Let's see....many years ago (early 20's if memory serves me correctly), on a Friday evening in mid February after one too many beers I came home with 200 3 day old cornish cross chicks. I think I paid around 25 cents each. The following morning, sporting a huge headache, I came to my senses and realized a number of things; 1) I had no coop. 2) I had no way of keeping 200 chicks warm. 3) I was never going to drink again!
So, off to the folks house to dig out their antique chicken brooder which still worked! The chicks lived in our walk-in pantry for a week as I built a chicken coop and a 20X30 run.
7-8 weeks later, with a book from the library (this was the days before the internet) on how to butcher chickens, I'm butchering my first of the 196 surviving chickens. I learned a lot about raising meat birds back then....the most important lesson was not to start out with 200 chickens....10 would have way been a better choice. (rabbits, a milk goat & pigs came later but that's for another website)
Things have changed since those days....I'm not in my early 20's...more like 60. Eating and living a healthy lifestyle is among the top priorities in our life (yup, we're still together after 38+ years...despite those 200 chickens). Store bought eggs pretty much suck so we (I) decided we were getting a few laying hens. I found a local, reputable person, and bought 3 hens about 4 1/2 months old. 2 Red Stars and an Americauna.
So, another adventure begins. I know about raising meat birds....not so much about chickens for eggs....again, I find myself learning as I go...like organic feed for hens is not cheap haha.
So, off to the folks house to dig out their antique chicken brooder which still worked! The chicks lived in our walk-in pantry for a week as I built a chicken coop and a 20X30 run.
7-8 weeks later, with a book from the library (this was the days before the internet) on how to butcher chickens, I'm butchering my first of the 196 surviving chickens. I learned a lot about raising meat birds back then....the most important lesson was not to start out with 200 chickens....10 would have way been a better choice. (rabbits, a milk goat & pigs came later but that's for another website)
Things have changed since those days....I'm not in my early 20's...more like 60. Eating and living a healthy lifestyle is among the top priorities in our life (yup, we're still together after 38+ years...despite those 200 chickens). Store bought eggs pretty much suck so we (I) decided we were getting a few laying hens. I found a local, reputable person, and bought 3 hens about 4 1/2 months old. 2 Red Stars and an Americauna.
So, another adventure begins. I know about raising meat birds....not so much about chickens for eggs....again, I find myself learning as I go...like organic feed for hens is not cheap haha.