Going Chicken?

[little Bark]

I have been in a battle w/ my wife over getting farm animals.  I grew up working on dairy farms. So I know how much work is involved in taking care of animals. 
     Anyway 6 years ago we bought a home that has a small 4 stall horse barn. The frist thing I did when we moved in was take all the fencing down so there would be no disscusion about getting a horse. Now the barn has sat empty execpt for some storage. 
     I have agreed to get some chickens I don't have experience w/ chickens.  What breed are good layers? Do I need several feeders  1 for feed and 1 for oyster shell? Will they roost to lay eggs?  We want to have brown eggs. How much does a laying hen cost? If I get 12 or so will they lay enough eggs for the kids to sell some to the neighbors.

I still think if she gets chichens I should get a steer right.

[stonebroke]

Two Steers, You don't want them to get lonely.

Stonebroke

[Kansas]

A lot of farm supply stores carry chicks, both layers and broilers. Orshelins comes to mind, I also think Tractor Supply company has them. Buy as many or as few as you want. Get a complete feed, and you will only need one feeder. Rhode Island Red lay the brown ones. They usually have a pamplet at the farm store to tell you how to care for em. Smart decision on the horses, by the way.

[Norm]

Black stars, rhode island reds, and aracunas are some good layers. The aracunas lay blue-green eggs if you want some variety. Just buy the egg layer feed, you don't have to add the oyster shell but some folks like to use it. They are also fond of table scraps. You can buy chicks from places like McMurray Hatchery or what I do is keep an eye on the farm bureau spokesman. If you buy chicks they take about ten months to start laying. They need nest boxes to lay eggs in. We use the plastic milk cartoons that the dairy delivers to stores in. You can make some from scrap wood if you have it handy. Keep them a couple of feet off the floor. They also need a roosting spot. I use a 2x4 about 4' off the ground across the pen. 12 chickens will average about 9 eggs per day.

One word of caution, make sure the pen you keep them in is varmint proof. Every animal known to mankind likes to eat chicken as much as we do.  :D

[flip]

I've gotten all my birds from McMurray hatchery.  I don't have any roosters, and won't ever again...period.  Get 24 birds and you will have enough to give you eggs and sell a few.  We've got 33 right now and the young ones are just starting to lay.  Never go back to store bought again ;)

[little Bark]

at what age do they start to lay.  I think I am a little off base here in thinking that I could get a 10-12 week old and have them laying.  We have a local small farm animal auction every Tues. and Sat. that i can go to .

[Corley5]

  I've went around with my wife about getting farm animals too.  I grew up with a beef herd and don't ever want to deal with anything like it again.  A hay customer just tried to give me a pony and Dee over heard (eavesdropped ;) ) the phone conversation.  We didn't get the pony.  A year or so ago someone gave her a couple males llamas and she was so pleased to come home and tell me when we could go get them  :  We don't have any llamas    She swears up and down that she'd take care of them but I know the novelty would wear off and I'd be the one doing the caretaking.  I don't want anything on this farm that doesn't smell like gas or diesel  8) ;D 
  Our coyote, fox and hawk population around here isn't conducive to poultry, chickens anyway.  We had a flock of guineas when I was a kid.  They're pretty  8) 8)

[little Bark]

When it comes to animals I don't have a problem being the heavy either.  I know I opened the door w/ the chickens but i think that they will be a lot easier to care for. 

The plan is to keep the chickens in the barn.  This free roam stuff is for the birds.

[Dan_Shade]

a well thought out coop will save you lots of aggrivation.  Large birds should have about 4 sq ft. / chicken.  A nesting box which is accessable from the outside makes egg gathering much nicer.  you should have one nesting box per 4 chickens.


a 2x4 set down with the 4" side up makes a good roost.  It's also nice to have a removable box covered with hardware cloth under the roost to catch part 2 of a chickens life (part one being eating).

Give some serious thought on how you want your coop designed and it will make it easier to keep it clean.

There is a lot of chicken info online, I'd stick to the "calm" breeds, some chickens are spastic (leghorns for example).  I have had black austrolorps and partridge rocks and they're pretty calm to be around and don't get all worked up over things.  no way would I start off with 25 laying hens, though.  I'd get 5 or so and work my way up from there.   

on the minus side, they will destroy a lawn in short order with their scratching, unless you have a lot of room.  A chickens natural "range" is supposed to be 4 acres or so.

your mileage may vary

[Onthesauk]

You're going to need a horse to herd those two steers.

[little Bark]

You're going to need a horse to herd those two steers.

IN YOUR DREAMS MAYBE 8) 8)

a well thought out coop will save you lots of aggrivation.  Large birds should have about 4 sq ft. / chicken.  A nesting box which is accessable from the outside makes egg gathering much nicer.  you should have one nesting box per 4 chickens.


a 2x4 set down with the 4" side up makes a good roost.  It's also nice to have a removable box covered with hardware cloth under the roost to catch part 2 of a chickens life (part one being eating).

Give some serious thought on how you want your coop designed and it will make it easier to keep it clean.

I have (2) 10'x10' stalls w/ sliding doors on. The stalls are enclosed and have the 3/8" dia. bars around the top .  I am only going to use one stall at this time.  Acording to your calcation Dan I should be able to house 30 chickens in that area.  Could you give a little better description of the roost for me. 

Thanks

[flip]

My birds use one of two community laying areas,  I tried using boxes but they refuse.  They also roam during the day and coup up at night, wouldn't believe how much feed they eat when they are pennd up compared to if they roam all day. 

[Warbird]

I'm not telling you how to live your life or anything.  This is just something I've learned along the way that a guy put into one small sentence...  Happy wife, Happy life.

I hope it helps you.  ;D

[little Bark]

I'm not telling you how to live your life or anything.  This is just something I've learned along the way that a guy put into one small sentence...  Happy wife, Happy life.

I hope it helps you.  ;D

Thanks, WarBird

My wife (Tammy) and I are having a great time raising our 3 children.  We joke about the animals all the time.  We really do not have space for large animals.  The kids have taken over the meadow and I love mowing grass.

[thecfarm]

I live in a differant area than you.I get my chickens from the hardware store. McMurray is good too.I get 24 bantems from them a few years back. I like to see differant colors in my pen,but we are not doing it for eggs.Just for us.I think Rhode Islands are the best.Someone might say differant.I perfer and have a 1½X 4 for a roast.I feel they need to grip on to it with thier feet.But I also have a shelf that some like.We use to have goats with them too.I just gave away a bunch of mine.We are down to 5 now.Just right for us,3-4 eggs and a few from the bantems.I use to let my roam.The first flock we had would stay outback,this flock headed for the front after the garden and the flowers.A chick here is almost $2 each.I feel you should go this route.It's fun to watch them grow.Nothing a matter with auction but how clean are the chickens?They may have fleas and who knows what.I always try to buy young.I don't need some elses bad habits.I only use oysters sell when the shells get soft.But mine are outside with a fence over the top to keep them in.I have clipped the wings before I got the bantems.In the fall and now they can go where they want.Anything green is fair game to them and gone in no time.12 chickens should give you 9-10 eggs a day.I made mine layers boxes about a foot square and they are about 3 feet oof the florr.I put shavings in the boxes.Sawdust sticks to the eggs.

[tcsmpsi]

I seen a chiken or two.  Chiken catchers come in all sizes and shapes.  They walk, crawl, slither, fly and DIG. 

Now, of course, everyone to their own, but I always kinda liked fighting with them ol' roosters.  Puts a little sport into egg gathering when you go in amongst them.

My wife brought the old chiken pen up in conversation just the other day.   Then, we looked each other right in the eye...and started talking about how the trees were doing.

Fortunately, our youngest daughter (last one yet at home) is hanging out with a fellow whose family raises a few critters.  Chikens being amongst them.  Every so often, they send nice, fresh brown eggs and a stack of fresh tortillas to the house.  I don't really care if it's a bribe or whatever.  The end result is good, and I deliberately show a bit of reluctance from time to time in the relationship approval to help keep the flow motivated. 

I like that manner of chiken raising a whole lot better.  Problem is....oh, wait...I got grandaughters!   :D

[thecfarm]

Yes,I forgot to mention that.Grandkids love to pick eggs.So do my friends Grandkids.When he's coming over I hold off on picking the eggs and have them do it.We also have 3 geese and 3 ducks.The geese are the friendly ones too.I can't have little kids in there with a goose on attack mode.I did have to get rid of one rooster.The grand daughter would always go down and pick eggs everytime see came here,which was quite often.One day Mr Rooster had hair in the wrong place and attacked her.She came limping up to the house crying with a welt on her leg.That was it.I did him in right on the spot.I've had some trouble in the past with critters eating what I was trying to raise.Need a $1000 fortress to get $100 worth of eggs.  :D   :D  I enjoy having the chickens.Now a horse,we had 3 at one time,is a whole differant story.Going to order some guinea hens to help out on the bugs around here.They don't dig and scratch the way a layer does.They suppose to be kinda smart.I had 6 of them last year and they became fodder for the critters around here.I will try it again.

[isawlogs]

Hey Cfarm,
Do those Guinea hens eat those stoopid ladybugs  ???

[thecfarm]

isawlogs,I have no idea.Good question.

[CLL]

little bark here is something to think about.  A man's wife wants a horse, so he buys one for her,of course along with the horse came a barn, truck and trailer. Wife decides horse is lonesome so she buys a second horse that is in-foal. Wife soon sees a problem, 3 horses, 2 stall barn and 2 horse trailer. Husband builds 4 horse barn, trades truck and trailer for bigger one. Several years pass and 1 horse is 20, small barn is large barn and arena, small truck and trailer is tractor-trailer. Wife decides a trainer is needed for horses, wife leaves husband for trainer and takes all equipment.  Friends feel sorry for husband and gives him a horse!!!  MORAL to story is , don't buy anything that can reproduce.   :D :D

[PawNature]

I just got 40 white rocks gave to me from a school teacher that hatched them for a class project.

[little Bark]

Last night I learned the differance between a st. run and a pullet.  We now got the feeder and a watering.  I still have a ways to go in getting a coup put together.  Still have more questions, how long can I expect my pullets to lay eggs?  Do I need to keep a light on in the barn at night or are they ok in the dark?  My kids want to know they think that they will be scared if they don't have a night light.

[Dana]

I like Isa Browns myself. I wanted some started pullets but waited too long and they were sold out. The guy at the hatchery said within a matter of a week.

The oldest three chickens I have are about four years old they produce two eggs a day. Not sure if one isn't laying at all or if they are alternating.

The light at night will bring up a debate. ;D Personally I don't use one even in the winter and I still get almost as many eggs as when the days are longer. My thought is that the nutrition in your feed is the key to producing eggs not light. In the winter with poor nutrition the chickens will use the food energy first to survive then if there is extra available it will go towards egg production.

If you get baby chicks then they will need  a heat lamp to stay warm until they are larger.

[Burlkraft]

Got a stable near by  ???  ???  ???

8  looooooong years I listened to the horse talk  :  :  Turned the horse barn here into a wood and tractor shed.
Saw an old friend of mine one day, who's wife has a stable. I was talking about the horse talk and said I didn't know how much longer I could hold out. He asked why I didn't lease her a horse     
I listened and I leased from his wife  ;)  ;)

They feed and care for the horse and Jill goes there whenever she wants and rides the horse, bathes the horse and even shovels up after the horse, something I know for a fact, that if the horse was here I would be doing  :D  :D  :D

Best $1200.00 a year that I have ever spent......

Jill's happy and I remain horseless  8)  8)  8)

[Dan_Shade]

I don't bother with a light, egg production does drop off in the winter, but so does feed consumption. 

you'll need to fix up a brooder for the chicks when they show up.  

http://extension.missouri.edu/explore/agguides/poultry/g08351.htm has a bit of information.

if you build a brooder box, take some cardboard and bend it so that you "round out" the corners.  the chicks will push into the corners and smash each other (chickens aren't too smart).

some automatic waterers make life much easier too, I like the "little giant" ones and use them as gravity feed.  I have also made a siphoning setup for a brooder last year that worked great attaching a pipe setup into a 5 gallon bucket.  I used this one for the brooder: http://www.cutlersupply.com/store/item.0535.html and have this one in my coop:  http://www.cutlersupply.com/store/item.0534.html