Backyard Chickens?

[MicheleM]

I've never eaten any of my chickens! Lol. I'm happy to find them homes as laying hens.

Chickens eat bugs, grass and all sorts of stuff in the summer. We feed layer ration and hen scratch and they get a lot of our left overs. In the summer farm eggs are a bright orange because of all their Foraging.

 

[Dragonborn]

as a chick,she came into our garden from a neighbours and just stayed,he eggs are lovely nearly all yolk and not much white this is her sitting on eggs

the rest of the gang

this is when she hatched two chicks

wait, u have a rooster? how do u have eggs to eat then? or do u eat the eggs even wen their fertilized?
AND did your silkie produce a good amount of eggs?

 

[Dragonborn]

sorry, lots of questions! here!

 

[Dragonborn]

I've never eaten any of my chickens! Lol. I'm happy to find them homes as laying hens.

Chickens eat bugs, grass and all sorts of stuff in the summer. We feed layer ration and hen scratch and they get a lot of our left overs. In the summer farm eggs are a bright orange because of all their Foraging.

will they eat fruit? ive always got fruit going bad cuz i dnt eat it fast enough

 

[JanS]

Oh I love chickens and their fresh bright eggs! Michele, Judith and the rest of you, how do you keep them from being prey to other critters when they're free range? We have weasels, martins, fox, fishers, coyotes and I know they'd be toast in no time - if we were able to keep them (can't do it with the allergies). I grew up with chickens and collecting eggs used to be a big part of my day, but my Mom lost so many to the predators as well, even though they were kept in a coop at night.

 

[watson123]

well, i think free range chickens eggs taste better, the best layer's are usually leghorn's we have had rhode island that also tend to be good layers, i will talk to my sister who is the "chicken person of the family".

will they eat fruit? ive always got fruit going bad cuz i dnt eat it fast enough

oh yes! they love fruit, veggies, and almost anything.

 

[Gelcoater]

Oh I love chickens and their fresh bright eggs! Michele, Judith and the rest of you, how do you keep them from being prey to other critters when they're free range? We have weasels, martins, fox, fishers, coyotes and I know they'd be toast in no time - if we were able to keep them (can't do it with the allergies). I grew up with chickens and collecting eggs used to be a big part of my day, but my Mom lost so many to the predators as well, even though they were kept in a coop at night.

What's a fisher?

 

[MicheleM]

Yes we have foxes, hawks, eagles, coyotes, that we usually have problems with in the spring when the snow is hard enough to walk on top of. We have a shotgun and I really hate to use it but sometimes you have to protect your animals. I think the dogs keep a lot of predators away but not all of them.

 

[watson123]

I've never eaten any of my chickens!

we have to butcher are's every 6-12 months to make room for more younger layers, its very nasty, but does make some awesome chicken and noodles!

 

[Judith]

yes we have a rooster running with the chickens all the time, it doesn't matter if they are fertilized when you eat them as you are eating the eggs almost the same day, the silkie is a good chicken if you want to raise some chicks, she has always laid about a doz eggs and then goes broody which means she want to sit on the eggs to hatch them, if want want good layers I would go with a breed some of the others have mentioned, you are best buying point of lay, chickens at about twenty weeks old

 

[MyBuddy]

This cracks me up everytime i see it LOL

OMG that was hysterical!!! And probably happens!

Michele, Judith and the rest of you, how do you keep them from being prey to other critters when they're free range?

we have to butcher are's every 6-12 months to make room for more younger layers, its very nasty, but does make some awesome chicken and noodles!

Yea, this is what cured me from getting chickens. When we first moved here our neighbor had chickens. I would find dead chickens or just a pile of feathers, on my property. I asked her about it one day and she said 'something' was getting them! Ughh. Either fox or Owl maybe sitting up in the trees. I didn't think I could stand losing them like that.

Then one day we look over at our neighbors and I'm like what the heck?? There were things hanging from trees! I finally realized they were slaughtering the chickens! Ok, I'm just not made for that! I had to give up on my idea. I always wanted the ''Aflac Duck" too. A Pekin? But once we moved here and I saw the coyotes I gave up on that too. Besides, Buddy would have a field day! lol

I've never eaten any of my chickens! Lol. I'm happy to find them homes as laying hens.

If you are selling them because they don't lay anymore, don't you think the folks buying them are buying them to eat? Not that its wrong exactly. I mean people eat chicken. But selling them doesn't guarantee them a life. lol Actually, now that I know they don't really lay eggs after 2 years I can see the cycle of eggs and yummy chicken. lol But I just couldn't do that. I've always claimed that I'm not a vegetarian but I just cannot raise something and then eat it. Just can't. Eggs, ok. But don't give me an animal that I go out to feed everyday and then select it for dinner. No can do!

 

[Dragonborn]

Yes we have foxes, hawks, eagles, coyotes, that we usually have problems with in the spring when the snow is hard enough to walk on top of. We have a shotgun and I really hate to use it but sometimes you have to protect your animals. I think the dogs keep a lot of predators away but not all of them.

We still need to fence the yard & i was thinking of fencing the coop in the yard too. (were doing it anyways for the future pup, which we dont have yet haha) And then just making a run out of the pig pen withh chicken wire all around it so the chickens can be safe to run around when im not home. But ill probably let them free range in the yard wen I am there. The only problem with having chickens by our new house is raccoons, cats & chicken hawks. :/ so im going to have to inclose the chicken run from the top too.

 

[Dragonborn]

If you are selling them because they don't lay anymore, don't you think the folks buying them are buying them to eat? Not that its wrong exactly. I mean people eat chicken. But selling them doesn't guarantee them a life. lol Actually, now that I know they don't really lay eggs after 2 years I can see the cycle of eggs and yummy chicken. lol But I just couldn't do that. I've always claimed that I'm not a vegetarian but I just cannot raise something and then eat it. Just can't. Eggs, ok. But don't give me an animal that I go out to feed everyday and then select it for dinner. No can do!

LOL im the same way. I couldnt kill em. Id just sob like a child bcuz i get attached easily.

 

[Dragonborn]

we have to butcher are's every 6-12 months to make room for more younger layers, its very nasty, but does make some awesome chicken and noodles!

u got more backbone than me, ill give ya that. I cant even barey kill the mice we have around here. We get those sticky traps & then wen one of gets caught, I unglue them & set them free in the fields i know, they'll come back, but im such a ween haha

 

[MyBuddy]

so im going to have to inclose the chicken run from the top too.

Yea, I think that was my neighbors mistake. They did have a coop (its the red barn thats still there in some of my pictures ) but there used to be lots of trees there and she thinks the owl would just sit up there and pick! lol

I unglue them & set them free in the fields

Oh my, how in the world do you unglue them without hurting them?

I hate glue traps. If I have to put a trap down then a quick snap seems much more humane. But then don't ask me to take it out.

 

[Dragonborn]

Yea, I think that was my neighbors mistake. They did have a coop (its the red barn thats still there in some of my pictures ) but there used to be lots of trees there and she thinks the owl would just sit up there and pick! lol


Oh my, how in the world do you unglue them without hurting them?

I hate glue traps. If I have to put a trap down then a quick snap seems much more humane. But then don't ask me to take it out.

the glue really isnt that bad lol ive only done it twice tho & then they do there little hop & r on their way.

 

[MyBuddy]

the glue really isnt that bad lol ive only done it twice tho & then they do there little hop & r on their way.

What? No thank you? LOL!

 

[Dragonborn]

What? No thank you? LOL!

LOL i think it would probably be more on the lines of, "I HATE YOU FOR CATCHING ME."

 

[MyBuddy]

LOL i think it would probably be more on the lines of, "I HATE YOU FOR CATCHING ME."

Could be!

 

[Gelcoater]

LOL i think it would probably be more on the lines of, "I HATE YOU FOR CATCHING ME Twice!!!!"