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Coops Dad said:
You can save money by building coops out of pallet wood, substituting cut-down buckets for waterers, using dried grass clippings for bedding and nesting materials, cut-down half milk crates as best boxes, etc. I have maybe $200 in my two coops, two chicken tractors and all the feeders and waterers.

Our chickens are healthy, thank God, and we've only had a small handful of losses to predators. We look at chicken keeping as a food source, not as pets. We cull excess roosters at 6-8 months and old, unproductive hens when they slow down laying between their second and third year.

We also raise turkeys for meat. That's where the feed bill gets expensive. Broad breasted turkeys are gluttons but they also free range very well; to put weight on quickly, heavy feeding in the morning and in the evening combined with free ranging all day is necessary. Turkeys eat a lot of grass and are top-tier predators on bugs, lizards and mice and mine are right at 25 lbs in 5 months.

Best luck!
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Now THIS 👆is practical, useful, encouraging information. I can not thank you enough for taking time out of your busy day to respond and help. I realize time is valuable. I am thinking my goal of setting up in August is realistic allowing for enough time to read all that I need to. Even at this early point I am very interested in Dixie Rainbow breed (dual purpose), making the coop as you described above (hubby will handle that). The homestead does not have much grass so I will be looking into chick feed (I read unmedicated may be the way I want to go . . . more research needed). TSC has mixed chicks. If too many roos; yeppers they will be culled at the proper time.
 
Hello and welcome Lyric. Leghorns are very feed efficient. They have the best feed to egg ratio. They're light bodied, which is good for Georgia heat. No they don't lay pretty eggs, they're white. But they're amazing for efficiency. I would tell my husband to remove his stick and quit being a know it all. You seem like you really want Chickies. And knowledge is power. Some people go just on experience, some people use knowledge and experience. You might know more then he does. Labeling someone's chickens as hot mess means they're doing something wrong. Some people go about something the wrong way for eons and seem to think since they have done it so long that they're right...wrongo. Forgive me if I've offended 😃 it upset me that you wanted chickens and he is behaving so. 😃
 
samanthaoverton said:
Hello and welcome Lyric. Leghorns are very feed efficient. They have the best feed to egg ratio. They're light bodied, which is good for Georgia heat. No they don't lay pretty eggs, they're white. But they're amazing for efficiency. I would tell my husband to remove his stick and quit being a know it all. You seem like you really want Chickies. And knowledge is power. Some people go just on experience, some people use knowledge and experience. You might know more then he does. Labeling someone's chickens as hot mess means they're doing something wrong. Some people go about something the wrong way for eons and seem to think since they have done it so long that they're right...wrongo. Forgive me if I've offended 😃 it upset me that you wanted chickens and he is behaving so. 😃
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No offense AT ALL. I do believe in working smarter and not harder that is why I am here. Learning, gathering all I can into my bosom before buying my babies. He wants chickens too but I commented I want my own, that "I" will take care of, have a coop for, etc., etc., And, I told him I do not want my babies fraternizing with his ghetto chickens (laughing and being silly/light-hearted). But for real, I don't want my girls kicking it with his :lau . My gals are going to be the business; pretty, well taken care of, named and loved. :clap
 
samanthaoverton said:
Hello and welcome Lyric. Leghorns are very feed efficient. They have the best feed to egg ratio. They're light bodied, which is good for Georgia heat. No they don't lay pretty eggs, they're white. But they're amazing for efficiency. 😃
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Ohh, so good to know (the egg/feed ratio part). As far as pretty eggs; well, I can have some Rainbows for pretty and Leghorns for plain ole eggs. They all have protein and fat and that's all good. "Leghorns" remind me of my childhood (Foghorn Leghorn). “What’s it all about boy, elucidate!”
 
lovinlocks said:
Ohh, so good to know (the egg/feed ratio part). As far as pretty eggs; well, I can have some Rainbows for pretty and Leghorns for plain ole eggs. They all have protein and fat and that's all good. "Leghorns" remind me of my childhood (Foghorn Leghorn). “What’s it all about boy, elucidate!”
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I have 8 leghorns..and it's just me and hubby. I've had a hundred eggs before(in the fridge). I make eggnog and pickled eggs. Give some to family. Sold some pickled eggs recently to one of hubby's coworkers.lol. You can make money off of your Chickies to buy feed..some states do not require any certification etc to sell eggs or chicks as long as you keep in your state.
 
samanthaoverton said:
I have 8 leghorns..and it's just me and hubby. I've had a hundred eggs before(in the fridge). I make eggnog and pickled eggs. Give some to family. Sold some pickled eggs recently to one of hubby's coworkers.lol. You can make money off of your Chickies to buy feed..some states do not require any certification etc to sell eggs or chicks as long as you keep in your state.
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WOW, cool to know! You must have the patience of Job (selling to people part). Hubster enjoys eggnog. Only 8 for that yield. Goooo girls!

I have been reading up on coop making. Isn't the number something like one foot per hen? (Not good at remembering numbers; I write those sort of things down). Seems I recall for 20 hens I would need a pretty large coop. We tend to eat 6 eggs a day between us not including baking.
 
lovinlocks said:
WOW, cool to know! You must have the patience of Job (selling to people part). Hubster enjoys eggnog. Only 8 for that yield. Goooo girls!

I have been reading up on coop making. Isn't the number something like one foot per hen? (Not good at remembering numbers; I write those sort of things down). Seems I recall for 20 hens I would need a pretty large coop. We tend to eat 6 eggs a day between us not including baking.
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I to bake. I can't remember the feet. If they have a large area to graze and only sleep in the coop, the rules change. I have a large area so I don't really mind those rules.
 
lovinlocks said:
WOW, cool to know! You must have the patience of Job (selling to people part). Hubster enjoys eggnog. Only 8 for that yield. Goooo girls!

I have been reading up on coop making. Isn't the number something like one foot per hen? (Not good at remembering numbers; I write those sort of things down). Seems I recall for 20 hens I would need a pretty large coop. We tend to eat 6 eggs a day between us not including baking.
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2 to 3 ft of coop space per hen.
lovinlocks said:
WOW, cool to know! You must have the patience of Job (selling to people part). Hubster enjoys eggnog. Only 8 for that yield. Goooo girls!

I have been reading up on coop making. Isn't the number something like one foot per hen? (Not good at remembering numbers; I write those sort of things down). Seems I recall for 20 hens I would need a pretty large coop. We tend to eat 6 eggs a day between us not including baking.
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