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Quick update! Anyone raise Chickens??


Moderators: TN Jed, Lickity Split, docric, sweetbus, Tom., Collie

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Meinvw

Tue Oct 05 2010, 04:16PM

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Looking at getting some chickens for the shop. Have not dealt with them since I was a kid so have no idea on what I need. Anyone raise them and can give some pointers? Housing/feed/ care tips greatly appriciated. Looking to get 4-6 hens for pest control/eggs/friends at my shop. Have about 3 acres wooded/field and need to know what I will need to do to make sure they are happy, safe, and protected. Thanks in advance!

[ Edited Mon Dec 06 2010, 08:40AM ]

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morgj

Tue Oct 05 2010, 05:29PM

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I don't know if she is on the new site or not but Heather raises chickens down in florida
sillystuntcustoms@yahoo.com

She used to be on the old site and is on facebook. Heather Richards-Blalock

Meinvw

Tue Oct 05 2010, 06:19PM

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morgj wrote ...

I don't know if she is on the new site or not but Heather raises chickens down in florida
sillystuntcustoms@yahoo.com

She used to be on the old site and is on facebook. Heather Richards-Blalock

I think she is on here now, maybe she will chime in. Been looking at backyardchickens. com and got a lot of good info there. Hopefully can get a coop finished this week and get some ladies by next weekend. Mainly loking for the best breed for my area. Kinda hard pressed from what I see for meat/egg laying chicks. Want egg laying only so as not to have the temptation for the eating option!

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Collie

Tue Oct 05 2010, 06:30PM

collie

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Her member name is: sillystunt

Try and PM her ?

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nhsyncronaut

Tue Oct 05 2010, 07:16PM

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I've always wanted to get an old bus, one way beyond repair, to turn into a chicken coop, happy chickens.

Happiness is like wetting your pants; Everyone can see it, but your the only one that can feel the warmth.

Tom.

Tue Oct 05 2010, 07:27PM

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Don't fall for the Chicken Tractor. It works, but it soon becomes obvious that a fixed coop is better with the Deep Litter Method.

If you've got three acres for them to roam get more than a dozen. There's normal attrition to count for.

They will put themselves to bed in the coop at dusk. Good luck catching them before then.

Heather really does know her birds.

Tom

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vwgirl

Tue Oct 05 2010, 07:44PM

vwgirl

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When I had chickens they were more pets than anything. I could catch them whenever I wanted and they would all roost on a tree limb together at dusk. I would get some for my three acres now, but my cat would catch them all within a week

fastmc25

Tue Oct 05 2010, 08:49PM

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Just right !!!

Peace,
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WVbus

Tue Oct 05 2010, 09:25PM

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I took a 18 ft stock trailer and made a chicken house for my 31 hens, complete with roosting poles, 15 nest, feeders and feed bins. A bay would make a good hen house.

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nhsyncronaut

Tue Oct 05 2010, 10:01PM

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yes, perfect.

Happiness is like wetting your pants; Everyone can see it, but your the only one that can feel the warmth.

markdearing

Wed Oct 06 2010, 07:03AM

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hey jerome Jerry and ms lupner have chickens also. I prefer the rhode island reds for laying hens. The smaller chickens can almost be wild . Lots of things seem to kill chickens also, red tail hawks are killing machines, but weasels, possums, foxes, and the most common Dogs later mark d

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Jerry Lives

Wed Oct 06 2010, 08:14AM

Jerry Lives

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We have Rhode Island Reds, they do real good laying, the eggs are brown and large, and fresh eggs are the bomb. Get a dozen sexed, maybe a good rooster (he will keep an eye on them), but you will be tempted to wring his neck. Then the fun ensues. Get down wit the peeps.

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Popsbus

Wed Oct 06 2010, 06:50PM

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Chickens are great! We are without right now, but have had up to 3 dozen. A good house to keep predators out with ventilation but not too drafty, is a good start. Couple of roosting poles is all they need. If you let them free range keep them locked up a few days before. that way as dusk comes they will just head right back in the coop. No herding required.

Or a good sized fenced area will be a great chicken yard. They don't need much. Rhode Islands are good layers of great brown eggs.

They are such a creature of habit we moved the coop one day and at dusk they just stood where it was. It was funny catching them and putting them back in, after that they knew where home was.

Rory
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Meinvw

Wed Oct 06 2010, 09:42PM

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Thanks guys/gals. I did raise them when I was younger, but many sleepovers in the bus have clouded my memory! I do remmber the Rhode Islands, they were as good of a pets as my cats or dogs. I am building a coup from one of my out buildings, maybe a 12x 8 so not much room for more than 6 hens. Have to put a run outside, but not a bad place for them. I do not want any roosteres, just hens.
After a bit f research, looks like I do want the RIR chicks. Would like to raise them from chicks, will give me the time to finish the coup and time for them to bond.

With that said will look for some rir as chicks/eggs so we can get the communication going, if anyone knows where to get some rir eggs let me know, here only have a few choices, but the early stages are fairly easy so hatchabile eggs are fine.

The memories of a man in his old age, are the deeds of a man in his prime.

Meinvw

Wed Oct 06 2010, 09:45PM

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Again thanks to everybody for the replies, found a site called backyardchickens.com that is a full bucket of feed for info on chickens. Trust my bretheren here more but if your loking at the same, or even in the loop a lot of good info on there!

The memories of a man in his old age, are the deeds of a man in his prime.

Busgirl

Fri Oct 08 2010, 07:32AM

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I LOVE my chicken tractor...I have Rhode Island Reds and Barred Rocks and they are VERY easy to train. I let them out in the morning to free range and put them up during the day no problem..the trick is that I do not give them any food first thing in the morning. They eat logs of bugs, ticks, and worms and grass. Then when I want to put them back in the tractor I just take their food out then. They will follow you anywhere as long as they want their food. The RIR are much friendlier than the Barred Rocks..the BR's are friendly enough, but the RIR's will actually come up and wait for me to pick them up and hold them.Both lay big brown eggs and they are great pest control. I have not pulled a single tick from either dog this year and have not used frontline at all this year. I like the tractor because in the winter I rotate it from bed to bed in the garden and didn't have to use any fertilizer this year! I had a banner year in the garden as well. That's proof enough to me. The tractor keeps the smell down since I move it every day and keeps predators away as well, because it throws them off since it is in a different spot every day. It has worked for me and I have not lost a single hen in a year and a half!

Live, Love, Laugh

Meinvw

Sun Oct 10 2010, 08:32AM

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Busgirl wrote ...

!

Very impressive!

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Broseph

Mon Oct 11 2010, 07:27AM

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heres a great site I was using for ideas on coops, theres alot of designs, I will have to wait til next year for my chick though, I gotta burn the pile where I want the coop to go..
http://www.backyardchickens.com/

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Busgirl

Mon Oct 11 2010, 08:21AM

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Yep, eric spent a week making that tractor without plans:) i love it and it's super easy to move...Poultryone.com is also a very helpful site...

Live, Love, Laugh

Meinvw

Fri Nov 12 2010, 07:52AM

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Bit of an update. Found these ladies yesterday, going to finish the hen house today and move them in. Kinda wild to come down to the basement and have them hanging out while I am on the puter!

Got some older vs chicks, with winter comming on figured they would do better plus they are near egg laying as well

. But a few pics of the ladies, calling them "The View"...!lol

The memories of a man in his old age, are the deeds of a man in his prime.

busdriver

Fri Nov 12 2010, 10:38AM

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My favorite nights at the Post Office were when a box of chicks or ducklings came in. peep peep peep peep peep peep peep peep peep peep peep peep peep ...

[ Edited Fri Nov 12 2010, 10:38AM ]

Judy Neville
Chapel Hill NC

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Meinvw

Mon Dec 06 2010, 08:44AM

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Wooooo-Hoooo!
The ladies finaly are starting to lay eggs! So far getting about 2 brown eggs a day, thinking 3 of them are doing the laying. In 2 1/2 days have 6 so far, no problems with retriving them except for Reba likes to yell at me when i pulled hers out! Of the nest that is! Think all but one will lay brown, hoping the buff one will lay green when she is ready. So Breakfast Burritos at future campouts should include some free range eggs!

The memories of a man in his old age, are the deeds of a man in his prime.

Meinvw

Mon Dec 06 2010, 08:56AM

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One more question, seems that the smaller one is a butwipe to the others. When they are out she will wait for them to scratch an area and come up and chase them away and eat what they have scratched. When in the roost, the bigger ones will pick on her and peck her neck and keep her in a corner. Anyway to stop this or should i just let them do their thing?

The memories of a man in his old age, are the deeds of a man in his prime.

vanagonjr

Mon Dec 06 2010, 07:30PM

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Yes, the pecking order is cruel. That's why I never like to add to existing flock. I've got 10 new layers now, can't wait for fresh eggs again. I've given up on turning them loose, we have lost too many, the last few were likely due to a weasel or pine marten getting in the coop. Now I'm replacing the plastic fencing that covered the top on the pen with wire.

Name your predator and we probably have lost birds to them, dogs, raccoon, fox, weasel, and hawk. I had chicks in a cage on the front lawn, our house door open, a LiMBO newsletter party going on and my wife shows with pizza and a red tail is trying to yank a bird out the top. couldn't do it off course, but 1 less to the flock after that.

We have also done at least 3 batches of meat birds (25 each time) - I definitely prefer layers!!! I agree with Mark - avoid the bantams, they fly up in the trees if they get out, was sick of trying to get them out of the trees at night - then the big girls learned to go 20' up - LOL!

It's great when they learn that when I call "chick-chick-chick that it means treats, they come running/1/2 flying towards you!
John

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vanagonjr

Mon Dec 06 2010, 07:43PM

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Sign is from the road from the campground where West River Westies is held. Dogs can get along with chickens, at least bird dogs can ; ) . That's my good old boy Tucker (RIP) but the new one, Westy, seems fine as well.

John

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