Hi -
I am just goofy happy about having chickens again. My H is NOT. We have been doing it his way for a long time and with the collapse of civilization as we knew it.. getting back to basics makes sense to me. I've been saving cartons for a couple years so he had to see it coming - but then again he Is a man. Our 13 yr. old son is my accomplice and was the one that found this forum and started our account. I've been involved in a few forums and love the wealth of minds focused. One forum has saved my sanity in dealing with a health issue. I was blown away by the activity of this forum though, this is a really busy place ! I hope it doesn't make it less personal.
His argument is the last time we had chickens it was a money pit. Which is pretty much true, and here's why..
We bought this place - chickens included. It was a motley flock of fancies, cute but Roosters were a problem because we had to get whatever we could and they weren't a good match to the hens. Poor eggs, I could go on - it was a mess. We tried to get into bigger hens but I really think chickens are racist and it's a mistake to mix them so things went from bad to worse.
I didn't have a garden then but did get lots of junked produce from the grocery store. If you ask sometimes they'll just hand you a big box of the stuff ! It May be a little shabby for people but great for the birds. This time I have a good garden and this year when I ordered my seeds I had feeding the chickens in mind.
Sunflowers - the seed producing kinds
Amaranth
Mangle beets
Tyfon Holland Greens
and lots of different Lettuces
Another strategy is worms. I'm going to start a worm farm. I've been researching this and think it's a brilliant addition to my "arsenal".
The next big difference is the breed I've chosen - I had so much fun doing the researching. I came up with "Dominiques" and I think they may just be the perfect chicken. My plan is to also to sell them as needed. I live in the county so I can have any size flock but they just passed a 3 hen limit in town and I imagine lots of people will start looking. I wasn't able to find anyone selling anything ( I wanted) here locally. One of the neat things about this breed is their docile nature - I read one guy had a Dominique rooster that loved it's belly scratched and was loved like a pet.
Yeah - I'll show him. 'Cause I'm going to "win" this war. If anyone has any strategies to keep it all as cheap as possible I'm interested. I ordered 2 straight runs and my chicks are going to be here in two weeks and I'm already "ready". A friend warned me to not use saw-dust in the bottom of the brooder but sand. She found that the chicks would eat it and it would stick in their craws and they would die.
So that's the beginning and middle of my chicken story. I'm so happy about it all that I wish my H could just see the value of that.
Janine
I am just goofy happy about having chickens again. My H is NOT. We have been doing it his way for a long time and with the collapse of civilization as we knew it.. getting back to basics makes sense to me. I've been saving cartons for a couple years so he had to see it coming - but then again he Is a man. Our 13 yr. old son is my accomplice and was the one that found this forum and started our account. I've been involved in a few forums and love the wealth of minds focused. One forum has saved my sanity in dealing with a health issue. I was blown away by the activity of this forum though, this is a really busy place ! I hope it doesn't make it less personal.
His argument is the last time we had chickens it was a money pit. Which is pretty much true, and here's why..
We bought this place - chickens included. It was a motley flock of fancies, cute but Roosters were a problem because we had to get whatever we could and they weren't a good match to the hens. Poor eggs, I could go on - it was a mess. We tried to get into bigger hens but I really think chickens are racist and it's a mistake to mix them so things went from bad to worse.
I didn't have a garden then but did get lots of junked produce from the grocery store. If you ask sometimes they'll just hand you a big box of the stuff ! It May be a little shabby for people but great for the birds. This time I have a good garden and this year when I ordered my seeds I had feeding the chickens in mind.
Sunflowers - the seed producing kinds
Amaranth
Mangle beets
Tyfon Holland Greens
and lots of different Lettuces
Another strategy is worms. I'm going to start a worm farm. I've been researching this and think it's a brilliant addition to my "arsenal".
The next big difference is the breed I've chosen - I had so much fun doing the researching. I came up with "Dominiques" and I think they may just be the perfect chicken. My plan is to also to sell them as needed. I live in the county so I can have any size flock but they just passed a 3 hen limit in town and I imagine lots of people will start looking. I wasn't able to find anyone selling anything ( I wanted) here locally. One of the neat things about this breed is their docile nature - I read one guy had a Dominique rooster that loved it's belly scratched and was loved like a pet.
Yeah - I'll show him. 'Cause I'm going to "win" this war. If anyone has any strategies to keep it all as cheap as possible I'm interested. I ordered 2 straight runs and my chicks are going to be here in two weeks and I'm already "ready". A friend warned me to not use saw-dust in the bottom of the brooder but sand. She found that the chicks would eat it and it would stick in their craws and they would die.
So that's the beginning and middle of my chicken story. I'm so happy about it all that I wish my H could just see the value of that.
Janine
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, I have had chickens all my live and will continue to have them as long as I can care for them. yes, with the new wave of "problems" facing this country and world, a chicken MAY be worth more than a handful of dollar bills. You can't eat a dollar but you can sure trade a chicken or eggs for some greens or potatoes if you need to. eggs are a good way to pay for your chickens feed (sell from home or flea market) and the fresh meat is prized by some. i have folks that "order" their fowl plucked and freshly cleaned because they know how I care for them. Take good care of your fowl but don't get overly attached (we all have) to them. Hubby will soon be requesting you have FRESH eggs from your hens and not store eggs on hand for breakfast. by the way, a good grilled cheese sandwich with 2 fried eggs in the middle makes a GREAT snack for the kids, Mom and Dad. Here's to your new Doms!
