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

[bobbi-j]

I just don't think about it - the cost per egg, that is. It's easier that way. I have chickens because I want to grow my own meat and eggs. Usually I just give away my extra eggs. Yes, I could sell them, and some people will pay me. I don't argue if they offer me money. I enjoy raising them and that's enough for me. As my chicken keeping evolves, I'm finding myself re-thinking their housing. My wonderful, kind, very patient husband built me a nice coop a couple of years ago. It's an 8x12 shed, with the front 4x8 a storage area, then the coop area. It also has a 12x16 run. It has electricity and 3 nice south-facing windows, so it is my "winter coop". Now I have decided that I want to raise Buckeyes along with my "variety pack" layer flock. All the chickens will be in the winter coop for the winter (with access to the run, of course), but in the spring I want to move them to the coop that we built this summer. It also has a 12x16 run, and the coop itself is 7x15. It can be divided into two parts so I can have my Bucks in one side, the other layers in the other part. (I'm hoping to have some broodies hatch out some Buckeye chicks for me in the spring). The "winter coop" will then become my grow-out pen for extra roosters during the summer. Then when they've been butchered, I'll move all my chickens back to the winter coop in the cold months, and so it goes. After all this, my question is: How badly will I mess up their little chicken brains by moving them from one coop to another twice a year? Will it permanently damage their little psyches? I realize it will take them some time to start laying again after they get moved. What do you OT's think?

I'm not sure if this wasn't worth answering or if it just got buried, so I thought I'd ask again. Does anyone else move their birds to different housing at diffferent times of the year?

 

[Beekissed]

It won't be a problem and no chicken psyches will be affected in the making of these moves.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Honestly? If I were you~and I know that's a far stretch~but if I were...I'd scrap this whole thing and start out new. This house isn't meant to hold animals...maybe a rabbit or a single chicken but not a flock, no matter how small, and it wouldn't keep them safe anyway. It was built for looks and not a bit for function. No matter how many additions or blocking you put around it, it will only serve to make it look uglier and won't really improve the functionality of it.

Barring doing that, your only recourse seems to be placing a slanted tin roof over your run area to let rain and snow run off, putting an adequate roost in that area, use the box/run for nesting only, placing some heavy duty plastic over the walls of the latticed run to block the wind and still allow some light into the thing and next spring think of starting out fresh by selling that doll coop to someone else.

That is...if you really want to raise chickens. You've already spent way more than those 4 chickens will ever recoup for you and the money could have been just as well spent on buying a doz. eggs from a local farmer each time you need eggs. If you want those chickens to at least earn their cost, you need to think way differently about how much you spend on housing/fencing and what you really need to keep these chickens.

If cost is just not even a factor at all and this is just an expensive hobby~as many claim on BYC~then why not just break open the bank and buy adequately sized housing in the first place? I know the people that sold you that said it would house 3-5 birds but they quite obviously were using misdirection for the sale. Yes, 3-5 birds can be packed into the space~I guess that is where the term "hold" comes in~but to actually live in that space without problems? Not feasible.

I know the OTs were even reluctant to answer your questions about this setup for this reason~ the setup really cannot be fixed as it stands. My theory is~it can't get much worse than it already is, which isn't great, so I'll go ahead and give you a suggestion or two. You can doctor it up for this winter but it really needs to be disposed of and adequate quarters built instead if you want to really keep chickens healthy and producing.

The reason you haven't had preds yet is because they just haven't established yet that there are chickens there.... and that they are not protected at night. When they learn that pattern, you will lose chickens. Give it time...this winter may tell a different story. I'd leave the dogs outside at night if you want to keep the chickens.

Sorry if that all sounds a bit tough, but you asked for honest suggestions and those are the most honest ones I can contribute.

Armorfirelady,

You strike me as a no nonsense person, who may have either Fire Fighter or perhaps Military background or relationships. Nonetheless, someone who wants to be a better chicken keeper than the average, backyard bear. Good for you. Part of the reason I say that is because of your choice of birds. Plymouth Rocks. A stout, hardy, large fowl. I'm such huge Rock fan. But these big ol' birds require better facilities than that little cutesy house can ever provide. That you live in a northern state, and in the path of some of the worst snowfalls this nation sees? Seriously. You can and should be better.

Craigs list it, flip it, as they say. Un-ring the bell. Chalk it up to a learning experience. You won't lose enough on the deal to worry about, as you'll re-coup (no pun intended) most of your money from its sale. Use those funds to buy/build what you now know to be better housing. You've got 90 days, September through November, to pull this off. We'll root for you!! You can do it. Sell it someone with 2 Silkies and they'll be thrilled. No harm, no foul, er fowl, no, foul. (still no pun intended)

 

[fowlman01]

It won't be a problem and no chicken psyches will be affected in the making of these moves.

Are you sure??? I just read on facebook that a woman introduced some young to her flock and the other birds stopped laying....to me that says they are sensitive critters.

I always thought it was just this time of year cuz they were molting, shorter days etc.....ya learn something every day online. ....it may not be true, but never the less you learn something.

Walt

 

[bobbi-j]

I get bales of straw here that weigh 75 lbs.

Walt

Uff da! I'm glad I don't have to stack those bales! Those must be bigger than the standard small squares? Or very tightly baled?

It won't be a problem and no chicken psyches will be affected in the making of these moves.

Whew! Thanks, Bee - I don't want to damage their poor little brains by doing the chicken-shuffle twice a year...

 

[Beekissed]

Are you sure??? I just read on facebook that a woman introduced some young to her flock and the other birds stopped laying....to me that says they are sensitive critters.

I always thought it was just this time of year cuz they were molting, shorter days etc.....ya learn something every day online. ....it may not be true, but never the less you learn something.

Walt

I always thought that too...but I bow to your infinite wisdom on the matter, Walt. If FB says it's so, it must be so.

I'll have to seriously rethink all the other sources on which I rely for info on chicken psyches.

 

[stonykill]

 

[bruceh]

@ walt and loanwizard . i am a serial killer. i have single handed killed many chickens. i even look at them while doing so. the only difference between hannable lecter and myself is i do chickens. i love to eat them with potatoes and green beans. yum yum yum yum.yum..
ok now i have established myself as a real sick man. oh no the chicken police are at my door. i must go into hiding in the basement.

 

[stonykill]

@ walt and loanwizard . i am a serial killer. i have single handed killed many chickens. i even look at them while doing so. the only difference between hannable lecter and myself is i do chickens. i love to eat them with potatoes and green beans. yum yum yum yum.yum..
ok now i have established myself as a real sick man. oh no the chicken police are at my door. i must go into hiding in the basement.

you and Precious????

 

[bobbi-j]

Are you sure??? I just read on facebook that a woman introduced some young to her flock and the other birds stopped laying....to me that says they are sensitive critters.

I always thought it was just this time of year cuz they were molting, shorter days etc.....ya learn something every day online. ....it may not be true, but never the less you learn something.

Walt

I always thought that too...but I bow to your infinite wisdom on the matter, Walt. If FB says it's so, it must be so.

I'll have to seriously rethink all the other sources on which I rely for info on chicken psyches.

I'm so glad we have you two to rely on for wisdom and guidance...