Chickens

Anything related to home improvement, home repair, homesteading, farm and garden.

Re: Chickens

Postby assateague » Sat May 25, 2013 10:28 am

Tomkat wrote:I hear ya, but daytime here is a little dangerous, too.

So you think that free ranging them during the day would be ok?

And isnt it best to get them as chicks so they know where "home" is?


Yes. Even the ones I got from the neighbor at about 6 weeks would often wander back home.
User avatar
assateague
 
Posts: 23627
Joined: Wed Jun 06, 2012 4:52 pm
Location: Eastern Shore, People's Republic of Maryland

Re: Chickens

Postby Feelin' Fowl » Sat May 25, 2013 12:04 pm

assateague wrote:
Feelin' Fowl wrote:
Olly wrote:This thread just makes me want to build a small coop and get 3 or 4 chickens.

Sent from my phone.


No way. 3 or 4 couldn't possibly be worth the trouble of the upkeep, but chickens could be nice to have...

I think this is where something clever about tapatalk should go.


I disagree. It'd be a piece of cake with 3 hens and a rooster (although I'd go 4:1). They are easy keepers after about 5 weeks, and after about 10, they eat anything. Just like pigs. Throw out the dinner scraps, and they clean that shit up like its filet mignonette. When I'm skinning deer or hides, the ones that we had roaming around before my "domestication" of them this time, hang around snatching up every scrap they see fall.


I was thinking about the upkeep of cleaning/changing bedding for such a small crew. My thinking is that if you're going to do it then do it a little bigger to get a little more out of it, BUT I am not a chicken expert respectfully rescind my objection after seeing the plans set forth.

Honestly the though of the work involved with keeping up with a bunch of chickens has kept me from even a little research on the subject. I might have to check out some details now.

Good luck Olly. I hope you can get it figured out and going! :thumbsup:
rebelp74 wrote:Yeah I have a yacht, suck it bitches!

Reinstate West Virginia!
User avatar
Feelin' Fowl
 
Posts: 11025
Joined: Thu Apr 18, 2013 3:48 am
Location: Northern IL

Re: Chickens

Postby assateague » Sat May 25, 2013 1:40 pm

I'm no expert when it comes to a coop- this is my first time also. We're using the "deep litter" method, though, which involves just throwing down shavings on top of the old, and cleaning out completely at the most twice a year. But I can't see it being too much of a pain.
User avatar
assateague
 
Posts: 23627
Joined: Wed Jun 06, 2012 4:52 pm
Location: Eastern Shore, People's Republic of Maryland

Re: Chickens

Postby Mornin Beef » Sat May 25, 2013 2:48 pm

It would be cool if you could post some reality tv of you chasing one.
Carp
Mornin Beef
 
Posts: 5357
Joined: Tue Oct 16, 2012 5:25 pm
Location: Erie Canal

Re: Chickens

Postby Olly » Sat May 25, 2013 2:50 pm

I know a few people with small back yards that free range less than 5 chickens. They say they're pretty maintenance free most of the time.

Sent from my phone.
“If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen.” ― Samuel Adams
User avatar
Olly
WFF Administrator
 
Posts: 15521
Joined: Wed May 30, 2012 9:05 am

Re: Chickens

Postby rebelp74 » Sat May 25, 2013 3:17 pm

I tried free ranging them but they would end up coming up by the house shitting all over the patio and around the pool and eating my wife's flowers. I keep em in a pin. My wife let the ducks out one time and they destroyed the pool.
Reinstate TomKat

4-20MJ
User avatar
rebelp74
 
Posts: 12506
Joined: Thu Jan 31, 2013 12:49 am
Location: nw louisiana

Re: Chickens

Postby assateague » Sat May 25, 2013 3:24 pm

That's the biggest advantage of a coop- controlling a lot of the shit. Yes, they poop all day roaming around, but when they roosted in the barn, on the hay, or on the porch, it's a Godawful mess.
User avatar
assateague
 
Posts: 23627
Joined: Wed Jun 06, 2012 4:52 pm
Location: Eastern Shore, People's Republic of Maryland

Re: Chickens

Postby rebelp74 » Sat May 25, 2013 3:25 pm

Agreed, I collect the shit from the coop every so often for the garden.
Reinstate TomKat

4-20MJ
User avatar
rebelp74
 
Posts: 12506
Joined: Thu Jan 31, 2013 12:49 am
Location: nw louisiana

Re: Chickens

Postby Mornin Beef » Sat May 25, 2013 4:09 pm

rebelp74 wrote:Agreed, I collect the shit from the coop every so often for the garden.

For what? Fuck feces, screw feces man. Just let it lay, who cares.
Carp
Mornin Beef
 
Posts: 5357
Joined: Tue Oct 16, 2012 5:25 pm
Location: Erie Canal

Re: Chickens

Postby rebelp74 » Sat May 25, 2013 4:10 pm

As long as you don't put too much it works great in the GARDEN.
Reinstate TomKat

4-20MJ
User avatar
rebelp74
 
Posts: 12506
Joined: Thu Jan 31, 2013 12:49 am
Location: nw louisiana

Re: Chickens

Postby Mornin Beef » Sat May 25, 2013 4:35 pm

rebelp74 wrote:As long as you don't put too much it works great in the GARDEN.

You keep on thinking about that...im gunna go toke some indian grass and relax with no chickens.
Carp
Mornin Beef
 
Posts: 5357
Joined: Tue Oct 16, 2012 5:25 pm
Location: Erie Canal

Re: Chickens

Postby rebelp74 » Sat May 25, 2013 4:49 pm

There's no thinking about it, I do it every year, same with cow and rabbit shit. the garden turns out great every year.

On that note, I'm gonna do same but I have a pen full of chickens.
Reinstate TomKat

4-20MJ
User avatar
rebelp74
 
Posts: 12506
Joined: Thu Jan 31, 2013 12:49 am
Location: nw louisiana

Re: Chickens

Postby Olly » Sat May 25, 2013 5:43 pm

I always thought fowl manure was bad for plants.

Sent from my phone.
“If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen.” ― Samuel Adams
User avatar
Olly
WFF Administrator
 
Posts: 15521
Joined: Wed May 30, 2012 9:05 am

Re: Chickens

Postby rebelp74 » Sat May 25, 2013 5:46 pm

It is if you use too much, the whatever in it will burn the plants up. If used in small amounts it works great.
Reinstate TomKat

4-20MJ
User avatar
rebelp74
 
Posts: 12506
Joined: Thu Jan 31, 2013 12:49 am
Location: nw louisiana

Re: Chickens

Postby assateague » Sat May 25, 2013 5:53 pm

Olly wrote:I always thought fowl manure was bad for plants.

Sent from my phone.



That's all that gets used around here. There's nothing but chicken houses, and in the springtime, it's all spread on the fields. You have to let it "age" a bit. I can throw horse manure on the plants literally fresh out of the horses but, but chicken manure needs a while to "cool off" or it'll burn. But it does work well. Just gotta give it a little more time to mellow.
User avatar
assateague
 
Posts: 23627
Joined: Wed Jun 06, 2012 4:52 pm
Location: Eastern Shore, People's Republic of Maryland

Re: Chickens

Postby 3legged_lab » Sat May 25, 2013 5:55 pm

Like a fine wine.
Bootlipkiller wrote: all the mallards I killed today had boners do to my epic calling.
User avatar
3legged_lab
WFF Supporter
 
Posts: 17344
Joined: Mon Jun 04, 2012 9:19 pm
Location: OREGON

Re: Chickens

Postby assateague » Sat May 25, 2013 10:09 pm

A fine shitwine, as Jim Lahey would say.
User avatar
assateague
 
Posts: 23627
Joined: Wed Jun 06, 2012 4:52 pm
Location: Eastern Shore, People's Republic of Maryland

Re: Chickens

Postby assateague » Mon May 27, 2013 12:16 pm

Here's a quick tour of the coop, as TK requested.


User avatar
assateague
 
Posts: 23627
Joined: Wed Jun 06, 2012 4:52 pm
Location: Eastern Shore, People's Republic of Maryland

Re: Chickens

Postby flight control » Mon May 27, 2013 1:22 pm

Very nice setup you got there. A little too nice for something that will get completely covered in chicken shit. :thumbsup:
Tell your mom I said hi.
User avatar
flight control
 
Posts: 2287
Joined: Thu Jan 31, 2013 7:16 pm
Location: the great white north

Re: Chickens

Postby one2many » Tue May 28, 2013 4:25 am

looks like a great coop
well done
my kid's step-grandpa raised game cocks.his hen houses/coops were very similar to what you built.
his rosters were all kept out side with 1 leg tethered to a spike in the ground. they all had a half of a 55 gallon drum as a house. the leg straps were about 4 feet long, just short enough they couldnt get to each other. very pretty birds, with a serious mean streak.
i used to go with him alot back in the day, had lots of fun. even met Roy Jones Jr on weekend
just for the record some of my dogs are as game as they come, but i am not a fan of dog fights. chicken fights on the other hand.........
No helicopter looking for a murder
Two in the mornin got the Fatburger
Even saw the lights of the Goodyear Blimp
And it read, "Jeffys a pimp"
User avatar
one2many
 
Posts: 5012
Joined: Tue Jun 05, 2012 5:55 pm
Location: 37 miles from the middle of nowhere

Re: Chickens

Postby aunt betty » Thu Jul 11, 2013 3:37 pm

AT, the city council just voted to lift the ban on backyard chickens here. Could ya tell me some info like...
Minimum space requirement for coop they sleep in. Per chicken.
The neighbor lady wants to get some so I figured I would help her build her coop.
I figure I will get free fertilizer and maybe some eggs.
How much does it cost per week to feed six hens? Estimate.
Laying hens cost around ten bucks or a little less.
I think they will be some expensive pets that might lay some eggs if her dogs dont kill them first. ;)
I've heard that it's incredibly stupid to fuck around with a crazy man's head.
User avatar
aunt betty
 
Posts: 14634
Joined: Tue Feb 05, 2013 9:37 pm
Location: East Side

Re: Chickens

Postby assateague » Thu Jul 11, 2013 3:49 pm

I believe if they're going to be cooped up 100% of the time it's something like 12sf per chicken. but if they have free run, and just sleep in a coop, it's a lot less. We have 31 chickens, and the coop is 12x7. They all squeeze onto the top roosting stick at night, and are just fine. So the answer is, "it depends".

As far as feeding, we don't feed much, since they get free run of the yard/hay barn/pastures. We go through about 1 50 pound bag of feed every 2 1/2 weeks or so. A 50lb bag of layer/finisher here is $13, so a little over $5 a week, for 31 chickens. You're good at math, so I'll leave it to you to figure out. But bear in mind, the only time they're really eating from the feeders is briefly at night, and a couple hours in the morning before I let them out of the coop. The rest of the time they're roaming around eating bugs and grass and such.
User avatar
assateague
 
Posts: 23627
Joined: Wed Jun 06, 2012 4:52 pm
Location: Eastern Shore, People's Republic of Maryland

Re: Chickens

Postby aunt betty » Thu Jul 11, 2013 6:35 pm

assateague wrote:I believe if they're going to be cooped up 100% of the time it's something like 12sf per chicken. but if they have free run, and just sleep in a coop, it's a lot less. We have 31 chickens, and the coop is 12x7. They all squeeze onto the top roosting stick at night, and are just fine. So the answer is, "it depends".

As far as feeding, we don't feed much, since they get free run of the yard/hay barn/pastures. We go through about 1 50 pound bag of feed every 2 1/2 weeks or so. A 50lb bag of layer/finisher here is $13, so a little over $5 a week, for 31 chickens. You're good at math, so I'll leave it to you to figure out. But bear in mind, the only time they're really eating from the feeders is briefly at night, and a couple hours in the morning before I let them out of the coop. The rest of the time they're roaming around eating bugs and grass and such.

She will lose her chickens in a week. Her toy dog squeezes thru the fence all the time.
I've heard that it's incredibly stupid to fuck around with a crazy man's head.
User avatar
aunt betty
 
Posts: 14634
Joined: Tue Feb 05, 2013 9:37 pm
Location: East Side

Re: Chickens

Postby aunt betty » Mon Jul 15, 2013 10:13 am

Six chickens. 48" chicken wire to keep dogs out.
The coop will be about 40" up off the ground with chickens using hole in floor to get in and out. Decided it will leak less that way and is better ventilation. Once I build something will post pics. Have fenced yard to let them roam but the dogs share that space. Gotta have a pen. Bird dogs n birds is gunna be fun!
1373901166791.jpg
YOU MUST REGISTER TO VIEW THIS IMAGE.
I've heard that it's incredibly stupid to fuck around with a crazy man's head.
User avatar
aunt betty
 
Posts: 14634
Joined: Tue Feb 05, 2013 9:37 pm
Location: East Side

Re: Chickens

Postby assateague » Mon Jul 15, 2013 12:45 pm

Surprisingly, The Dingo has only gone after a chicken once in the last few months. After about a week or two, neither the dogs nor chickens seem to care about each other.
User avatar
assateague
 
Posts: 23627
Joined: Wed Jun 06, 2012 4:52 pm
Location: Eastern Shore, People's Republic of Maryland

Re: Chickens

Postby rebelp74 » Mon Jul 15, 2013 3:23 pm

assateague wrote:Surprisingly, The Dingo has only gone after a chicken once in the last few months. After about a week or two, neither the dogs nor chickens seem to care about each other.

that's how mine are.
Reinstate TomKat

4-20MJ
User avatar
rebelp74
 
Posts: 12506
Joined: Thu Jan 31, 2013 12:49 am
Location: nw louisiana

Re: Chickens

Postby aunt betty » Mon Jul 15, 2013 5:25 pm

rebelp74 wrote:
assateague wrote:Surprisingly, The Dingo has only gone after a chicken once in the last few months. After about a week or two, neither the dogs nor chickens seem to care about each other.

that's how mine are.

Wait til you see Milo "crunch" a duck. He can kill a bird quicker n snot.
I've heard that it's incredibly stupid to fuck around with a crazy man's head.
User avatar
aunt betty
 
Posts: 14634
Joined: Tue Feb 05, 2013 9:37 pm
Location: East Side

Re: Chickens

Postby rebelp74 » Mon Jul 15, 2013 5:33 pm

aunt betty wrote:
rebelp74 wrote:
assateague wrote:Surprisingly, The Dingo has only gone after a chicken once in the last few months. After about a week or two, neither the dogs nor chickens seem to care about each other.

that's how mine are.

Wait til you see Milo "crunch" a duck. He can kill a bird quicker n snot.

How was that old bottle?
Reinstate TomKat

4-20MJ
User avatar
rebelp74
 
Posts: 12506
Joined: Thu Jan 31, 2013 12:49 am
Location: nw louisiana

Re: Chickens

Postby aunt betty » Tue Jul 16, 2013 6:44 am

This one ?
The tax tag...says Texas on it and was 50 cents. My grampa musta have stashed this in 1977 when he came to visit.
1373975030254.jpg
YOU MUST REGISTER TO VIEW THIS IMAGE.
I've heard that it's incredibly stupid to fuck around with a crazy man's head.
User avatar
aunt betty
 
Posts: 14634
Joined: Tue Feb 05, 2013 9:37 pm
Location: East Side

Re: Chickens

Postby assateague » Tue Jul 16, 2013 1:53 pm

Favorite chicken. Part Americana, part something else. We've got about 4 like this, but this one takes no shot from anything.

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1374000821.171984.jpg
YOU MUST REGISTER TO VIEW THIS IMAGE.
User avatar
assateague
 
Posts: 23627
Joined: Wed Jun 06, 2012 4:52 pm
Location: Eastern Shore, People's Republic of Maryland

PreviousNext

Return to Home Improvement and Farm & Garden

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 27 guests