Chickens

[Furby]

Stopped in at TSC today to pick up a couple of big washers.
Started looking around a bit and they have a shipment of chickens and ducks in.
Decided I'm going to get me a couple. The yellow ducks are half off and they have lots of them, but I think I'm getting chickens.

What do I need to know?
Any tips/tricks?
I plan to get a couple of laying hens, no chance I can keep a roster so I need to make sure I get hens.
The signs had discriptions of hens and rosters, but most of those little guys looked pretty much alike.
Any breed stand out as a good one for laying?
Looks like my Mom may be getting a couple as well for the kids to raise, but she really wants some that lay the blue eggs, what kind are those?

My Sister inlaw's Dad had a couple all summer a few years back. They never laid one egg. Don't want that to happen.

[thecfarm]

You won't be able to tell if you get a rooster or a hen,unless you know how to sex them.Araucana lays the blue and green eggs.Also known as the Easter egg chicken.These are not good layers. Put the chickens in a box with newpapers on the bottom.They like it WARM.Put a clamp light with a 40 watt bulb and cook them critters.But make sure the box is bigger enough so the can get away from the heat.Will take a few weeks to get feathers.I keep mine in the house until they start to smell like chickens,than out they go to the coop.Keep them away from drafts.If you have pets,make sure they do try to kill the chickens.Rhode Island Reds lay brown eggs,a good layer.Need to dip the chickens beck in the water so they know where to get a drink.The book will say to put them in a round place with a red light.I done it with the above 5-6 times and never lost a chicken or a duck. Good luck.

[Roxie]

Hey Furby! 
That's good advice from thecfarm.  I'm familiar with Dominicker chickens.  I always purchased my chickens when they were older and ready to start laying.  You can tell their sex real easy by then.  I never had a rooster because some of them can be hard to handle.  If you feed a good laying feed, your chickens will lay eggs.  Dominicker's lay small brown eggs though.  Good luck with your chickens, and keep us posted with your progress!   

[Norm]

Good advice so far Furby, I raise many different breeds of egg layers, including the Araucana's, all brown egg layers except them. Chickens are surprising easy to take care of and will eat food scraps as well as prepared feed, we give ours a combination of both and let them roam the yard to eat the bugs and grass. I also raise laying ducks too, kaki campbells and indian runners, they lay more and bigger eggs. I prefer the taste of duck eggs myself, they are sweeter with more flavor is best as I can discribe. There is something very soothing about having hens around, they make a cooing sound, keep the bugs down and provide the freshest eggs possible.



Duck eggs on the left, Araucana's next and then some brown ones from our black stars.

And what happens when you have your own hens.



Any roosters that slip through go into the stew pot first time they crow.

[Furby]

Any roosters that slip through go into the stew pot first time they crow.

I was just reading that again after doing a search. 

I realy didn't pay all that much attention at TSC. It was after I got in the truck that I hatched the plan to get me a couple.
Really like the ducks, and have been considering turning the swimming pool into a fish pond anyways, but I know I can't pass the ducks with my neighbors, they are just going to be too messy and noisy. A rooster's gonna give me trouble as well, but I'm pretty sure I can get away with a couple of hens as my neighbors already know I'm totally crazy. 

As it is now, I buy a dozen eggs, use a few, forget they are in there and end up dumping them. I figure having fresh eggs would be fun, and a few here and there for the neighbors would help keep things cool.

The chicks are about the size of a softball or so, not fresh hatched. How old do they need to get before they start laying?
I plan to go take a closer look at the chicks again either Tues or Wed.

[Ironwood]

Furby,

  HEY THANKS,  almost forgot about PEEP season coming. Today we will make a trip to our local TSC for veiwing by our three year old. THANKS FOR THE REMINDER.

   REID

[Patty]

Our chickens are my favorite farm animal....after Becky of course.  They are really easy to care for. We get ours as day olds, and put them in a cardboard box with a heat lamp clamped on it. You'll know just by watching the chicks if it is too warm or too cold. Get  a little waterer when you buy the chicks, and as somebody mentioned, dip the little guys beaks in the water so they know where to get a drink. That is about all the training they require. They normally start laying eggs in about 4 or 5 months or so, depending upon the breed. I like the black stars for hens, they are good layers and seem relatively smart....as far as chickens go.    They lay brown eggs.  According to Martha Stewart you can tell what color eggs the chicken lays by looking at their ears. I bet you didn't know chickens had ears, now did you!    I personally have not tried this as I do have some pride left, but I have been known to look at their legs.     Generally the aracona's (the ones that lay blue eggs) have dark colored legs, unlike the brown or white layers that have yellowish legs.  OK, so now you know way more than you ever wanted to know about chickens! Good luck with them, Furby!

[WH_Conley]

Patty, I never could tell anything from a chicken leg for the breading.

Raised on a farm, but didn't know chickens had ears, thought they went the way of chicken lips. Learn something new everyday.

[tnlogger]

patty thats a new one on me  all i ever see when i look at chickens is drumsticks,thighs, and breastmeat. with plenty of BBQ sauce.

[SwampDonkey]

blue eggs? robins and grackles

[Paschale]

I'm with tnlogger...matter of fact, as I sit here typing away, there's a chicken roasting in the oven.  It's a Tyson.     I sure would love to try a chicken that came from the farm, with no hormones or anything, but for today, this'll have to do.

Oh, and Furby, if you get those hens laying a lot of eggs, well, consider me your first customer!  I'll gladly take some off yer hands.   

[sawguy21]

I had to feed and water the capons (meat chickens) when I was a kid. To this day, the only good chicken is a dead chicken-on my plate with gravy and dressing

[Patty]

You haven't lived until you raise chickens for meat. Just ask my boys.    The smell of dipping those headless chickens in scalding soapy water is a smell you never forget, but always wish you could. 

As for the taste, well they are tougher than what you buy at the store, my guess is because they get some excersize, whereas the store bought chickens are raised in a 1 foot square box.  But knowing you are eating healthy corn fed  meat is worth all the work. We raise them every other year, enough to last for two years in the freezer. By then you forget how much work it is and are ready to do it again. 

We try to keep laying hens all the time. I replenish the stock as needed.

[Tom]

Hey Furby   You might be throwing away good eggs.  They will keep under refrigeration for 3 or 4 weeks.

[pigman]

Tom you are right as always.   A a large egg producer I visited a few years ago, said they never even shipped any eggs until they were three days old. They advertised farm fresh eggs, but said the eggs taste better after several days of cold storage.
Bob the stale egg eater

[Ianab]

And... how to tell if your eggs are fresh.. or more importantly.. not fresh

Put them in a bowl of water.
Fresh eggs will lay on the bottom of the bowl. Not so fresh, they will stay on the bottom but stand up on their ends. Not fresh, but still OK to use. If they float to the top then they are past the use by date. If they make like a cork... it's ready to blow 


Ian

[Tom]

I was just thinking about those half off ducks.  What in the world do you do with a half a duck that's not grown up yet.  I can just picture the little boogers hopping around the front yard, flying in circles and tipping over in the pond.

A customer of mine convinced me that I should look into Dominickers if I wanted chickens.  They are an old breed from Jamestown days that were brought to this country because they laid good and ate good too.  If you raise Dominickers, look into the organizations that are proud that they are perpetuating the breed.

[Fla._Deadheader]

  Maybe I learned sumpin new today. Never heard of scalding SOAPY water for chikin plukin. Hey Patty, What's with the Soapy water   We always used plain water

[wiam]

Harold,  I have not tried it, but a small squirt of dish soap is supposed to help feathers come out. 

Will

[Fla._Deadheader]

  I'm from the old country. No soap on my chikins.