[Food] Production - Poultry (was Backyard Chickens)

[Old_Fart]

Something simple like the light is what I had in mind. I am somewhat afraid of anything that might start a fire.... I have tons of dust accumulate on surfaces in the coop. I was looking for something maybe with a gentle spread out heat like a heating pad. Problem with a heating pad might be the chickens knawing on the power cord (although I can think of solutinns for that). Or, if the waterer leaked and shorted out the pad (which is why I thought about maybe a waterbed heater... plus they are thermostatically controlled). Not sure where all the dust comes from... I use wood pellets (horse bedding) with straw on top, but I am constantly haviing to dust off surfaces.

I have a dog waterer dish that stays thawed and it has a spring around the power cord to prevent chewing damage, but with the big opening the chickens would fill it full of crud really fast. Maybe I could make a cover for a water dish similar to the feeders that keeps them from climbing on it .... just thoughts.

[Ainan]

I'm also having a similar problem to Old Fart. Trying to stop the chickens water from freezing. I went out this morning fought the snow and used a sledge hammer to get the coop door open and had to smash the water butt to get it open to refill. It will refreeze in a few hours. :/ Have moved the water inside one of the coops which may keep it liquid until the night but I can't do that in the second coop.

Also I woke up last night around midnight since I heard the hens clucking. I opened my curtains and saw a fox in the middle of the garden, standing there like he owned the place. Oh IT'S ON MR FOX! I threw my jeans and shoes on and ran out into the garden hissing like a cat... Not sure why I hissed instead of shouted but you know my cat's pretty awesome, guess I'm jealous of her hunting skills. Anyway the fox ran in terror, I kept up the pursuit and ran straight into a willion branch(it was dark) and got a face full of snow, but I kept running. The fox tried to jump over my chain link fence and fail miserably, it was thrown backwards, flipping it over onto its back in the snow. At this point I was 5 metres away and wondering what to do, maybe the fox would attack me if I kept it cornered? Then the fox used some kind of cheat code or something and launched itself from standing 4(Seriously 6 foot) times its own body height over the chain link fence, right into next doors garden and accelerated away at warp 9. It looked like it was flying and scared the hell out of me. I didn't realise foxes could jump like that.

Fortunelty I built the coops like fort knox 7 foot high and foxes can't seem to climb chicken wire even though I have a roof.

[vtsnowedin]

I'm also having a similar problem to Old Fart. Trying to stop the chickens water from freezing. I went out this morning fought the snow and used a sledge hammer to get the coop door open and had to smash the water butt to get it open to refill. It will refreeze in a few hours. :/ Have moved the water inside one of the coops which may keep it liquid until the night but I can't do that in the second coop.

Also I woke up last night around midnight since I heard the hens clucking. I opened my curtains and saw a fox in the middle of the garden, standing there like he owned the place. Oh IT'S ON MR FOX! I threw my jeans and shoes on and ran out into the garden hissing like a cat... Not sure why I hissed instead of shouted but you know my cat's pretty awesome, guess I'm jealous of her hunting skills. Anyway the fox ran in terror, I kept up the pursuit and ran straight into a willion branch(it was dark) and got a face full of snow, but I kept running. The fox tried to jump over my chain link fence and fail miserably, it was thrown backwards, flipping it over onto its back in the snow. At this point I was 5 metres away and wondering what to do, maybe the fox would attack me if I kept it cornered? Then the fox used some kind of cheat code or something and launched itself from standing 4(Seriously 6 foot) times its own body height over the chain link fence, right into next doors garden and accelerated away at warp 9. It looked like it was flying and scared the hell out of me. I didn't realise foxes could jump like that.

Fortunelty I built the coops like fort knox 7 foot high and foxes can't seem to climb chicken wire even though I have a roof.

Soda out my nose laughing at the picture you painted. You got to wonder what the fox thought you were doing? And the neighbors if one happened to look out and see that scene played out on the moonlit snow.
You might want to give some consideration to rabies shots before you chase any more cornered wild carnivores. I prefer a twelve gauge loaded with No. 4s myself. It lets you speak with authority from a safe (for you) distance. Of course I'm in rural Vermont where such things are not only allowed but are expected . You may not have that option.
My RRs do not like the cold and snow and can't be coaxed out of their coop. I can't blame them as its 10Deg,F or lower here for the last week or so. Their water bucket has a heater in the bottom of it with a armoured cord and we have a hanging heat lamp on to help with the temp. I didn't get their coop as tight as I planned as yet and its hard to work on it with the hens assisting. Even with the cold they are doing better then a dozen eggs a day.

[patience]

The lowest we have seen is about 15 F., but had a week of 17F. nights and 30F. days here. No frozen water at all, and about 45-50F. in the henhouse at 10 AM when I went in. Walls have 4" of styrofoam, metal siding inside and out over OSB/stud walls. Windows and storms windows are from a mobile home, and an insulated steel residential door with weather stripping make it tight. Only 6 hens in a 6' X 12' space, and a light manure/litter pack on the concrete floor. Averaging about 5.5 eggs per day with 6 young hens now, and feed consumption is low. (Golden Comets)

After enduring winters with drafty henhouses, frozen combs, frozen water, big feed bills, and few eggs, I am a believer in warm henhouses. The downside is, it will take years to make it a paying business, even with mostly salvaged materials.

That's okay by me. We have the hens because we want to be assured we will be able to afford eggs and chickens, come what may. In that light, it was a heckuva deal. And, if I up the number of birds to 25/year, keeping only 6 for laying and eat the rest, it will pay out in a short time.

[Olaf]

Ok, my eyes might very well be bleeding since I have browsed through all 27 pages of this discussion. When my wife and I move out to our new homestead this spring, the first livestock we have been considering raising is chickens. We've gotten some advice here and there, which of course, generally conflicts.

I've heard you have to use completely different breeds and birds for egg laying and for meat birds. We were told you then kill your meat birds at about 2 months old. Yet, I've seen plenty of birds classified as dual purpose, such as the Rhode Island Red. I'm gathering hens used for egg laying aren't generally good later for meat from what I read?

We live in upstate New York and can deal with brutally humid hot summers with blistering cold in the winter so I'm looking for a breed tolerant of variable weather. Do the Rhode Island Reds tend to be best or do you all have other suggestions?

Thanks. I've got much to learn so please excuse my ignorance.

Olaf

[Ludi]

I've heard you have to use completely different breeds and birds for egg laying and for meat birds. We were told you then kill your meat birds at about 2 months old. Yet, I've seen plenty of birds classified as dual purpose, such as the Rhode Island Red. I'm gathering hens used for egg laying aren't generally good later for meat from what I read?

There are several general purpose breeds. They lay fine eggs, just not as many as the "egg layers." Chickens specific for egg laying tend to be smaller and lighter-bodied, with less meat. They also tend to be more nervous and often are not good mothers (won't set eggs). Dual purpose hens will sometimes decide to stop laying and raise a family instead. If you mainly want eggs instead of meat, get the laying breeds. If you want eggs and meat and to be able to produce your own baby chicks, go for dual purpose. I would avoid the specialized meat birds like the Cornish Cross, unless you want to go into commercial or semi-commercial meat production. These take special feed and can be difficult for the beginner to raise. I have been very happy with the older breeds I've raised, such as the Dark Cornish and the Dominique.

[rangerone314]

I'm planning this spring on getting Buff Orpingtons... they lay a decent # of eggs, and I think they do make decent mothers of chicks, and they are not as tempermental towards children (or people grabbing their eggs). My wife's ex has those.

[strider3700]

The local city council just changed the bylaw to allow 4 chickens or ducks in my backyard. I suppose I've got a lot of reading to do

[wisconsin_cur]

I'm planning this spring on getting Buff Orpingtons... they lay a decent # of eggs, and I think they do make decent mothers of chicks, and they are not as tempermental towards children (or people grabbing their eggs). My wife's ex has those.

I am very fond of mine. I bought my original batch from McMurray and maybe 15% of the hens would go broody in the spring. They hatched out 3-5 chicks every spring.

Since then I found some nearby with a family history of hatching out 10-12 so we will see how those hens do for me this year.

Good egg layers. We mostly just cook ours up for stew when the time comes but it is great stew.

[Roy]

et, I've seen plenty of birds classified as dual purpose, such as the Rhode Island Red

A little note about Rhode Island Reds...

I purchased 25 straight run chicks from a local hatchery in 2008. Ended up with 11 hens and 14 roos. So I decided that we would eat the extra roos and keep 1 plus all the pullets.

After 12 weeks of feeding them, they all dressed out at around 2.5 lbs. That's a skinny bird! They guy who helped us process them raises Cornish cross. He kept commenting on how his Cornish X would be at 6 lbs in 6 weeks, dressed out. I read somewhere that a human equivalent of a cornish cross would weigh 350 lbs by age 3.

We buy chicken from him now! I've thought about meat birds but its not doable with the way my wife and I are working.

As far as laying goes, the RIRs are great. We get about 7-8 eggs a day (from 9 remaining hens) in the summer and 3-5 a day in the winter. I got 8 yesterday though! Co-workers buy them at $3/doz. Helps offset the feed and dog food as well. They are pretty good at avoiding predators, although I read and my grandpa always said leghorns were the most athletic chickens. Better for free ranging situations (brown leghorns are the best) FWIW

We have an 160' electric net/fence with a solar charger. I think that's a good investment. We move it every three weeks or so and let the chix range on different parts of the garden (when nothing's growing there) and yard. We also have a 20'x20' enclosure of welded fence around the chicken house.

Chickens are kind of fun and not too much work. Fresh eggs taste great. Low maintenance, only need to be fed once a day along with collecting eggs. I get the kids involved. And I like the sound of the rooster crowing.

The main problem is any sort of vacation. You have to have someone get the eggs when you are away unless you have some sort of automated egg collection system.

If I were going dual purpose I would go with Australorps or Buff Orpingtons. They get a bit bigger than the Rhode Island Reds and may give a better return in terms of lbs of meat per lb of food.

Once my reds are played out that's the direction I'm going. Or maybe a combination of brown leghorns and a dual purpose breed.

Once people know you have fresh free-ranged chicken eggs I find them easy to sell.

2¢

[dinopello]

The local city council just changed the bylaw to allow 4 chickens or ducks in my backyard. I suppose I've got a lot of reading to do

We are likely heading toward something like that, but there are some vocal detractors. But pro-chicken rallys are springing up too.

[Tanada]

Not much action in this thread. http://www.arlnow.com/2012/05/02/chicke ... -the-coup/ Debate still raging here about whether to allow chickens...

From the comments (after someone mentions sustainability):

From a SUSTAINABILITY standpoint???

At what point did Arlington County–one of the most affluent in the United States–turn into a side-show town from Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome? How on God’s green earth is this a “Sustainability” standpoint?

3 words: Reductio ad absurdum
Who run Barter-town? Really? You want to raise chickens, move to a farm. You want to enjoy breakfast with Eggs? Grilled Chicken for dinner? Go to Whole Foods, Giant, Safeway or any other number of grocery stores.

[careinke]

Not much action in this thread. [url]=http://www.arlnow.com/2012/05/02/chicken-resolution-flies-the-coup/]Debate still raging here about whether to allow chickens...[/url]

From the comments (after someone mentions sustainability):

From a SUSTAINABILITY standpoint???

At what point did Arlington County–one of the most affluent in the United States–turn into a side-show town from Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome? How on God’s green earth is this a “Sustainability” standpoint?

3 words: Reductio ad absurdum
Who run Barter-town? Really? You want to raise chickens, move to a farm. You want to enjoy breakfast with Eggs? Grilled Chicken for dinner? Go to Whole Foods, Giant, Safeway or any other number of grocery stores.

We have become aliens on our own planet. But do not fear, mother nature always bats last, and she always bats 1000.

[Tanada]

What I miss most about growing up raising poultry was the variety of eggs. What I mean is Turkey's, Ducks and Geese also supplied us with eggs, not just the chickens. Goose eggs were by far the largest while the turkey eggs were the roundest. You could really startle your friends around Easter with a non chicken egg hunt lol.