Michigan

[RBahmer]

I hope you get it all worked out, but I'm with your sister. I wouldn't house chickens in the same barn as horses. Chickens aren't stinky if you keep up on the cleaning, but they're very, very dusty no matter what you do and dust can trigger heaves in horses which is not something you want to mess around with. Not only is it a pain to manage it reduces their value and usability tremendously.

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[RBahmer]

Thank you everyone for your condolences. dm - you are right. We know it is a part of farming but it is still hard to lose them. Especially the pet ones, which just says don't make pets of them. I have a few that aren't pets but the majority are. I find it less eventful and less stressful on them by being able to just walk up to them. Thanks

 

[Olive Hill]

dmclalin......I totally agree with Olive. You don't want to have to mess around with the dust that the chickens will stir up. As for free ranging you might want to think that over too taking into consideration the number of horses, where, when & how long they are turned out for. Plus you don't want them to be able to have access to the stalls when they are foraging around....a kicked or stepped on chicken ends up being put down. With 40 acres to play with I'm sure will come up a solution. Maybe revamp the old coop & put it on the side or back of barn and just let the chickens free range in the morning/evening when the horses are in the stalls.

I will say ours free-range and there has never been a problem with them co-existing in the paddocks with the horses. Even the cranky old gelding who was know to tear after small animals paid them no attention. And they're fabulous bug control in the manure.

Swine on the other hand....

 

[Farmerboy16]

Quote:
I will say ours free-range and there has never been a problem with them co-existing in the paddocks with the horses. Even the cranky old gelding who was know to tear after small animals paid them no attention. And they're fabulous bug control in the manure.

Swine on the other hand....

Um, what does swine do on the other hand? We will be getting some in the spring, not sure how many my dad want to get, a few? So, I would like to know what swine do on the other hand....

 

[dmclalin]

Well the old coop is attached to the garage. It is 8' x 10' and I can attach a covered run 8' x 12'. How many chickens would that support? I can add another run 8' x 22' and possible to let them free range occasionally as long as I can monitor them and there are no horses out the the paddocks by the house (rarely used).

 

[Farmerboy16]

My family and I are looking for a dual purpose cow for family use, like milk, calves for beef, etc. I have been reading on some breeds, and found that Milking Shorthorn is the best type for us, but they are rare in our area. Do any of you guys know of any farms that have Milking Shorthorn? If we are not able to find any Milking Shorthorn, then Brown Swiss is the next option. I would appreciate the help finding the right kind of cow for my family.

 

[snowflake]

Sorry for your loss RBahmer. Even a seasoned person still feels bad when losing one of their flock.

On another note, how messy and smelly is it really to raise chickens. My sister owns the farm and now she says I can't use a stall in the old barn because they are messy and smelly and she doesn't want them anywhere around the horses. I was going to let them free range - we have 40 acres! She was okay with it until she saw I was serious and started converting a stall to a coop and then she wanted to know what the heck I was going. Now she says I could keep them maybe up by the house but she doesn't want them free ranging - which means building a large run nest to and refurbishing a dilapidated coop. Now I have to wait for her final decision. talk about a 180°!!!

I can put some pics of the old coop on my page.

chickens are not smelly or messy if you care for them ,,not nearly as smelly as horses. Though I would love to have some horses. till her if she lets you free range them they will eat all the flies and bugs out of the horses poo. And they give wonderful free fertilizer!! Fewer flies to bite her horses,Good thing Free eggs, Good thing.Lots of fun to watch, I know there are a lot of people here that have both..

 

[Farmerboy16]

Well the old coop is attached to the garage. It is 8' x 10' and I can attach a covered run 8' x 12'. How many chickens would that support? I can add another run 8' x 22' and possible to let them free range occasionally as long as I can monitor them and there are no horses out the the paddocks by the house (rarely used).

For the coop, its 4 sq ft per bird, and in the run, its 10 sq ft per bird. Hope that helped.

 

[Farmerboy16]

Quote: chickens are not smelly or messy if you care for them ,,not nearly as smelly as horses. Though I would love to have some horses. till her if she lets you free range them they will eat all the flies and bugs out of the horses poo. And they give wonderful free fertilizer!! Fewer flies to bite her horses,Good thing Free eggs, Good thing.Lots of fun to watch, I know there are a lot of people here that have both..

We had taken care of a horse for a family friend for almost a year, and the horse loved the chickens, and would stand by one of the portable coop in his pasture. I have seen a few broody hens taking their brood to the horse shed to eat the bugs. Free food.

 

[snowflake]

Trimming the toenails or the spur is much easier if the wings are held tightly to the body. For one person attempting to trim their birds capturing the wings against the body can be accomplished with a wide Ace bandage or the method I prefer is using the bottom half of a leg from an old pair of jeans. Simply slide the bird in.

A why didn't I think of that!!! Leg of an old pair of jeans. much better then a towel as it wont come undone,,,

You are so cleveer