Backyard Chickens?
- Thread starter Dragonborn
- Start date
I did not know that - interesting. Many people I know get chicks in the spring, them butcher them before winter but I couldn't do that. My Mom kept them year round but it was a lot of extra work.
That sounds like meat chicken schedule. Combs wouldn't matter on them since they never have to deal with the winter.
I thought I'd do both when I got started with chickens (meat & eggs), was keen on having home grown food that lived a good life and not commercially raised... but I really didn't like taking the life. Once dead, butchering was no different than handling a whole chicken from the store, just a lot more work. If someone else would dispatch them I could easily do the rest. And hands down, the very best chicken I ever ate in my life. But after a couple of seasons of dispatching I just didn't want to do it again.
Same here and we have quite a few farmers who sell them ready to eat in the fall. In fact there is a guy a few miles from here who has quite a few in his freezer that he's selling for $4.50/lb.
Wow. So pretty!!
OK, who wants to wager on a double yolk? LOL. just kidding. Got this huge egg the other day from Muffy, weighs just under 3 oz!!! 
Photo is next to my last store bought eggs. Wikipedia says Jumbo is 2.5 oz!
The United States Department of Agriculture sizing is based by weight per dozen.[4] The most common U.S. size of chicken egg is 'Large' and is the egg size commonly referred to for recipes.
The following egg masses including shell have been calculated on the basis of the USDA sizing per dozen:
Modern Sizes (US)
Photo is next to my last store bought eggs. Wikipedia says Jumbo is 2.5 oz!The United States Department of Agriculture sizing is based by weight per dozen.[4] The most common U.S. size of chicken egg is 'Large' and is the egg size commonly referred to for recipes.
The following egg masses including shell have been calculated on the basis of the USDA sizing per dozen:
Modern Sizes (US)
Kswoodssue
Hot Topics Subscriber
One of our meat birds
I really want to get some chickens…the wife is major anti chicken, just cause. but I believe they will grab her heart once she sees how cute and quirky they are.
I have the space, I can build the pen/run, I can get the materials/food. I am really excited about it. I am on page 21 of 50 reading this tread. Date is 2016, so I am interested to see who all wound up getting chickens. @GennyB and @WiglWerm were doing a great job educating @MischasMomma.
The biggest issues I foresee is the prey drive of Ragnar and Freyja. I plan on training the Dobermans to leave them be- -the same I trained them with being around cats. I have a feeling this is not going to be easy but with diligence and persistence, I think it is possible.
I have the space, I can build the pen/run, I can get the materials/food. I am really excited about it. I am on page 21 of 50 reading this tread. Date is 2016, so I am interested to see who all wound up getting chickens. @GennyB and @WiglWerm were doing a great job educating @MischasMomma.
The biggest issues I foresee is the prey drive of Ragnar and Freyja. I plan on training the Dobermans to leave them be- -the same I trained them with being around cats. I have a feeling this is not going to be easy but with diligence and persistence, I think it is possible.
Rits
Hot Topics Subscriber
You can certainly train them, especially with ecollars. Ripley walks amongst the chickens no problem. She seeks chicken poop
In your case, I'd probably build a large covered and enclosed chicken run so they can be safely contained and the dogs can be in the yard and not have to worry about having your eyes always on them. Also covered because I'm assuming you can't have any roosters to protect your flock from aerial threats so free ranging wouldn't be safe unless you were out there. Make sure to use hardware cloth and not chicken wire to enclose the run. Chicken wire only keeps chickens in, but does not keep predators out. It is not strong enough! Anything a paw can reach through, a predator can grab a chicken and kill it. Also, make sure to bury some of the cloth underground to prevent digging.
lady Dobie
Well-Known Member
This is quite true... expect alot of eggs in the first two or three years..then expect to take care of them when they stop producing.. right now i am getting one egg every other day from 6 hens... but it is only right that i continue to take care of them.... for now they are pets...
Also a major concern!She seeks chicken poop
Ragnar and Freyja will def be searching for this.
I never had to use the e-collar on Asha for the chickens, but she was a puppy and we already had chickens here. Reckless however was a young adult with extreme prey drive and when we brought home the little peepers she was allowed to look (on leash, with the e-collar for back up). She took a hard look (pre-pounce stare) and J hit the stim which was set really high, high enough to make her squeal. Sounds mean, but let me tell you, Reckless never wanted to look at a chicken again. These peepers grew up to be free range chickens all over the place and she never ever looked at one again. One high stim is way better than tapping and nagging and begging the dogs to stop for weeks. Use it at the first hard stare, not when they hit hard drive. You don't want them to know they can lunge at them, because even that can be self rewarding. You have cats, you know. Asha doesn't have that kill drive that Reckless has. She liked to run through the flock as a puppy and watch the chickens scatter, but she never chased one or got the prey-drive look. She just thought it was funny to make them run. She also got corrected for it, but it was before her e-collar age.
Here's Asha at about 9 months old, she & Reckless had the zoomies:
Here's Asha at about 9 months old, she & Reckless had the zoomies:
Asha tried to eat chicken poop as a puppy, but it was more of a puppy thing, she was over it by about 1 1/2 years old. If you don't let the chickens out of the pen, your dogs won't have access. And for sure what @Rits said - hardware cloth not chicken wire. I know you're in a more urban neighborhood, but if you have raccoons or skunks or anything in the ferret/weasel family chicken wire is totally useless. How big is your yard? How big will you make your coop & pen - no free-range = lots of poop cleaning... How many chickens? And why: eggs, meat, pleasure of watching them? - that's always a thing to consider when choosing the breed. I'm already excited for you! LOL.
As for eggs, yes the first couple of years the young hens will be really productive, but they do keep laying. I still have 2 from the original chicks that were hatched in 2016, so turning 7 years old in June! One of them is still laying.
As for eggs, yes the first couple of years the young hens will be really productive, but they do keep laying. I still have 2 from the original chicks that were hatched in 2016, so turning 7 years old in June! One of them is still laying.
Okay….on page 42 of 50.
I know it’s been years but have to say saddened, upset and sorry about drumstick… @Rits
As I get close to the end of reading, I know I will have multiple 100’s of stupid newbie questions.
-Coop/pen: idk? House to be 12x12- room to move around in. Pen will prob go from shop wall to around some oak trees so 12’x25’? not really for sure here. This weekend, I will video the area and post it for yalls thoughts.
-free range: not free range all day but plan to let them out daily for couple of hours after work. Then however long on my days off Sat-Mon.
-# chickens: max of 8? Really would love a Rooster but not for sure the neighbors would. Many things I love to hear: 1. Rooster crowing 2. Train horn blowing 3. Birds singing 4. Dogs barking 5. Wind blowing.
-kind of chickens: really wanted y’all’s thoughts on this. I am half and half on being egg producers and just enjoying the beautiful chicken move around my yard acting funny and quirky. I could sit on a porch and watch horses and cows all day long and never move. Weird? yes, but I love to watch animals. My 3 houses over neighbor has 10 Rhode Island Reds.
I know it’s been years but have to say saddened, upset and sorry about drumstick… @Rits
As I get close to the end of reading, I know I will have multiple 100’s of stupid newbie questions.
-Back yard prob 3/4 acre.
-Coop/pen: idk? House to be 12x12- room to move around in. Pen will prob go from shop wall to around some oak trees so 12’x25’? not really for sure here. This weekend, I will video the area and post it for yalls thoughts.
-free range: not free range all day but plan to let them out daily for couple of hours after work. Then however long on my days off Sat-Mon.
-# chickens: max of 8? Really would love a Rooster but not for sure the neighbors would. Many things I love to hear: 1. Rooster crowing 2. Train horn blowing 3. Birds singing 4. Dogs barking 5. Wind blowing.
-kind of chickens: really wanted y’all’s thoughts on this. I am half and half on being egg producers and just enjoying the beautiful chicken move around my yard acting funny and quirky. I could sit on a porch and watch horses and cows all day long and never move. Weird? yes, but I love to watch animals. My 3 houses over neighbor has 10 Rhode Island Reds.
You know there is no such thing as a stupid newbie question or any question if you don't know the answer.
Kswoodssue
Hot Topics Subscriber
I have had chickens nearly my entire adult life. As a kid too, I guess. We raise a bunch to butcher every year and I have currently 6 laying hens and a rooster. Buff Orpington are sweet tempered, and the roosters don’t seem to get as mean. I have had roosters over the years that would give a Dobe a run for its money. Mean things. Americana’s, Easter Egg chickens, are fun because they lay blue to green eggs. My hens are 3-7 yrs old, maybe, and we get maybe 3 eggs a day. Plenty for us. If you get hawks or critters, putting wire over the top of your run is best, otherwise you have to be home at dark every night to shut them in so a raccoon or other predator doesn’t kill them. I keep scratch grain from TSC around, and toss it out to them in their run a few times a week while calling them in the same voice. That way if they are out, you have a chance of getting them in when you call them if you want to. A nice big galvanized waterer and feeder will keep a small bunch fed over a 3 day weekend if you want to go away. The metal waterer works through the winter, as a heater can set under it. ( Thus electricity to your building is best.) We use chicken wire. You just have to make sure all edges are nailed or sewn with wire, and that your bottom is buried a good foot or so. It will rust out after several years and new has to be put up. It will also make you cuss, as it will poke you to death putting it up. Don’t expect to save money. Your eggs will seem like they should be solid gold, but I like them anyway. Each geographical area will have its own challenges. This is just our thing. Enjoy!
Kswoodssue
Hot Topics Subscriber
A few pics
I was waiting for you to get to that part in the story line.
it was certainly a sad ending.You are certainly doing a lot of reading, research and planning when it doesn't sound like your wife is on board!
Wife>
Husband
Me
Can't wait to hear the end of that story LOL
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