Chickens

Radar

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I am new to this homesteading and preparedness type of stuff but I see a need to do better at my home. We just moved this past fall and next year we plan to have a garden, we waited too late this year to do one. My wife also wants to have chickens to lay eggs so we don't have to rely on the store for them. Anyone have any good resources on getting started, what time of the year to get started, etc. any advice would be awesome. Thanks!
 
Tractor supply has live animals in the parking lot every third saturday. People bring them to sale them. Go buy a trio. I might get rid of some in a few months.
 
Yeah but what do I need to do to start, what does raising chickens entail I am all new to it, and sure I can read on the inter web but what's true and what's not I would had not the slightest clue.
 
Do you want to free range? A tractir is a good way to go. Either wayt. You can buy one or download plans and build it yourself.
 
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How many eggs do you eat a week?
Egg a day per laying hen....How many you think you may want will dictate the size of your flock, 4 laying hens are going to give you about 12 dozen eggs a month.
Also keep in mind if you start from chicks you are going to have several months where they are freeloaders and aren't going to be laying.

I'd look at a couple of established laying hens and a decent chicken tractor.
 
This is on Charlotte's craigslist today. If you were closer.
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Chicks/pullets/hens tractor or coop, I have a dog pen for a run, nice to have them semi-secure if leaving overnight.
Get about a egg a day per hen, slows a little in the winter.
Roosters can be good, they'll protect their hens, and a serious pain if too aggressive, they cook pretty decent when they're young though.
 
Chicks/pullets/hens tractor or coop, I have a dog pen for a run, nice to have them semi-secure if leaving overnight.
Get about a egg a day per hen, slows a little in the winter.
Roosters can be good, they'll protect their hens, and a serious pain if too aggressive, they cook pretty decent when they're young though.

Ok are roosters required? If so one, two how many per hen?
 
Ok are roosters required? If so one, two how many per hen?

You don't need roosters for egg production, some will say that the roosters boost egg production, but we've had it both ways and haven't seen a difference. Roosters can provide some flock protection, but can become aggressive. Most of the roosters we have had have either gone in the freezer or have become aggressive and I shot them.
They are also noisy, so if you live in a neighborhood, roosters won't make you friends.
 
So to give you some reference, here are two chicken tractors that we built.
The smaller you could keep 3-4 hens in easily, we currently use it after we move new chicks from a stock tank brooder until they get big enough to mingle in the main coop. The larger tractor we built for Guinea Hens that we no longer have, you could keep probably 8-10 in it easy. The smaller my wife can move by herself easily. The larger takes 2 people.

If you are going to keep then in a coop or run they will need a larger run, if they are going to free range you can get by with a smaller area.
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I like having roosters because we eat them and they help make chicks to eat and sale. Chickens are very easy to rasie if you free range or have tractors. Most coops get picked clean of any living thing and becomes a muddy smelly mess.
 
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you can order baby chicks online and they will ship them via usps. we've bought layers and meat chickens that way. Our latest chicks came from southern states.

chickens are super easy to take care of.
 
Depending on where you are there is usually a local farm that can supply birds for you. Shooks is one that comes to mind.

I'm got 6 hens and 8 pullets. Fairly larger coop and area for them mess around inside a fence. I let them free range in the yard every few days. Very happy and productive birds. I get about 2 dozen eggs a week. I sell eggs to friends and it covers my feed cost and I get fresh eggs.

They are maintenance hogs though and cleaning a coop brings the suck.

When you get established never get birds from some Craigslist skoad. I had a friend do that and brought home a disease that killed his whole flock. He cleaned everything and waited a year before starting over again.

I'll try to post up a pic of my setup later today. I've had my operation for about 8 years now. About 2 years ago I added more sq ft to the fenced in area and added a mini pot bellied pig as a pet (due to wife's plea).
 
We opted for a 8x12 prebuilt shed. Ours have 16x40 run. Plus we let them free range when were outside.
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Our 3 outside chicks, mommas taking care of them.

The other 3 we have inside, and I need to build a smaller tractor today to get them outside for a bit of fresh air.
 
For you guys with open runs (no tops), how often do your birds get out or predators get in?

I have two fully enclosed coop/run combos. I use to let mine free range daily, until a hawk found out I was letting them wander. Now they stay in.

Nice pic @BurnedOutGeek
 
Out in my area of BFE...I have several neighbors who have vacated their city lifestyle for some country livin'. And the first things they wanna do is get some horses and chickens and dogs and cats and goats and maybe a piggy and some rocking chairs. It'll be so charming!

Having been raised on a farm, let me tell you, forget the rocking chairs. There will be no time for rocking. Livestock is 24/7/365. It is a high maintenance endeavor. Even chickens, which admittedly are one of the lower maintenance animals, still require constant attention. Look at the pictures above and see the structures, land, environment, tools, equipment, and research of product needed for example.

Live stock does not take Christmas off, nor do they understand about vacations. You will need to enlist someone to take over your lifestyle choices when you leave, and they might not be so understanding about that...especially after repeated requests for help.

Have dogs? Bird dogs? Training dogs that naturally wanna go after birds to not do that, is a challenge that may never materialize. In my area at least, predators are a constant issue. Hawks, coyotes, bobcats, snakes....dogs. If you free-range chickens, this becomes immediately real. You must also posses an ability to not get emotionally attached to them, and if you have kids, forget that.

Please forgive me. My buzzkill-ness is not what I wanna do. Many folks do these things and thoroughly enjoy it. Most often though they are retired and no longer have a traditional job existence, or they are farmers by trade. Just understand, it is a large commitment to something that's involved and takes a lot of time, and even with being clever, takes money.

I can relay that of all the folks in my area that have livestock, none of them were raised on a farm. The farm-raised kids like me, are now quite content with going to the store and spending $2 on a dozen eggs when needed.
 
For you guys with open runs (no tops), how often do your birds get out or predators get in?

I have two fully enclosed coop/run combos. I use to let mine free range daily, until a hawk found out I was letting them wander. Now they stay in.

Nice pic @BurnedOutGeek
Better than the headless one from a while back. Lol
 
Our runs are open on top, just a fence. They occasionally get free. Once that happens, I know it's time to clip their wings. I've never had a predator attack them. We used to let them free range, but they would go off the property, cross the road, go all over the place. I lost half my flock one day. I don't think anything ate them - I think they just kept going or were taken in on a neighboring property.

Right now we have horses, dogs, and chickens. The horses do take up a lot of time, but we enjoy that (and yes, I have a full time job plus a side business). Chickens are ridiculously easy. So are the dogs. We had goats at one point but they are such pains in the ass, we got rid of them. They try to escape all the time and destroy everything they can. Did rabbits for a bit, but couldn't keep them cool enough in the summer and some croaked. Making a rabbit habitat that will keep them cool just isn't going to happen anytime soon.
 
Barred Rocks are good birds. I've raised 4 that should start laying soon. My buddy swears its the best chicken to have in back yard.
 
Looks like one. What kind are they?
 
Could be dominique. It would be more obvious if they were older, barred rocks have single combs and dominiques have rose comb. The pattern is more distinguishable when they are older as well.

Our run had an open top the last batch of chickens. Slowly the racoons killed them all. We would lock them up in the coop at night when we could, but when we were out of town or forgot to close it, they would always get one. Once they find them they keep coming back. I closed the top in before getting any more. I have mine setup where I don't have to walk in the run at all. Their water is a 5 gallon bucket with poultry nipples suspended in the run, PVC to the outside to fill it. I made 5 PVC feeders that we fill from the outside as well. Eggs are accessible from the outside, and to clean out the coop you just open the back door and scrape it out into a bucket. It really is easy once you get it setup the way you want. I can fill their water and food before we go out of town and they will be good for at least 3-4 days. If I had another water bucket it would be longer, they run out of water long before food with the 5 PVC feeders.
 
Looks like one. What kind are they?

My quip was just a play on the assuming gender crap being spouted these days.

Barred rock is one breed the egg donor has on his property.

He gave me the list of breeds he has, but I'll have to find it later.
 
I'll have to post a photo if mine and see if anybody knows what they are. I forgot to write down the names and when I went back to check 2 days later they had different birds in stock.
 
Our year olds seem to be on vacation from laying. Don't know if it's the heat or they're upset by the new additions. The new ones will start laying within a month or so.
Barred Rocks seem like great birds, most docile of all we have. Almost feel sorry for them cause the boy loves petting chickens and they're the ones he catches 95% of the time.
Chickens take a little upkeep, short vacations are still doable, you just run a little risk of nighttime predation if your run isn't vault tight. Chickens have nothing on horses. I hate horses, my only stipulation on the damn horses was I wouldn't do a thing for them, I really should've put my foot down on that.
 
I have two of these and I swore one was a rooster but I think it's just an agro hen (insert joke).

Anyone know what kinda bird this is?
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Speckled Sussex
 
We've got six 4 week old Cinnamon chicks out in the coop and 2 yellow and 2 black 1 week old Silkie Bantam chicks in a tote in the house.

Not sure what we are going to do with around 10 eggs a day but I'm sure we will figure something out..:rolleyes:
 
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They must be. I thought they were something different. I tried to get birds I'd never had before.

Thanks for the help ID'n them!
 
They must be. I thought they were something different. I tried to get birds I'd never had before.

Thanks for the help ID'n them!
Any time!
 
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