Dec 09 2007
Raising Chickens
I started raising chicken this past summer and it is fun and everyday I get nice fresh eggs. They are one of the easiest animals to raise and require only minimal care.
I allow them (except) in the winter to free range on a nice fenced area. One of my first concerns was that they like to fly out of their area. I had thought of clipping their wings but I watched and only one of the breeds I have fly out and they stick right in the main yard then fly back in shortly after. Because of that fact, I decided to forgo the wing clipping.
Chickens do need to have food and water at all times and if they do not have access to small rocks, you need to add grit for them to be able to digest their food. They also need a safe shelter to protect them from the elements and other animals. Any place will do, I use an old shed that was built on to my main barn.
If you plan to hatch the eggs you need a rooster. If you are just using the eggs for food, hens do still lay eggs without a rooster but they will not be fertilized. I chose to get a rooster even though I do not hatch the eggs. I thought he would be good protection when another animal comes around.
At times, I feel that getting a rooster was not my best idea. He protects too well and in the fall I went out to the barn with shorts on and he attacked my leg. Let me tell you, roosters can do damage and they do hurt. I was lucky he just got two good cuts on my leg before I kicked him off. He was headed to the guillotine before my wife convinced me to give him another chance. I pardoned him from death row but now I have a 2×4 handy and he has learned who is the real boss of the roost.
The one thing I learned about raising chickens is that if you read too many books, you will spend all your time worrying about problems. I have one good book and use it as a reference guide. Otherwise, you can learn everything you need to know by just doing it., it is really easy.
Collecting eggs must be done daily. If you have new hens expecting to start laying (approx. 23 weeks from birth), make sure you look everywhere for the eggs. I made really nice nesting boxes and the older hens have laid their eggs in them. I have two newer hens who just starting laying and they laid everywhere. The first bunch of eggs, I found on a high shelf in the barn (12 in all). Then I found them under an old wood stove. Now they lay on the floor in a corner. I guess they do not like the boxes I made. Well at least they lay in the same place everyday now.
The chickens love treats and they eat many scraps like apples, apple peelings, pumpkins (chopped up), tomatoes, zucchini, and more. They for some reason do not like broccoli or any of the cabbage family.
The downside of raising any animal is the winter. The last few weeks it has been in the teens down to below zero and it is a pain to change the water everyday and collect eggs when it is so cold. The chickens also hate being cooped up but that is part of the life.
My farm is also a no kill chicken farm, they are here for eggs and as pets. We are looking at raising for meat in the future once I get some experience in doing so.
This post should give and idea about raising chickens and I will include future posts on the topic.
Remember when the manure in life gets too much, just say “That Blozzz”, and move on !
Quite amazing on the broccoli as mine love it. The things they won’t eat are generally orange. Carrots are not for them but they eat squash, pumpkin, and anything I can eat. Naturally this excludes bones and citrus peels, etc.
Kelly, mine will not eat anything related to the cabbage family or broccoli. Everything I have read, this is quite common. Mine do eat the oranges though. They will also eat all the rest of stuff you stated. They have been in their glory for the last few month because they have been fed all my extra pumpkins and they leftovers after Halloween.
I have also been feeding them my excess milk when it comes close to sour. I bye organic raw milk and they love it.
Thanks for the comments and don;t forget to stop in on the 24th to enter my contest!
Hello, sorry that my comment and lead up to my questions is so long!
I purchased a place at the end of Sept (’08) that has a stirdy coop/shed. It has been used for storage for many years and the property was in the possession of the original family (various members) up until I bought it. Anyway, I’m not sure when the last time was that it was used at a legitimate home for chickens but it’s got hen boxes, a flat fairly wide shelf and even little doors just the right size for chickens. There appears to have been electrical run out to the coop some years back, but it no longer does.
I’ve read that heat isn’t really required for chickens (other than to keep their water from freezing) due to problems of moisture collection in coops that aren’t well ventilated. I live in CO so I’m not sure that’d be an issue (though I wouldn’t rule it out).
Have you had this issue before?
BTW, I would probably be getting the Brahma breed since my research says it’s just about as hardy as you can get.
I, too, figured I’d get a rooster more for protection than breeding. I’m like you in that I pretty much want to collect eggs and have them as pets (babies aren’t out of the question though).
Have you had issues with predators during the daylight hours?
I live in an urban environment on a fairly large plot (over 13k sq ft). I’m worried the cats in the area will figure out they can catch a large meal in my backyard.
My comment/questions are totally disjointed, I realize. Having a hard time collecting my questions in an organized manner!
Also, after the intitial costs, do you incur much more than bedding and feed costs every month? I’ve heard different things: that it costs a mint even after you get the chickens and I’ve also heard chickens are an extremely affordable pet after purchase of all needed supplies…
Thanks for any info!
Nice questions:
I used an old shop connected to the big barn. We get as low as 65 below zero and I have never had to have heat. Just keep an eye on the rooster because he does not have the same ability to burrow their head in their feathers as hens do. If his comb gets froze too often it could get major frost bite and make him sterile.
The water is a pain but if you have a large plastic water dish, it takes a few minutes to thaw with hot water. I normally take out three hot water gallon jugs and thaw it in about 10 minutes.
I have several cats in the neighborhood and have not had a big problem. I have only lost one chicken to whet I suspect was a predator. I live in a very country and wooded area and as long as you close them up as night, it should not be a big problem.
I have a four foot fence so i have no problems with dogs but they could be a problem if you do not have the chickens fenced. Last years chickens mostly stayed in the fence. This years chickens fly out like crazy but i have not had any problems.
Since you are most likely in a similar climate as mine, I recommend the same thing I have, Barred Rocks. They are quite hardy and dual purpose so if you want to eat some, they are good size.
Brahma are also good but I have no first hand experience so I can not fully recommend them.
I have twenty three chickens right now. If the building is big enough, you should be able to clean it once a year as long as you use deep bedding. I use pine shavings which normally cost me about $35-40 a year. As far as feed, it cost me about $40-$50 a month for feed and a bag of scratch here and there. It is a little cheaper in the summer because they get to forage for their own food a lot.
Once you get rolling and start producing a good amount of eggs, much of the cost could be recouped through egg sales. I have broke close to even the last two months and supply myself, my mother in law, and my brother in laws family on top of selling.
The enjoyment I get from them would make me do it either way.
One warning, beware that with any animal, you may have to cull or kill one. I ended up culling and butchering 17 roosters from my spring bunch this year. The worse thing was I had to cull a chick who got a cut and the others were pecking it to death. If you can’t do it, make sure you know someone who can. It is better than watching an animal suffer.
You will move raising chickens and if you have kids, they will love it to. Read a good book but do not believe all you read. They scare you more than help sometimes. If you take care of the chickens, they are easy to keep safe and healthy.
One last thing, I do not have electricity in the barn, It is not a major issue and should not be a problem.
Good luck and please let me know if you get some!
We are just now getting chickens (should be arriving today or tomorrow). 8 of them (White Leghorns and Rhode Island Reds).
We have a small utility barn on our property (8×8 I think). It looks like a barn, so we added a fence off the side, built nesting boxes and a roost, and that’s where our chickens will live.
Next year, we are getting some more. The ones that lay colored eggs.
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