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Thread: Raising Chickens-Is it worth it? FYI

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    Senior Member hunter63's Avatar
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    Default Raising Chickens-Is it worth it? FYI

    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
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    Senior Member Winnie's Avatar
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    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!
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    Senior Member doug1980's Avatar
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    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.
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    Senior Member Winnie's Avatar
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    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.
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    I would have to argue that there are no con's to raising your own food...
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    Lumpy chair made me do it oly's Avatar
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    Chickens will eat mice keeping the population in check until they find a fortified safe house.
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    Over Taxed Under Paid Swamprat1958's Avatar
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    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.

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    Senior Member Ole WV Coot's Avatar
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    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.
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    Senior Member hunter63's Avatar
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    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.
    Last edited by hunter63; 01-23-2010 at 08:58 PM. Reason: splin'
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    Quote Originally Posted by Swamprat1958 View Post
    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.
    Last edited by LowKey; 01-23-2010 at 11:20 PM.

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    Member madmantrapper's Avatar
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    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.
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    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.

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    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 ,,,,

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    Not a Mod finallyME's Avatar
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    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.
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    Senior Member nell67's Avatar
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    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.
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    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.

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    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...

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    Quote Originally Posted by HeritageFarm View Post
    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.
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    Junior Member carnivor way's Avatar
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    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.

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    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.
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