Hi, my name is Shawn and I am addicted to chickens....
Criminy, I feel like I'm at an AA meeting.... not that I've ever been to one....
Let's go back to egg stage.... I mean when I was young. I was raised in the city, but my grandparents had a place in the country and my grandmother loved her chickens. In fact, I mentioned it at her funeral.... "the chickens that Minnie knew by name"......
Well, last year after a divorce, I bought a little place on 4 acres with a barn and a pond and someone offered me 18 chickens and 2 roosters. I don't know what breed they are, but they're red and lay nice big brown eggs. This winter they didn't lay worth a crap so this year they will have extra light. I got the bright idea that I would save money on feed by free ranging them..... They loved it, but then they stopped roosting in the coop and came into the garage..... poop everywhere. So I captured them at night and discovered I only had 10 hens left and 2 roosters. After putting them in the coop, on 2 successive nights I found a dead chicken. Down to 8 hens and a lot of guilt because by putting them in the unsafe pen I had built, I had put them on death row. So I got out my live traps and caught 2 possum and 3 racoons. 1 possum and 1 racoon were relocated, the others had a meeting with their maker. Well, then I bought some more chickens and some pullets. Found out that overcrowded hens don't lay well. 40 chickens and about a dozen eggs a day even though two roosters and 10 pullets means 28 layers. Just a couple days ago I got some silkies and silkie cochino mixed. Just bought 150 feet of chicken wire and ordered 20 chicken nipples and found some food grade DE at Tractor Supply, all thanks to you guys and this site.
Buying the nipples on ebay, I discovered that selling hatching eggs seems to be a LOT more profitable than selling eating eggs. So, the addiction may move to THAT arena lol!
Anyhow, nice to be here.
Criminy, I feel like I'm at an AA meeting.... not that I've ever been to one....
Let's go back to egg stage.... I mean when I was young. I was raised in the city, but my grandparents had a place in the country and my grandmother loved her chickens. In fact, I mentioned it at her funeral.... "the chickens that Minnie knew by name"......
Well, last year after a divorce, I bought a little place on 4 acres with a barn and a pond and someone offered me 18 chickens and 2 roosters. I don't know what breed they are, but they're red and lay nice big brown eggs. This winter they didn't lay worth a crap so this year they will have extra light. I got the bright idea that I would save money on feed by free ranging them..... They loved it, but then they stopped roosting in the coop and came into the garage..... poop everywhere. So I captured them at night and discovered I only had 10 hens left and 2 roosters. After putting them in the coop, on 2 successive nights I found a dead chicken. Down to 8 hens and a lot of guilt because by putting them in the unsafe pen I had built, I had put them on death row. So I got out my live traps and caught 2 possum and 3 racoons. 1 possum and 1 racoon were relocated, the others had a meeting with their maker. Well, then I bought some more chickens and some pullets. Found out that overcrowded hens don't lay well. 40 chickens and about a dozen eggs a day even though two roosters and 10 pullets means 28 layers. Just a couple days ago I got some silkies and silkie cochino mixed. Just bought 150 feet of chicken wire and ordered 20 chicken nipples and found some food grade DE at Tractor Supply, all thanks to you guys and this site.
Buying the nipples on ebay, I discovered that selling hatching eggs seems to be a LOT more profitable than selling eating eggs. So, the addiction may move to THAT arena lol!
Anyhow, nice to be here.
