How Long Have You Been Raising Chickens? - OLD

[hensonly]

My first laying flock will be four next spring, two summers ago we raised a flock of Rangers for meat, last fall I got a batch of dual purpose chicks and the roosters went into the freezer last winter.

I might suggest this poll would be better timed if it were taken in the spring; most people get chicks then...my oldest birds are three and a half, so do I claim three years of chickens, or four? I said three because I haven't hit four yet, but many folks are going to fall in between years, because of the timing. Just a thought.

An interesting poll, nonetheless!

 

[cindielyn]

I am an egg-cited silkie mom-to-be, we hope to be bringing home 2 8 week old hens this week. As our town does not permit chickens, they will be housed indoors, with frequent supervised outings in our yard. I would love to hear advice from egg-sperienced chicken folk!

 

[millefleur]

I've been raising chickens for more than 45 years, and been around them nearly all my life. My grandmother raised chickens during the depression for the family IGA market outside of Portland, Oregon, and she sold eggs and chicken meat in the store.

In the 1950s Gram had a stall in the downtown Portland farmer's market that sold fresh chicken and eggs. I loved spending the day with her in the market, visiting all the vendors, playing with the chicken feet (the chickens arrived with heads and feet on -- freshly killed and plucked only - she did all the butchering). I spent my summers on my Aunt and Uncles' farm outside Portland with a flock of lovely New Hampshires and Rhode Island Reds. One of my jobs was collecting eggs and cleaning out the chicken house, along with milking two goats.

I began raising my own chickens in Klamath Falls, OR, in 1967, and have even had them when living in Oakland, CA in the 1970s. There were a few years when we lived back east without chickens, but as soon as I could we had them again. We've lived in Western Montana for more than 40 years and have had chickens both in town, and now, just outside of town. I've loved the Hamburg breeds best since the 1970s, but have tried many, many others. I now have fourth gen silver spangled Hamburgs and barred rock/silver spangled - a nice cross with light brown eggs but a lot of Hamburg characteristics -- good looking, rose combs, flightiness, thriftiness, winter hardy, and strong egg layers without being broody.

 

[anthony wilcox]

i just hatched my first chicks this weekend how and when can you sex them?

 

[Invictus]

40+ years

 

[scottfarm]

All My Life.. Over 50 Years..

 

[littlecreekfarm]

I started raising chickens over a year ago!!!! And I love them, poultry is my life!!!! I read about them all the time and am constantly hangin' out with my peeps!!!

 

[BlazeJester]

I went to boarding school in 9th grade and raised their first flocks of growers and layers... my boyfriend and I got 7 barred rocks chicks April 1 2009. One fell victim to a coon at 18 months, but the others have been split into two flocks of 3 after he and I both moved, and they are now making my mom and a friend very happy. I got my second shipment of 7 chicks (with a packing peanut!) in August of this year and have come to two conclusions: 1) I only really like plymouth rocks; 2) I only really want partridge rocks. I'm really excited about getting breeder PRs in the spring!

 

[mrsbrcant]

I had chickens way back when I was in high school and I started raising chickens again about nine years ago when my daughter's preschool hatched some eggs. Now I am being told I can not have chickens where I live and I will have to get rid of all of my chickens in the next 10 days or face $1000 fine or up to 6 months in jail for not complying.

 

[CheekyMare]

I'm still wet I'm so new!