Do you have chickens?

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Permalink Reply by Joy Williams on January 31, 2009 at 10:26pm

Any update on Daisy?

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Permalink Reply by Susan Singley on February 2, 2009 at 7:59pm

The vet called to say that she didn't have mites or other parasites that would cause feather loss. However, another bird is recuperating on the kitchen table with bloody rump disease.

I think we have a nasty bird that is just pecking all the others. When I figure out who it is, we'll have chicken nuggets. In the meantime, we have to bath each of the wounded birds daily and keep them both clean and dry. I want to avoid antibiotics if we can, if not we can do a course but won't be able to sell or eat the eggs.

So this is the circle of life. Thanks for your well wishes.

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Permalink Reply by Penelope on February 2, 2009 at 8:15pm

If you stand quietly and watch the chickens and they forget you're there, you may find out which one is responsible. They also learn from each other, so you may have more than one pecking. Clean and dry is important; any blood spot or irregularity will invite pecking. In a lighted environment, some people use red lights to change the color of a blood spot . . .

Nothing like your own "red light district" henhouse . . . .:-)

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Permalink Reply by Vickie on January 29, 2009 at 3:52pm

ABSOLUTELY get yourself some chickens! Well, if you don't mind fencing off your garden area that is.
I have 38 at this time, and I can't imagine NOT having them. I'll be adding more come spring; actually they will be. They are excellent grasshopper catchers, as well as good "scat" leavers. LOL PLUS, there's not much better than FRESH eggs. I visited an "egg"farm once, and I NEVER bought eggs from a grocery store again. It's a whole different ballgame.
I don't know what your laws are there, but here I can sell eggs , and I do. I don't have any leftover... At $1.50 a dozen, my chickens pretty much pay their own way. Plus, there's no kitchen scraps in the garbage. What I don't get to the compost bin, goes out to the chickens.
I have Banties, Autralorps, White leghorns and a few mixed. Eggs everyday, even in Winter.
just my thoughts
Vickie

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Permalink Reply by Joy Williams on January 29, 2009 at 3:54pm

How much room do you have for them?

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Permalink Reply by farmgoddess.com on January 29, 2009 at 4:16pm

I just had to share this story. The past few days its been raining here. I live in Southern Virginia and its mud everywhere! I wear these huge red, space boot looking crocs. Anyhow I'm coming out of the coop with a bucket of eggs. I hit a wet patch of mud and both feet went up. I came down hard and eggs were flying everywhere... some cracking and of course the chickens love eggs, those cannibals, and the ones that were confused were hopping all over me! It was one of those moments where I a video camera would have insured me a spot on America's Funniest Videos. I hurt my back but nothing serious. I was so busy laughing I didn't notice the pain until I went to bed that night.

Susan how much blood are we talking about? Now and then my hens will lay an eggs that has blood on it. It doesn't seem to affect them but maybe they have difficultly popping them out sometimes. I'd check her again, in another day and make sure she's not still bleed.

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Permalink Reply by Carol Pierson on January 29, 2009 at 5:40pm

I have chickens Chris. I do enjoy getting fresh eggs. And I have no problem selling the extras. They are easy to care for and rather entertaining to watch. The only thing that I tell people is please be prepared for them. As with any critter, it takes planning. We built a coop and a run with overhead netting. We also buried about a foot of the fence underground. That keeps all the predators at bay. And believe you me, there are plenty. Ones that you don't even consider. Several years ago I raised about 20 dominque pullets from eggs. And had a beautiful orp rooster. The neighbors little beagle killed all but 2 within a matter of minutes. Even the rooster. So...my advice..Definetly get the chickens. You'll enjoy them. But go the extra mile as far as their safety.

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Permalink Reply by Diana on January 30, 2009 at 5:37pm

I'm from Georgia. I've gotta know - do chickens eat FIRE ANTS? What would happen if I get chickens and put the portable run over an fire ant hill? (which basically would be any place on the whole property) These ants are horrible, and we have LOTS. Would the ants attack the hens? the eggs or feed? Anybody have experience with this, I would love to hear that they would eradicate my fire ants.

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Permalink Reply by Penelope on January 30, 2009 at 5:42pm

I have seen them scratch and eat up ant hills. I'm not sure the variety of ants, however. I know they won't eat potato bugs. They love grasshoppers. They also like to roll about in the dust, probably a way of protecting themselves from mites/vermin.

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Permalink Reply by Michelle W. Flannery on January 30, 2009 at 6:25pm

Diana, I live in Georgia too. Chickens will definitely eat fire ants! They'll eat every fire ant you've got!

We had a few old hens that died off a few years ago. We are remiss in not replacing them yet, but they were special pets, and not easily replaced. While we had the old girls they ate every ant (including fire ants), flea, tick, and assorted bugs they could find.

I didn't realize how thorough the hens were until they were gone and the bug population increased. I tell my husband these days, if I drop dead in the yard you'd better find my body pretty quick or the ants won't leave a clue!

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Permalink Reply by Penelope on January 30, 2009 at 7:28pm

Does anybody remember that old film starring somebody like Burt Lancaster, takes place in the Amazon; the man has "carved a plantation" out of the land, and sends for a mail order bride. At some point army ants are on the march and destroy everything. I saw it as a kid at the drive in (we called them "motor movies" and was horrified, complete with nightmares. When I was in the hospital having one of my kids, it was on TV in the birthing room. Made me laugh the second time around . . .

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Permalink Reply by nancy on January 31, 2009 at 2:20pm

One thing we do with chickens in the summer is to cage them in what we call chicken "tractors". We raise meat birds this way, Our layers stay in a larger pen with a house with cages for laying, The tractors are homebuilt with chicken wire on top and the sides and an open bottom.They are about 3-4 feet high. There is a door on one side for feeding. We move them by dragging from place to place and they eat grass and weeds and produce manure for the pastures, We move them every day. We also put the tractors in the garden after harvest and they clean it up for us. The "tractors" are about 4 feet by 5 feet with some larger. But they have to be small enough to drag around with a rope attached to the front. We put a piece of metal roofing on part of the top for keeping them dry and a piece of wood across the middle for a roost.
Simple and productive. Chickens get fresh greens, We get weeds eliminated and healthy chicken meat. Soil gets fertilizer.

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