Never raised chickens, but can’t be to difficult, right??
DIL, and Son have the idea of having chickens at the land…I told her to many critters and waste of time.
I love the idea, but please post your thoughts. Please include what you think would be needed. Need a coup, and any outside area will need to be covered/fenced as well as top for birds of prey and Foxes can climb…
I don’t know ■■■■ about a chicken other than they are tasty and love eggs.
There’s an egg sign on 165 in Adams Run so it can be done. I here roosters crowing in the morning so it can be done. Seen what’s needed in Tractor Supply so it can be done.
Build you a pen,fenced in area,a house for the chickens to roost in,a couple milk creates with straw in them. Put a golf ball in the crate so the hens will start laying in the crate.
Build a trauf for feeding and water.
Have to feed them at least 2 times daily.
If you make them a cage, make it portable so they can eat grass and bugs.
Keep it simple!!! For layers I love the ISA Brown sex links. Hit up tractor supply and get the Pullets only or you run the chance of mostly roosters unless you are looking to butcher. If you have or know someone getting rid of one, an old rabbit hutch works great for getting your girls up to size for a larger pen. I get home I can take a couple of picks of the stuff I set up for the wife. And yes you need a roof. I use a mix of scratch and laying pellets for feed and most all leftovers get thrown in. They’ll eat most anything, but some greens mixed in really is good for them.
We switched to a different water / feed system purchased on Amazon. So far works great and good for a few days if you travel and don’t have wonderful kids close by to keep an eye on things. gotta get my tail to work… give more info later.
I allowed them to train me into letting them out all day. Once they learned to dig through the sod to get bugs underneath there were holes everywhere and if I cooped them up it irritated the neighbors because the birds just bitched all day about it.
I got rid of them after they got rid of my yard. Now I need to bite the bullet and pay somebody to come in and grade, add topsoil, level, and then figure out if I’m trying seed or getting plugs or sod.
Wife is very tired of rye and weeds. Suggestions near JI are welcome, need to start my own thread on that sorry NN
But on the chickens, if you have them accustomed to a run/coop and get fairly quiet breeds, or can put them a good distance from the house and don’t mind some heavy scratching and Hawk/raccoon/fox-based mortality, I say go for it. I’m glad my girls got to experience the whole deal for a few years.
Thanks all, Bwang, lol, glad you chimed in, but your soil should be fertile, lol.
This coop would be at some hunting/homestead type place purchased last year. Near a couple sheds, as the living quarters are not done yet. Actually, still in planning stage, as things change…
Lot’s of chicken killing critters out there. Spent several hours there today setting more traps. Got home and couple more arrived for Beaver, leg hold stuff. Son and those two grandsons just left from helping me weld up a couple drags for traps.
I got a little off track myself, fella’s. Call it crazy, but turned on Fox and they had something about home raised chickens they were going to play. Didn’t see it, but get it.
Fred, I knew you would chime in, but really thanks to all. Never went to Tractor Supply until the last couple years. I have been missing out. If I walk from front to back of store, at least two employees will ask if I need help. Key is, they know how to help!!
Total enclosure wired top to bottom with wire going in ground for diggers. I do have bunch of galvanized cyclone fencing I could put around perimeter outwards a few feet.
Wife just hit the shower and I’m next… Playing on the computer. The cheap cyclone 12x12 dog pens work really good with the roof covered and secure for the layers. I’ve had a Bantam/gamecock mix running free on the yard for 25+ years that my Uncle gave me when I got out the service. They roost in the trees and I’ve been as low as 6 and as high as 80, depending on varmints. Hawks seem to be my worst enemy. What make it make it. I’ve got some awesome brood hens that will put out four clutches a year. I just gave a friend 6 roosters… for some reason I lose hens much more. I’d butcher more, but the wife has to be away for that. again, nothing fancy and it doesn’t take a lot. dang chicken will eat anything. Was the best thing when we still had horses, they kept all the “pilles” scratched down.
Give it a few more years and little man in that electric jeep will want a big “real” four wheeler. LOL! gotta love it!! Life is good my friend!!! Hoping to talk the wife into letting me teach our grands to ride a dirt bike that I got for them… so far not happening, but the dogs and me are enjoying it.
