Hi, I have been referencing this site a little here and there since I moved out of the city of Chicago to a mountain in Virginia. Calling it a farm is pretty loose, since all the buildings need to be fixed up and well, the list goes on and on.
There was an old chicken coop here that we cleaned out and basically rebuilt (it was our in-laws who kept chickens years ago without diseases, etc) and we inherited 17 random hens and a young rooster. The owner was getting divorced and they needed to rehome them. He told us they had just started laying, so fairly young. I found one of those metal nesting box wall units, fixed that up and replaced the rusted floor with plywood. I look forward to building a new system though. This was in October. About five cars per day come down our road and the chickens forage all day, but we shut them up safely in their house at night.
Out of my 17 hens, I was getting 4-6 eggs per day but I think that might be normal for hens coming of age. I guess I will learn this on the forum here! They stopped completely for winter, until I got wise and put a light in last week and now I'm getting 4 a day. I just figured out that I should be giving cracked corn too, so they have more energy to put towards laying.
These chickens are stalkers. I will be working somewhere on the property and suddenly look over to see all of them standing nearby looking at me expectantly. Other times I might be trimming brambles and hear a single 'cluck' and turn around to find one looking up at me. When I play fetch with my dog in the pasture, they all run after him and he has to wade through a flock of chickens to get back to me. They are so funny.
I hope my post hasn't been too painfully ignorant and I hope to learn a lot here!
There was an old chicken coop here that we cleaned out and basically rebuilt (it was our in-laws who kept chickens years ago without diseases, etc) and we inherited 17 random hens and a young rooster. The owner was getting divorced and they needed to rehome them. He told us they had just started laying, so fairly young. I found one of those metal nesting box wall units, fixed that up and replaced the rusted floor with plywood. I look forward to building a new system though. This was in October. About five cars per day come down our road and the chickens forage all day, but we shut them up safely in their house at night.
Out of my 17 hens, I was getting 4-6 eggs per day but I think that might be normal for hens coming of age. I guess I will learn this on the forum here! They stopped completely for winter, until I got wise and put a light in last week and now I'm getting 4 a day. I just figured out that I should be giving cracked corn too, so they have more energy to put towards laying.
These chickens are stalkers. I will be working somewhere on the property and suddenly look over to see all of them standing nearby looking at me expectantly. Other times I might be trimming brambles and hear a single 'cluck' and turn around to find one looking up at me. When I play fetch with my dog in the pasture, they all run after him and he has to wade through a flock of chickens to get back to me. They are so funny.
I hope my post hasn't been too painfully ignorant and I hope to learn a lot here!
I am south of you in Tennessee. I am hoping to do what you have done soon. I so want out in the country for me and my kids. And to have more animals and gardens 
