Hello! I raised six Rhode Island Reds years ago and decided recently to get back into chicken raising for eggs and meat. I learned the hard way that I was not cut out for butchering my chickens. I told my husband if he would help with the raising, that I would do the butchering (I am an avid hunter and I clean all of my harvested deer, bear etc.). Well being up close an personal it was not in my heart to do the butchering and ended up butchering my index finger.....all is well....I now just raise them for their eggs and company. I also have three turkey, two I raised from a few weeks old and one I adopted along with his friend, but the friend that I loved so much was killed by either a coyote or fox one early morning. My young turkey are my babies and they all eat out of my hand and let me rub them and pick them up on occasion. I have been wondering for sooo long if I have a turkey hen, and I am pretty sure I do, so now I have a pair. I converted my old camper into a turkey coop, which has worked out really well. I then made a pvc pipe and chicken wire 10x10x6 outside cage that I connected to the camper so they can venture outside. My chickens stay in a chicken tractor my husband made and I move them at least 2 times a day.....I have 4 bantam hens 1 bantam rooster (Blue) who is the only free range fowl and follows me everywhere, 2 Rhode Island Reds, 1 Barred Rock, and 1 Americana. I learn so much from forums with all of my hobbies and look forward to meeting you all and getting your help and hopefully help in return when I can. Roxanne
Hello there and welcome to BYC! So sorry about your finger! These things do happen. Sounds like you are enjoying your flock. Make yourself at home here and if you have any questions, feel free to ask. Welcome to our flock!
Hello and Welcome! I think I understand how you feel about butchering. I could barely kill and butcher my neighbor's birds. I dread attempting to do my own!
Welcome to BYC, Roxanne. Glad you decided to join our flock. I do occasionally butcher some of our chickens, but I have to admit that I don't like doing it. And there have been a few of them that I've become so attached to that I went on and kept them even after they had grown old enough to stop laying. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Good luck with your flock.
Please switch out all poultry(chicken) wire to 1/2" hardware cloth. Predators even the smaller ones can go through chicken wire like it was nothing. It only keeps chickens inside, does nothing to keep predators out. If they got lucky having your birds for a meal they will keep coming back till you stop them with bullets or they finish off all the poultry. Fox are great diggers and can climb or jump higher than you would expect for such a small animal. Raccoons have opposable thumbs and can open any latch you can. Coyotes can also jump high and dig. Please read up more at the predator threads on BYC.