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

[galanie]

Internet sales is where its' at all you poop and egg sellers. This is how I roll......


http://s283.photobucket.com/albums/kk296/fowlman01/?action=view&current=fowl.mp4

Walt

 

[fowlman01]

Just when I think I've seen it all....

Walt has his own PR manager. Beat that, Fred and Al.

Chickens are serious business...

w.

 

[Beekissed]

Clearly, it is. And I'm pleasantly surprised at the lack of separation of church and coop here.

 

[al6517]

U Da Man Walt...............

 

[bruceh]

well walt that.s some fowl language . i must say coming from a preacher that's just fowl.
all he needs to say for 14.99 plus shipping you can get walts book on exotic fowl complete with pictures of his followers.and a center fold pictorial of the rose comb.

 

[fowlman01]

well walt that.s some fowl language . i must say coming from a preacher that's just fowl.
all he needs to say for 14.99 plus shipping you can get walts book on exotic fowl complete with pictures of his followers.and a center fold pictorial of the rose comb.

I'll add that to the next one.

w.

 

[arienwolf]

Quote:
I've actually caught myself thinking (I gotta run to the store sometime this week and pick up dog food) "**** dog... when is SHE gonna start paying rent?" Can't use dog fertilizer in the garden. Gotta pay for flea meds and heart worm meds. Not really a good guard dog. Well only thing shes good at is being spoiled and reciprocating that into dog kisses...

At 35$ every two months for dog food (not the best food but not the worst, to try and feed her SOMETHING healthy and keep the vet at bay not to mention the other stuff, toys,bath shampoo, tags etc) And all the meds for fleas and heartworm every three months(aprox.95$)... I wish she'd poop an egg or two every week...

And spare a few slobbery kisses.

To bring back the "...little coop... chickens get sick" post. Is a "Coop" really necessary? Just wanted the cut dry aspect of it. I grew up with chickens("wild" free ranging), In Puerto Rico. they never had a coop. Slept in the trees. We didn't give them anything but a small bustelo can of whole corn (to keep them around the property) As a kid I had to hunt all over the property for eggs.
It can get really hot down there 85s/90s/100s and down to the 50s (I lived in the mountains half my life it can get colder sometimes).

The reason I ask is because I live in florida now. I have a run area that has half a roof, their roost is under it. It keeps them dry when it rains but the chickens like to waddle in the rain and play in the mud anyway

only the barnevelder stays up on the roost when it rains sometimes the welsummer joins her.

I have been gathering materials to make the coop but I don't want to jeopardize their health. It seems from all the posts I read that if you have chickens you have a coop.

(The girls survived Trop.S.Debbie No problems. But I might bring them in for Issac. )

By the way, I love this Thread! Thanks for all the wisdom.

 

[Beekissed]

Nope, a coop is not necessary. You would not believe how many people just let their chickens roam up here in the mountains. My sister~I won't go into her horrible farming practices~kept chickens last winter that slept each night amongst the crap piled on her back porch, laid eggs under the house and were fed on the ground out back of the house. They reproduced, survived, laid eggs like crazy and are still going strong to this day. Where she lives is extremely windy and cold in the winter. Didn't lose one bird.

I'd say, if you want to keep them safe from preds, have a few good outside dogs~as in, put those pampered dogs to work earning their keep!~

that roam all night or lock them up in a run of some kind each night. I can't imagine anyone needing a full coop in Florida.

 

[Fred's Hens]

I hate Easter egg hunts, so I don't recommend this style of management. However....

When I was a boy, some 50 years ago, about dozen really smart and crafty White Rocks and a couple of Leghorns, likely some of those very birds in my avatar, escaped, somehow, on October's butchering weekend. The details are a bit foggy. Nonetheless, I "found" that small sub-flock a few weeks later. There they were, up in the pine/spruce grove, back by the ditch.

They wintered over out there just fine. Mind you, this was Michigan in the late 50's or early 60's. Brutal stuff. They were just fine. In fact, I remember building a "nest" for them under the giant spruce trees, out of needles and they used it faithfully. I also remember running out of chicken from the freezer, long about April and Dad made me "go get 'em".

Long story short? The endless, ad nauseum debates here about insulated coops, and providing heat lamps in winter, and all the rest? Bleh!

Maybe our birds were just not sissy critters back then? I dunno.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Fred, a question. Did you carry corn back to them just before bedtime so they could sleep warm and toasty all night? Or a radical thought, were they able to forage for themselves, even in a Michigan winter? If that ditch and surrounding area is like I envision it, the quality of forage might not have been all that bad.

I can think of a few reasons you might need a coop in Florida.

If you live in suburbia, it may be required by law. Some towns and cities have pretty specific requirements.

You might need one for predator protection. We all have different predator pressures and handle it different ways. I did not say this coop could not be built entirely out of wire and I did not say everyone had to handle predator pressure this way.

That's all I can think if as far as needs. There are several "nice to have" things about a coop, but there is a difference in nice to have and need in your climate.