They are good at that. I found a big clutch under the table saw....
They are good at that. I found a big clutch under the table saw....
"Evil triumphs when good men do nothing." - Edmund Burke [1729-1797]
Here is my chicken update, We did not get our chickens the weekend that we had planned on , but did 2 weeks later we were given 11 hens and one rooster, And our daily egg count is between 2 to six eggs a day average being 3 or 4 . Thats with out a light at current time and feeding all our veggie scraps as well as laying pellets.
I Wonder Who was the first person to look at a cow and say, "I think I'll squeeze these dangly things here, and drink what ever comes out?"
My chickens didn't like the pelleted food,they do much better on the crumbless,but I cut that out now because they are still free range and are getting plenty.
Soular powered by the son.
Nell, MLT (ASCP)
We keep scratch and pelleted (or crumbles) food available for our chickens at all times. Mine don't seem to mind if it is pellets or crumbles. They get the run of the yard now that the weather is nice, helps keep the coop cleaner and we enjoy watching them in the yard.
Was looking through some of these older posts and found this one.Have a couple of comments to make then will be quiet. I have kept chickens for a long time and it seems to me that if you want eggs or meat or both with the least messing around it's a good idea to stick with some of the old or heirloom breeds. Most of these breeds are more duel purpose and probably won't lay as many eggs as some of the new more comercial breeds but they do have alot of good points too. In most cases they'll be bigger and make a better frier if one of your ladies goes broody. (if you have a rooster) Also in many cases your duel purpose breeds are quieter and not so high strung. Will do better under tougher conditions. Over the years I have kept wyndottes,orpingtons,black giants,barred rocks and more others then I'm going to type here. At this time I have a small flock of buttercups and find them to be a nice medium size breed that lay like crazy most of the time. They are allowed some freedom to graze but most of the time they are on a mixed grain feed.( don't use commercial feeds) Some might say I feed a cheap wildbird mix less the sunflower seeds with red wheat and cracked corn added. Hey it works. For those that are thinking of getting a small flock for eggs, go for it and keep an open mind as far as breeds. There's alot of good ones out there that you won't hear about eveyday but they'll darnned sure do the job for ya.
Oldtrap
Last edited by oldtrap59; 11-11-2010 at 03:46 AM.
Never claimed to be an expert. Just use or do what works for me.
New Question;
When spring comes I will be building a portable coop/w run. I expect to keep no more then 6 hens. How much ground space do I need in the run? How many nest boxes? How much room per bird on the roost?
If you didn't bring jerky what did I just eat?
Ky. I have 13 hens right now. My coop is based on a 4'x8' sheet of plywood or 32 sq feet of floor space. I built my nest boxes on the outside for two reasons. One so as to gives the hens more room and also to make it possible to check eggs without going into the coop.( six nests for my bakers dozen hens) My setup has an 8'x8' attached run 3' high and covered on the top with wire. As I have mentioned before I allow my hens some free run time also. Not everyday but at least a couple of times a week. Right now they seem to really enjoy scratching around in whats left of the garden so(Haven't bothered the winter plants yet) I let them do their thing there. I keep the feed tray in the coop and let the water outside as here I don't have to worry about it freezing. As far as roosts go I have three boards across the end away from the door. Gives my hens about 12' of roost which seems to be enough.
Having some camera problems right now but will post some pics when I can.
Oldtrap
Never claimed to be an expert. Just use or do what works for me.
if i remember correctly, the city of maimi sells captured chickens.
It bothers me how someone with new shoes can come up to me asking for money.
I'm not going 1200 miles to get chickens.
Thanks OT your discription lets me visualize what you are saying pretty well. I just want a few eggs and my place is small. I want to build a portable run/coop I can move with the lawn tractor.
I have been hooked. Danged "egg pushers". First they give you a couple of free range eggs. Then you come back for a dozen to make a pie. Before you know it you are walking past the eggs at Kroger as watered down crap and driving across town and into the country for the good stuff!
I just hope I can start growing my own before I get scrambled up in an egg deal gone bad! Strange neighborhood, dogs cats and chickens running loose, kids playing in the yard without a guard. I think I saw a cow hanging around out back.
If you didn't bring jerky what did I just eat?
I once knew a guy that moved his coop with a lawn mower. Once he got the pen moved there wasn't a chicken to be seen. Lot's of feathers floatin' in the air though. Mower ran funny after that, too. Not eggs actly sure why.
Tracks Across the High Plains...Death on the Bombay Line...A Touch of Death and Mayhem...Dead Rock...The Griswald Mine Boys...All On Amazon Books.
Winedots are one of your best all-round chicken whether for laying, meat, or setting, or raising their young, and unlike leghorns who are on the hyper-flighty-fidgety nervous side. The winedots are much more ocile and easily handled by Humans.
When any of my hens do that to me, I end up with 15-20 more chicks.
Presently I've got a flock of 8 Buff Orpington hens In a pen that could
be moved with a lawn tractor but I would recommend the Production
Red breed, as they were the best layers I've ever had...Takes a rooster
and an incubator for periodic reproduction, however...Note: dis'engage
the blades on the tractor when moving the pen..Ha,ha.......yeah..BH51
I have half the number of nest boxes as I have hens,and usually that is too many,because they all seem to like the same box,even to the point that 2 will be trying to lay in the same nest even though there are plenty of empty nests next door.
If I had a portable run,I would maby have it 6'Lx3' wide,and move it often or they will kill the grass from scratching,I also would water the area I plan to move it to to bring the bugs/worms to the surface,also so they do not have to scratch as much.
The chickens will group together on the roost at night (safety and warmth) so for 6 hens,I would do no more than 10' of roost.
Soular powered by the son.
Nell, MLT (ASCP)
If you add a very small amount of dish soap to the water, it will bring out the insects and worms a lot faster.
And they will be pre-cleaned for the chickens.
Tracks Across the High Plains...Death on the Bombay Line...A Touch of Death and Mayhem...Dead Rock...The Griswald Mine Boys...All On Amazon Books.
if i biuld a bee hive next to a chicken coop, would they be issues?
It bothers me how someone with new shoes can come up to me asking for money.
Do you really want to gather eggs in a bee suit?
why not i have to wear a fencing mask to visit my sister
It bothers me how someone with new shoes can come up to me asking for money.
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