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

[flagirl]

I am really new, have 11 grown hens from a friend who was not zoned for chickens. i have been reading the threads and am sooooo glad i found this one and have read all and keep up everyday. i had asked in another post if i needed to cover my compost pile and was told definitely. the last post here makes it sounds like it was not all that necessary. of course it does keep my dog out now. this is the info i have been looking for, some of the other posts got me thinking i was in for more than i thought-and some pretty bizarrre info. glad to get the real info, especially since i want eggs, not pets.

 

[Beekissed]

I'd cull the bare backed hen and make sure the roo has plenty of other gals to ride~maybe 8 isn't enough(snicker! Now I'm dating myself..remember that show?). You can remove his spurs but that isn't what is wearing off her feathers.

 

[Fred's Hens]

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We rotate the girls out and rest them. We only need them fertile during hatching season, ie, from March through July. Not uncommon for him to have his favorite and wear her out. We don't allow that to go on forever.

She is also "overly submissive" and squats for him every time he comes by. Smarter girls don't do that.

 

[Beekissed]

Quote:
I'd only cover it if you don't want it scattered from here to yon...other than that, I wouldn't. You can build a shallow bin for the compost to keep them from scattering it clear across the lawn..but cover it? Definitely NOT. And cover all those bits of garbage and juicy worm finding opportunities??

 

[chickmashnoon]

Our neighbor has 10 cat's that run the property (not all that thrilled) and they do eat some of them, but there are so many out here you wouldn't believe it. I tried years ago to eliminate the problem, but gave up and now just practice prevention and fence them out of things green.

During the winter we can eat them, but not in warmer months.

hope I'm understanding you right- you do mean eat the rabbits and not the cats, right?

BTW, love the thread, just lurking and picking up tips

 

[OldGuy43]

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What a great idea. We'd never thought of that.

 

[darkmatter]

Quote:
What a great idea. We'd never thought of that.

I've been doing that for years with tossing a little scratch onto the deep litter to encourage the chickens to turn it over. I don't have to do it often because my litter is composed of lawnmower clippings and what I rake up from under the pine trees---pineneedle straw and cones. There must be a lot of weed seeds and other goodies for the biddies to dig through it for.

 

[Beekissed]

I bet! If I'd had a good woodlot next to me, I'd have been doing the same, Dark. Nothing like raw materials that are FREE for good bedding. I love that word~FREE.

 

[Henicillin]

I'm following this thread with a great deal of interest, as I like the no-nonsense approach to things. I'm a first-year chicken wrangler, and my birds are admittedly my hobby - my job is extremely stressful, and I find such activities as caring for animals and gardening quite calming. Yes, I do go sit out in the coop and watch them, and I do have a couple of pullets that are happy to sit with me of their own volition, so they can be considered pets, or at least have a petlike aspect to them. However, they're also livestock, as they're part of our attempt to live a bit more sustainably and eat a more locally sourced diet. They're only hatchery birds, but I have no plans to show, just keep them for eggs and for the occasional chicken dinner. Besides, I didn't want to invest serious money in really high-quality birds for my first go-round in case things went pear-shaped on me.

Although I have had to cull a day-old chick that wasn't in good shape on arrival (I think it was squashed by the others in the shipping box), I haven't yet had to cull or process an older bird. I'm quite prepared to do so, though, and won't have a problem eating the unlucky contestant. We're planning on raising meaties in the spring, and are thinking about getting a couple of turkeys and hogs as well. We have two acres in an area where agriculture is actually encouraged in the town's bylaws, so why not capitalize on that?

As for being potentially offended by plain speaking as some newish folks are prone to be, I'm a pharmacist who works in an inner-city retail pharmacy. I routinely deal with angry people hurling abuse and threats at me and my staff, and calling me everything but a child of God. Heck, I've succesfully and productively handled confrontations with people who would probably cheerfully cap me if they knew they could get away with it and get their hands on the drugs. It takes more than a little bit of outspoken talk on an Internet forum to offend me, as I have a rhino's tough hide. Honestly, if more people realized that general criticism of a practice such as keeping house chickens shouldn't be taken as a personal insult, the Web would be a happier place.

I'm done rambling. Back to reading and learning.

*passes around popcorn*

Edited to add that I don't keep house chickens myself, much as my two huge dogs would appreciate the hot, fresh snacks on the wing - it just seemed like a good example at the time!

 

[gardendufus]

Fred,

I just want to confirm. In your reply to Specklehen, you did say/mean 1 Sq Ft Venting per 100 sq ft of coop floor. I only ask cuz somewhere I got it set in my mind it was per 10 sq ft. Coulda been a typo by either party, just checkin.

Also in the ventilation/drafts topic. Here in the springs the temps in summer run in the 90's. I plan on being able to open up 3 of my coop sides (covered in hardware cloth but open to the elements during the summer days. It can cool down to the 40's - 50's at night. In temps that range should I worry about drafts, or just leave the sides open. (the entire coop will be in an enclosed run top and sides with hardware cloth around the bottom 3 feet of the fence for predators.