Backyard Chickens?
- Thread starter Dragonborn
- Start date
I remember seeing that video before and its adorable! 
Funny this thread popped up again.... I was folding clothes this morning in my laundry room where I have a couple of chicken statues and they reminded me of my sons reaction to his wife wanting some chickens:
and 
To which I said:
He's not a bird person.
My daughter in law said she'll keep 'working on him'.
Funny this thread popped up again.... I was folding clothes this morning in my laundry room where I have a couple of chicken statues and they reminded me of my sons reaction to his wife wanting some chickens:
and To which I said:
He's not a bird person.
My daughter in law said she'll keep 'working on him'.
Dobs4ever
Hot Topics Subscriber
Ok - here is WHY I can't let dogs out as if it is not bad enough Paint let Sniper practice learning to chase her chickens!!!!
Thanks Paint for resending me this picture - I love it and Sniper had such a good time visiting with his Auntie Genny!!!
When she sent me this picture I laughed and laughed at Sniper streaking through the yard chasing her chickens!!! Good thing it took him a minute to figure out what was going on or he might have caught one!!! I do not recommend this training method!!! ROFLOL
Thanks Paint for resending me this picture - I love it and Sniper had such a good time visiting with his Auntie Genny!!!
When she sent me this picture I laughed and laughed at Sniper streaking through the yard chasing her chickens!!! Good thing it took him a minute to figure out what was going on or he might have caught one!!! I do not recommend this training method!!! ROFLOL
All I can say is the boy took me by surprise. He was outside helping me with yard work. He was so interested in the chickens. He would go sit by the coup and just watch them for hours. He would come running over to me and look back at the chickens. He was sticking pretty close to me so I decided to let the chicks out. He just watched them for a long time. Them I look up and that picture is what I saw. OMG! I put those hens up so fast. And they never came out again around Sniper. I thought he was just a baby...never dreamed his prey drive would be so developed. Not the first or the last time I was wrong. Oh well, no harm, no foul.
Prize chickens?
What makes a prize chicken over just your everyday chicken?Do prize chickens taste better than your average bird?
Sniper would have been safe. Would have been my fault, not his. I really don't know if that boy could have done anything to make me mad. He was just so funny and tried so hard to please me. I LOVE my Sniper!
So do you think it's in the genes of those chickens?
The food?
They're just for some reason mor happy than the other chickens?What?
Will the chicks of these chickens lay more like their mamas?
I gotta get me come chickens.
I don't know the answers, I can only share my experience.
When we first brought our hens home, I wanted nothing to do with them. My Grandparents lived on a farm when I was a kid and I hated the hen house. Some of those hens were mean. They would stop at nothing to keep you from taking their eggs. Why do I want to fight for my food when I don't have to?
Well, after they were here for a bit I ended up finding them intriguing. I read a little about them and found out that handling them would make them more people friendly.
I started reading more and more. What I read said that happy hens lay more eggs as well as better eggs. So I started doing what I read. I feed them all kinds of stuff. I make oatmeal for them and add things like grated apple, carrots, chopped bananas and yogurt. Foods containing nutrients they need. Like calcium, potassium and so forth. I let them out in my yard at least once a day to go do some scratching for bugs and worms to give them protein.
I keep their coup very clean and change up their environment. Chickens are very curious little creatures and change keeps them from getting bored. I hang a piece of broccoli in their coup for them to play with and eat. This will sound crazy, but I also hang things like an old CD. The sunlight hits it as it spins in the breeze and cause a rainbow of color to move around their coup. They love it and will actually chase the color around.
My son has a huge garden at his farm. I use the stuff I clean out of their coup to add to his compost and I bring a scoop back with me and throw it in the coup. The hens love scratching around it and finding worms. I have also read that the micro organisms are good for their digestive tracts along with the grit a throw in. I know you have a garden now so you could do the same and your hens and garden will both benefit. Also an interesting thing to teach your kids how it all works together.
So from my experience hens that have their nutritional needs met, our given things to keep them intrigued and not bored are happy. And in my opinion, happy hens lay more eggs.
obbanner
Hot Topics Subscriber
As long as we're talking chickens...
http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/feeding-your-dog-raw-eggs-good-or-bad/
Pull quote -
Eggs are a complete food source – Eggs are an important source of nutrition for not only many predators, but for the chick living inside it. Inside the egg are all the nutrients necessary to grow a new chicken. Eggs are also one of the most complete sources of amino acids, the building blocks of protein. Eggs are a good source of:
Vitamin A
Riboflavin
Folate
Vitamin B12
Iron
Selenium
Fatty Acids
http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/feeding-your-dog-raw-eggs-good-or-bad/
Pull quote -
Eggs are a complete food source – Eggs are an important source of nutrition for not only many predators, but for the chick living inside it. Inside the egg are all the nutrients necessary to grow a new chicken. Eggs are also one of the most complete sources of amino acids, the building blocks of protein. Eggs are a good source of:
Vitamin A
Riboflavin
Folate
Vitamin B12
Iron
Selenium
Fatty Acids
Dobs4ever
Hot Topics Subscriber
I got this today in the mail - thought you would enjoy
Facts and Fiction about Eggs
EGG FACT AND FICTION
~eggs naturally come in many colors besides brown or white~
The color of an egg's shell is dictated by a hen's breed and genes. A hen lays the same color egg her whole life.
The color of the yolk is dictated by a hen's diet. Foods containing xanthophyll such as corn, marigolds and alfalfa help make egg yolks a vibrant orange color.
The white of a fresh egg will be thick and viscous. As the egg ages, the white will start to get runny and thin.
The white strings in some eggs are the chalazae. They appear most often in fresh eggs and anchor the yolk in the center of the white.
~egg on the left is a 5-week old store bought egg purchased today - egg on the right is an hours-old egg collected from our coop today~
The number on a carton of eggs indicates the date the egg was packaged (i.e. the 306 on the carton in the photograph means the egg was put in the carton on November 1st - the 306th day of the year)
A blood spot in an egg does not indicate fertility. It is merely a bit of broken blood vessel, possibly from rough handling of the egg or jarring while the egg was being laid.
A white 'bulls eye' on the yolk does indicate fertility.
An egg should not be washed until just before using it, to preserve the natural 'bloom' that keeps out air and bacteria.
~refrigerating unwashed eggs will help them last longer but is not necessary~
Eggs don't need to be refrigerated, but will last roughly seven times longer in the fridge than out on the counter.
A hen's diet won't affect the taste of an egg specifically - i.e. adding garlic to their feed won't result in garlic-flavored eggs - but eggs from hens who eat healthy, varied diets will be more flavorful.
~an egg contains every nutrient needed for life except Vitamin C~
An egg contains 13 essential vitamins and minerals, protein, unsaturated fats, lutein and plenty of antioxidants.
75-85% of an egg is water.
There are approximately 70 calories in one egg.
Eggs are a wonderful source of Omega-3. You can increase the Omega-3 levels in eggs by adding flax seed to your chickens' daily diet OR add Omega Fields Ultra Egg. I use this product and in addition to making our eggs more nutritious, our hens' feathers have never been glossier.
Facts and Fiction about Eggs
EGG FACT AND FICTION
~eggs naturally come in many colors besides brown or white~
The color of an egg's shell is dictated by a hen's breed and genes. A hen lays the same color egg her whole life.
The color of the yolk is dictated by a hen's diet. Foods containing xanthophyll such as corn, marigolds and alfalfa help make egg yolks a vibrant orange color.
The white of a fresh egg will be thick and viscous. As the egg ages, the white will start to get runny and thin.
The white strings in some eggs are the chalazae. They appear most often in fresh eggs and anchor the yolk in the center of the white.
~egg on the left is a 5-week old store bought egg purchased today - egg on the right is an hours-old egg collected from our coop today~
The number on a carton of eggs indicates the date the egg was packaged (i.e. the 306 on the carton in the photograph means the egg was put in the carton on November 1st - the 306th day of the year)
A blood spot in an egg does not indicate fertility. It is merely a bit of broken blood vessel, possibly from rough handling of the egg or jarring while the egg was being laid.
A white 'bulls eye' on the yolk does indicate fertility.
An egg should not be washed until just before using it, to preserve the natural 'bloom' that keeps out air and bacteria.
~refrigerating unwashed eggs will help them last longer but is not necessary~
Eggs don't need to be refrigerated, but will last roughly seven times longer in the fridge than out on the counter.
A hen's diet won't affect the taste of an egg specifically - i.e. adding garlic to their feed won't result in garlic-flavored eggs - but eggs from hens who eat healthy, varied diets will be more flavorful.
~an egg contains every nutrient needed for life except Vitamin C~
An egg contains 13 essential vitamins and minerals, protein, unsaturated fats, lutein and plenty of antioxidants.
75-85% of an egg is water.
There are approximately 70 calories in one egg.
Eggs are a wonderful source of Omega-3. You can increase the Omega-3 levels in eggs by adding flax seed to your chickens' daily diet OR add Omega Fields Ultra Egg. I use this product and in addition to making our eggs more nutritious, our hens' feathers have never been glossier.
Ah-ha... This question just came up at work (who knows why LOL) and the one guy who had chickens and sells eggs said "of course you have to wash them after you gather them". I didn't think you were supposed to but it's been so long since I've had chickens I couldn't remember for sure.
Good info all around.
I see our neighbors have a fence full of young chickens (more like half grown chicks) and I'm going to be watching them since the house is not inhabited and as far as I know they have no electricity so I'm not sure how they'd keep them watered and cared for like this. Maybe the're moving back in, but no one can imagine that since the house is shot... OT.. LOL
Ugh, don't ya hate when you see something like this and have to worry?!
Yikes! That's a shame. I know that my hens drink tons of water. Hope they have some sort of plan in place to care for them.
It's not inhabited?Who are "they" then?
Is it going all Animal Farm up in there?Have you seen a pig named Snowball wandering around looking for a home?
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