Chickens

mcpurple

mcpurple

Well-Known Member
i finally got my chickens today, i got 6 black sexlinks and 1 very old unknown hen. i got them for free from work, i started with mature hens that were already laying cuz this is my 1st time with chickens, but in spring i will get some new chicks, and maybe 5 meat birds, and 1 small pig in summer.
any way they made it through the 1st night with no probs from coons or skunks. i do keep them inside at night.
i already got three eggs, large ones to. i wasnt expecting them to lay the 1st few days as they seemed stressed after a 30 minute ride in the trunk and going from a flock of 200 plus down to a flock of 7.
any one else have birds?:bigjoint:
 
U

Uber Newb

Active Member
Good on you brother! I dont have any chickens (or yard birds as they are commonly called down here) but do plan on moving some in within the next two years.
 
mugan

mugan

Well-Known Member
thats kik ass , i keep chickens too, at least am trying , starting with just two, they just get 1 egg every other day which is fine for every one that lives here , we don't eat eggs much. but i wanna get an incubator and get more chickens in the future ,

i could only get a hold of this guy, the female is .. well chicken .
170112-0953(001).jpg
 
benign

benign

Active Member
Really cool, if I only had the yard here I would have chickens also. When I used to go out to my wifes family farm in Romania every winter we would come out to help slaughter a pig, its always a bit gruesome but you do get used to it and once you start realizing that you can live a perfectly healthy life from the land around you it really makes you wonder why more aren't doing it. On this forum there may be more because I believe that once you nurture a plant and then cut it down to use it you begin to realize that people can and are meant to self sustain, a lesson the US very badly needs to learn.

Hmm...not sure if that made sense in context to the post, I'm a bit lit though so sorry about the hippy shit, I mean the same thing, I just didn't mean to say it so dreamily.
 
D

doser

Well-Known Member
I'm trying to talk Wiffy Poo into chickens myself. Right now it's on hold due to soooooooooooo much other stuff. The variety of chickens you can get are just incredible and they can be quite pretty. Lots of fun to have running thrugh the bushes while working in the yard. Careful withe manure though. VEEEEEERY Hot. Check out Citychikens.com Cool site with lots of henhouse designs. The henhouse can add a nice architectural element to your garden area if you want to be creative.

Good luck and keep us posted. From what the wife says (she has owned chickens before) they are not without trials and tribulations of their own so a little research may be in order to make it a pleasant experience.
 
mcpurple

mcpurple

Well-Known Member
mugan said:
thats kik ass , i keep chickens too, at least am trying , starting with just two, they just get 1 egg every other day which is fine for every one that lives here , we don't eat eggs much. but i wanna get an incubator and get more chickens in the future ,

i could only get a hold of this guy, the female is .. well chicken .
View attachment 2002311
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nice bird. i eat alot of eggs

chicken bob said:
i hope they get loose and shit all over your front porch
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haha i dont mind if they do, its just some bird shit and i know what they eat and how healthy they are, the more shit the better, chicken shit is one of the highest nutrient shit theri is. and all mine is free.

i think i might buy 3 more adult hens so i would have ten and then replace half next year.

what do you guys do when your chickens stop laying do to age. kill them, give them away or what. on the farm the ones we dont sell we give away for free and after a week if we still have some we take them to the woods and release. i think i might just release them if i cant get rid of them next year as it is the more natural thing to do.
 
mcpurple

mcpurple

Well-Known Member
chicken bob said:
it is illegal ............. do u make a habit of breaking laws?
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its not a house pet so i dont see why it would be illegal and it is not inhumane. i considered eating them but they are just to small.

whats the difference of me killing them and eating them as opposed to a coyote doing the same thing for me?

and every body and i mean every body breaks at least 1 law a day, with how many theri are now its impossible not to unless you sit on the couch all day, and even then im sure you can break a few
 
ismokealotofpot

ismokealotofpot

New Member
Ive raised chickens at one point I had a hundred. I know quit a bit about them if you need advise feel free to pm me. don't waste your money on an incubator just get some setters trust me they will be better at hatching than you. if you put a little salt in their water they wont peck each other as much. The best way to kill em is a chicken hook and a samurai sword or hatchet i didnt have a hatchet. If you ever find a bird that just dropped dead don't eat it it may have gotten sick. good luck!
 
4tatude

4tatude

Well-Known Member
mc the hens will lay about 3 yrs regular after that they will taper off fast. we always close penned the older hens and fattened up a bit n made boiling hens out of them. fyi in winter they slow down laying as they are light sensative, if you put a low watt bulb in with them n give them 16 hrs of light a day(sun light + added light to equal the 16 hrs) they will never check up n give you all the eggs you will need. as far as an incubator just get or let a hen get broody and she will hatch out and raise them for you. nothing like watching a moma hen and her bitties.

edit: old hens make great stock, chicken and dumplings, and are perfect for chicken and dressing. seems a shame to waste a perfect bird by turning loose to become coyote food.
 
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