Let's talk Chicken!

[Bill Douglas]

Sorry Mike but that gave me the serious giggles.

[MBAtarga]

We just got 4 chicks to raise this year at our new house. The house already has a chicken coop about 8 x 12 feet x 8 ft high. I bought the "Raising Chickens for Dummys" book off Amazon and learned quite a bit. Our chicks are just about 10 weeks in age - so we expect them to start laying in about another 10 weeks. What has really been interesting is observing how they each have their own personality.

[83_Silberpfeil]

There's even a discussion forum on that site. I bet there's an Off Topic thread talking about buying classic air cooled 911's.

"http://www.backyardchickens.com" target="_blank">www.backyardchickens.com

[PorscheGAL]

Originally Posted by 83_Silberpfeil

There's even a discussion forum on that site. I bet there's an Off Topic thread talking about buying classic air cooled 911's.

Yes there is an off topics but they are very strict about no politics and religion. They will erase the entire post. Insulting people is strictly against the rules and will also result in erasing of the post.

Just weeding through the website will get you most of the info you need to start the flock and maintain it. There are many good books out there. Honestly a search on the website will answer all you questions. Their search function is excellent.

[A930Rocket]

[JavaBrewer]

My son started his chicken project in early 2015. He lost 2 chicks in the process but ended up with 1 rooster and 5 hens. At about 4-5 months the hens began laying eggs. We let the birds free range during the day (almost acre property) and they return to their coop at night. Well our son went off to college this year so the wife and I paired it down to 2 hens - gave the rooster and 3 hens to friends. All was good and the eggs were delicious.

We had fun with our chickens. They definitely have their individual personalities. In the late afternoon they would join the wife and I during our ritual glass of wine before dinner event.

Here are Boo Radley and Jem in happier times.


We lost Boo this week to a predator. Came home from work to find her feathers all over the yard and Jem was hiding out in a tree. I don't think it would be good to keep Jem all alone so we're going to give her to a neighbor who already has chickens. Bummer. Bad idea naming them I guess...

[john70t]

Every year, the local Tractor Supply has oblong bins full of different chicken breeds and ducks.
Hundreds of little peepers.
A couple bucks apiece, almost free.
Very difficult to walk by un-noticed.

[Skytrooper]

I currently have 19 chickens, 18 Hens and 1 prick of a rooster. I am on my 3rd generation of chickens, the hens having got broody and hatched several chicks. They all live in very good temperment and the rooster watches over the chicks with a firm hand. He even cuddles with them to sleep. I thoroughly enjoy my chickens...and love all the fresh eggs

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by ckelly78z

Google and build something called a "chicken tractor". It is a movable fenced in area with sides, top, and bottem that has two wheels on one end, and handles on the other to move it around every day in the yard to get a fresh patch of grass and area to scratch for the chickens.

We have free range chickens that produce FAR more eggs being able to eat bugs, grass, and get sunshine than when they were in a stationery coop the previous Summer.

This. It's a way better solution than a static chicken coop.

[MT930]

My Favorite Chicken

Healthy, Inexpensive, Delicious.

[LakeCleElum]

Way back when I was a kid, we ordered a box of 50 newly hatched chicks from the Sears Catalog stoe every spring. You had to be near the party line phone and pick the up right away....today, the grocery store is my friend.

[ckelly78z]

We have about 15 laying hens and about 20 meat chickens just now getting big enough to butcher. They are completely free range, and have the run of our 5 acres, but all come back to the big horse barn to roost at night. They eat alot of bugs from the yard, and the woods along our creek. They combined the bean field yesterday, so that is thier new favorite place (alot of residual droppage).

If I lived in town, I would have an indoor/outdoor coop/run and then build myself a chicken tractor to be mobile around the yard on nice days. With the chicken tractor, you can move them every day and they will forage from different areas of your yard without tearing it down to bare dirt.

[reachme]

I live in town on 1/3 acre, had chickens for about 8 years now and the hens know where the property line is somehow. Kids treat them as pets but they really need little care and 40 feet away from the house we never smell anything. We clean it every 2 weeks and less in middle of winter.

In addition to fresh healthy eggs, they eat all the ticks/bugs/spiders in the yard and poop out fertilizer as they roam. The comment about what to do after they stop laying is valid. they live for about 10 years but only lay for about 3 years starting at 6 months. By the time they stop laying they have worked their way into pet status-I am considering "rent-a-fox" to come clean house.

Really they need minimal space and no trips to the vet.

[aigel]

I wish I could pull this off. But the city asks for an "animal fancier's permit" to be renewed yearly, with a visit from animal control, and a fee of course. I don't think so. And the yard is too small to go without permit - neighbors definitely will know. And then there are two hunting dogs ...

I assessed the situation recently, actually. A guy from work gave me one of his chickens that was getting picked on badly in his other chickens. After my assessment, I told him, all the room I had was in the soup pot. He could not find a home for it. So, we had very good chicken soup. Egg laying hens make awesome soup. Even very old chickens. Actually, it turned out the chicken was barren. It was young. Maybe because it was picked on? Or vice versa? A TRUE chicken and egg problem!

G

[John Rogers]

Several things I'd look at, first how many chickens can you have which in the San Diego area depends on the lot square footage. Up where you live it will probably vary? As an example, we have 1/5 acre lots where I live and we could have up to 6 chickens. Next is the wild life near by such as foxes, coyotes or anything else that might eat them. A coyote can smell them a mile away my neighbor told me and his chicken coop is built like Fort Knox to keep the bad guys out! Last of all I would mention it to the neighbors, offer to share eggs, etc so they stay on the friendly side.