bag12day
Chirping
(1) Are you new to chickens / when did you first get chickens?
Relatively new, we have had layers for about 3 years now. Started fairly small with 15 birds and through natural causes lost about half in the first 1.5 years. When I say natures loss I mean hawks 3, foxes got several and a rogue dog a couple. Learned some valuable lessons and wont say we wont lose more this spring but it seemed that's when the troubles happen especially with Hawks and foxes and I trap the foxes and have put up some flashing things that seem to work for deterring Hawks. This was all with electric poultry netting which we would open up for foraging during the day ( we have 75 acres) and I plant about 8-10 acres in food Peas, turnips, Oats, rape, buckwheat etc... for deer, chickens and wildlife around the house. I am a hunter too but my wife enjoys the watching the deer and wild turkeys.
We raised meat birds (Rainbow rangers and Slate gray turkeys) last year to begin to be more self sufficient and to control our own food and what goes into us.
(2) How many chickens do you have right now?
Now we are up to about 30 layers with about 24 of those being 6-7 months old and the remainder from our first batch which are about 3 years old.
We also have 2 gray slate hen turkeys as well from the 6 meat birds we got last fall. We butchered the Toms but growth rate on hens was slower so we dropped them into our flock of layers and they are wonderful.
(3) What breeds do you have?
Chickens in our back yard:Barred Rock, New Hamp reds, Black Jersey Giants, Aracuna, Speckled Sussex, Black Astrolorp, Welsummers.
Meat Birds on pasture soon: Red rangers, Kosher Kings, and Turkeys Slate Gray and Bourbon Reds
(4) What are your favorite aspects of raising backyard chickens?
The wonderful eggs they provide and enjoy watching some too, my wife however is the chicken whisperer who loves talking and feeding and treating her girls (and two roosters). She does most of the moving fences, cleaning, checking on them and maintenance and I do the building of coops, chicken tractors and feeding.
(5) What are some of your other hobbies?
Hunting, fishing, walking the woods, working on my mini farm.
(6) Tell us about your family, your other pets, your occupation, or anything else you'd like to share.
We are mid 50s have a grown son and daughter-in-law who live close (20 miles) and a new granddaughter we keep a lot. Last year I joined my communitie's volunteer fire dept and try to help my neighbors the best I can being old and worn out LOL. My wife works at home and I own a small business I do not need to be at much due to a great staff. Have a dog and several Black Angus beef cattle and might get into raising a few heritage pigs next year.
(7) Bonus: How did you find BYC, how long have you known about BYC, and what made you finally join our awesome community?
As I said in the title I have been a longtime lurker and this was a valuable resource to get started with laying chickens and meat birds and just decided to join finally.
Relatively new, we have had layers for about 3 years now. Started fairly small with 15 birds and through natural causes lost about half in the first 1.5 years. When I say natures loss I mean hawks 3, foxes got several and a rogue dog a couple. Learned some valuable lessons and wont say we wont lose more this spring but it seemed that's when the troubles happen especially with Hawks and foxes and I trap the foxes and have put up some flashing things that seem to work for deterring Hawks. This was all with electric poultry netting which we would open up for foraging during the day ( we have 75 acres) and I plant about 8-10 acres in food Peas, turnips, Oats, rape, buckwheat etc... for deer, chickens and wildlife around the house. I am a hunter too but my wife enjoys the watching the deer and wild turkeys.
We raised meat birds (Rainbow rangers and Slate gray turkeys) last year to begin to be more self sufficient and to control our own food and what goes into us.
(2) How many chickens do you have right now?
Now we are up to about 30 layers with about 24 of those being 6-7 months old and the remainder from our first batch which are about 3 years old.
We also have 2 gray slate hen turkeys as well from the 6 meat birds we got last fall. We butchered the Toms but growth rate on hens was slower so we dropped them into our flock of layers and they are wonderful.
(3) What breeds do you have?
Chickens in our back yard:Barred Rock, New Hamp reds, Black Jersey Giants, Aracuna, Speckled Sussex, Black Astrolorp, Welsummers.
Meat Birds on pasture soon: Red rangers, Kosher Kings, and Turkeys Slate Gray and Bourbon Reds
(4) What are your favorite aspects of raising backyard chickens?
The wonderful eggs they provide and enjoy watching some too, my wife however is the chicken whisperer who loves talking and feeding and treating her girls (and two roosters). She does most of the moving fences, cleaning, checking on them and maintenance and I do the building of coops, chicken tractors and feeding.
(5) What are some of your other hobbies?
Hunting, fishing, walking the woods, working on my mini farm.
(6) Tell us about your family, your other pets, your occupation, or anything else you'd like to share.
We are mid 50s have a grown son and daughter-in-law who live close (20 miles) and a new granddaughter we keep a lot. Last year I joined my communitie's volunteer fire dept and try to help my neighbors the best I can being old and worn out LOL. My wife works at home and I own a small business I do not need to be at much due to a great staff. Have a dog and several Black Angus beef cattle and might get into raising a few heritage pigs next year.
(7) Bonus: How did you find BYC, how long have you known about BYC, and what made you finally join our awesome community?
As I said in the title I have been a longtime lurker and this was a valuable resource to get started with laying chickens and meat birds and just decided to join finally.
Glad you joined.
