Backyard Chickens?

[BG1]

There was a discussion about this on a chicken fb page and the real reason they charge more for brown eggs is there are no breeds of brown-egg-layer chickens that have a high rate of lay like the white egg layers of commercial egg farms. When the million $$$ farms "have to" produce brown eggs to the brown egg demand, those chickens may lay 4 per week rather than 6 ((I'm guessing at numbers here)). When you have a millions on chickens that eat the same amount of feed for a year I'm sure it adds up and that's all they do is rate cost against profit.


Only roosters make the irritating noise and you don't have to have roosters, just hens. Some hens do make noisy cackling but nothing like a rooster crowing at 3 in the morning. If you have a yard the poop is excellent fertilizer and composted in a bin you can sell for $. Our handful of chickens has never made enough compost for me to share with anyone.


They run the commercial eggs through some kind of machine to catch any deformities of nature like blood spots, and then wash & bleach spray them. I may not be relating this exactly right, but something to that affect that was the reason I read not to feed store bought whole raw eggs to dogs. I'd have to go back to look it up, but it may be the "processing" that is harder for some peoples system?

Good to know about the roosters...
HOA Karen Triggers!

First in the pot if it was mine.

 

[DD4MSpock]

Heh, ya sort of snarking there...srry!
Took a couple classes once from a guy on how to hunt and butcher wild pig. Lots of fun.

He was way into it, had a shed setup with stainless steel topped tables, band saw, sterile washup. We the class processed one all the way to wrapping cuts labelled and given out by drawing. Ate good a couple days!

There are definite things to look out for- parasites and if you see blue flesh- its the pigs feeding on stuff with herbicides and banned rat killer you got to watch out for here:

Wild pigs are turning electric blue in California. Here’s why.

Feral hogs with "slushie-blue" innards turned up in Monterey earlier this year—and not for the first time.

www.nationalgeographic.com

If I were to harvest a pig, I'd do like when deer hunting: field dress and hang then take to the butcher...mad props to those who do more tho.

Just to be clear, I'm not opposed to butchering, in general. I just wouldn't do it in my present back yard for the reasons previously stated. If I had a separate farm somewhere, and I needed to do it, absolutely I would.

 

[JanS]

Roosters aren't allowed in many towns, even if they do let you have chickens. I sort of get that when they get up at the crack of dawn and crow so loud. I love hearing them but we could have them out here if we got into chickens.

 

[GennyB]

Roosters aren't allowed in many towns, even if they do let you have chickens

I have always found that interesting because I find hens really loud and much more annoying. I don't mind roosters, in fact I think Cluck is just as good of a watch dog as any dog I've ever had. Back when they were free range there were a few times the a**hole wouldn't let people out of their car. We have a much better arrangement now, one we call contained free range.

 

[Ravenbird]

The last rooster we had started crowing at 3 a.m. - I've got hearing loss, so I couldn't hear him if I was in the house, but even the two closest neighbors could hear it in the summer when their windows were open at night. Then he'd crow on and off all day and it was easy to hear even with the chickens being several hundred feet from the house. The hens, though, when they get mad that someone has their favorite nest or they call an alarm, it can be extremely noisy! Now with 14 when they raise cane, if I'm at the barn it's deafening, but it's infrequent and doesn't go on for long. I could see why it would be irritating if houses were 5 feet apart with tiny yards.

 

[JanS]

I could see why it would be irritating if houses were 5 feet apart with tiny yards.

I agree. I love to hear them but I grew up with chickens and really miss hearing them on an off all day. I'll take that any day over a little yappy dog who just won't shut up.

 

[Ladydi]

We lose plants every spring…..(like happening right now) to grasshoppers.
Luber Grasshoppers…..Ugg.
They just eat and eat.
SO …any wise grasshopper hoo-mans out there.
We have considered chickens in order to save out plants to becoming their daily salad …..and just letting them roam around and do the job for us for a few months.
Would they just fly away…..city girl here….don’t know chit about chickens.

 

[BG1]

I have always found that interesting because I find hens really loud and much more annoying. I don't mind roosters, in fact I think Cluck is just as good of a watch dog as any dog I've ever had. Back when they were free range there were a few times the a**hole wouldn't let people out of their car. We have a much better arrangement now, one we call contained free range.

Lol at first I read that as "contained free rage" by a car reactive rooster....

Who needs a dobe?!
When you can have a Guardian Red Rooster!

 

[Ravenbird]

We have considered chickens in order to save out plants to becoming their daily salad …..and just letting them roam around and do the job for us for a few months.

The chickens would definitely eat the grasshoppers, then they would also destroy your garden plants. Sad but true.

Who needs a dobe?!
When you can have a Guardian Red Rooster!

There is nothing worse than a mean rooster. The first one we had was a nightmare. I tried everything in the book to keep him from attacking, I think we put up with him for over a year. He'd come at your face with spurs and flogging wings. He got dispatched. One of his sons took over his job and never had a minutes trouble out of him. There's a reason why people won't get out of a car if a rooster is stalking you!

 

[JanS]

I tried everything in the book to keep him from attacking, I think we put up with him for over a year. He'd come at your face with spurs and flogging wings.

Our friends had a rooster like that. He was beautiful so I was down on my knees taking close up photos of him and they said "are you nuts, that bastard will take you out". LOL

 

[GennyB]

The last rooster we had started crowing at 3 a.m. - I've got hearing loss, so I couldn't hear him if I was in the house, but even the two closest neighbors could hear it in the summer when their windows were open at night. Then he'd crow on and off all day and it was easy to hear even with the chickens being several hundred feet from the house. The hens, though, when they get mad that someone has their favorite nest or they call an alarm, it can be extremely noisy! Now with 14 when they raise cane, if I'm at the barn it's deafening, but it's infrequent and doesn't go on for long. I could see why it would be irritating if houses were 5 feet apart with tiny yards.

I guess I have to consider my self lucky when it comes to roosters. Cluck does crow a time or two a daybreak and if he sees someone he doesn't know and when he sees me come home. I guess that's my welcome home crow.
My hens though...They are LOUD! I have numerous nesting boxes but of course they all have to use just one. They all stand in line to lay while yelling at the one or 2 in the box. That happens multiple times a day. It's really fun when one of them gets broody.

 

[GennyB]

There is nothing worse than a mean rooster.

I agree! Cluck is not too bad. He's had his moments but keep enough hens around and he's fine with us. He doesn't really like strangers and will go after strange men. I like him though, he's a great protector of his ladies.

 

[GennyB]

Lol at first I read that as "contained free rage" by a car reactive rooster....

Who needs a dobe?!
When you can have a Guardian Red Rooster!

Cluck used to let us know when someone pulled in the driveway. Now we know when someone arrives because we have to let them in. We installed a gate that unless you have a code you have to buzz us so we can let you in.

 

[Ddski5]

Roosters aren't allowed in many towns, even if they do let you have chickens. I sort of get that when they get up at the crack of dawn and crow so loud. I love hearing them but we could have them out here if we got into chickens.

That was the deal with my wife and back fence neighbor- no roosters. Although I was a tad upset with the rooster hate, I can understand it. They not only crow at the crack of dawn but also 2am 3am 4am- it doesn’t matter the time. If something gets them sorted up they will crow repeatedly non stop. There is one somewhere about 1/4 mile away- I can hear him when he starts cutting up, brings a smile to my face.

 

[BG1]

That was the deal with my wife and back fence neighbor- no roosters. Although I was a tad upset with the rooster hate, I can understand it. They not only crow at the crack of dawn but also 2am 3am 4am- it doesn’t matter the time. If something gets them sorted up they will crow repeatedly non stop. There is one somewhere about 1/4 mile away- I can hear him when he starts cutting up, brings a smile to my face.

What you need is a peacock...

 

[Ravenbird]

They all stand in line to lay while yelling at the one or 2 in the box.

That's what I call it: Yelling. Not soothing chicken clucking or loud clucking, it's Yelling.

What you need is a peacock...

I worked at a horse farm with peacocks free ranging all over - made it look fancy to visitors. The impressed me when I first went to work there, then learned that they would roost in trees over the sidewalk to the office, on top bars of stalls and cross bars over the barn aisle etc etc. Guess who had to clean up peacock poop non-stop?

 

[GennyB]

That's what I call it: Yelling.

That's what it sounds like. Hen 1 HEY! Get out of my way! I'm trying to lay an egg here! Hen 2 Well there are plenty of nesting boxes, pick 1!

The impressed me when I first went to work there, then learned that they would roost in trees over the sidewalk to the office, on top bars of stalls and cross bars over the barn aisle etc etc. Guess who had to clean up peacock poop non-stop?

And the weird noises they make. I find them annoying in more ways than one!

 

[GennyB]

Well I guess I jinxed Cluck. My handsome roo took on a hawk and lost the battle this time.
Farewell Chuck Norris. Such a fearless protector you will be missed.

 

[JanS]

Aww I'm so sorry to hear that Genny.

 

[Ravenbird]

So sorry to see this. Cluck was a handsome guy and surely will be missed.