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Chickens!
Mar 11, 2018 20:09:40 GMT -6
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Post by Deleted on Mar 11, 2018 20:09:40 GMT -6
Let’s talk all things chicken in here.
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honda
Sapphire
Posts: 2,955 Likes: 13,425
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Post by honda on Mar 11, 2018 20:14:34 GMT -6
killertofu now is your time to shine. They are speaking your love language!
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AmyG
Ruby
Posts: 15,320 Likes: 33,870
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Post by AmyG on Mar 11, 2018 20:19:08 GMT -6
I was a crazy chicken lady with 22 chickens, hand me down chickens from someone getting out of chickens. We had one rooster, gosh he was GIANT, and had baby chicks and the whole shebang. some died, bought baby chicks, went down in size to a more reasonable number, and then they dwindled off over the years. right now we had given up our last baby chick to the neighbors, since everyone else had died off and it wasn't fair to her to be a lone chicken without a flock. she was a random egg that the last chicken laid and then sat on and then died. That was sad. The one last baby chick now jumps the fence and lives at my house most days, and she's laying me one egg a day under the wood pile rather than in the chicken coop.
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Chickens!
Mar 11, 2018 20:24:11 GMT -6
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Post by shawnspencer on Mar 11, 2018 20:24:11 GMT -6
We have 4 backyard chickens; two barred rocks and two orpingtons. We've had great luck with the barred. One specifically is great with our DD. I'm dying for a silkie or two but the sexing is 50/50 and I do not want to deal with getting rid of a rooster.
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Chickens!
Mar 11, 2018 20:37:28 GMT -6
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Post by wildhoney on Mar 11, 2018 20:37:28 GMT -6
What are the best chickens to start out with? We obviously want them for eggs, but I also want them to be semi-friendly. And is 4 a good number to start with?
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Bluebird
Amethyst
Posts: 6,385 Likes: 22,155
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Chickens!
Mar 11, 2018 21:20:08 GMT -6
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Post by Bluebird on Mar 11, 2018 21:20:08 GMT -6
What are the best chickens to start out with? We obviously want them for eggs, but I also want them to be semi-friendly. And is 4 a good number to start with? I had 4 when I had backyard chickens, and it was perfect. We had plenty of eggs for ourselves and enough to give some away. My two friendliest hens were also my most prolific layers, so I highly recommend Rhode Island Reds. We got nearly an egg a day from each, basically a dozen a week from just the two of them.
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Chickens!
Mar 11, 2018 21:43:51 GMT -6
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Post by dreadpirateroberts on Mar 11, 2018 21:43:51 GMT -6
I’m so excited about this thread. I want chickens so badly, but our stupid HOA won’t let us have them. We are hoping to move somewhere with a couple acres in the next few years and then I will get my chickens. But for now I’m trying to learn all about them.
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Chickens!
Mar 11, 2018 21:47:18 GMT -6
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Post by wildhoney on Mar 11, 2018 21:47:18 GMT -6
Do you give them away when they stop laying eggs? My husband says that's what he wants to do, but I feel like I'll be super attached to them.
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Chickens!
Mar 11, 2018 21:53:31 GMT -6
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Post by shawnspencer on Mar 11, 2018 21:53:31 GMT -6
Do you give them away when they stop laying eggs? My husband says that's what he wants to do, but I feel like I'll be super attached to them. We haven't reached this part yet but I would be tempted to keep them personally. They are more like our pets that give us eggs. DD runs around and plays with them. I don't love the poop though.
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Chickens!
Mar 11, 2018 21:58:38 GMT -6
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Post by shawnspencer on Mar 11, 2018 21:58:38 GMT -6
What are the best chickens to start out with? We obviously want them for eggs, but I also want them to be semi-friendly. And is 4 a good number to start with? 4 is a good number. We started with 5 chicks but we had to put 1 chick down when it got really sick and was dying. Barred rocks (or barred Plymouth Rocks) are strong layers (I believe they even gave us eggs this past winter which was a nice surprise) and have been really friendly. One of them puts up with DD carrying it everywhere and trying to push it in a stroller. Haha.
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Chickens!
Mar 11, 2018 22:00:18 GMT -6
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Post by wildhoney on Mar 11, 2018 22:00:18 GMT -6
Do you give them away when they stop laying eggs? My husband says that's what he wants to do, but I feel like I'll be super attached to them. We haven't reached this part yet but I would be tempted to keep them personally. They are more like our pets that give us eggs. DD runs around and plays with them. I don't love the poop though. That's what I would like to do. I think me and my kids would become attached so getting rid of them sounds difficult. DH thinks it's weird that I would think of them as pets.
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Chickens!
Mar 11, 2018 22:00:46 GMT -6
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Post by shawnspencer on Mar 11, 2018 22:00:46 GMT -6
Bluebird, now I want to get some Rhode island reds. I googled them and they seem like easy, adaptable chickens.
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Chickens!
Mar 11, 2018 22:02:26 GMT -6
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Post by shawnspencer on Mar 11, 2018 22:02:26 GMT -6
wildhoney after he sees the kids interact with them he might feel differently.
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Chickens!
Mar 11, 2018 22:10:03 GMT -6
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Post by wildhoney on Mar 11, 2018 22:10:03 GMT -6
So, advice needed: We have wanted chickens forever. We bought a house with certain chicken zoning things in mind -- enough acreage and certain dimensions. But at said house, there is literally, not an exaggeration, daily bear action in the late summer and fall. Are our chicken dreams fucked? Is it possible to build a truly bear proof coop, knowing that destructive bears are regularly visiting? I'm trying to think of a way that you could make it bear proof. DH just said, "she could use some type of electric fence" lol. That sounds unwise if you have kids. Bears can literally get into bear-proof coolers so I don't know if there is a way you could possibly keep them out.
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milano
Emerald
Posts: 10,914 Likes: 36,993
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Post by milano on Mar 11, 2018 22:24:27 GMT -6
I am excited about this thread! We ordered chicks for the end of April, I think we are getting 10 layers and 20 meat chickens (the meat ones are my husband's project, I cannot emotionally be involved in that). I can't remember which breeds we ordered because it's been a few weeks. We have five ducks already who give us eggs every day for about 6 months of the year.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 11, 2018 23:10:01 GMT -6
So, advice needed: We have wanted chickens forever. We bought a house with certain chicken zoning things in mind -- enough acreage and certain dimensions. But at said house, there is literally, not an exaggeration, daily bear action in the late summer and fall. Are our chicken dreams fucked? Is it possible to build a truly bear proof coop, knowing that destructive bears are regularly visiting? Hmm, do bears want anything to do with chickens? Maybe their feed, but I don't know about trying to snag a chicken. I'm really not sure though.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 11, 2018 23:11:21 GMT -6
Do you give them away when they stop laying eggs? My husband says that's what he wants to do, but I feel like I'll be super attached to them. We don't because they are my pets. We have actually taken in one chicken from my friend who raises them to sell (and eat) eggs. She gave her older hens away and/or turned them loose on her property to fend for themselves.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 11, 2018 23:16:20 GMT -6
What are the best chickens to start out with? We obviously want them for eggs, but I also want them to be semi-friendly. And is 4 a good number to start with? Does your family eat a lot of eggs? You should expect each chicken to lay every day to every other day. We have 3 and that is a good number for us, but we don't eat a ton of eggs. We started with chickens that are known to be docile and quiet. We had a Rhode Island red and she was great. We also have a Delaware, a silver-laced Wyandotte, and a golden sex link. They are all great chickens, especially the golden. The Delaware is a bit rooster-ish, like she keeps tabs on the flock and lets me know when something's up. She's also a little mischievous and gets into stuff when she shouldn't. My Wyandotte is pretty shy and a bit skittish at times, but she's really pretty. A lot of people like Americanas, Orpingtons, RIR, Easter eggers, and barred rock. Take a look around backyardchicken.com if you haven't already, there's tons of good info there.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 11, 2018 23:17:39 GMT -6
snip The one last baby chick now jumps the fence and lives at my house most days, and she's laying me one egg a day under the wood pile rather than in the chicken coop. That is so cute!
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Tlex
Ruby
Posts: 22,759 Likes: 154,991
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Post by Tlex on Mar 11, 2018 23:26:33 GMT -6
@snow hello, neighbour in spirit! The bears are a concern for us too, but we'd love chickens. I think the bears aren't that interested in chickens as much as they would be in their feed, but we have a lot of foxes and coyotes that would love a chicken dinner. People around me definitely keep chickens, though, so it's obviously possible.
Unlike some I'm not very emotionally attached to livestock and would not be devastated or feel like I'd lost a pet if something happened, though.
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Chickens!
Mar 12, 2018 6:18:32 GMT -6
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Post by wildhoney on Mar 12, 2018 6:18:32 GMT -6
What are the best chickens to start out with? We obviously want them for eggs, but I also want them to be semi-friendly. And is 4 a good number to start with? Does your family eat a lot of eggs? You should expect each chicken to lay every day to every other day. We have 3 and that is a good number for us, but we don't eat a ton of eggs. We started with chickens that are known to be docile and quiet. We had a Rhode Island red and she was great. We also have a Delaware, a silver-laced Wyandotte, and a golden sex link. They are all great chickens, especially the golden. The Delaware is a bit rooster-ish, like she keeps tabs on the flock and lets me know when something's up. She's also a little mischievous and gets into stuff when she shouldn't. My Wyandotte is pretty shy and a bit skittish at times, but she's really pretty. A lot of people like Americanas, Orpingtons, RIR, Easter eggers, and barred rock. Take a look around backyardchicken.com if you haven't already, there's tons of good info there. Thank you!
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Post by orangehibiscus on Mar 12, 2018 7:27:46 GMT -6
Hello everyone! I’m OrangeHibiscus. I hang out on the IF board. I lurk GD a lot, and that’s how I found this thread.
This thread is perfectly timed because H and I are looking to get chickens in the next few weeks. I also don’t get emotionally attached to livestock, so I’m not worried about raising our meat chickens.
We have never had chickens before. We know people that have them, including our neighbor.
We are looking for meat chickens as the people we know that have chickens have egg layers, so want to start bartering meat for eggs.
I think we’re looking at getting Cornish Cross chicks. We already have a place to put the chicks. A friend has a feeder, waterer, and a heat lamp we can borrow. We are planning on keeping them in the garage in a large empty watering trough until they can be outside.
Any tips on raising chicks? Any advice for meat chickens (breed, how long to grow them, etc)? Thanks!
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elodin
Opal
Posts: 9,586 Likes: 26,672
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Chickens!
Mar 12, 2018 7:59:41 GMT -6
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Post by elodin on Mar 12, 2018 7:59:41 GMT -6
This thread has made me miss having chickens. 😭
We'll probably try again when the kids are older.
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elodin
Opal
Posts: 9,586 Likes: 26,672
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Chickens!
Mar 12, 2018 8:05:47 GMT -6
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Post by elodin on Mar 12, 2018 8:05:47 GMT -6
orangehibiscus.... I think anything Cornish make good meat chickens. We only had egg layers but we ordered from Meyer Hatchery and they have a huge selection of meat birds and egg layers. Backyardchickens.com is a great resource for information.
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Post by orangehibiscus on Mar 12, 2018 8:28:00 GMT -6
orangehibiscus.... I think anything Cornish make good meat chickens. We only had egg layers but we ordered from Meyer Hatchery and they have a huge selection of meat birds and egg layers. Backyardchickens.com is a great resource for information. Thank you!
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Chickens!
Mar 12, 2018 10:24:43 GMT -6
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Post by Deleted on Mar 12, 2018 10:24:43 GMT -6
Hello everyone! I’m OrangeHibiscus. I hang out on the IF board. I lurk GD a lot, and that’s how I found this thread. This thread is perfectly timed because H and I are looking to get chickens in the next few weeks. I also don’t get emotionally attached to livestock, so I’m not worried about raising our meat chickens. We have never had chickens before. We know people that have them, including our neighbor. We are looking for meat chickens as the people we know that have chickens have egg layers, so want to start bartering meat for eggs. I think we’re looking at getting Cornish Cross chicks. We already have a place to put the chicks. A friend has a feeder, waterer, and a heat lamp we can borrow. We are planning on keeping them in the garage in a large empty watering trough until they can be outside. Any tips on raising chicks? Any advice for meat chickens (breed, how long to grow them, etc)? Thanks! Raising chicks is really easy. You’ve got everything you need. Just keep an eye on them for temperature adjustments- if they’re all huddled under the heat lamp, move it lower - if they’re spread out to the edge of the trough, move the lamp up.
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Tlex
Ruby
Posts: 22,759 Likes: 154,991
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Post by Tlex on Mar 12, 2018 10:31:21 GMT -6
Are there any chickens that make both great layers and decent meat chickens? I really want Easter Eggers because omg pretty eggs. I'm all over the place on what I like lol.
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Pistol
Diamond
Posts: 28,064 Likes: 62,420
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Chickens!
Mar 12, 2018 16:46:14 GMT -6
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Post by Pistol on Mar 12, 2018 16:46:14 GMT -6
Are there any chickens that make both great layers and decent meat chickens? I really want Easter Eggers because omg pretty eggs. I'm all over the place on what I like lol. Meat chickens are butchered young enough that you won’t get many (if any) eggs from them. If you want eggs and meat then you’ll run 2 separate flocks. Once layers are old enough they quit laying they basically go for lower grade things like dog food or canned soups or things like that where the quality of meat doesn’t matter as much.
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Post by sheilathetank on Mar 12, 2018 16:51:29 GMT -6
I don't really go here, but my Pinterest feed has suggested things related to raising chickens for months. Including how to crochet a sweater for your chicken.
Anyone here make sweaters for their chickens?
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Post by orangehibiscus on Mar 12, 2018 18:07:44 GMT -6
Hello everyone! I’m OrangeHibiscus. I hang out on the IF board. I lurk GD a lot, and that’s how I found this thread. This thread is perfectly timed because H and I are looking to get chickens in the next few weeks. I also don’t get emotionally attached to livestock, so I’m not worried about raising our meat chickens. We have never had chickens before. We know people that have them, including our neighbor. We are looking for meat chickens as the people we know that have chickens have egg layers, so want to start bartering meat for eggs. I think we’re looking at getting Cornish Cross chicks. We already have a place to put the chicks. A friend has a feeder, waterer, and a heat lamp we can borrow. We are planning on keeping them in the garage in a large empty watering trough until they can be outside. Any tips on raising chicks? Any advice for meat chickens (breed, how long to grow them, etc)? Thanks! Raising chicks is really easy. You’ve got everything you need. Just keep an eye on them for temperature adjustments- if they’re all huddled under the heat lamp, move it lower - if they’re spread out to the edge of the trough, move the lamp up. Great info. Thank you so much!
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