Chickens for 10-20 years or more? Pull up a rockin' chair and lay some wisdom on us!

[hannahransom]

Is there a possibility you could have the coop be built really well and then let them out a while after dawn (this is the time that I have seen coyotes on my property, so I never let them out really really early)? Coyotes are generally a night problem, as are skunks and coons.

 

[amenfarm]

There are exceptions to only night time, like the one I watched trail a doe/fawn across by pasture at 10:00 am last summer.

 

[stonykill]

I find the best predator deterant to be lead poisoning. Short of that nothing else matters....

 

[stonykill]

Is there a possibility you could have the coop be built really well and then let them out a while after dawn (this is the time that I have seen coyotes on my property, so I never let them out really really early)? Coyotes are generally a night problem, as are skunks and coons.

someone forgot to tell the coyotes in my area they only should hunt at night. Hunting I see them all hours of the day

 

[fowlman01]

An electric fence has worked well for me for several years now.

Walt

 

[henpeck31]

I have a couple of questions for the OT.
1. I have quite a few bared backed hens. they turn 1 yr old this month. I have 13 hens and 2 roos. Should i cage up the roos for a while to give the girls a break. I have been feeding them layer and meat feeds. and cracked corn. as something to scratch at first thing in the morning. They free range all day.
2. When do the chickens go thru their first molt? Is it at a certain age? or just when ever they feel like it.
3. my chickens have stopped laying eggs. I am getting 1 to 5 eggs per day. I know that they will slow down with age. I am just not understanding what is going on. I have given them yogurt, pepper,oats mixture this evening. To see if that will fire them back up.

My grandparents and Great-parents that raised chickens are all gone. I wish that i had asked more questions when they were here. I have been reading this site for a while. My chickens are for eggs and meat. They are not pets. And with feed prices rising I am not going to feed something that is not feeding me. They all can go to Freezer U. This is my second year of raising chickens.

Bee Thank you so much for starting this thread.

 

[al6517]

Chickens in good condition molt twice a year, in the spring they shed all of their winter under down that keeps them warm in the winter, the fine fluffy stuff you never see unless your doing a good inspection of a bird for some reason. They molt again in the fall, this molt sheds the bigger main feathers and also the hen will again begin to grow her soft fluffy under down in preperation for the cold. Hen's rarely molt on their backs and when they do molt it is never a full blown lose all the feather type molt many newby's would have you believe, a chicken just isn't wired that way. They shed feathers at different places on their bodies at different times so as not to leave them bare, the chest and underbelly is first, followed by the rear end and some neck and hackle feathers. If your hens are bare backed it is almost allways from the rooster being too vigirous, or from mites and lice. During the height of the spring laying season they are knee deep in laying and laying heavy, this will stress them a tad and may lack additional protein to keep feathers in top shape. Most folks don't consider this and think a normal run of the mill layer ration is enough and it may be for some hen's but for some they need a top dressed feed bucket twice a week and this will help.

Molts only last 6-7 weeks and if your birds health is good and their diet is as it should be you will never see a molt, all you will see is a butt load of faethers in the coops, yard, run's, nest boxes and such this is normal. near the end of a molt be sure to add some extra protien to their diet to help the feathers come in real nice, I am not a fan of the whole cat food protein thing, cat food is for cat's, and most people do this cause it's just lying around anyway and their to cheap to buy a bag of seperate high pro chicken feed. feed them a small bag of a better ration for a week or so and then your fine.

Your rooster ratio is fine it's just your roosters are being rough just to show the other roo that he's got it goin on more than the other roo, that's it. And that is what makes their backs bare. I have never had a molting chicken look bare or otherwise unthrifty looking due to a molt. Now WTS and I know many will discard this bit of advice but many many hatchery type stock will have poor skin and feather quality due to their mix breeding and god knows what else they lack, and this will contribute to a god awfull looking bird at times, what did you expect from $1.50 chick. So there it is in a nutshell.

 

[stonykill]

Chickens in good condition molt twice a year, in the spring they shed all of their winter under down that keeps them warm in the winter, the fine fluffy stuff you never see unless your doing a good inspection of a bird for some reason. They molt again in the fall, this molt sheds the bigger main feathers and also the hen will again begin to grow her soft fluffy under down in preperation for the cold. Hen's rarely molt on their backs and when they do molt it is never a full blown lose all the feather type molt many newby's would have you believe, a chicken just isn't wired that way. They shed feathers at different places on their bodies at different times so as not to leave them bare, the chest and underbelly is first, followed by the rear end and some neck and hackle feathers. If your hens are bare backed it is almost allways from the rooster being too vigirous, or from mites and lice. During the height of the spring laying season they are knee deep in laying and laying heavy, this will stress them a tad and may lack additional protein to keep feathers in top shape. Most folks don't consider this and think a normal run of the mill layer ration is enough and it may be for some hen's but for some they need a top dressed feed bucket twice a week and this will help.

Molts only last 6-7 weeks and if your birds health is good and their diet is as it should be you will never see a molt, all you will see is a butt load of faethers in the coops, yard, run's, nest boxes and such this is normal. near the end of a molt be sure to add some extra protien to their diet to help the feathers come in real nice, I am not a fan of the whole cat food protein thing, cat food is for cat's, and most people do this cause it's just lying around anyway and their to cheap to buy a bag of seperate high pro chicken feed. feed them a small bag of a better ration for a week or so and then your fine.

Your rooster ratio is fine it's just your roosters are being rough just to show the other roo that he's got it goin on more than the other roo, that's it. And that is what makes their backs bare. I have never had a molting chicken look bare or otherwise unthrifty looking due to a molt. Now WTS and I know many will discard this bit of advice but many many hatchery type stock will have poor skin and feather quality due to their mix breeding and god knows what else they lack, and this will contribute to a god awfull looking bird at times, what did you expect from $1.50 chick. So there it is in a nutshell.

fantastic post Thanks!

 

[stayathomechick]

i love hearing the old ways ..... i find it to be better and cheeper and im all for cheeper,.... can i use ashes to dust chickins for mites?

 

[al6517]

It's not really the old way so much as it is common sense from hands on not just watching and playing but working with your birds. You won't find my explanations coming out of some new how to chicken book, it comes from years of working with birds and understanding what were doing and why, instead of just going through the motions aimlessly. LOL IDK my take on raising livestock tends to be more on the practical side, instead of the sugary fluffy ain't that sweet type of chicken raising.