Do You Raise Chickens?

[BoneheadNW]

I can't believe it, but I am actually considering raising some chickens. We would just have a few for the eggs (personal consumption, I swear officer!). I have taken care of someones chickens once and remember that they stink. Also, my mother seems to think that they spread disease. So the question: Do any of you have chickens and would you recommend having them for fresh eggs?
Bonehead

 

[DaveNay]

Do any of you have chickens and would you recommend having them for fresh eggs?

I don't have any hens, but I have definitely considered it. Questions you need to think about....how much do you like eggs? How many chickens are you thinking? A health hen can lay an egg every 25-26 hours. If you have half a dozen chickens, you will have around 40 eggs per week. In you particular case, I'm sure the guys down at the firehouse would have no problems eating them every week.

 

[ghautz]

If you are accustomed to store bought eggs, you won't want to go back after eating fresh ones. Some varieties produce like DaveNay says, but you could go for some of the more colorful types that produce less if you are so inclined. Ours are Aracauna bantams, a couple of other types of bantam and Heinz 57s.

We have about 8 to 10 or so hens--today we got 4 eggs. Also 5 or 6 chicks hatched this year and 2 or 3 roosters. We keep them partly as garbage disposals, but that is too many. Gotta thin them out.

IMO chickens are probably the dirtiest animal you can raise, but we have had no health problems associated with them.

 

[BoneheadNW]

IMO chickens are probably the dirtiest animal you can raise, but we have had no health problems associated with them.

My biggest concern is the stench (I have had to clean up a paddock full of juvenile chickens (about 50 of them) and it really stunk) and possible disease from the chickens. I also know that, no matter what the wife/kids say, I will have to be the one to take care of/clean up after them. I don't know if that will be worth the fresh eggs (I have had fresh eggs a number of times and you are right, store bought ones just don't cut it).
Bonehead

 

[XeVfTEUtaAqJHTqq]

How much land do you have? I'll probably do a Chicken Tractor in the future. Basically, it's a pen that you drag around your property. The chickens eat the bugs and weeds and fertilize the ground as you move it.

I have a dog that would kill any loose chickens so I'm a little worried about the inevitable day that all the chickens get loose.

They are OK if you can let them run around free-range. without worrying about them getting killed They do a good job of eating bugs and stuff.

Roosters are evil. Good for target practice!

 

[Junkman]

A neighbor had two that would free range, and he never knew where the eggs were. Seemed that they would lay them in one location for a while, and then another. Lots of the neighbors had free eggs and didn't know where they were coming from. The novelty of it will wear off fast and then what do you do with the chickens? Make great chicken soup if you have the ability to slaughter and clean them. I remember as a kid my mother making fresh chicken soup and the partially formed eggs were also put into the soup. They were a great treat. I wouldn't eat a egg back then, but the ones in the soup were special, so I ate all of those that I could find. I started eating eggs when I went to college. I like fresh eggs best, but I still wouldn't raise chickens to have them. I rather pay the farmer $2.00 a dozen and let him deal with the chicken shit!!!!

 

[Wannafish]

We are down to 4 hens and 3 roosters (two of which will become dinner real soon). A dozen or more will get stinky quick if they can't get outside to scratch in clean dirt.
Our chickens are "free range" chickens. Being able to get out and forage reduces the odor immensley...though it will come back in the winter as they don't care for snow. The door the chickens use is about 4 feet off the ground - that way we don't have to close it at night, and haven't had any problems with critters getting to them. They roost in the coop at night, and always lay there eggs in there, though not always in the same place.

 

[Gatorboy]

Do You Raise Chickens?

No.

 

[Mith]

Bone, IMO getting chickens to get eggs is not worth it.

They make a mess, they smell, the can spread disease (but so can dogs), and they'll ruin a good bit of lawn in short order.
I know someone who spent a weekend in hospital after a run in with a rooster.


I agree with what Junk said

I rather pay the farmer $2.00 a dozen and let him deal with the chicken shit!

They are alot of work, put them away at night, let them out in the day, feed them, water them, move thier run.....

You've got 2 choises about runs really, you can have one that is set in place, but it'll become bare and muddy quite quickly, or one that you move all the time to give them a fresh bit of ground (but you have to move it avery day).
With a moving run there will be chicken shit everywhere for littluns to fall in (BTW, its also really slippery!)

Inevitably at some point you are going to have to kill a chicken, or one is going to die. Are you or the Mrs up to killing a chicken, or deal with one that may have been messed up by another animal?

Ducks IMO are nicer, and their eggs a little bigger and creamier. Geese are evil (and strong, ever try wrestling a goose? ), but their eggs are worth the fight to get them

 

[elsmitro]

Yes I Do Raise Chickens!

I keep quit a few different types of poultry just because I enjoy them. I just got into it the last couple of years but it is a very rewarding hobby. I have found that not only does each breed act a little different but each bird has it’s own personality. Some of mine have become wonderful little pets, some are kept with an indifference to their personality for their utilitarian aspects, and some are sold. My ducks, turkeys, and guineas, free range 24/7, I have a large pond the ducks stay in at night but during they day they can be found just about anywhere on the property. The only time I have ever kept them penned up is from the time they hatch until they are fully feathered. During that time their area has to be constantly cleaned or it will develop a horrible smell; far worst than any chickens I have had. But free ranging is much easier on all of us. If you do a Google for duck eggs and cancer you will find a very interesting article about how duck eggs can change your bodies PH from acidic to alkaline; which makes it more difficult for cancers to grow. Some duck breeds like the Welsh Harlequin and Khaki Campbell actually out lay chickens. I let the chickens out during the day and they put themselves away at night. All I have to do is shut and lock the doors. I use a combination of good feeds and seeds; and of course they are eating everything that doesn’t eat them first. This not only makes for strong healthy birds but rich omega 3 type eggs. This all makes for a lot of work but to me it’s worth it. Of course with all these birds you have predator issues. I always have live traps and snares out so I am always feeding the buzzards too. The problems most people complain about: smell and filth; well, just like your trouble with little dogs, it’s not as much the animals fault as it is the owners. This hobby isn’t for everyone but even with my job and my kids busy schedules I still find time to enjoy it. One of the best perks I have recently found is that if I get covered in burs I can sit down out back and they come over and pick them all off! Wish I could get my wife to do that without complaining! Good Luck!
http://picasaweb.google.com/KerryL.Smith/SmittysBirds02

 

[Doc]

Hey Elsmitro! Welcome to FF.
Good first post. Who would've thunk that duck eggs can help prevent cancer.

If I get covered in burs I can sit down out back and they come over and pick them all off! Wish I could get my wife to do that without complaining!

.....I bet your wife does other things without complaining.

 

[Junkman]

Re: Yes I Do Raise Chickens!

One of the best perks I have recently found is that if I get covered in burs I can sit down out back and they come over and pick them all off! Wish I could get my wife to do that without complaining! Good Luck!

Try sticking some burs on it and see if she bites........

 

[bczoom]

Re: Yes I Do Raise Chickens!

Try sticking some burs on it and see if she bites........

Personally, I prefer nibbles...

 

[Melensdad]

Re: Yes I Do Raise Chickens!

My ducks, turkeys, and guineas, free range 24/7, I have a large pond the ducks stay in at night but during they day they can be found just about anywhere on the property. . . Some duck breeds like the Welsh Harlequin and Khaki Campbell actually out lay chickens.

I've never really considered raising chickens but I have wondered about building a aviary that would be fully mesh enclosed. Probably something like 100' long, and 30' wide, with a hoop house structure for the roof. Basically it would look like a hoop house building but just have a 100% mesh/screen enclosure. It would keep the predators out and give the birds a free roaming area but still keep them contained. I would love to raise (and probably release) wild turkey, quail and maybe raise some ducks (for the eggs) Maybe one of these days I'll find time to do that, but the bigger objection is from the lovley Mrs_B

But honestly I thought about doing this last year and the whole topic of "bird flu" was used to squash the concept. And while it is not a major topic in the news lately, the scientists and the doctors at the CDC still seem to think it is a major potential threat.

 

[Av8r3400]

Re: Yes I Do Raise Chickens!

... I would love to raise (and probably release) wild turkey, ...

Why? Those feathered rats are covering my property now.

C'mon over and take all you want.

Seriously, though, around here they are so populous yet you still have to fight to get a liscense to shoot 'em. Soon they will have to put a bounty back on those cursed things.

Ever see what a car looks like after hitting one? They jump and try to fly just before you hit them, and usually go right into (if not through) the windshield.




Never mind, you probably meant Wild Turkey Burbon, right?

 

[BoneheadNW]

Thanks everyone for your input. The following points have led me to a decision:

• Chickens will need some area to free range but must remain protected from predators
• Chickens will need to be put in a coop for the night and let out in the morning
• They will make a huge mess and fowl (I mean foul) smell unless given a fairly large (protected) area to range
• I will be the one caring for the chickens no matter what the rest of the family says
• A neighbor less than a mile from me sells fresh eggs

Based on these and other considerations, I have scrapped the chicken idea. The next thing to consider- rattlesnakes. They taste like chicken and don't leave the mess AND I can feed that rat dog Dirk up the street to them!
Bonehead

 

[kensfarm]

I really can't smell the chicken's over the cow manure..

I have 5 diff. breeds.. 12 roosters.. 25+ hens.. and 20+ dozen eggs in the fridge. I usually collect 18-20 eggs a day.. I currently have 2 customers.. been giving a lot of samples away too.

 

[elsmitro]

Yes I Do Raise Chickens! And lots of other poultry!

I hope I didn’t turn you off to the idea of keeping birds. I just don’t want anyone to think that it’s all fun and games. It is a lot of work to keep healthy, happy birds in a clean, safe environment. But, there are a lot of benefits to it also. Bringing animals into your life and helping them grow and prosper is not only good for them, but will cause them to be more beneficial to you. It would be even more rewarding if you used this opportunity to increase the quality and quantity of some of our more endangered breeds. Check this web site for a list of them: http://www.albc-usa.org/cpl/wtchlist.html#poultry