Chickens.....

49erRider

49erRider

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So, my kids and I have decided we want to get a few chickens. 3-4 probably and more so just a thing to do now that we have some land. Anyone have any advice, on where to start? Any advice on a good size coop that will give them some room.

Sorry complete newb on this one.
 
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Chicken tractors are nice if you have the room. You can move it to keep them from destroying the grass and it offers good protection from predators like dogs/foxes as well as hawks and owls.

We let ours free range during the day, they do a good job clearing out ticks and pests, but they got locked up in a coop at night.
 
Whoknows said:
Chicken tractors are nice if you have the room. You can move it to keep them from destroying the grass and it offers good protection from predators like dogs/foxes as well as hawks and owls.

We let ours free range during the day, they do a good job clearing out ticks and pests, but they got locked up in a coop at night.
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I'm on about 4 acres. Should I keep them close to the house, further away? I wouldn't mind free range during the day either do they typically stay around the coop?
 
We have tons of hawks and osprey around here. The chickens are fine as long as they stay in the pasture with the livestock guard dogs, but if they fly over the fence they typically become raptor food. We keep the laying hens in an enclosed lot, but once they have laid out, they get turned out to the pasture with the other animals. Had a osprey kill a bantam hen on the sidewalk next to the front porch steps. She would not stay in the pasture.

If you have stray dogs, cats, foxes, coyotes or raptors near you, free range chickens will not last long.
 
49erRider said:
I'm on about 4 acres. Should I keep them close to the house, further away? I wouldn't mind free range during the day either do they typically stay around the coop?
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Depends, be aware they’ll tear up any mulch you have. We also have several dogs that keep predators away. If you don’t have dogs I’d suggest keeping them enclosed. They don’t usually stray too far from the coop but they do have different personalities. Are you wanting just laying hens or a rooster as well?
 
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Personal chicken farming is tough. I’ve been at it for about 12 years. And still going.

Your best bet is to build a coop, a run and build a roof of deer netting. Add an electric hot wire to the bottom of the fence. Otherwise it’s just a matter of time before your investment is nothing more than a pile of feathers, guts, blood, flies and dispair.
 
We have foxes, yotes, raccoons, hawks, and cats. In 7? years we've lost 3 birds to predation. One decided she was gonna start staying out at night. Years later we lost two in one evening, a raccoon managed to push in a screen on the coop, coincidence or not the horses happened to be away when the raccoons got bold. The coop is between the house and the horse dry lot.

6a-3p they have a covered dog run plus area under coop. 3 - 30/40 minutes past sunset they free range, they wander about a hundred yard radius. They will jack up mulch, gravel, flower beds, anything they can dig. Have noticed no drop in insects, observation is they love near microscopic ants most. They're hell on snakes too.
 
Try it & just follow a plan that considers predator's.
I can take my Remington 511X with Eley Ten-X & 3X9 Leupold. Aim it out the Living room winder & pop most anything messin with my chickens.
Fence in your yard with 2X 4 wire with 1" chicken wire 2' around the wire cover the fenced in area with plastic bird netting, we have big Hawks here in the Mountains.

You can build a chicken coop yourself from scrap wood & odds & ends it's easy & fun stuff it with nice clean bedding straw & the girls will love it.
You do plan on one Rooster I hope, it keep the girls happy & makes your eggs all the better.



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Don’t over think it. Do your best to protect them, but remember they’re a prey bird and they’re food.

We lost one to a opossum a several weeks back. We keep the chickens under a car port with a large dog kennel around it and netting over part of it. Caught the possum in a have a heart cage and shot it.
 
And ,from experience, I can tell you that once a predator figures out fresh chicken is on the menu, it will return every day until the food source is gone.
 
Until recently when we moved , the Wife had layers for years. Worth it? Depends, its gonna cost to build a coop, cost to build a run where predators cant get to them and then feed them chicken feed to get " Free Eggs" The cheapest part of all this is the cost of the chickens, remember you dont need a rooster to get eggs from. Buy the youngest birds you can because their egg production declines in years. From 1 day old chicks it will take about 6-10 months of you taking care of them and feeding before they lay their first egg depending on the breed. The first time they are laying is when you going to get a lot of double yolk eggs . In that first year your hens will lay every day, the second year an egg every 1.5 days and as they age, your just feeding them cause the your used to it. Once again, egg production depends on the breed. Personally I like the easter eggers, the eggs might be a bit smaller then a Barred rock or Rhoad Island but they look pretty in the basket.
 
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Lager said:
Until recently when we moved , the Wife had layers for years. Worth it? Depends, its gonna cost to build a coop, cost to build a run where predators cant get to them and then feed them chicken feed to get " Free Eggs" The cheapest part of all this is the cost of the chickens, remember you dont need a rooster to get eggs from
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However for eggs to hatch you will need old big John, & Hens get old ya know.
Raising yer own bacon now that's a lot of work & smelly too.
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49erRider said:
So worth it?
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I enjoy it.

I built an enclosure for mine. You may not remember seeing it when you were here, but it's kinda over over-built.

If you have four acres, I think a chicken tractor would be a good idea.
 
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