'color' in the barn than fat".
An interesting read
http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Resident%3a+Chickens+can+make+a+city+comeback&articleId=57d63ac2-65b4-4ab6-b9d6-e8494f77b4bf (http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Resident%3a+Chickens+can+make+a+city+comeback&articleId=57d63ac2-65b4-4ab6-b9d6-e8494f77b4bf)
This farmer thing is awesome!
A few weeks ago I traded a rooster and a hen for a 50lb. bag of feed.
Thursday I got a 1/2 dozen freshly killed and butched venison sausages and about a pound of ground venison for a dozen eggs.
Today, three freshly caught black sea bass for another dozen eggs.
I feel like I am making out like a bandit, but so far everyone has been really happy with their dozen brown eggs too!
[bacon] [bacon]
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4103/5190460711_7ca5be1e08_z.jpg)
That's awesome.
I'm gonna try to barter eggs for live crab tomorrow. Thanks for the idea!
Sac
We've got a standing deal with a friend who's trying to get a commercial micro brewery off the ground -- a dozen eggs for a growler of whatever he's got ready for bottling. Unfortunately, our girls are slacking way off on egg production for the winter, so when Ann-Marie got into a baking spree last week, we (gasp) had to buy eggs for the first time in a year...
Quote from: IZ on April 25, 2010, 08:43:09 PM
I was at my dad's house in Tucson this weekend and snapped a pic of his chickens and the coop he made.
(http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss158/izaac10_album/IMG_0833.jpg)
He has a good looking bunch of chicks. The coop is pretty cool too! It's made of steel 2x4's, has 3 levels and approx. 10'x10'x10'. He has me thinking about getting my own chickens now! That might be too difficult though to keep up with moving every 12 months with a 1/2 dozen chicks in tow! [cheeky]
Down at dad's again today for Thanksgiving and took a couple more pics.
(http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa14/akido10/Chimby2_chickenwatersupply.jpg)
Check out the water system he made
(http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa14/akido10/Chimby1.jpg)
Another view from the north side of the coop.
(http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa14/akido10/Dadandhischickens.jpg)
The South side has a door he flips open to get to the eggs.
Going into the supply shed, I noticed dad's lil' kegerator that he also made. [thumbsup]
(http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa14/akido10/DadsKegerator1.jpg)
(http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa14/akido10/DadsKegerator2.jpg)
Your dad is Dog the Bounty Hunter?!?!
;)
Who took the pics for ya IZ..
Quote from: cokey on November 26, 2010, 09:50:56 AM
Who took the pics for ya IZ..
[laugh] [laugh]
Seriously though IZ, looks like you Dad is a cool dude. Anyone with chickens and a keg fridge would be welcome at my house [thumbsup]
mitt
Quote from: cokey on November 26, 2010, 09:50:56 AM
Who took the pics for ya IZ..
Someone figured out on the current phone that one must press and hold..wait for the camera to focus and then shoot. ;D
Quote from: Monsterlover on November 26, 2010, 03:17:54 AM
Your dad is Dog the Bounty Hunter?!?! ;)
You think?! Dog without the leather and feathers? I could see it. [cheeky]
Quote from: mitt on November 26, 2010, 10:22:46 AM
[laugh] [laugh]
Seriously though IZ, looks like you Dad is a cool dude. Anyone with chickens and a keg fridge would be welcome at my house [thumbsup]
mitt
Thanks M..Dad is pretty cool! Like I've said in the past, he's a regular McGyver. He's done it all! I wish I had a fraction of the knowledge he's acquired over the years. Someday I'm going to inherit his "estate" and I'm not going to know what the h*ll to do with it! Well, except for the kegerator!! [beer]
Now that it is starting to get cold, what precautions are you guys taking for the winter? If I put an incandescent light in there do I leave it on 24/7 for warmth? How do you keep your water from freezing? Does it mess with them sleeping? My two girls are still laying 2 a day, but I don't think it has gotten much below 30 around here.
Quote from: Vindingo on December 06, 2010, 08:29:53 AMNow that it is starting to get cold, what precautions are you guys taking for the winter?
Here in New Hampshire we put a heater under their waterer. It's designed specifically for that use. We also staple plastic over the wire of their coop to block the wind and keep it from filling with snow. We tend to feed them a slightly higher-fat diet during the winter.
Apart from those things, we don't do anything differently. We have barred Rocks and buff Orpingtons which are both large and winter-hardy. Our hens have a roost box to which they can retreat to get out of the wind, but they spend most of the day outside no matter how cold it is.
^^^ What he said.
When it's cold out here (meaning mid-teens), I remind myself that chickens do just fine in places like New Hampshire & North Dakota. A heater for their water would be handy, but we've been OK simply putting out fresh water in the mornings after it's dropped below freezing.
As for the chickens themselves, they're pretty hardy in the cold -- the one time I've been worried about ours was one night when the temperatures dropped to around +10 degrees with wind gusts up to 60mph after a day the hens spent running around in the rain getting soaked to the skin. Because ours have chosen to roost on TOP of the coop, rather than in it, I grabbed the sodden birds and stuffed them inside the coop against their will. The next morning they emerged peeved but dry & healthy.
As for 24 hour lighting, I've always heard of that less as a heater and more as a way to trick their bodies into producing eggs during a season when they'd normally slow down on laying -- supposedly, egg-laying is somewhat tied to the length of the day. We didn't do any lighting last year (our hens' first winter), and they kept laying pretty steadily through the cold months. This summer they started slacking off to around 2 eggs a day (from four birds) and with the cold weather that's now down to 1 or 2.
I have a 100w bulb in the coop and so far so good. We've seen temps in the teens. Plus the bulb keeps them laying.
I picked this up for the water
http://www.farmandfleet.com/catalog/product.aspx?i=556796 (http://www.farmandfleet.com/catalog/product.aspx?i=556796)
A friend of mine insulated their coop. I'm not going that far. But I am worried about the below zero nights.
Quote from: mstevens on December 06, 2010, 09:04:59 AM
We tend to feed them a slightly higher-fat diet during the winter.
Do they make a specific winter food?
And I like the plastic idea.
Quote from: The Architect on December 06, 2010, 04:40:58 PMthe bulb keeps them laying.
I've read that. Our hens began laying in early February and continued uninterrupted without any artificial light. They were probably just too dumb to know better.
Quote from: The Architect on December 06, 2010, 04:40:58 PMDo they make a specific winter food?
Not that I know of. We feed them pellets supplemented with table scraps. My wife is a bit nuts when it comes to chickens and actually cooks stuff up for them occasionally. We tend not to give them much in the way of meat scraps or fat trimmings in warmer weather, but they go bonkers over them at any time.
Quote from: mstevens on December 06, 2010, 09:35:35 PM
We tend not to give them much in the way of meat scraps or fat trimmings in warmer weather, but they go bonkers over them at any time.
We've given ours meat scraps occasionally, which they gobble up. The wildest was when I put out the trimmings & gristle bits after making elk sausage one night. It was downright scary...
I don't know why I haven't given them more scraps. We tend to stick with stale bread and that sorts. But from now on it's table scraps. Expect for eggs, don't want them to get a taste for them.
As one example of my wife's culinary efforts on the part of the chickens...
We got a bad infestation of pantry moths, which meant we had bugs in all our grits, polenta, specialty grains, etc. Instead of tossing them, she mixed it all together and moved all the infested stuff out to the barn, where it gained even more bugs. Every now and then she'll grab a scoop, finely crush eggshells and add that along with some water and microwave it to make gross mush. Top with chopped or shredded unidentifiable, unspeakable meat-like stuff, moldy cheese, or whatever, and serve. They go nuts. The favorite is chicken or turkey. Little cannibals.
Quote from: mstevens on December 07, 2010, 10:24:59 AM
As one example of my wife's culinary efforts on the part of the chickens...
We got a bad infestation of pantry moths, which meant we had bugs in all our grits, polenta, specialty grains, etc. Instead of tossing them, she mixed it all together and moved all the infested stuff out to the barn, where it gained even more bugs. Every now and then she'll grab a scoop, finely crush eggshells and add that along with some water and microwave it to make gross mush. Top with chopped or shredded unidentifiable, unspeakable meat-like stuff, moldy cheese, or whatever, and serve. They go nuts. The favorite is chicken or turkey. Little cannibals.
Not gonna lie, that's highly entertaining, but in a mildly disturbing manner.
Quote from: Buckethead on December 07, 2010, 11:20:17 AM
Not gonna lie, that's highly entertaining, but in a mildly disturbing manner.
In general terms, watching chickens is simultaneously amusing and disturbing.
Just killed my first chicken. I'm writing this as I wait for her to stop kicking. That was . . . unpleasant. I mean it was quick and easy, but it still kinda sucked. This was one of the little silkies that my wife had got more as a pet then as a layer. The whole brood has been stressed this week due to all of the rain. And they started picking on the little one again. Horribly. When I went to put them away tonight I noticed the little one's tail feathers had been plucked. But it was worse than that. The others had actually pecked her entire sphincter away. They have picked on her before, but we thought they were over it. Sorry you didn't have a longer, easier life little one.
sac
We are not all beautiful flowers, and life is a cruel mistress. Those who ate your sphincter will meet their demise soon. I hope that your keepers get 3+ meals from you.
Rest in peace, chicken.
James
Quote from: Buckethead on December 23, 2010, 10:24:33 PM
We are not all beautiful flowers, and life is a cruel mistress. Those who ate your sphincter will meet their demise soon. I hope that your keepers get 3+ meals from you.
Rest in peace, chicken.
James
that was beautiful ;D Sphincter and all.
mitt
Quote from: Buckethead on December 23, 2010, 10:24:33 PMThose who ate your sphincter will meet their demise soon.
I'll bet you just about anything this ends up as someone's .sig. It certainly should.
I know this is part of the life cycle, but I am very sad over this. I have been away and the rain has stressed them so much.
I am so sorry my husband had to take care of this while I was away and I am worried about my hens and all of this rain stressing them so much. I am sad I didn't have a chance to save her. I never thought I would be so attached to them.
They are a food source but also in my care. When I am home they know I give them extra treats every day. When I am away they are well taken care of but when I come back they have so much to say and are glad I am back with all their little treats.
I am so worried about this year being so rainy...I don't want to loose any more.
I love having them and caring for them and receiving their presents of their eggs and silliness.
I am sad we have lost one and worried that they will shift and pick on a new one ???
As predicted, our weirdos just started laying during the first blizzard of the year when the days are at their shortest.
Don't these birds read the manual?
Left the chickens for 4 days, with sufficient food and water, but noone to collect the eggs. It looks like 1 egg was eaten, and 4 others were cracked from being pecked.. One looks like it cracked from being frozen, but I hope they don't start pecking at the eggs.
Quote from: Vindingo on December 29, 2010, 05:05:31 PM
Left the chickens for 4 days, with sufficient food and water, but noone to collect the eggs. It looks like 1 egg was eaten, and 4 others were cracked from being pecked.. One looks like it cracked from being frozen, but I hope they don't start pecking at the eggs.
I have no FHE with chickens, but I would like to some day and follow this thread pretty close.
Regarding your absence, can you rig up a system that when they lay an egg, it goes down a chute to a collector they can't access?
mitt
Quote from: mitt on December 29, 2010, 05:14:16 PM
I have no FHE with chickens, but I would like to some day and follow this thread pretty close.
Regarding your absence, can you rig up a system that when they lay an egg, it goes down a chute to a collector they can't access?
mitt
I'm envisioning the beginning of a serious Rube Goldberg.
Quote from: mitt on December 29, 2010, 05:14:16 PM
I have no FHE with chickens, but I would like to some day and follow this thread pretty close.
Regarding your absence, can you rig up a system that when they lay an egg, it goes down a chute to a collector they can't access?
mitt
Quote from: Buckethead on December 29, 2010, 05:42:19 PM
I'm envisioning the beginning of a serious Rube Goldberg.
Probably could...
but in these temps they'd have to go somewhere above freezing.
Quote from: humorless dp on December 29, 2010, 05:52:02 PM
Probably could...
but in these temps they'd have to go somewhere above freezing.
If you are gone for 4 days, you wouldn't have to worry about some lost eggs though - more of a keeping them away from the birds.
A light bulb could help for short term storage.
mitt
I think the blizzard had a lot to do with it. Because of the snow, the birds spent a lot more time inside and the roosters don't usually go into the nests.
Quote from: Vindingo on December 29, 2010, 07:35:23 PMthe roosters don't usually go into the nests.
Why bother with roosters anyway?
Quote from: mstevens on December 30, 2010, 08:07:30 AM
Why bother with roosters anyway?
He probably bought straight run chicks...
and hasn't gotten tired enough of the crowing and general PITA to put them out of his misery...
and into the pot.
^^^ pretty much spot on.
The only other reason I haven't eaten those noisy bastards yet is because I feel like they keep my hens warm. At night the two roosters huddle around the hens. I don't know if it really helps, but it seems like it would.
Quote from: Vindingo on December 30, 2010, 10:57:47 AM
^^^ pretty much spot on.
The only other reason I haven't eaten those noisy bastards yet is because I feel like they keep my hens warm. At night the two roosters huddle around the hens. I don't know if it really helps, but it seems like it would.
I think they do that out of instinct...
they're keeping themselves warm and protecting their harem.
How many hens do you have? A half dozen would be fine without the roosters I bet. I had a couple of ducks and they were fine in the barn all winter. If you can block the wind I know they'd be fine.
The other reason I've heard for keeping roosters (well, aside from, y'know, reproduction) is that they can be OK at dissuading small predators like hawks & skunks. Partly by aggression, but probably mostly by being loud & obvious while the hens are cowering, and thereby getting eaten first.
Our four hens (I'm still astounded we haven't killed one yet...) learned a new trick two nights ago. After spending all last winter sleeping on top of the coop no matter what the weather, they decided that a foot of snow meant it was worth trying to sleep warm and dry on the INSIDE. Geniuses.
You wouldn't believe that this weekend all 3 of our dogs and 11 hens where roaming and hang'n out in our backyard together ;D The dogs made no aggressive actions toward the hens! [thumbsup]
Quote from: Polpetta on January 16, 2011, 08:20:49 PM
You wouldn't believe that this weekend all 3 of our dogs and 11 hens where roaming and hang'n out in our backyard together ;D The dogs made no aggressive actions toward the hens! [thumbsup]
Ya my dog has 4 new friends also. I was so sure he was going to eat them. He hasn't discovered the eggs yet. But he does love their food.
Our chickens are freaked out by the snow. They won't go out in it. So they're stuck in their coupe until April?
Quote from: The Architect on January 17, 2011, 04:53:19 AM
Our chickens are freaked out by the snow. They won't go out in it. So they're stuck in their coupe until April?
Mine won't step on it either. Once in a while they will peck at it, but they won't walk on it.
Quote from: Polpetta on January 16, 2011, 08:20:49 PM
You wouldn't believe that this weekend all 3 of our dogs horses and 11 hens where roaming and hang'n out in our backyard together ;D The dogs horses made no aggressive actions toward the hens! [thumbsup]
fixed it... ;)
Ours were undaunted by snow last year, but refuse to walk on it this year (unless bribed with treats as in the photo below). We've had an unusually cold January (hard on the heels of AZ's warmest December on record) and so the snow that fell just before New Years is still on the ground - usually, it's mostly gone by noon the next day. With a little melting this past week (and me shoveling a path to get the Duc from the garage to the street), their world is finally getting bigger than their chicken run & the little trail from there to our back door.
(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5168/5363495343_038c95d8a2_b.jpg)
Something screwy in the genes of the scrawny Wyandotte in the back told her body to molt right around Christmas time, so when the nighttime temps dropped into the single digits and we got an 18" snowfall, she was nearly naked. [bang]
Quote from: The Architect on January 17, 2011, 04:53:19 AM
<snip> So they're stuck in their coupe until April?
What do they drive?
Quote from: humorless dp on January 17, 2011, 08:19:17 AM
What do they drive?
Before the coupe they had this. But the gas mileage sucked.
(http://laist.com/upload/2010/11/chickencar1.jpg)
[cheeky] I shouldn't post so early in the morning. And with the cold my brain takes awhile to fire up.
[laugh] Very nice!
I got 3 more hens on Sunday from a guy who was thinning out his flock. I have 5 hens and 2 roosters now. He had about a dozen chickens and all of them stopped laying for the winter, but I took a few anyway. I don't think he was feeding his birds enough, and maybe that is the reason they stopped laying. He mentioned it was a pain to get to his coop because of the snow, so they may go a few days with no food or water. They look a little tattered and one has a broken beak, but hopefully I can get them in good spirits again. My hope is that seeing my birds lay and actually feeding them will get these girls back into production mode.
The new birds don't seem too thrilled, and they don't like my birds very much. It is funny how they have segregated themselves to different ends of the coop. I'm sure they will become friends in time...
... or I will eat them. [wine]
I can't believe you still have those roosters... :P
Quote from: ducpainter on February 07, 2011, 07:03:02 PM
I can't believe you still have those roosters... :P
I know! I was going to do the deed yesterday but I got lazy.
I have also started to enjoy the crow, so I am going to keep at least one.
How are your turkeys? The guy I got my last hens from had 3 turkeys in the cage with his hens. They were 3' tall.
Quote from: Vindingo on February 07, 2011, 08:12:52 PM
I know! I was going to do the deed yesterday but I got lazy.
I have also started to enjoy the crow, so I am going to keep at least one.
How are your turkeys? The guy I got my last hens from had 3 turkeys in the cage with his hens. They were 3' tall.
I only have one tom left. He was supposed to be New Years dinner, but it didn't happen.
Now there's too much snow out behind the barn and the water is frozen to do him in.
I'm gonna let him free range for the summer and we'll see what happens in the fall.
He may get a pardon.
He's huge.
Had a weird phenomenon this spring when the hens started laying again in earnest -- about a third of the eggs were broken and left behind a thin, rubbery remnant of a shell left in the puddle. One appeared to have been "laid" with no shell at all, much to the dog's delight. :-X
I set up a small feeder we used to use when they were chicks and filled it with crushed oyster shells that I picked up at the local feed store so they can supplement their calcium intake. I've read it can also be a sign to boost the protein percentage in their feed. It's only been a few days, but so far no more squishy eggs!
hey question.. do ya and if so how do you clean the eggs before consumption..
Quote from: cokey on March 28, 2011, 02:05:53 PM
hey question.. do ya and if so how do you clean the eggs before consumption..
First, don't clean them until right before you use them. Eggs have a natural membrane that does not allow air through and delays spoilage. The ones you buy at the store are washed then coated with mineral oil to replace the natural membrane.
I just rinse our hen's eggs under cold water, nothing more.
sac
^^^ Same here, for the same reason.
Quote from: triangleforge on March 28, 2011, 01:54:47 PM
Had a weird phenomenon this spring when the hens started laying again in earnest -- about a third of the eggs were broken and left behind a thin, rubbery remnant of a shell left in the puddle. One appeared to have been "laid" with no shell at all, much to the dog's delight. :-X
I set up a small feeder we used to use when they were chicks and filled it with crushed oyster shells that I picked up at the local feed store so they can supplement their calcium intake. I've read it can also be a sign to boost the protein percentage in their feed. It's only been a few days, but so far no more squishy eggs!
That should do it.
Are you feeding them a commercial layer pellet/crumble or something else?
A layer pellet
should have all the calcium they need.
They're on Purina Layena, which should have enough calcium & protein in it. If the problem re-emerges, I'm going to cut back a bit on the chicken scratch that I give them as a treat (since it's lower in both), but since it's a key part of my strategy for getting a motorcycle on the outside of the fence without chicken escapees, they'll still be getting some.
Quote from: triangleforge on March 28, 2011, 03:42:18 PM
They're on Purina Layena, which should have enough calcium & protein in it. If the problem re-emerges, I'm going to cut back a bit on the chicken scratch that I give them as a treat (since it's lower in both), but since it's a key part of my strategy for getting a motorcycle on the outside of the fence without chicken escapees, they'll still be getting some.
A guy has to do what a guy has to do. ;)
Our silly chickens [cheeky]
(https://fbcdn-photos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/221624_1695830077034_1276294830_31524232_1875180_s.jpg)
(https://fbcdn-photos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/215944_1695829917030_1276294830_31524231_6259992_s.jpg)
(https://fbcdn-photos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/215394_1695829797027_1276294830_31524230_6190938_s.jpg)
I saw a red fox eyeing up my chickens today. I gave a few knocks on the window and it didn't even flinch. I went out back, gave a shout and it slowly walked away. At about ten yards, it turned back to look at me, then slowly trotted off.
It really felt like that SOB was trying to say "I'll get your chickens..."
It was a beautiful animal though, could look cool stuffed in my room [evil]
Quote from: Vindingo on October 27, 2011, 06:05:55 PM
I saw a red fox eyeing up my chickens today. I gave a few knocks on the window and it didn't even flinch. I went out back, gave a shout and it slowly walked away. At about ten yards, it turned back to look at me, then slowly trotted off.
It really felt like that SOB was trying to say "I'll get your chickens..."
It was a beautiful animal though, could look cool stuffed in my room [evil]
I'd be sighting in the 22 ;)
We've had a noticeably larger number of skunks around this summer into fall; the other night I met one up close doing a handstand at the gate to the chicken run when i went out to close them up for the night. I backed away slowly and went back a few minutes later. No skunk and all chickens present & accounted for.
Quote from: Vindingo on October 27, 2011, 06:05:55 PM
It really felt like that SOB was trying to say "I'll get your chickens..."
That's
exactly what he was thinking.....
Is this true (about ear lobe color/egg color):
http://www.mypetchicken.com/about-chickens/chicken-pictures/Earlobe-Color-Indicates-Egg-Color-X23.aspx (http://www.mypetchicken.com/about-chickens/chicken-pictures/Earlobe-Color-Indicates-Egg-Color-X23.aspx)
Our chickens just got foxed.
Nothing left but a few of piles of feathers strewn around the yard.....
Quote from: ungeheuer on December 15, 2011, 01:35:48 AM
Our chickens just got foxed.
Nothing left but a few of piles of feathers strewn around the yard.....
How many did you used to have?
Quote from: ungeheuer on December 15, 2011, 01:35:48 AM
Our chickens just got foxed.
Nothing left but a few of piles of feathers strewn around the yard.....
That sucks
Quote from: ducpainter on December 15, 2011, 03:45:18 AM
How many did you used to have?
We were down to 5.... one of which was the worlds most ancient Araucana.
We let 'em out to free range.... have done for years.... I know there are foxes out there... seen 'em mooching around once or twice.... but we've always got to safely round em up back into the chook shed prior to this.
Was bound to happen eventually I guess.
Time for chook shed refurbishments and some new idiot birds.
My neighbors across the road have chickens.
They spend most of their day here.
We get eggs.
It's a good arrangement. :P
Murder my chickens?
Take THAT dead fox!! :-*
Quote from: ungeheuer on December 17, 2011, 01:50:35 PM
Murder my chickens?
Take THAT dead fox!! :-*
eye for an eye
score is still 5:1 in favour of the foxes.... but I'm patient [evil]
Quote from: ungeheuer on December 17, 2011, 02:12:00 PM
score is still 5:1 in favour of the foxes.... but I'm patient [evil]
with what caliber rifle does one shoot a varmint in OZ?
or do you use a bow?
I dont have a gun licence, so I rely on my neighbour's .22 ;)
But in this case...... I used a Ford.
Quote from: ungeheuer on December 17, 2011, 04:47:09 PM
I dont have a gun licence, so I rely on my neighbour's .22 ;)
But in this case...... I used a Ford.
The opportunities to use a Ford are severely limited.
I'd forgotten about the issues involved for you to own a firearm.
If you are truly intent on evening the score...
I'd get the licence if'n I were you. ;)
Quote from: ungeheuer on December 17, 2011, 04:47:09 PM
I dont have a gun licence, so I rely on my neighbour's .22 ;)
But in this case...... I used a Ford.
[clap]
Absolutely gutted about my chickens...came home from work today to find a scene of carnage in my chicken house. A weasel got in (I saw the little bastard but it was too quick for me to kill) and killed ALL of my birds. :'( :'( My little banty rooster (Little Jerry) had been pulled halfway under the coop, and most of the birds were headless. Seven years of chickening and never lost a single bird to a predatory animal until today.
That sucks...
time to wrap the coop in hardware cloth.
Any eggs survive?
Quote from: cokey on February 10, 2012, 11:56:55 AM
Any eggs survive?
Nope :( It's winter here, and my girls don't lay during the short days so I am totally dead in the water. :(
Liz
So we're down to just two hens, and AM & I are undecided on whether or not to start more chicks (the teen is a junior, the dog and cat are advancing in age... and we're starting to imagine life without any other living beings that need care & feeding within a year or two). The two remaining chickens are infrequent layers in their advanced age; I know where the Rhode Island lays, but I was pretty sure the Wyandotte had found some secret spot to lay her eggs. Today I found it:
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-OSE1GeruYxc/T3kgiHKbiGI/AAAAAAAAAmA/eOzoOUQBQ-Q/s512/IMG_20120401_133838.jpg)
Nice.. how many days did that take?
Over the weekend I heard 2 loud bangs. When I looked outside there was a police cruiser with a door open. I went out to see WTF was going on. A neighbor had called about a fox creeping around in broad daylight and the cop had tried to shoot it because it looked and acted sick. It got one of the hens, one of our original flock from a few years back.
Effin' foxes.
Quote from: mstevens on April 02, 2012, 09:14:01 AM
Over the weekend I heard 2 loud bangs. When I looked outside there was a police cruiser with a door open. I went out to see WTF was going on. A neighbor had called about a fox creeping around in broad daylight and the cop had tried to shoot it because it looked and acted sick. It got one of the hens, one of our original flock from a few years back.
Effin' foxes.
Bad boys, bad boys, whatya gonna do when they come for you, bad boys.....................................
Only in New Hampshire, Cops have to shot foxes. I wonder if he had to write a report?
Sorry to hear about your old gal. F'n foxes!
I'm wondering if he hit it.
Quote from: ducpainter on April 02, 2012, 01:12:53 PM
I'm wondering if he hit it.
Nope. My wife was out in the field with him. She said he muttered "Look at him just staring at me. He knows he's safe from a pistol at that distance".
Edit: He came back the next day to have another go. The fox looks worse, but hasn't been hit yet.
Quote from: mstevens on April 02, 2012, 01:16:40 PM
Nope. My wife was out in the field with him. She said he muttered "Look at him just staring at me. He knows he's safe from a pistol at that distance".
Edit: He came back the next day to have another go. The fox looks worse, but hasn't been hit yet.
Hmmm...
you'd think he could come up with a 22 rifle or a .223 to take care of things.
Oh well.
Quote from: ducpainter on April 02, 2012, 01:26:34 PM
Hmmm...
you'd think he could come up with a 22 rifle or a .223 to take care of things.
He didn't want to go back to the office to get the rifle.
Quote from: mstevens on April 02, 2012, 01:51:42 PM
He didn't want to go back to the office to get the rifle.
I was thinking he'd bring it with him when he came back the next day. If this fox is smart enough to know the range of a pistol I wouldn't expect him to sit by the road so officer friendly could take a shot at him.
Quote from: ducpainter on April 02, 2012, 01:55:23 PM
I was thinking he'd bring it with him when he came back the next day. If this fox is smart enough to know the range of a pistol I wouldn't expect him to sit by the road so officer friendly could take a shot at him.
Yeah, I would've thought they'd put the rifles in the cruisers if they were trying to get a rabid fox that's wandering through the neighborhood.
Quote from: mstevens on April 02, 2012, 02:10:21 PM
Yeah, I would've thought they'd put the rifles in the cruisers if they were trying to get a rabid fox that's wandering through the neighborhood.
It would seem to be a reasonably efficient method of having the right tool for the task. ;D
Pinky and Perky have been joined in the last 2 weeks by a juvenile Brush Turkey. It wandered in and is hanging out with them during the day and also sleeps outside their coop at night. Seems to have made it's home here now.
(http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/mm259/andrewb172/wildlife/DSCN0744.jpg)
Quote from: brimo on April 02, 2012, 04:34:34 PM
Pinky and Perky have been joined in the last 2 weeks by a juvenile Brush Turkey. It wandered in and is hanging out with them during the day and also sleeps outside their coop at night. Seems to have made it's home here now.
(http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/mm259/andrewb172/wildlife/DSCN0744.jpg)
Awwww, he wants some new fweinds! :)
Maybe he will stick around till November, all the while fattening up on seed! [evil] [drool]
Quote from: Grappa on April 03, 2012, 12:27:13 AM
Maybe he will stick around till November, all the while fattening up on seed! [evil] [drool]
It'll take more than a bit of chicken feed to fatten up one of those scrawny buggers!
(BTW we don't do thanksgiving here in OZ.)
Ok, have new chicks arriving this week. Should we let two of our broody hens take them in or should we keep them separate till they are older and the introduce them? Has any one introduced day old chicks with older broody hens?
So, I talked to a women today and she said I should place the chicks under the broody hens once the hens have been broody for three weeks. She said to do this at night. I will move the broody hens into our outside brooder next weekend and place the chicks under them that night. She said we should be able to tell pretty fast if the hens will take them in as their own pretty fast. Does anyone have any other suggestions on doing this? Our new chicks should arrive in a day or two!
How do you know they're broody? You might want to get a bunch of the fake eggs (a half dozen or so per brooding nest box) so that they've got a "clutch" to keep warm - based on what little I know, they're broody if they spend most of their time on those eggs, trying to hatch 'em. If she's spending time on the nest on plastic eggs, it won't take much of a leap in her little brain to figure that's where the new chicks came from.
In our case, that's how I know when our hens have found a new, secret spot to lay - when there aren't eggs in the nest box for a few days and one of the chickens is missing most of the time. When I find her, I find a whole bunch of eggs.
Good luck -- I was waiting for someone to chime in who actually had - you know - real world experience, but that's the best I can offer.
Thanks!
Yeah the two of them are clutching our fake eggs we have in their nests and any ones that have been laid recently for a couple of weeks. I think I should be in the safe zone by the weekend that they have been broody long enough to think the eggs are hatching. The person I talked to said that they know if it is about time.
I am a little nervous about this because the last two times I keep the brooder in our house under my eye. I am hoping it will work. I would really like to experience the hens taking them in! It sounds easy. We will see :)
Last night we placed our two Broodie chicks in our outside brooder. Tonight we just placed the chicks under them! OK, it was the sweetest thing, the two hens just coddled them under and the chicks buried them under themselves. The hens settled down and the chicks stopped peeping. OMG ... This was wonderful and might really work! Well I will keep checking on them tonight. This is so exciting!
So they made it through the night. I just checked on them again. I moved the hens and dipped all the hens and chick beaks in water. Started placing the chicks back under the hens and they moved their wings to shelter the chicks. The Silky hen moved a chick underself! The hens still seem like the are in a trance state, I don't know how long they will stay that way.
It totally worked ;D
Looks like we will be raising some chickens! Suz found out that our neighborhood will allow up to four (no roosters). I plan on building the coop and have some ideas, but could use some help. can anyone suggest a good online source for plans? Free would be best.
Carl has built two, you may want to PM him!
I really like the way ours work ;D
I bought my chicks from this website and I gather information. Also their customer service reps are great and can help you with any questions you have!
http://www.mypetchicken.com/?gclid=CPu48vbtlrACFTSytgodIHsh3g (http://www.mypetchicken.com/?gclid=CPu48vbtlrACFTSytgodIHsh3g)
This is another website I have looked at for info and ideas
http://www.backyardchickens.com/ (http://www.backyardchickens.com/)
This is a great piece of equipment, we added it after. http://www.poultrybutler.com/automatic-chicken-coop-door/ (http://www.poultrybutler.com/automatic-chicken-coop-door/)
We didn't know about it at first and took turns getting up to pen their door. This is also nice if you travel. So far they have never been locked out, they always put themselves to bed first.
Let me know if you want to borrow my chicken books again. My one book has plans in it. I could scan it for you if you like.
Are you guys getting chicks or hens?
I love having my hens and fresh eggs! Good luck [thumbsup]
Thanks Mel!
Been to backyardchickens for ideas on the coop =) What a great site!!
Suzy's buying the chicks local, pre-sexed.
That butler thing is a great idea!!!
Cool, keep me posted on how it goes! :)
Progress on the coop. Picture is from a couple weeks ago...framing is now done, with roof beams and door. Next is the roost enclosure.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v48/orangelion03/coopprogress.jpg)
Surprised a fox making off with a chicken as I rounded a corner in my truck.He saw me and dropped the chicken and spun a 180 and took off.The chicken got up and walked away,under the guardrail.Looked dazed.Not sure if it was OK or not.Knocked on the peoples door,no one home.Dog inside barking.
Neighborhood dog was down there a couple of weeks ago,hassling the chickens and the lady was all pissed off.What the hell is she thinking? You can't have free range chickens around here with all the predators we have. ???
Foxes,Fishers,Coyotes,Dogs....
orangelion03, new pis please ;D
Quote from: Polpetta on July 03, 2012, 05:01:16 PM
orangelion03, new pis please ;D
If you dont mind, I'll keep the pis to myself... [cheeky]
As for pics, I should make more progress this weekend. We had unforeseen dog medical issues and spent our coop budget on that. We're now flush again so I can proceed =)
Oh, please do [cheeky] should have been pics!
Hope your puppies are ok!
What happened to the thread? Read the whole thing, need more info :D
- moving to FL in the next few weeks and bought a place out in the country a bit. 2 acres and space for things like chickens, a garden, etc...
You'll love it! What do you need/want to know - and what would you be wanting to raise them for: eggs, meat, bug/weed control, entertainment, all of the above?
Im glad the thread is back. Im not going to have chickens myself because We go out of town too often, and the dog would eat them. but Im sympathetic to the idea of CHIMBY and kind of wish we could have them.
Quote from: triangleforge on April 05, 2013, 11:33:01 AM
You'll love it! What do you need/want to know - and what would you be wanting to raise them for: eggs, meat, bug/weed control, entertainment, all of the above?
I'd like a mix of both if possible (eggs and meat). I'd like to learn to be more self sustaining, and teach me 3 little kids the same thing as they grow up.
Ill post more on our yard when I'm at a computer later
Anyone near NY area have engh to sell?
Quote from: cokey on April 07, 2013, 10:04:01 PM
Anyone near NY area have engh to sell?
You can buy chicks at most Tractor Supply stores or Agway stores this time of year.
You'll have to leave the city though.
You can also mail order.
They have chicks at Big R or they did last time I was in there. I like to go in and look at them all peeping away, and then I go look at the rabbits. :)
Quote from: TAftonomos on April 07, 2013, 11:16:57 AM
I'd like a mix of both if possible (eggs and meat). I'd like to learn to be more self sustaining, and teach me 3 little kids the same thing as they grow up.
Ill post more on our yard when I'm at a computer later
Cool! That was our idea as well, though very early on the teen nixed the idea of seeing the birds on the dinner table; it was a compromise I was willing to make.
In my experience, it'd be easiest to get started with hens that are "dual purpose" laying & meat breeds - which often tend to one end of that spectrum or the other. This looks like a pretty good breed chart: http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html (http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html)
Of course, we walked into the feed store with a long list of breeds we wanted, and didn't see a single one on our list, so just got a couple of this color, and a couple of that, etc. It worked out.
Our Rhode Island crosses (I think the breed name is ISA Brown) laid lots of huge eggs but were a bit on the scrawny side so would have been most appropriate for soup, while the Wyandottes laid plenty of smaller eggs but were pretty plump birds. As you get things sorted otu and start replacing birds, you can experiment with some of the straight laying breeds (like Leghorns) and some of the meat breeds - which tend to reach slaughter weight as soon as six months or so after hatching. Or just stick with the mixed ones you like, feed them all layer mix & keep it simple.
I know this is a chicken thread...
but if you like to bake you should add a duck or two.
Best eggs for baking...ever.
I want eggs not chicks.. no space or backyard where I'm at.. -sigh-
Quote from: ducpainter on April 08, 2013, 04:09:21 PM
I know this is a chicken thread...
but if you like to bake you should add a duck or two.
Best eggs for baking...ever.
I have chickens but know nothing about raising ducks. Is there much difference in care? Do they produce as well? Do they get along with chickens?
sac
Quote from: SacDuc on April 13, 2013, 09:44:02 AM
I have chickens but know nothing about raising ducks. Is there much difference in care? Do they produce as well? Do they get along with chickens?
sac
They're pretty similar with regard to care and feeding. Layer pellets and oyster shells. They're messy with feed, and do better with a trough type feeder. They do require more water. They were great at foraging for bugs, and made use of the brook that borders the property for swimming.
I've never raised them together, so I don't know how they get along, but if you don't get an overly large breed I don't see where there would be any issues besides the fact the chickens might have a bit of an advantage in the pecking order because of their beaks.
The ones I had, Indian Runners, produced an egg a day in the months they had sufficient light. From the info my friends that keep chickens give me, the ducks tapered off laying sooner than the chickens they have. There would be a time in the winter with no eggs.
Quote from: SacDuc on April 13, 2013, 09:44:02 AM
I have chickens but know nothing about raising ducks. Is there much difference in care? Do they produce as well? Do they get along with chickens?
sac
I've been to a guys little farm that had turkeys, chickens, ducks, and a swan, all in one large house. I'd say there were 15 birds in total, housed in about 200sq ft. I think there were 4-5 nests, a couple waterers and some food troughs. They all seemed pretty chill in there.
I had ducks that pretty much luved in the creek during the day. We put out feed for them and they layed us eggs. The only trouble was the wild life down at the creek having them for dinner.
It might be a good idea not to take all the eggs so that there can be ducklings in the spring.
How do you keep them from flying away?
The breed I had didn't fly.
We had two breeds one that didnt fly and the mallard breed (the males have those green heads) raised them together as one flock. They know where the food is and where the rest of the flock is so they dont go far. Lots of times they would be at the neighbors but they would come back.
Not chicken related...
but we have 14 Indian Runner duck eggs in the incubator.
Been there a week today. Going to candle them tonight.
We'll see what happens.
edit...
12 of the 14 are fertile and seem to be doing well
DIMBY? :D
A bear got to my chickens. I'm done until I have time to deal with more mouths to feed.
I do miss the eggs.
:(
No bear meat?
Quote from: cokey on May 22, 2013, 06:32:11 AM
No bear meat?
Me and Mr. 45 are working on it.
I just have to make it look like I was startled and in fear of being harmed without actually being startled and in fear of being harmed.
^^^^just kidding...........
Quote from: ducpainter on May 21, 2013, 04:38:46 PM
Not chicken related...
but we have 14 Indian Runner duck eggs in the incubator.
I find Indian Runners very funny. My parents used to have bunch to start off the their dogs on herding.
Quote from: Scooter Montgomery on May 27, 2013, 06:46:02 AM
I find Indian Runners very funny. My parents used to have bunch to start off the their dogs on herding.
They're a hoot for sure...
...and prolific layers.
Update on the hatch...
out of the 14 we set 12 were fertile at one week. We lost two between the second and third week.
One has hatched and four more have pipped their shells. If they follow suit to the first bird they should hatch by tonight.
Hoping for a few more than that because drakes are pretty useless, and aren't going to stay, but it wasn't a complete flop. [thumbsup]
Congrats
Don't drakes get you free ducks? ;D
Quote from: Ddan on June 13, 2013, 12:35:41 PM
Congrats
Don't drakes get you free ducks? ;D
You only need one, and they're the horniest creatures that have ever walked the planet.
Last time I kept ducks I discovered that they were friendlier and more manageable without a drake around.
We'll see.
Quote from: ducpainter on June 13, 2013, 12:39:55 PM
You only need one, and they're the horniest creatures that have ever walked the planet.
Last time I kept ducks I discovered that they were friendlier and more manageable without a drake around.
We'll see.
[laugh]
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2847/9055514311_fac8099ac2.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/26408631@N02/9055514311/)
Ducks (http://www.flickr.com/photos/26408631@N02/9055514311/#) by nh_painter (http://www.flickr.com/people/26408631@N02/), on Flickr
Not bad for eggs that were shipped and incubated in a still air unit with wild temperature swings in the room...58.3%
Hopefully we'll beat the 50/50 average and get more ducks than drakes.
They're about 2 weeks old now and have probably tripled in size.
They're starting to get some feathers.
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7404/9164849661_04136728ea.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/26408631@N02/9164849661/)
Ducks 2weeks 001 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/26408631@N02/9164849661/#) by nh_painter (http://www.flickr.com/people/26408631@N02/), on Flickr
They weren't feeling very photogenic.
How long before they start laying?
Can you eat the drakes?
16-20 weeks.
It isn't the best meat breed. Very small.
From "Funny Times" in the "News of the Weird" section.
The Dept. of Agriculture reported recently that in four of America's largest cities - New York, Miami, Los Angeles and Denver - nearly one home out of 100 keeps chickens either for a fresh egg supply or as pets, giving rise to chicken services such as Backyard Poultry magazine, MyPetChicken.com and Julie Baker's Pampered Poultry store. Among the most popular products are strap-on cloth diapers for the occasions when owners bring their darlings indoors, i.e., cuddle their "lap chickens". Also popular are "saddles" to spare hens mating injuries - owing to roosters' brutal horniness, sometimes costing hens most or all of their back feathers from a single encounter.
This is funny. I used to think raising barnyard animals in the suburbs was just a thing amongst my weird homeschooled friends (I were home edjumacated... had lots of friends in the local homeschool support group). Looks like this has gone sorta mainstream.
We'd probably have chickens, but my wife has this thing about birds and diseases (understandably, from growing up in Asia). I think we'll end up with goats at some point in the not-too-distant future. I'll keep working her on the chickens though... I hear they help keep the ticks down when they are allowed to roam in the fields.
We decided to do guineas since they apparently scare away snakes and coyotes... 18 came in the mail. The psycho dog opened the coop and killed 14. 1 hid on the porch. 1 showed up this morning. We found a dead one this evening. The last unaccounted one probably got eaten or died somewhere else.
Quote from: Dirty Duc on September 20, 2013, 08:55:34 PM
We decided to do guineas since they apparently scare away snakes and coyotes... 18 came in the mail. The psycho dog opened the coop and killed 14. 1 hid on the porch. 1 showed up this morning. We found a dead one this evening. The last unaccounted one probably got eaten or died somewhere else.
That sucks
:(
It's not really that surprising... we just thought we had a little more time to train her not to eat them.
We trained her to leave the fish in the pond alone, so the birds should be possible too.
Maybe you could circle the coop with the electric shock collar wire.
Quote from: Ducatamount on September 22, 2013, 04:03:03 AM
Maybe you could circle the coop with the electric shock collar wire.
That would not even slow my pup down. Most dogs that are prey driven will bolt right past a shock collar fence. Heck mine treed two bear cubs and ran Momma Bear for 30 minutes before coming home exhausted.......
Sucks about your hens, I wish I had some advice for keeping the dog out.....
Yeah, we tried the shock collar thing to keep her in the yard. We electrified the fence. Now we only let her out when someone is around to let her back in.
She's actually really trainable, a family member let her out and didn't supervise her. It's the way of these things, really.
Quote from: Skybarney on September 22, 2013, 04:03:07 PM
That would not even slow my pup down. Most dogs that are prey driven will bolt right past a shock collar fence. Heck mine treed two bear cubs and ran Momma Bear for 30 minutes before coming home exhausted.......
Sucks about your hens, I wish I had some advice for keeping the dog out.....
:o What kind of dog was that to run Momma after treeing her cubs without getting itself killed? Mucking about when momma bear has cubs nearby is usually a good way to wind up dead.
^^ He is 80% timber Wolf and 20% Malamute. I stood under the tree with the cubs and screamed out "You hurt my dog I will eat your babies", I am sure that's why Momma let him live. ;D
He is a very large dog and went over a five foot fence to go after the bear. In all honesty I thought he was gonna be a goner. Momma bear circled back after ditching him, grabbed the cubs and split. I was happy to no longer be standing under the tree...... ;)
Pic of dog, maybe in the do thread..
G'Day yuppies.
I really ought to get our chook shed fit for feathered inhabitation once again :-\
The dog of doom has successfully not killed free range survivor guineas (while supervised)... and we are pretty sure why the little ones cause such stress. They sound like a pack of rats on steroids in a wooden house. Of course the part terrier had to kill them.
We'll train the puppies yet.
And we are not yuppies... yuppies have real internet.
Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmgaTPz63Bw#)
Got our first egg today.
We're so proud... :P
On another note...after we 'thinned the flock' of the surplus males we opened the door to the coop so they could venture outside.
It took a solid 3 weeks before they'd venture out. Yesterday they were in the dooryard of the old house.
They are back inside every evening at dusk...just like they're supposed to. [thumbsup]
Quote from: ducpainter on November 20, 2013, 06:41:13 AM
They are back inside every evening at dusk...just like they're supposed to. [thumbsup]
The chook whisperer ;D.
Quote from: koko64 on November 20, 2013, 06:59:03 AM
The chook whisperer ;D.
They
are smarter than turkeys. ;D
My folks never kept turkeys. They as smart as they look eh?
Quote from: koko64 on November 20, 2013, 07:19:24 AM
My folks never kept turkeys. They as smart as they look eh?
Dumbest creature in the barnyard...
except for
some farmers. :P
Getting 4 eggs a day now most days.
I have to figure out how to get them before they freeze and break the shells. They don't all lay at the same time of day.
Probably add some more bedding.
So....
a couple of weeks ago I forgot to lock the ducks in at night.
The next day two were gone and the rest, two females and the drake, were pretty freaked out. Pretty sure it was a bear...there were tracks in the garden.
I locked them in over bike week as they had pretty much decided they owned the neighborhood...including the road.
In the meanwhile I set 14 eggs in the incubator. Candled them tonight.
100% fertility.
If the averages play out we'll have 7 more ducks in 3 more weeks...along with 7 drakes.
I promised ducks to the two people that took drakes last year.
I think Bigboy can handle a harem of 7. ;D
Quote from: ducpainter on June 24, 2014, 06:39:37 PM
So....
a couple of weeks ago I forgot to lock the ducks in at night.
The next day two were gone and the rest, two females and the drake, were pretty freaked out. Pretty sure it was a bear...there were tracks in the garden.
I locked them in over bike week as they had pretty much decided they owned the neighborhood...including the road.
In the meanwhile I set 14 eggs in the incubator. Candled them tonight.
100% fertility.
If the averages play out we'll have 7 more ducks in 3 more weeks...along with 7 drakes.
I promised ducks to the two people that took drakes last year.
I think Bigboy can handle a harem of 7. ;D
Pretty cool animal husbandry skills. It's good Bigboy has you pimpin' for him.
I want to get a few chickens so they take care of snakes, toads and lizzards . . . thing is, I have 2 cocker spaniels and a cat !!!
The cat won't bother them.
If they were my dogs they would only do it once...if at all.
wife doesn't like the idea much . . . I said, fresh eggs and NO toads, snakes and less lizzards !!!
We would like to have chickens, if we had the space. :P
Good here you can rebuild your flock, dp. [thumbsup]
How does Zeke like the ducks?
Quote from: DesmoDiva on June 25, 2014, 09:37:41 AM
How does Zeke like the ducks?
They're cute and fun to chase, but they don't bounce very well.
Well, not more than once, anyway.
Quote from: DesmoDiva on June 25, 2014, 09:37:41 AM
We would like to have chickens, if we had the space. :P
Good here you can rebuild your flock, dp. [thumbsup]
How does Zeke like the ducks?
He likes the fact they have a pool inside their house... :P
He's also very interested in the eggs in the incubator. He looks through the window every day.
Quote from: ducpainter on June 25, 2014, 01:07:17 PM
He likes the fact they have a pool inside their house... :P
He's also very interested in the eggs in the incubator. He looks through the window every day.
He's just thinking they need some bacon wrapped around them ;D
Quote from: Ddan on June 25, 2014, 01:09:28 PM
He's just thinking they need some bacon wrapped around them ;D
omg too funny!!! that's zeke alright! [thumbsup] [bacon]
Quote from: Ddan on June 25, 2014, 01:09:28 PM
He's just thinking they need some bacon wrapped around them ;D
[laugh] [laugh]
Week 2, plus a couple days, and all 14 eggs still going strong.
What's the incubation time?
28 days
edit...
today is day 25...
the kids seem to be early. Most of the shells have started to pip and we can hear peeping.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
...and now one has hatched.
Well done!
There's roughly six...hard to count them as they're in a pig pile on top of the one's that haven't hatched yet. :P
edit...
now twelve.
They'll come out and go into the brooder tomorrow.
I'll give the two that show no signs of hatching so far another couple of days and then pull the plug.
Happy Births Day
Still 12...in the brooder
(https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2932/14657450091_8f696b4183_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/okegfK)DSCN1824 (https://flic.kr/p/okegfK) by nh_painter (https://www.flickr.com/people//), on Flickr
I'll wait a day or so on the last two, but I don't think they'll hatch.
Doctor Doopainter ;D [thumbsup]
This thread has been moribund for a while, but it seems worth noting that I'm back in the barnyard after a couple of years away. This time with eight hens* (4 Buff Orpingtons, 2 Barred Rocks & 2 Rhode Island Reds), and two ducks that were a bit of a surprise and one hell of a mess. The whole lot went outside into the new chicken coop ($8 and all scrap lumber, which means than not one stick of it was straight...) on Saturday.
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1632/25636077384_a1c65adbf1_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/F4nAEd)20160402_173114 (https://flic.kr/p/F4nAEd) by triangleforge (https://www.flickr.com/photos/7138702@N03/), on Flickr
*I've got my doubts about one of the Orpingtons, but I've read that the males of that breed aren't very aggressive or loud, so there's an outside chance that we might be able to keep a contraband rooster in our downtown coop. Otherwise, he'll at least be tasty.