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Thread: Raising Chickens-Is it worth it? FYI

  1. #41
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    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.


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    Resident Wildman Wildthang's Avatar
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    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

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    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!!!!!!!!!!!

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    Yep they do recognise their names! I've honestly never tried to teach them tricks, they give me enough entertainment as they are.
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    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.

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    Post Hmmmm...

    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.
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  7. #47
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sarge47 View Post
    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.
    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.

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    Quote Originally Posted by farmerjane View Post
    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.

    http://www.whitingfarms.com/about_01.html
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    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.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sarge47 View Post
    Here's a more popular company that might give you an idea.

    http://www.whitingfarms.com/about_01.html
    Thanks for the info.

  11. #51
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    http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/index.html

    Is also a good place to find some, or efowl.
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  12. #52
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    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!!!

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    Quote Originally Posted by Aℓкℓιηєѕ View Post
    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!!!
    So how did that save you $100 bucks?
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    Quote Originally Posted by SunforTwo View Post
    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
    Last edited by Wildthang; 09-14-2012 at 08:59 AM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by hunter63 View Post
    So how did that save you $100 bucks?
    I meant its worth it if everything works out. -.-

  16. #56
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    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

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    Quote Originally Posted by Wildthang View Post
    Who on earth could be afraid of a chicken
    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.
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    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.
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    Senior Member kyratshooter's Avatar
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    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?
    If you didn't bring jerky what did I just eat?

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