MARYLAND THREAD!

[DCchicken]

DC Chicken what do you have in stock? Have a website I could look at? I have tried to get some quality BFCM and have had no luck. Ready to cull the entire flock and start with something else. Got anything good at point of lay or maybe hatching soon?

I don't normally keep chicks on hand as I am not a hatchery and I hatch for specific orders. But send me a PM as I may be slimming down my flock for the fall and will probably have some laying pullets to sell. I may also drop some breeds as I start to focus more on FM breeds like my Ayam Cemani and Svart Hona.

 

[TurnipTruck]

I already had one fox trapped and removed. But I need a permit from the state to trap. And they don't continuously grant the permits. You get like one and then they lecture you on free-ranging your chickens.

I would not feel bad about giving them a lecture about free ranging their fox. Wild animals are legally the property of the state... It's a losing legal argument, but if you were super technical, the fox is trespassing on your land and the state should be held liable for the damages it inflicts on your livestock... just saying.

Sorry, the lawyer in me combines with the sarcasm when I start to annoyed with the bureaucracy that exists in Maryland.

 

[Anna Lee]

I am the worst at sexing chickens.  I keep meaning to learn to vent sex them.  I have the same problem with my Ayam Cemani and Svart Hona.  With those breeds the combs and wattles don't turn pink or red.  So you have to start looking at the hackle feathers.

I already had one fox trapped and removed.  But I need a permit from the state to trap.  And they don't continuously grant the permits.  You get like one and then they lecture you on free-ranging your chickens.

It might be worth trying a livestock guardian breed dog. Our mixed breed dogs, especially the Great Pyrenees Sheppard mix do a great job guarding the flock during free ranging and didn't require much training. They all came from rescue groups.

 

[DCchicken]

It might be worth trying a livestock guardian breed dog. Our mixed breed dogs, especially the Great Pyrenees Sheppard mix do a great job guarding the flock during free ranging and didn't require much training. They all came from rescue groups.

I wish I could. But it's too much liability. I am surrounded by subdivision after subdivision of million dollar homes with children that trespass on my property because their parents told them to go play in the woods (my woods) that border their postage stamp sized backyards. The more subdivisions that get built, the worse the fox problem gets. And don't get me started on the deer population. It's a race to get my fruits and veggies before the deer get them.

No guns, no electric fences, no unleashed guardian dogs. I told the chickens that they are just going to have to learn to run faster.

 

[masondixonchick]

Hello from Cecil County,
I read through many pages of this thread and see that a number of the older posts are from people in Cecil County. Do you still have chickens? Are there any breeders in the area?
I would really appreciate any pointers you can provide someone just getting started in this adventure?
-Maria

 

[CristinaB]

I wish I could. But it's too much liability. I am surrounded by subdivision after subdivision of million dollar homes with children that trespass on my property because their parents told them to go play in the woods (my woods) that border their postage stamp sized backyards. The more subdivisions that get built, the worse the fox problem gets. And don't get me started on the deer population. It's a race to get my fruits and veggies before the deer get them.

No guns, no electric fences, no unleashed guardian dogs. I told the chickens that they are just going to have to learn to run faster.

Have you considered putting a fence around your property? A 4 ft T post fence with welded wire is a great deterrent to all types of things including children. You can also electrify it... even better protection.

 

[fallyn]

@Dcchicken
How much do Arkansas blues run typically? If I were looking for a pullet or a hen that was just starting to lay?

 

[DCchicken]

@Dcchicken
How much do Arkansas blues run typically? If I were looking for a pullet or a hen that was just starting to lay?

It takes a lot of food to get a pullet to point of lay. By my calculations, I spend between $25-40 per bird to get to that age. So no matter what the breed of chicken, feed costs are always the starting point. After that it depends upon how many cockerels I also had to feed as well. Since no one wants cockerels these days, I have to re-home or process them. There are also high costs to housing, litter, etc. So expect to pay about $50 for a laying pullet. A one year old, proven hen could easily run $75 or more.

If you want the least expensive path, buy straight-run, day old chicks. Those will probably be $12-$15 each, depending upon the hatch rate.

 

[Deb B]

@TurnipTruck I am interesting in good egg layering hens. besides that, I am flexible.
Thanks!

Hi Ready4flight. Welcome to BYC! There are several of us Calvert Countians here on BYC. I will be hatching some chicks (hopefully) in mid-Aug if you are interested.

 

[dheltzel]

Have you considered putting a fence around your property? A 4 ft T post fence with welded wire is a great deterrent to all types of things including children. You can also electrify it... even better protection.

Welded wire does not electrify well, you should put a strand of wire made for electric fences up for that. It should be set off a few inches from the wire so it won't ground out against it. The welded wire provides a good visual barrier and the electrified wire would be the "enforcer" for anything that tries anyway.

I feel for anyone trying to keep chickens free ranging in an area that has lots of new homes around it. People move to the country for the experience, but then get upset when the "country" doesn't meet their standard for smell and noise. I have little sympathy for anyone buying a house next to a working farm and then complaining about the smell when they spread manure in the field next door, or when a rooster wakes them in the night. Really??? The possibility that cows and chickens might intrude on your life never occurred to you before buying that place next to the farm?

I can't wait until peacock mating season next year . . . I hope the neighbors don't mind more weird noises