Got Chickens?

[Sacdan]

Used to have 20 or so Chickens when I had rural property. SWMBO and I live in suburbia now. We found out a month ago that we can have "backyard Chickens". It didn't take long to get started again. We just picked up 2 Rhode Island Red hens last night. They are less than a year old. We weren't sure when they would start to lay. Well, this evening when I got home from work, I was pleasantly surprised to find our first egg. We are pretty stoked. If this works out (no neighbors complaining), I will build a bigger coop and get more Chickens. Let's hear your Chicken stories!

 

[SharonaZamboni]

My dad had some Ameraucanas for the blue eggs. I've been wanting to get some chickens for a few years now. It would probably drive the dog crazy, though

 

[Sacdan]

Our Englisg Shorthair goes crazy over them. We just put in a small, fully enclosed coop. She can't get to them. Hopefully she will get used to them.

 

[Goofynewfie]

My father raises chickens, turkies, geese, and ducks. I remember one year he had a fully dressed turkey that weighed 45lbs

 

[Evets]

I've got three RI Reds. Three year olds, still laying big eggs, but not as many as when they were younger. I just now weighed an egg compared to a store bought XL. Mine was 78 grams, store bought XL, 65g
They're so tame they don't run when I go to pick them up. I'll probably keep them, even when they stop laying altogether.

 

[Homercidal]

I'd love to raise some chickens. My friends family almost always had some. Fresh eggs are the best.

 

[Hang Glider]

[/rant]

I live in suburbia, and the back-yard neighbor has chickens - and a goddam rooster! Those things don't crow in the morning, they crow ALL THE TIME !!! Middle of the night, doesn't matter. I'm not a very good shot with a .22 at 200 ft...not sure how to handle this. Apparently I'm in the "county" and it's allowed, even though it's a SUBDIVISION!!!


[/end rant]

 

[Homercidal]

You really need a .223 and a good scope.

 

[Sacdan]

We aren't allowed to have roosters in our neighborhood. I hare them anyway. Tell your neighbor that he crows all the time. Maybe bring over som home brew as a peace offering. Maybe you could trade for the rooster and then kill it.

 

[Evets]

I once had a rooster. A big ol white one. The older he got the meaner, and he grew these big nasty leghorns. One day he got up in my daughters face. He didn't hurt her but he could have. Needless to say, but he never crowed in another sunrise.

 

[machinelf]

We've got around 25 or so (including two roos) and another 14 that are several weeks old that we're getting ready to let mix with them. Officially they are my wife's, but I admit that I enjoy them too. They are fun to watch running around the house.

 

[Sacdan]

Double post.

 

[MSweat]

Got my chickens about a month ago.
Two Rhode Island Reds and two Black Australorps.

 

[Sacdan]

That is a nice coop. I had to look twice to see if you sheetrocked and painted the inside.

 

[brewthunda]

My dad has around 300 birds - chickens, turkeys, pheasant, grouse, quail ... Even an African crane. The neighbor once threatened him over the noise from his roosters. He bought geese and that helped put the rooster noise in perspective. Geese are crazy loud. Moral of the story - if you buy a house butting up against farms, you might hear farm noise.

The turkeys are awesome - heritage breed, free range, organic diet ... High fat content and tons of flavor that have been bred out of modern turkeys. He had one last year that topped 53 lbs.

 

[SharonaZamboni]

I'd love one of those turkeys! I bet they are delicious! I've always thought that the big ones were somehow too big and maybe unnatural and not tasting turkey-ish. Now I know different.

 

[bigbeergeek]

Funny thread. My brother's 3 year old RR stopped laying last week. I'm picking it up Tuesday to "harvest" it.

 

[GreatWetNorth]

I had a chicken at my place in East Van for a month or two. Me and a buddy 'liberated' it from a local slaughterhouse/processing plant/whatever you want to call it (It's nearby in the industrial area - No we didn't sneak onto a farm and steal someone's egg producing free-range hen. These birds did not live very good lives, even for something that was raised for food)

We had gotten the idea from previous residents of the house who had done the same thing a few years earlier. See, the security at the place was a little lax and it was pretty easy for someone to just walk down the alley, walk in the open bay doors, open a crate and grab a chicken. Both 'capers' involved homemade wine and/or beer.

After Sally (named for Salmonella) got comfortable, it was actually pretty social. If not for the fact that they **** everywhere without any thought, it would have been a pretty sweet pet. Apparently Daisy (the first one) was quite socialized and was allowed free reign on the back porch and went on camping trips. Ralf, my sister's Malamute-Shepard, was even quite friendly with Daisy.

Alas, both birds met untimely ends. Daisy accompanied one guy back to Manitoba and was likely eaten by a wild animal somewhere around buddy's summer cabin. And unfortunately for Sally, I moved shortly after and could really take her (I hadn't really planned out my actions out very well when I initially 'liberated' her). I gave her/it as long as I could before 'harvesting'. And now I know how to slaughter and dress a chicken.

 

[bottlebomber]

We've got a dozen chickens... Wine Dots and Bard Rocks. We figured a few would turn rooster but it looks like they are all cluckers. Oh well, plenty of eggs to go around.

 

[Sacdan]

Both hens are now laying. The eggs are huge. My wife loves them. This was a good decision. Oh, and I get to brew again this weekend!!!

 

[EoinMag]

We're getting some shortly, we were thinking three.

We already have the coop, but they will be able to freerange our urban garden too.

 

[jgln]

We've got a dozen chickens... Wine Dots and Bard Rocks. We figured a few would turn rooster but it looks like they are all cluckers. Oh well, plenty of eggs to go around.

I "think" when you buy chicks they are generally sold as egg layers unless they or you specify otherwise. We were told they all were checked (sexed I think they call it) to be female. May have to ask for a male.

 

[jgln]

We're getting some shortly, we were thinking three.

We already have the coop, but they will be able to freerange our urban garden too.

Is that one of those movable pens? Good idea if you don't want them all over the place. We have fox problems so we only let ours out when we are. We have a pen about 8x25 and for 2 adult hens it is like a prision...they want OUT!! They also ate every single bit of organic matter in there too.

 

[jgln]

We have had several but lost all to a fox except a rhode island red and a rock barred. We just got some more reds and a couple black Asterlops (sp?). We had to completly enclose the pen because they would fly out then the fox would get em when they free ranged.


WARNING: If you let then free run eventually they will dig up flower beds, eat your young plants and if you have a vegtable garden will peck all your tomatoes, eggplants, melons, squash, pumpkins, cucumbers, lettuce, berries, ......the list goes on. It may take some time but once they discover them...look out. Worst thing is they don't eat a whole tomato or melon...they eat a bit of each and evey one!!

 

[EoinMag]

Is that one of those movable pens? Good idea if you don't want them all over the place. We have fox problems so we only let ours out when we are. We have a pen about 8x25 and for 2 adult hens it is like a prision...they want OUT!! They also ate every single bit of organic matter in there too.

Yeah it is moveable, as said they'd be out until sundown when the urban foxes can often be seen running along the fence tops.

We have a large garden they'll have no issue with having enough space to run about once it's daytime. We're also going to place the coop in the dog run which we don't use.

 

[jgln]

Yeah it is moveable, as said they'd be out until sundown when the urban foxes can often be seen running along the fence tops.

We have a large garden they'll have no issue with having enough space to run about once it's daytime. We're also going to place the coop in the dog run which we don't use.

We have over an acre the roam on, we have 10 but they don't got beyond the fields often, stay in the cut grass area. We have a big garden too...and they love exploring every GD foot of it!! Gets bad enough I put temporary deer netting around it to keep them out. 50-60 tomato plants the manage to peck every single tomato

 

[bottlebomber]

I "think" when you buy chicks they are generally sold as egg layers unless they or you specify otherwise. We were told they all were checked (sexed I think they call it) to be female. May have to ask for a male.

It's supposed to work that way, but it is common for a male to slip through. Then you hear him attempting to crow at about 6 months. Winner winner chicken dinner

 

[Dunerunner]

[/rant]

I live in suburbia, and the back-yard neighbor has chickens - and a goddam rooster! Those things don't crow in the morning, they crow ALL THE TIME !!! Middle of the night, doesn't matter. I'm not a very good shot with a .22 at 200 ft...not sure how to handle this. Apparently I'm in the "county" and it's allowed, even though it's a SUBDIVISION!!!


[/end rant]

Every time the rooster wakes you in the middle of the night, early morning, or bothers you at any other time of the day; pick up the phone and call your neighbor and tell him "Hi, this is your neighbor. Your rooster is crowing!"

They will get tired of the phone calls eventually.

You can also call whom ever is responsible for animal control in your community and complain to them....every day. They will also get tired of the phone calls and will eventually take some kind of action.

 

[jgln]

Lost 3 of our new chickens today.

They were only a few months old. Something got into the pen, then managed to get to 3 of them through a 1" crack in the door (door is warped). It is a door on hinges at the bottom that they use to get out of the coop and we use to lock them up at night. I looked around the pen and only a couple 1" openings at the foundation of the barn that have been there forever.

Somehow whatever it was got one outside the coop but managed to kill 2 others inside the coop from through the crack. Well we prop the door closed with a 2x4 so at some point it may have had more space. The two inside had no visable injuries, the one outside neck, breast coverd in some saliva.

Part of the problem was they still were living together in the cardboard box we raied them in (5 total) and we put the box in the coop by the door. So what happened they were trapped in the box by the door opening. Poor things. We have removed the box so now they can excape away from the door. I fixed the door too so now the coop should be pretty tight less a chicken wire window up top.

We did find a small rat snake sitting in one of the nests a few weeks back, maybe it did this?

I also saw a 3' rat snake near the coop just a week or so ago. If it is snakes getting them I don't know what we can do except hope they grow big fast.

 

[Goofynewfie]

My father has been having a problem with weasels, I will ask if he has any ideas.

I don't know if it is practical but could you line the chicken wire with a screen maybe?

 

[jgln]

My father has been having a problem with weasels, I will ask if he has any ideas.

I don't know if it is practical but could you line the chicken wire with a screen maybe?

The coop window yes, but that is probably not going to be a problem. The pen no, it is like 10'x30' and one side is our barn. I think under the barn is where whatever got them got in by. the rest is chicken wire burried in the ground with no signs of digging

 

[Goofynewfie]

just reread the other thread. get yourself a rooster, I've seen them put the run to a dog before they can be really mean especially when the spurs grow in.

 

[jgln]

My father has been having a problem with weasels, I will ask if he has any ideas.

I don't know if it is practical but could you line the chicken wire with a screen maybe?

Ironic this thread is called "Got Chickens" yeah, somethings got chickens.

 

[mcarb]

We have three sex links.our dog got one but she survived.now she limps but is fine. Our other dog gets in the coop every now and then but just sits there with them.our cat herds them.

 

[bottlebomber]

We have three sex links.

you're on the wrong forum buddy

 

[Joker]

I currently have 13 chickens one turned out to be a rooster. The people complaining about a rooster crack me up, what does a crow last 15 seconds? I actually like the sound brings the country/farm feeling to the situation. They do not crow in the middle of the night yeah they will in the morning but damn relax, people are get so worked up over little **** these days.

We have lost many chickens to raccoons and weasels. I have heard rumor that you can put a radio out by your chickens on a talk radio station and it will scare predators off.

And anyone who has not had backyard chickens needs to get their hands on some none store bought eggs, you will immediately want chickens because store eggs suck by comparison.

 

[JeepDiver]

I've got three RI Reds. Three year olds, still laying big eggs, but not as many as when they were younger. I just now weighed an egg compared to a store bought XL. Mine was 78 grams, store bought XL, 65g
They're so tame they don't run when I go to pick them up. I'll probably keep them, even when they stop laying altogether.

Your getting eggs from the "Chicken" in that pic?

 

[Nightstalker]

This thread makes me sad. Wife wont let me get any

 

[jgln]

Interesting creatures actually. There always seems to be a runt, an outcast of the bunch. It gets less food because they others keep it away until they are done which only makes it weaker. Then there is often a lead, the bully. We had one that when we approached it you knew. It would come at you and peck you hard and not back away. They also call out to each other I am guessing so they always know where the others are. We were down to two the last year, they are almost always roaming around together but when they get apart one will "bock, bock, bock" and the other will "bock,bock,bock" back. This can go on for a long time. Some let you pet and pick them up, others not.

They like to take sand baths and will lay on their side wings and legs spread out like posing for Playboy...so funny to see. They streach out their wings and legs too when standing up to streach. They look like a human streaching after getting up from bed...also very funny.

If they get something stuck on their beak like moist food they wipe it back and forth on the ground to get it off, funny.

 

[bottlebomber]

^^ that's funny because I got a bakers dozen this year and the runt was the meanest, fiestiest one. It would stand on the water bottle and taunt the other ones, and if we put any grapes or anything in it would peck at any chicken that got one until they have it up. It's the same size as the there now, and nice. Go figure.