- May 1, 2014
- 47
- 8
- 24
I've had chickens off and on for several years. I still have a lot to learn, but find new things every day to look into. For one, free range chickens as has been mentioned, get into everything. They were getting under the house to keep cool. I thought it was great until...getting on to winter, a very cold spell hit, i had one girl wanting to set and they all built a nest under the house. It got too cold, the hen abandoned the nest after a month, but also under the house was styrofoam insulation, which they proceeded to pull down and eat. I didn't think that was a very good thing so I closed off the access to under the house. They still found styrofoam outside and ate that before i could get to it. They have destroyed several gardens, and potted plants as well. they pulled the potted plants over and scratched the soil and plants out, along with whatever attracted them in the first place. There is not a bug left on the place unless i move a large object that has been hiding them. Then the chickens go crazy after them....hahahah, it's pretty fun to watch. The rooster fights with a couple of my dogs (2 Min pin, 2 chihuahua). He doesn't like the male dogs. He also doesn't like any men that come to my house (sons, grandsons), or strangers. He will attack and flog if you have your back to him. That's pretty fun to watch too, except when it's the granddaughter...then it's not so funny. She's usually bare legged. The chickens do fly (even with wings clipped), and once in a while, want to go somewhere i don't want them to go, like over the fence and into the wash (ditch). They love to go hunting in there, but i'm always afraid something is gonna get them in there....neighbor cats/dogs, coyotes, foxes, skunks...even tho they come home at night, you don't know what will follow them and await darkness to try and get some tasty chicken or eggs. I've lost 1 chicken in the last 2 years, the others were long ago and not where i live now. If the doors are open the chickens take that as an invite and have no problem coming in and pooping where ever they please. and they poop everywhere. i don't let them stay on the porch long, or there are miles of piles to try and avoid. I let it dry before trying to clean it up. if you try too soon, it smears and then it's really a mess. If you let it dry, you can just sweep it away. I also have had a girl wait to long to come home and end up spending the night "out there" somewhere. I worry all night until I see her in the morning. Even when i go looking, they hide and I can't find them. So I figure, if I can't find them, they're hidden pretty good and should be ok. I know that's taking chances, but there's not much I can do about it. They lay their eggs where ever they please and every day is an easter egg hunt. Most of the time they lay in the same place every day, but sometime...like once i found a giant clutch right outside the porch...they must have been laying there 2 weeks! I knew I was missing eggs, but couldn't find them, then decided to clean there and found them. I keep the grounds and their hut sprinkled with food grade diatomaceous earth...that keeps the mites, fleas, tics, and other "sucking" insects down, and the flies too. They have a child's swimming pool with sand in it for bathing, but it seems they like good dry dirt for bath better so I'll put some in the pool for them. I sell what eggs I don't use in 2 weeks to the Health food store and that helps pay for their feed. I haven't had much problem with them getting sick, not any this last winter, so I'm blessed and so are they. I feed them good, they give me good eggs, and the world keeps going round and round.
Side note: their feed being out there attracts all kinds of other birds too...we had some beautiful yellow with red head birds migrating thru here...i saw one in my mulberry tree one day. It's a beautiful day.
Side note: their feed being out there attracts all kinds of other birds too...we had some beautiful yellow with red head birds migrating thru here...i saw one in my mulberry tree one day. It's a beautiful day.
