Do you have chickens?

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Permalink Reply by Chris Bocchino on October 2, 2008 at 1:09pm

Clarence I feel for you and it is TRUE that opposites attract. My wife is terrified of any bird, especially when flying near her. Although she enjoys hiking I have yet to get her into back country camping which I enjoy very much. She has never shot a gun and I hunt on a regular basis, she works in a offic eand I am the owner of a landscaping company........................Go figure. She does like the fact that I have a passion for gardening, but helps me about 15% in them, but I love her for who she is, I just ned to do a bit more molding is all.
Mo thanks for the info and I think I have finally convinced her to let me get two chickens (this is a start and yes if you give me an inch I will take a mile). I cant wait till I ahve fresh eggs of my own again. I ahve been getting some from a friend of mine wich will do but I really just want my kids to grow up knowing where thing come from. So many kids these days have no clue where enything comes from or what processes can be avoided by doing little things like raising chickes or having a garden or hunting for food not trophy. Hope everyone is doing well and thanks for the information.

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Permalink Reply by Clarence on October 11, 2008 at 6:10am

Chris,
Are you starting with chicks or started poults? The started poults cost a lot more if you mail order them, but may be just as cheap as chicks if you look around locally. Look for ads at your feed store, farm store, or news paper. There are alway folks that order more then they need and don't want to stew the extras.

With the started poults you will start getting your own eggs right now rather then waiting the five months it takes with day old chicks.

Hmmm... a landscaper... it will be nice to see how you work your hen house into your landscape. Keep in mind that wives and neighbors don't like ugly hen houses. ~:>

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Permalink Reply by Beva on October 12, 2008 at 4:33am

Clarence brought up a good point.. I too, wonder how you will incorporate the chickens into the landscape. A buddy of mine (where I go to buy my fresh free range eggs) showed my husband and I around his chicken coop. (I'm hoping my husband will soften and allow me to have chickens!!) My buddy has his chickens in a grove of fairly mature oak, maple and assorted trees. They are fenced around and he has two hen houses fenced individually. He runs his mature hens in one, and the younger brood in the other, rotating flocks as they age. He said never mix them, as they will fight. The point I am getting to is I think once Chris has chickens, he will fire his landscaping crew! My buddy said that all the leaves that fall from the trees within the coops, the chickens will eat, along with any weeds that crop up. I can see Chris saving a lot of $$ if he can figure out how to put his chickens to work!!
But, seriously, my friend did say, he has a back fenced area that after the chickens get the main yard all cleaned up of leaves, he opens up the back and lets them roam there too. It is good to see happy chickens doing what chickens are supposed to do! The eggs from these chickens are so rich tasting that I rue having to buy grocery store eggs!!!
My buddy did say sometimes a chicken will get up into a tree and over the fence, but usually all he has to do is open the gate and it is happy to get back in with it's flock. He keeps most of the limbs near the fence line trimmed to a height that they don't care to roost.

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Permalink Reply by Susan Singley on October 5, 2008 at 7:28am

Here is a question for all you poultry people.

This is my first year with chickens and I do adore them. With winter approaching I am worried about them. I made sure I got cold hardy breeds but I worry about their water freezing up during the day when I am out at work. Does anyone have an electricity-free idea for keeping the water from freezing?

Additionally, my husband invented a feeder for them that has one problem. He used PVC pipe to make a large feed holder outside the coop. It looks like a white chimney. The feed goes through a smaller PVC tube which he's cut in half longways inside the coop. Neat-o. Feed on demand. However, they roost on the feeder making it unusable. Anyone have an idea to keep them from sitting on the tube while still allowing them access to the feed?

THANKS! Susan

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Permalink Reply by Penelope on October 5, 2008 at 9:15am

Put a slippery cone-shaped hat on top of the feeder, something they can't grab onto with their claws.

In the old days, people simply changed the chickens' water several times a day. Make sure they have fresh water in the morning, check it when you get home and replace it if it's frozen. It there's only a skiff of ice, they will probably peck through it.

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Permalink Reply by Laurie King on March 7, 2009 at 11:23am

Susan, I water in the morning and night but also find that if you put the bucket of water down into a pack of hay or snow and/or in the sun it will be insulated and "heated" and will keep itself semi ice free at least. I am in Northern VT almost on the Canadien border and the water bucket in 2 of my non-insulated buildings actually does not freeze over even on the coldest days of the years with this method. Between body heat, solar heat and the hay pack around it, it stays pretty warm.
Laurie

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Permalink Reply by Clarence on October 7, 2008 at 8:15pm

Susan,

Your Hubby may have to put a piece of pipe over the feed trough, fastened so the pipe is loose enough that when the hens try to "roost" on it will twist and dump them off.

As for the water freezing in winter... I water when I get home from work. They seem to do OK.

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Permalink Reply by Penelope on October 8, 2008 at 7:58am

What's with the "old lady" business? How passe` !

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Permalink Reply by Dancing Creek Farm on October 14, 2008 at 10:35am

I have a lot of experience with this, all trail and error. I started about 6 years ago. My neighbor gave me my first hens and rooster. I allowed some to hatch and my population grew. Then when I moved to Virginia I bought chicks from 2 places. I highly recommend McMurry's because I have yet to open a box with dead chicks. I haven't read the whole entire thread so forgive me if I repeat what may have been posted.

BUY SEXED CHICKS - I ended up once with more roosters then hens. I still have 4 roosters running around the farm. I donated the rest to people to use as food.

When you get your 2 day old chicks unpack them right away and stick their beaks into water, getting them to drink right away or they might die. I put mine in a large watering trough I'm not longer using for horses but you can use a large plastic bin. Put cedar chips in the bottom, a chick waterer (not a bowl or they might drown in it) and some chick start feed. also add grit because they are not eating dirt now and they really need this to properly digest.

I keep them under a heat lamp, not too close but you want it around 100 degrees because if they get chilled they will die. I know you'll think its hot but they won't and they can focus on eating and growing. Be sure to put a fence or screen secured with boards over the top. Snakes and even rats will get into your pen and eat your chicks. I don't judge the time I keep them in there. Once they are old enough to NOT get out of my fencing (I use a 2 X 2 fence) thats when I let them out

Containing chickens isn't that hard. I've tired letting them loose to graze and lost almost 30 hens to predators. It also puts my other animals at risk. Not all hens will go back to the coop and I've seen them disappear in daylight too. I build a coop and then a nice big yard. I cover the top yard with chicken wire. I also put a long post to tent it so that I can still get in there if I need to. If it rains often it keeps the yard pretty clean but if it doesn't I rinse it down with the hose. Inside the coop I chase them all out, rake it out and hose it down well. Keeping it clean is very important for their health and yours. I then put a nice layer of cedar chips to help deter pest. In summer, in the dirt before the chips I sometimes spray garlic juice mixed with water. Then on top of the chips I put a layer of hay. My plan is to not have to clean as much and I remove the layer of hay which collects the poops, compost this and it breaks down quickly. FYI cedar does not break down quickly, HOWEVER it makes an excellent top mulch.

I feed my hens a combination of things and I KNOW for a fact that the quality and taste of your egg depends on this. My chickens are also very healthy and its rare I get any problems. I don't use antibiotics and such so its important that I keep them clean and healthy. I use a multi-grain feed & layer crumble. I have a greenhouse so I am always growing herbs and greens. I often grab hands full of parsley, basil, almost any green, lemon grass, etc. I throw it in for the chickens and my pet pigs, Then once or twice a week I empty a few cans of of that cheap, on sale canned salmon or sardine from the dollar store. THEY LOVE THIS! Remember that chickens eat bugs and when you only feed them grains they are lacking a protein source and IMO most of the feeds are crap. I also buy bulk rice and give them a bit of rice and mix in a little cod liver oil. In summer I always grow extra tomatos, melons, etc, they love fruit. Anyone that eats my eggs will tell you hands down I have the best eggs and a noticeable difference. If I did this commercially I'd have to probably charge 10.00 a dozen.. lol- BUT for a few chickens in a home garden, why not give them the best?

I have a free newsletter at danvillegrowgreen.com - I don't get to work on the blog during summer but in another month I'll be full force. I have pictures and video on how I do things, what has worked and what doesn't. There won't be any fancy horticultural terms. Everything I've done I've learned by reading but ultimately adapted to make it better and easier. I'm a lazy gardener. I always look for a better way to make less work.

FYI- don't let chickens loose in the garden. I don't care what you read. They will EAT your hard work and leave a mess.

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Permalink Reply by Marya on October 15, 2008 at 8:59am

Another option which is very fun for your kids is to get an incubator and some fertile eggs, and hatch out your chicks. The fertile eggs should come from someone who keeps chickens so you can get a breed other than white leghorns, and so the eggs don't languish in cold storage too long. You can order a small incubator (manual turning required) for about $20. One potential problem--you will wind up with 50% roosters, and need to have some way to deal with them.

I had chickens all through HS and miss the girls. My local zoning regulations allow racing pigeons, but not poultry. Go figure.

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Permalink Reply by Michelle W. Flannery on October 17, 2008 at 8:43pm

Backyard chickens are great! I totally recommend you get some! Besides the fresh eggs they produce, chickens keep down the bad bug population. Ours chickens practically did away with fleas, ticks, and billions of nasty stinging ants. Chickens are also very entertaining. They're theraputic in that watching and feeding them will have a calming effect. You'll smile and laugh, and if you're good parents, they'll come to you and let you hold them and pet them. Go for it!

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Permalink Reply by Beva on October 18, 2008 at 4:01am

Oh, you guys make me really want chickens sooo bad! We have lots of ticks and bugs I'd love to have chickens gobble up!! If only I could get "my old man" to agree!!
Can anyone tell me if the chickens eat Japanese beetles? That is one of the frustrations I face every summer... first the grubs eating any lawn, then the flying destroyers follow!

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