PDA

View Full Version : Raising Chickens-Is it worth it? FYI



hunter63
01-22-2010, 05:49 PM
Found this article about raising your own chickens.
Lots of discussion on economics, codes etc.

Lots of reasons pro and con.
http://www.newhavenadvocate.com/article.cfm?aid=16275

Winnie
01-22-2010, 07:03 PM
Well I know my girls pay for themselves, a sack of feed lasts about 5 months at £7.00 a sack. They also have a handful of mixed corn as a treat and in the winter a few ounces of sunflower seeds once a week to boost the protein levels. At £3.00 (minimum) for a dozen free range eggs in the shops, it's a no brainer. I use the excess eggs as barter items and I sometimes sell 1/2 doz here and there. BUT try telling Jennifer chickens only lay for 3 years, she's six years old and still lays 4 eggs a week so I think that statement is busted!

doug1980
01-22-2010, 08:42 PM
I have been contiplating getting a few chickens myself when i move back to IN. But living in city limits I'm not sure how well that would go over. I will finally have a garden though.

Winnie
01-23-2010, 06:31 AM
And there's another thing chickens are useful for, after I've finished harvesting, the girls go into a moveable coop that fits over the raised beds and they do a fine job of clearing them. All weeds, seeds grubs etc gone.(they also manure it as they go) All I have to do is lightly till the soil in the spring.

your_comforting_company
01-23-2010, 12:50 PM
I would have to argue that there are no con's to raising your own food...

oly
01-23-2010, 01:12 PM
Chickens will eat mice keeping the population in check until they find a fortified safe house.:innocent:

Swamprat1958
01-23-2010, 06:57 PM
Hunter 63 I keep debating with myself about raising chickens. My problem is that my work schedule is erratic and I might not be there to gather eggs as frequently as needed. That could lead to more chickens than I really want, and then I would have to start butchering some of them. I will have to say yea or nay to the idea eventually, but for now I keep thinking about it.

Ole WV Coot
01-23-2010, 07:36 PM
I'm not a fan of chickens within 500' of the house. The decent layers are usually too tough for anything except cooked with dumplings. Young fryers are good and the manure is really high in nitrogen and great for a lettuce or onion bed. They will eat anything or each other, those are the good parts. Have to be kept in a pen for sure, I still remember walking barefoot and having the stuff squirt between my toes. Don't take much of a pen, just a round of chicken wire and clip their wings. A roof over their heads and a couple of poles to roost on. Just throw your garbage over the fence and keep water for them. Now if you can tolerate that they are worth it.

hunter63
01-23-2010, 08:58 PM
We had always thought that we would have a few for eggs, and meat, when we make the move to "The Place".

As it's turning out, kinda looks like we may be "snow birding it", and we/I do travel a lot, so for us it wouldn't be practical to have them.

Last neighbors we had, she raised chickens, and would bring us over her extra eggs, and a chicken or two, when she butchered. (young meat birds).
In turn I would haul over a bale of hay or two, and any garden greens we couldn't use.
Worked well.
She moved, so the new guy and his wife are from Chicago, he's there most of the time "homesteading", ( I truly don't know what he's doing).
She is staying in the city most of the time. ( this should be intresting).

So, long story short, I don't want to be bothered with them.

LowKey
01-23-2010, 11:17 PM
and I might not be there to gather eggs as frequently as needed. That could lead to more chickens than I really want, .

Not if you don't keep a rooster. ;)

We had chickens when I was a teenager. We had a rooster for a while but the neighbors complained as he crowed just before first light, every day. For a while we kept him quiet by shutting him in at night with a blanket over the coop window, but some nights we couldn't catch him inside. I even called a vet to see if he could de-voicify the rooster so we could raise our own chicks but he just laughed and kindly told me no, so Mr. Rooster went in the pot.

The manure made a great garden tea. We never really tried the chicken-tractor method that Winnie uses though.

Where I live now, the covenant with the Lake Association that came with the property doesn't allow chickens for fear of contaminating the lake (even though I don't live on the shore of said lake), or I'd have them again in an instant. We won't mention the fertilized lawn nitrates running into the lake or the raised leach fields of some of those who live on the shore. Grr. I can't have goats either. People here have bigger dogs, and more of them, than the goats I want.

madmantrapper
01-24-2010, 12:36 AM
I raise chickens and let them free range in the evening. I like raising them, I like fresh brown eggs. I have two roosters, which are going to the stew pot soon, they are getting mean and with a three year old girl at my house that is not going to go well when the weather breaks and she is outside.

rebel
05-17-2010, 12:23 PM
When I finish traveling and can stay in one place (retirement), I'd like to get some for eggs and meat. I'd also like a good fish pond.

Justin Case
05-17-2010, 12:39 PM
back when I was a Kid we Had chickens,, had a rooster that liked to roost in the neighbors tree,, one morning he Blew it out of the Tree with a 12 Ga, LOL Poor Neighbor Bob just wasnt a Morning Person, LOL,,
Side Note, 12 Ga + Rooster at close range = not much ,,,,

finallyME
05-17-2010, 02:45 PM
I don't really consider whether raising chickens will make economic sense. I look at it more for experience. I don't have chickens right now, but hope to next spring. I do have rabbits. I have learned a lot from the few rabbits I have had. And, one thing I think about it is that I would rather learn and make mistakes when I can go to the store and buy food then when I can't.

nell67
05-17-2010, 02:57 PM
I think they are well worth it ,given the price of eggs and meat going up in the stores,mine are free range,don't feed them much during the warm months,and a little to supplement their foraging in the winter.

tipacanoe
05-18-2010, 08:19 PM
We don't have very large cities here, but Portland Maine allows it's citizens to raise up to 5 chickens (no roosters), and also Brunswick has done the same thing here. My neighbors live about 20 feet from me, I hope neither of us decides to raise them.

HeritageFarm
05-29-2010, 09:41 AM
I wonder why there are so many chicken topics here...
Ours free range. Soon we hope to get a portable coop, to follow the sheep around the field and eat the worms as we do intensive grazing...

crashdive123
05-29-2010, 12:15 PM
I wonder why there are so many chicken topics here...
Ours free range. Soon we hope to get a portable coop, to follow the sheep around the field and eat the worms as we do intensive grazing...

A while back, the owner did a forum expansion that added some sub forums that gave a little narrower focus. Before that it was kind of hit or miss to find (or sometimes where to post) these sort of things, so multiple threads were started. These are the threads that were moved to this sub forum. I'll take a closer look at the content of the threads - a merge might be in order.

carnivor way
06-12-2010, 07:58 PM
my chickens are well worth the effort . they give us eggs, meat,fertilizer and help control insects . all for just a little time and feed.

Rick
06-12-2010, 08:21 PM
Hey, me too! Well, not the eggs or the meat but I'm pretty good on the fertilizer part and not too shabby on controlling insects. I do have a little trouble getting the bridle on lady bugs, though.

mklassen
10-05-2010, 09:39 PM
I love raising chickens! I have 2 big roosters that are like pet dogs. Whats not to like. I have eggs, meat and fertilizer for my garden.

Rick
10-05-2010, 10:49 PM
Hey, there. How about roosting over at the Introduction section? Here's a template for you.

http://www.wilderness-survival.net/forums/showthread.php?t=7813

canid
10-06-2010, 12:10 AM
a friend of mine got around city ordinance for her half dozen or so hens by naming them and spending time interacting with them. they would come when she called; a couple of them seemed to know their own names, and when the city guy saw that, he had a hard time claiming they weren't legitimately pets.

Sourdough
10-06-2010, 02:14 AM
REAL'Men have Geese, not sissy chickens. Attack Geese is the answer.

NightShade
10-08-2010, 08:09 PM
I grew up on a small farm... We raised laying and meat hens.... Definetly worth it!
As a side note.... We also raised pigs and turkeys ( along with near everything else ).....
While I have grown to accept store bought chicken, I still can't eat store-bought turkey or bacon.... Gotta go visit mom and dad for the good stuff...

LowKey
10-08-2010, 11:16 PM
We only get turkey at the turkey farm two towns over. Fresh, free range. The wait in line at Thanksgiving is an event, not a chore. Other times, it's call-ahead or get a frozen one depending on the season.

Those things in the grocery store that impersonate turkeys literally make me ill. All that stuff they put in them to make them idiot-proof to cook. Bad scene.

Nightshade, a place called Balance Rock Farm has some really good farm-smoked bacon. It's out in Berlin I believe.

NightShade
10-09-2010, 09:00 PM
Thanks LowKey... I'll hafta check that out! Not too far and I really can't eat the stuff out of the grocery store... Last 2 years my parents haven't raised pigs .... Though they have been talkin about starting it again next year.

flandersander
12-14-2010, 10:25 PM
I know it's an old thread, but I'm contamplating raising chickens this winter. The link in the first post doesn't work for me. Does it work for anybody else?

A190
01-15-2011, 04:54 PM
ITs a great hobby and I have 50 birds to prove it.
They are kind a pain but mostly will support them selves especially during the spring and summer

dottie
05-13-2011, 06:16 AM
With the way the world economy is going, I expect many zoning rules to be changed or ignored with many more people taking up raising chicjens to help sustain themselves. I have a fair sized chicken flock. Well worth having around. The eggs help feed me and a number of other families, plus, any extra roosters go into the pot (more food). My chickens are free-range, and I only throw them food scraps. Great fertilizer for my garden, and they have helped keep the garden pests way down. I see no cons in keeping chickens, especially if I don't incorperate any of the commercial big agri-business practices. Better to keep it simple.

finallyME
05-17-2011, 11:55 AM
Well I know my girls pay for themselves, a sack of feed lasts about 5 months at £7.00 a sack. They also have a handful of mixed corn as a treat and in the winter a few ounces of sunflower seeds once a week to boost the protein levels. At £3.00 (minimum) for a dozen free range eggs in the shops, it's a no brainer. I use the excess eggs as barter items and I sometimes sell 1/2 doz here and there. BUT try telling Jennifer chickens only lay for 3 years, she's six years old and still lays 4 eggs a week so I think that statement is busted!

Hey Winnie, I got a question for you, or anyone who wants to answer. How often do you rotate your layers?

shiftyer1
05-17-2011, 03:26 PM
I get chicks in the spring and after about 9 months they start laying. I don't get rid of the older hens but it seems that in the spring I have 20-25 chickens and they kinda dwindle down to around 10 by fall or winter. I have alot of hawks and owls and coyotes and at one point a bobcat that come to the buffet. The older hens are tough to eat and are only good for soup and such.

The older hens slow down laying although I have one who didn't lay at all last year and this year I get an egg a day, she's 4 or 5.

nell67
05-17-2011, 04:00 PM
Hey Winnie, I got a question for you, or anyone who wants to answer. How often do you rotate your layers?
I usually keep mine for 2 years,and then rotate them out (errrrm,put'em in the freezer) always get a few new ones each year although last year I lost most of mine to a darn 'coon,oh and I always have one who thinks herself human,and follows me around whenever I am out and about,she escaped the 'coon last year,and will be here until she dies.

Her name is Gertie,and her predecessor was named Bertha Barebutt,yea she just showed up here one day with now feathers,and her butt is the only place she never regrew them

Dink
07-15-2011, 01:26 AM
As long as I can remember I have had chickens...all the way back to being a little kid. I gave my last flock to my new neighbors as I am moving to a slightly larger farm. They give me all the eggs I want, since I did the same for them before I gave them the birds. But as soon as I get the new chicken house up, I will have another flock. Being single I like to have about 10-14 hens & a good rose comb rooster-brown or green eggers only. I also have a setup for raising and butchering 30-50 cornish cross every year plus whatever I hatch to sell or butcher. Between the eggs, manure, hackle feathers for fishing lures and new chicks...all for selling or trading...my birds have always more than paid for themselves.

I rotate mine out at about 3-4 years old unless they are still producing pretty good...and that depends a lot on the breed or cross breed.

Dylan
07-15-2011, 11:04 AM
Buddy keeps about 20 chickens which keeps his family, his (small) town, and me in more eggs than we all use. Plus once a month we have a chicken and beer dinner!

Wildthang
03-10-2012, 11:58 AM
I think I'm getting some chickens this spring. What are the best kind for eggs? I doubt if we ever get to eat them because the girls will make pets out of them and would freakout if I thought about eating them! So I just want maybe 4 hens to lay eggs!

Rick
03-10-2012, 12:03 PM
Talk to Nell and Winnie. They are the chicken (er...girls) gurus.

nell67
03-10-2012, 04:26 PM
I think I'm getting some chickens this spring. What are the best kind for eggs? I doubt if we ever get to eat them because the girls will make pets out of them and would freakout if I thought about eating them! So I just want maybe 4 hens to lay eggs!
Any of them really except for Cornish cross,which are bred solely for the table,and bantams (small breed=very small egg) Road Island reds are popular,as are Barred rock (old breed) or even go for Ameraucana -
https://encrypted-tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR-5sV17xl-3wzBhl2etbvytVhY2NzN2xj_p2a8Wcil4bVnv0UJand get-https://encrypted-tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSth7hT8Tvli0cYQpFpoFkPfnub5SZyx uaahFUBS1Rd-68_zLHXKQyea those are blue/green eggs,and no they have not been color manipulated!pretty chickens (yes,she has a beard!) and pretty eggs.

Winnie
03-11-2012, 04:51 AM
If you just want layers and nothing fancy, then go for one of the hybrids. If you want a pretty chick there are loads of breeds to choose from. I'm fond of Marans myself, but they aren't the best of layers. I have Light Sussex and a hybrid. All lay well and give endless joy. Even through the winter they don't let me down. They take it in turns to lay an egg a day!
I don't rotate mine out. They are pets as well as providing eggs. Dizzy is 5 years old this year and is still laying. I know Nell does, but I think she has a more commercial set-up.

Chris
03-11-2012, 08:29 AM
Don't forget we have all thsis information:

http://www.wilderness-survival.net/raising-chickens/

shiftyer1
03-12-2012, 12:04 AM
If you find hyline browns, they really crank out the eggs. Throw in a rooster and they make decent mothers also. I also got some bantams and they get broody often and also make good foster mothers.

Wildthang
03-12-2012, 12:25 PM
How smart are chickens? Do they remember their names, and can you teach them tricks? I hav enever owned chickens but they sound interesting! I may train them to be guard attack chickens:eek2:

shiftyer1
03-12-2012, 11:43 PM
Some will follow you around worse than a dog if it is handraised. As far as tricks.....I doubt it but who knows. Maybe the reason I haven't seen a parrot like chicken is because nobodies been crazy enough to try to train one. :) You can hypnotise a chicken though:)

If you find a mean rooster he'll attack, mine have always been pretty tame. If you want attack birds get geese, my g grandparents had geese when I was a kid......them things will peck and beat u half to death!!!!!!!!!!!

Winnie
03-13-2012, 01:12 PM
Yep they do recognise their names! I've honestly never tried to teach them tricks, they give me enough entertainment as they are.

farmerjane
07-22-2012, 03:58 PM
I usually keep about 30 chickens and two to three roosters. We have a large family and always have plenty of eggs for our selves and then barter out the rest. Every spring I pull out some eggs and incubate them in the house to replenish our stock. Usually trade out the roosters every year with someone to keep from mixing our blood lines too much. I dont worry about keeping "purebreeds" as I use them for eggs. Once they get to old to be good layers or roosters from the incubation we have a slaughter day and use them for the freezer.

I grow a patch of sunflower seeds, oats, milo, turnips and dent corn in the garden each year for winter feed for them. Of coarse they love all the scraps from the dinner prep and the poop is great on the garden.

Since I first purchased chickens a few years back, I have not had to spend any "money" on them, just labor and bartering.

Since I live in the country, I dont have to worry about the zoning restrictions.

Sarge47
07-22-2012, 04:47 PM
FM, have you ever looked into marketing rooster hackle feathers for Fly-tying? The prices on these have gone sky-high and if you could bring a lower cost alternative to the marketplace you could clean up. I confess that I have no clue as to what's necessary as to what all is involved in doing this, but it might be something you could look into. :confused1:

farmerjane
07-22-2012, 07:25 PM
FM, have you ever looked into marketing rooster hackle feathers for Fly-tying? The prices on these have gone sky-high and if you could bring a lower cost alternative to the marketplace you could clean up. I confess that I have no clue as to what's necessary as to what all is involved in doing this, but it might be something you could look into. :confused1:

I have not thought about the feathers before........interesting thought though. I live near Lake palestine, so thier may be any avenue of income there. I dont know if many people do fly fishing on the lake???? I am not a fisherman, more of a farmer, but I think it is worth looking into.

Thanks for the idea.

Sarge47
07-22-2012, 07:46 PM
I have not thought about the feathers before........interesting thought though. I live near Lake palestine, so thier may be any avenue of income there. I dont know if many people do fly fishing on the lake???? I am not a fisherman, more of a farmer, but I think it is worth looking into.

Thanks for the idea.Here's a more popular company that might give you an idea. :thumbs_up:

http://www.whitingfarms.com/about_01.html

SunforTwo
07-22-2012, 09:31 PM
Chickens are pretty officiant, and I think it's worth your time. They ensure you with eggs, and meat. What more could you ask for?

Though I must say, introducing chickens to each other is difficult. With they're pecking order, like any other animals, they can easily kill each other when you introduce a new pullet to a flock.

farmerjane
07-23-2012, 12:04 AM
Here's a more popular company that might give you an idea. :thumbs_up:

http://www.whitingfarms.com/about_01.html

Thanks for the info.

SunforTwo
07-23-2012, 12:44 AM
http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/index.html

Is also a good place to find some, or efowl.

Aℓкℓιηєѕ
09-07-2012, 07:12 PM
Yes, it is worth it. You could be saving up to $100 per year or more on raising chickens rather than buying the meat from a supermarket.

We used to have around 4 chicks. As they were growing up (about 1 month old) we put them outside, in a closed area and used chicken mesh to fence them. Unfortunately the neighbors got pissed of because the chicks peep a lot,
and they called the COPS on us. The police came over and said we had to get rid of the chicks, or face charges for disturbance. Sadly we had to give them away :'(

WHAT A SOCIETY THESE DAYS!!! :cold:

hunter63
09-07-2012, 07:40 PM
Yes, it is worth it. You could be saving up to $100 per year or more on raising chickens rather than buying the meat from a supermarket.

We used to have around 4 chicks. As they were growing up (about 1 month old) we put them outside, in a closed area and used chicken mesh to fence them. Unfortunately the neighbors got pissed of because the chicks peep a lot,
and they called the COPS on us. The police came over and said we had to get rid of the chicks, or face charges for disturbance. Sadly we had to give them away :'(

WHAT A SOCIETY THESE DAYS!!! :cold:

So how did that save you $100 bucks?

Wildthang
09-08-2012, 08:08 AM
Though I must say, introducing chickens to each other is difficult. With they're pecking order, like any other animals, they can easily kill each other when you introduce a new pullet to a flock.

Maybe you should take them out to dinner first so they can get to know each other before you just throw them in the coup! They sound a lot like women:scared:

Aℓкℓιηєѕ
09-08-2012, 05:05 PM
So how did that save you $100 bucks?
I meant its worth it if everything works out. -.-

Wildthang
09-10-2012, 01:40 PM
Well I am planning on building a chicken coop and fenced in area in front of the coop next spring, and I think I will start out with about 2 or 3 hens just to get familiar with how to manage them. The girls think I'm crazy for wanting chickens so I told them that I am expecting them to feed them and gather the eggs. It was funny because I think they are afraid of chickens, at least that is how they acted when I told them that! Who on earth could be afraid of a chicken:lol:

hunter63
09-10-2012, 03:01 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LCsiWL6gn0

kyratshooter
09-12-2012, 02:59 PM
Who on earth could be afraid of a chicken:lol:

My rooster Butch chased the neighbors dog out of the yard the other day. I told him I was going to cook him one day and he gave me the "stink eye" so hard I reconsidered.

He is the only one of my bunch that does not run when I come out the door. He walks right up and talks to you like he was a person. He had a run in with the neighbor's tractor the other day and talked to me about that for quite some time.

I could not understand a word he was saying but he said it with intensity.

I think he's a Democrat.

hunter63
09-12-2012, 06:33 PM
Jemimah was a bull frog, was a good friend of mine, never understood a word he said, but some mighty fine wine.......
Roosters not so sure, sure are noisy though.

kyratshooter
09-13-2012, 11:59 AM
I just had a serious talk with "the girls". They were playing in the road.

Another aspect of life with chickens.

Anyone else here old enough to remember the "Count the Dead Chickens On the Road" travel game?

Wildthang
09-14-2012, 09:01 AM
My rooster Butch chased the neighbors dog out of the yard the other day. I told him I was going to cook him one day and he gave me the "stink eye" so hard I reconsidered.

He is the only one of my bunch that does not run when I come out the door. He walks right up and talks to you like he was a person. He had a run in with the neighbor's tractor the other day and talked to me about that for quite some time.

I could not understand a word he was saying but he said it with intensity.

I think he's a Democrat.

Get some of those small shock collars and get an invisable fence, that'l teach em!

kyratshooter
09-15-2012, 10:28 AM
Get some of those small shock collars and get an invisable fence, that'l teach em!

Butch or the Democrats?

Wildthang
09-16-2012, 01:42 PM
Butch or the Democrats?

Both:smartass:

crashdive123
09-16-2012, 02:54 PM
Now, now fellas. Politik ist verboten.

kyratshooter
09-16-2012, 10:34 PM
Now, now fellas. Politik ist verboten.


This is not partizan politics Crash,

I feed Butch just like I do any of my Republican chickens.

The racoons ate my Independant chicken. That happens when no one has your back.

Catullus
09-17-2012, 10:48 AM
Provided that you can keep predators under control chickens are a great way to enhance preps. The cost and time you can store feed for fresh eggs is a good trade. However, I would advise if you live in a more urban area they will become more of a target than an asset in a SHTF situation.

kyratshooter
09-17-2012, 07:58 PM
Provided that you can keep predators under control chickens are a great way to enhance preps. The cost and time you can store feed for fresh eggs is a good trade. However, I would advise if you live in a more urban area they will become more of a target than an asset in a SHTF situation.

I actually enjoy the predator control aspect of keeping chickens. It reinfirces the limitations on the various calibers and what their usefullness actually is.

Just think of them as "bait".

Everything positive that one does makes one a target in a SHTF situation.

hunter63
09-17-2012, 08:58 PM
So does that make your varmint control firing position a "blind" (civilian) or a "Hide" (military)?

kyratshooter
09-18-2012, 05:16 PM
So does that make your varmint control firing position a "blind" (civilian) or a "Hide" (military)?

I think the official term is a bacon tree, or possibly a hambush.

Yes that's it, I hambush them from the kitchen window!

Off the current trend but back on topic,

Three of my 5 hens are laying now. It is amazing how quickly one becomes conditioned to expecting food delivered on time. I went out this AM and found the nest box empty and was very upset. I checked again a couple of hours latter and there were my eggs waiting to be gathered.

When the eggs start comming in on schedule you quit wondering if the chickens are "worth it".

hunter63
09-18-2012, 08:09 PM
Show them stew pot for a little motivation.......

finallyME
09-26-2012, 11:21 AM
When the eggs start comming in on schedule you quit wondering if the chickens are "worth it".

That's for sure. My layers are getting old (almost 2) and their eggs are HUGE. But they are less frequent. I have 6 layers and am averaging about 3 a day. Some days I get 2, others none. If I get a day with none, the next I get 6. These six have been pretty consistent and good layers. Too bad they get old so fast. But, I have 11 pullets growing to replace the six. I bought 12, but one turned out to be a rooster. I might have another rooster, but won't know until later. I am thinking February when they will start laying.

kyratshooter
09-26-2012, 01:16 PM
I am already considering adding to the flock next spring. I have 5 hens and would like 2-3 more. They hatched in April have just stared laying.

I have Austrolops and would like to add another breed to the group, possibly a mix of breeds since it is difficult to tell these girls apart.

Wildthang
09-26-2012, 01:59 PM
Well since the girls seems to be afraid of chickens, we will have to get some that are gentle. What kind of chickens would that be?

finallyME
09-26-2012, 05:13 PM
Any chicken will be gentle if you associate with them frequently. And give them treats. My girls mess with them all the time, carrying them around the yard and such. If you start them when they are chicks, then your girls get more used to them, and chicks aren't very intimidating.

KY, as for breeds, I only have experience with 3. I added a fourth with this new flock, and we will see how they do. I started with Rhode Island Reds. They have been solid performers. They have laid the biggest eggs, the most frequently. They also take the winter here really well, with no heaters. My wife likes the Americana/Auracanas. The only reason she likes them is for the colored eggs. But, their eggs are smaller and they lay less frequent. They are also more timid, and get picked on by the others more. I have also had Silver Laced Wyondotts. They look pretty, but lay about as much as the Auracanas. They have been more aggressive and are usually the top of the pecking order. I didn't get any more Silver Laced, since they just don't produce like the RIRs. I did have a White Leghorn that pumped out the eggs pretty good, and the eggs were a good size. They are skinny and run faster than the others. With my new 12, 6 are RIRs, 4 Auracanas (for the wife, to make her happy) and 2 are Buff Orphingtons. I have heard good things about the Buffs so decided to give them a try. So far one of the RIRs turned out to be a rooster. You can tell early on them. It takes a while to tell on the Auracanas, so I don't know, maybe. I seem to always get a rooster when I buy a bunch of pullets. That is why I buy a few extra. Just as soon as they start crowing, they are dinner.

Rick
09-26-2012, 05:17 PM
I'm so confused. Are chicks girls or are girls chicks? And are you giving treats to the chicks or girls...never mind. I'm lost.

kyratshooter
09-27-2012, 06:06 PM
I am declaring this a day of celebration!!

Today I got 5 eggs from my five hens! That is only 12 days after I got the first egg. The ones that started then are laying full sized eggs now and the late bloomers are laying small but perfect eggs.

These Astropops are bred from Orpingtons and they hold the world record for production, with one test group producing 350 eggs per chicken per year or some rediculious number like that.

Yes Wildthing, you need to let the girls play with the chicks and they will get used to each other. My birds come up and eat out of my hand, although they do not like for me to pick them up. I was working a lot when they were chicks and did not get they spoiled properly. After I pick them up they go calm but do not want me to grab them initially. My rooster follows me around like a puppy and supervises my projects.

kyratshooter
09-27-2012, 06:10 PM
I'm so confused. Are chicks girls or are girls chicks? And are you giving treats to the chicks or girls...never mind. I'm lost.

The chickens come to me when I call them and accept bits of cracker and bread with great appriciation.

As for human females, I could not get any attention in a women's prision if I walked in with a stack of pardons.

Rick
09-27-2012, 07:40 PM
Now that I understand. Sadly, I understand.:sad: