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

[Fred's Hens]

Thank you to the experienced folks!

For us Canucks that get cold snaps of -30? What are your thoughts on pampering? Also, if we want to add light so we may continue to feed our families, what type of light do you recommend? LEDs are quite safe but will they do the job?

So Alb, I put my thoughts, well.... most of my thoughts, on your thread on the subject of -30. LOL

 

[Fred's Hens]

Those "escapees" I talked about in my story above where pretty well fed that winter. They had 8 acres of left over gardens to pick through. They were completely on their own and they succeeded in finding plenty of food, but they sure had to work for it, as no one was pouring it out in a feeder. Understand, I don't recommend this as a rule. Not sure, not 100% sure, the birds mostly bred today, now 50 years later, would necessarily "make it" through what those birds managed to pull off, so long ago.

As some kind of judge of chicken behavior, I got a few now I suspect could pull it off. Pretty sure I also have a few now who'd never make it.

 

[Erin~TheChickenLover]

Those "escapees" I talked about in my story above where pretty well fed that winter. They had 8 acres of left over gardens to pick through. They were completely on their own and they succeeded in finding plenty of food, but they sure had to work for it, as no one was pouring it out in a feeder. Understand, I don't recommend this as a rule. Not sure, not 100% sure, the birds mostly bred today, now 50 years later, would necessarily "make it" through what those birds managed to pull off, so long ago.

As some kind of judge of chicken behavior, I got a few now I suspect could pull it off. Pretty sure I also have a few now who'd never make it.

Same here. I think it's better to spend a little extra money to give your chickens a coop that you can trust to work well for you and them (a practical one with a simple efficient design that doesn't break the bank, not one of those doll house box contraptions that people call coops that cost an arm and a leg). The problem with saying that chickens don't need coops is that people can abuse it and use that as an excuse not to have one. Not having a coop isn't going to work for everyone, I don't care if it does save money. It most definitely wouldn't work for me. My bantams would get soaking wet in the rain and then freeze to death at night over the winter. If the possum didn't get them first.

 

[SunnyAlberta]

You did, Fred. "Messy buckets." (Merci bo coup. Thank you very much.)

 

[flagirl]

I am in south central florida and we built our coop sort of 3 sided. we poured a footing of concrete to keep critters out and have hardware cloth on large part of 3 sides with hardware cloth all the way around under the tin roof. the roosts are behind the wood sides on the north to keep the wind out in winter. We have lots of racoons, possums and a few 300# brown bear. the bear have never come in the fenced yard, but a few years ago, did see a good size bobcat. Have 5 acres of mostly pine with about 2 acres fenced for dog, house and hens. Tropical storm Isaac is starting to bring in a little rain and hopefully will not spawn any tornadoes, but where we are it will not be bad, I told the girls to huddle in a corner

 

[Fred's Hens]

You did, Fred. "Messy buckets." (Merci bo coup. Thank you very much.)

Just to repeat, a wee bit, for those didn't see the other thread, -30 C or F, is just plain brutal. There's no getting around it. Let's face it, it a somewhat rare event, even for those who live in far, white, north. -10F can be common as field mice, but -30 only happens on the occasional night and usually hits that only for a few hours between 3 am and dawn. Who is kidding who, it's tree breaking, cracking cold. The birds will not like it. Yet, they survive just fine.

The birds have a down coat and sleep covering their feet. The combs is where it can bite them. For that reason, I don't suggest folks keep large, pointed comb birds if they live at the 45th or above. If you do keep the showy combs, expect some tip loss, that's all. Stick with the traditional breeds that were developed 100 and 200 years ago, by our forefathers and mothers, long before anyone ever heard of insulation or electricity and Edison was still a twinkle in his father's eye. If those folks bred these birds and kept these birds in the upper midwest, New England and Canada, so can we. This generation often thinks all this stuff is brand new with them, when it isn't.

There will be 3 dozen threads on this subject between now and New Years. This topic just goes round and round and people are gonna do what they're gonna do.

But, still, -30 is tough. The wild birds don't like it, the wild life holes up and suffers through it. And, so do we. Best wishes to you, So Alb. and best regards.

 

[arienwolf]

I built something like a "coop" with a run feel to it. It looks like a "run" it's open, grass grows in it. It's wired all the way around. The top has wire. The whole left top side I put a roof over. Its up against my house on the north side.(So I suppose it's shielded from north winds) I DO live in the suburbs. Kind of. Not a city but the houses are close. Their roost is right under the covered half so they can stay out of rain, if they want to. I do not treat them like the wild chickens I grew up with. They get their feed 24/7 to free range on. They have a closed in kitty litter box

they lay eggs in. And seem to like but I am planning on building two wooden nest boxes on the outside to add to their run. I just have to modify one of the sections of wire.

They seem to be very healthy (knock on wood) My plans where to modify the end without a roof and add (sort of speak) a coop onto the run. Like adding a puzzle piece next to another.
But I have to say with so much air circulation, there is no chicken poo smell in there. I just don't want to "fix, what's not broken" sort of speak.

"Newbie" question, I have a "top" hen that thinks she's all of that and a bag of chips, soda included. She bosses everyone around and sounds like a goose. My grandmother come over to look at the girls, said she's a dominant hen and the flock will follow her around. Does this mean they'll stay where ever she stays also?
I guess what I'm asking is, if her fat butt can't jump on the fence and leave the yard and the others can, will they leave her even though shes top hen?

I know I am jumping around from subject to subject (sorry) But WHERE do you suppose those wild feral chickens got all the calcium they needed???
As a kid I never ran across soft eggs,rubber eggs, or weird eggs either. I know this, If I had I would have thrown them at my brothers.

I know we weren't feeding them anything but the whole corn or cracked corn if that. Sometimes they got rice and beans lol. Whenever my mah and pah (grandparents) had extra to throw outside for 'em.

There are still descendant's of those chickens around, Just not as many as there used to be when I was growing up. I have this really bad need to want to know how those chickens make it down there. Now that I have my own. I feel as if I pamper them, and my grandparents look a me like I am a idiot when I tell them about worming, cocci, and mites.

I suppose I am. lol.

 

[Nomibear]

You're exactly right. I have a three sided coop and though there are large windows in the east and west walls, I'm going to be stripping siding off the east wall and covering with hardware cloth. There is some ventilation in the north wall that can be closed off but there's still not enough air moving in there at night even with the entire front open (and covered with wire).
I guess what I'm saying is that 2 sides are better than 3, so long as one of the walls is to the north

Thanks for Sharing about your setup. I am just south of San Antonio Tx, and yes, I worry way more about the heat, then I do about the 3 times a year we get below 32*. The coop I have now is small, But as I have a good guard dog in their part of the yard, it is never closed. Not even at night.
I am planning a new coop out of used pallets, with Lattice instead of solid walls. I am feeling much better about my plans after reading yours! It doesn't have to be hard, or expensive to keep chickens!! Woohoo! Thank you

 

[Kansas Prairie]

Just to repeat, a wee bit, for those didn't see the other thread, -30 C or F, is just plain brutal. There's no getting around it. Let's face it, it a somewhat rare event, even for those who live in far, white, north. -10F can be common as field mice, but -30 only happens on the occasional night and usually hits that only for a few hours between 3 am and dawn. Who is kidding who, it's tree breaking, cracking cold. The birds will not like it. Yet, they survive just fine.

The birds have a down coat and sleep covering their feet. The combs is where it can bite them. For that reason, I don't suggest folks keep large, pointed comb birds if they live at the 45th or above. If you do keep the showy combs, expect some tip loss, that's all. Stick with the traditional breeds that were developed 100 and 200 years ago, by our forefathers and mothers, long before anyone ever heard of insulation or electricity and Edison was still a twinkle in his father's eye. If those folks bred these birds and kept these birds in the upper midwest, New England and Canada, so can we. This generation often thinks all this stuff is brand new with them, when it isn't.

There will be 3 dozen threads on this subject between now and New Years. This topic just goes round and round and people are gonna do what they're gonna do.

But, still, -30 is tough. The wild birds don't like it, the wild life holes up and suffers through it. And, so do we. Best wishes to you, So Alb. and best regards.

 

[stonykill]

if there is one thing I learned raising chickens and ducks it is they don't have internet access. If they did they would know they can't eat the things they eat. You know the things the internet says will kill them, yet they thrive on, My hens would know that hens are so quiet that in a city, your neighbor won't know you have hens ( that one cracks me up, my hens can be noisier than roosters) . If they had internet access my Sumatra's that live in tree's would know they need to build themselves draft proof coops or they will die. As according to the internet drafts kill chickens. But lucky for us chickens don't get internet access, so they don't know these things and live on happily.