We Have Chickens!

[Digital_photog]

In a few weeks we will be filling the incubator with eggs to hatch some more chicks. In a little over a month we should have 25 + more chicks here.

 

[Goosepond Monster]

Like Shibumiseeker said it depends on the breed. Leghorns are the most common laying breed because they usually lay more than about any other breed. We have Araucanas because my wife likes the eggs and the birds are larger and better for meat. They don't lay as much as leghorns. I think we have 25 hens now. In the cold weather the egg production drops off. In winter to keep them laying you will have to have lights on timers so they get about 16 to 18 hours of light a day and keep them in a warm enough house that the temperature stays at least in the 30 deg or higher range. We have eggs for ourselves, our daughters families and a few friends buy some from us. When we have any extra we donate them to a local food pantry. After trying fresh eggs most people don't want the stale ones they get at the grocery store.

I'll agree with that. I buy fresh eggs from a coworker and they are much tastier than those you get at the store.

 

[Wheezy50]

Sweet!!!!!! I didn't we know we had chicken farmers on INGO!!!!!! I'll probably have some questions for those of you who have done this for a while.......

I convinced my GF(by convince, i mean bring 8 chicks home from Rural King) that we should start raising some chickens for eggs. So for the last 3 weeks i've been working on their new coop an hr or so at a time. I just got it done last night, and now the work begins on the outside run. I've got mini barn that i caged off about a 6ftx6ftx6ft section for the coop. I put vinyl flooring on the bottom to make clean-up easier, and several roosting bars about 3-4ft off the ground.

I will cut a small hole in the siding of the barn leading out to an outdoor run. I'm planning to make this about 30'by5', and maybe 3ft tall.

For now my 8 little girls are in an old rabbit cage in the garage with a heat lamp. I got several different breeds, IIRC 2 Gold Wyndotts, 2 silver wyndotts, 1 Leghorn, 1 Araucana, i don't remember what the other 2 are. I've got a feeling this is going to produce more eggs than I can use, but several people have already spoken for the extras!! I bought 8 thinking 5-6 would end up making it, however all of the 8 are doing well, and really getting big fast!!

I will post some pics of my progress later!!!!

 

[shibumiseeker]

When I first started raising them I built a small coop and would let them in and out every day. Then I built a raised coop 4' off the ground with wire mesh and wood slats on the floors and built a pvc pipe ladder for them. In the summer there's a tarp stretched over the top for shade and in the winter top and 2 sides are covered, but in all the whole thing is just wire mesh. I put straw on the floor of it in the winter but don't bother in the summer. They stay much cleaner that way and I don't have to clean out the coop all of the time. They come and go as they please in the evening and morning and they are fairly predator proof since not many things can climb the PVC ladder. It takes a few days to get young ones used to the idea of roosting up there but once they catch on they're in there every evening.

 

[inxs]

Fresh eggs are great. Keep your day job so you can afford to keep the chickens.

 

[Sailor]

There was a post on ar15 about a guy that had rabbits and chickens in one 14*20 or so hoop shelter with deep sawdust floor. Something like 15,000 eggs a year and thousands of pounds of meat.

 

[techres]

Sweet!!!!!! I didn't we know we had chicken farmers on INGO!!!!!! I'll probably have some questions for those of you who have done this for a while.......[snip]
I will post some pics of my progress later!!!!

Please do put up pics! Especially of the coop. Always best to be the newbie right behind another newbie. This way I get to learn from your.... learnings.

Do you live in town or rural? If in town, how do you think the neighbors will respond?

Do share!

 

[patton487]

We've raised chickens for years. Right now we have Golden Comets. They lay a nice large brown egg. Can't beat fresh eggs!! When building your coop, include a "run" area, the bigger the better. If I can help in anyway, send me a PM

 

[Zimm1001]

Just out of curiosity. Do you have to put wire a foot or so down in the ground around the coop. I raised pheasants and quail for training my dog one year and two weasels easily entered the cage under the wire. Killed all but one pheasant. Ironically all the quail survived. Yes one of the two weasels did not make it when curiosity got the better of him and he stuck his head out of the woodpile. lol.

 

[Angie]

Im so jealous. I have been wanting chickens forever. Even brought home a order catalog. Hubby thinks coyotes will be a huge problem.

 

[techres]

Im so jealous. I have been wanting chickens forever. Even brought home a order catalog. Hubby thinks coyotes will be a huge problem.

So? You get chickens and he gets a new AR! Win-win.

 

[Angie]

So? You get chickens and he gets a new AR! Win-win.

Well thats not fair.. I want both and I will fix his supper with the chickens.Thats a good trade off I think.

 

[Pamcake]

First green egg today!

We have 5 kinds of chickens, and 13 guineas.

I would encourage anyone who is thinking about getting chickens, to do so!
They are so peaceful to watch, as they scratch & peck. Kids will learn a lot from helping to "take care" of them. Once they are out of the heat-lamp ICU, they get incrementally easier as time goes by, especially if you can free-range them. Right now, we have a "trial" fenced area (as you can see with the chicken wire in the photo, just in-place with T-posts & zip ties to see if that size pen works).

Normally we have a very high attrition rate, but last fall added the fence & a radio blaring (talk radio) 24/7 in the barn, & a motion-sensing light in the pen. Since we put those 3 measures in place, no more have been lost to coyotes/raccoons/whatever. WooHoo!!!

Some chickens are Araucanas (easter egg chickens) & we got our first green egg in today's collection:
(caution, some are unwashed/dirty as they were laid on the floor of the stall):

Here are some of our chickens. We have 2 roosters out of 25 "female" day-old chicks, as it turns out, that I mail-ordered last fall. Not too shabby. They are both crowing, a barred rock (middle left) & an araucana (foreground left).

 

[Ramen]

Pamcake, Awesome looking birds.

Do you move their pens around much or put them in chicken tractors by chance? How big of an area do you give them?

We are going to get some of the heritage breeds listed on the ALBC website.

I am thinking Buckeyes to start with this year.

 

[techres]

Well, they are all still alive even though they seem to be driven to escape which would mean certain death. The kids love them. I am ok with the "playing with their food" so long as they understand that these are "pets that you can eat" in the end.

The neighborhood kids came over, handled them, and got crapped on. The kids also thought it funny to put the chicks on roller skates and "give them a ride around the garage".

But, they are not dead, seem to be growing, and I am reviewing coop designs on the net. I plan to build the coop in the garage and then move it outside when it is painted and not an eyesore.

 

[84VETTE]

Sasquatchhunter had been talking about raising chickens, he needs to get started.

 

[dom1104]

Hey nice job on the chickens!

No self respecting survivalist would be without them.

We have 21 rhode island reds and a few wyandottes at the moment, building the coop this week actually.

So far, the total cost of the birds, and the various items needed, material for the coop, hardware, feed, bedding etc has been about 200 dollars.

And, a fun project.

I encourage the chicken project. Survival for most people means guns and ammo, when it really ought to mean food.

200 eggs a year times 21 chickens = some nice sustainable calories.

Next step is to make my own chicken feed, out of locally available crops.

 

[tedbower]

We have had chickens for years , at one time we were getting 2 doz eggs a day.

 

[Scarnucci]

This is our first attempt at raising laying chickens. We bought 10 Rhode Island Reds about a month ago. The coop/hoophouse took me about 3 days to finish, working off and on. I have about $300 invested in materials for the coop. I could probably cut that cost down if I had to do it again. Its heavy as heck though, not quite the easily moved tractor I had in mind. I was able to move it after tying it to my pickup hitch, but it really needs a set of wheels.

 

[leftsock]

I greatly enjoy the pictures and hope to have some chickens of my own one of these days when I get a bit out of the city.

I want to share this resource that I've enjoyed:

BackYardChickens - Raise Chickens, Build a Chicken Coop, Hatch Eggs