EasternPromise
Chirping
- Jul 9, 2021
- 14
- 47
- 51
Hello new friends!
First day on the forum and I look forward to learning *a lot* from seasoned members. My family and I moved to a rural 10 acre lot last August with the intention of becoming more self sufficient. I am growing out a very large garden and working on a permaculture food forest layout, piece by piece. I am excited to introduce chickens into my system and have drawn a great deal of inspiration from Joel Salatin, Justin Rhodes and the team at Edible Acres.
Aside from the intro - I have attached photos of my setup which I will be introducing my chickens into on Monday. I am looking for feedback, tips, tricks and any comments or suggestions.
On to the structured intro
:
(1) Are you new to chickens / when did you first get chickens?
Brand new to chickens, but experienced in gardening and have watched a lot of youtube
(2) How many chickens do you have right now?
I am getting 6 RSLs on Monday, and another 6 Plymouth Rocks at the start of September. I will probably get some chicks as well in September because it's something I've promised the kids.
(3) What breeds do you have?
As per above RSL and Plymouth Rocks
(4) What are your favorite aspects of raising backyard chickens?
I look forward to putting my birds to work in turning food scraps and producing compost. And in having my kids take care of them and take on the responsibility of caring for animals.
(5) What are some of your other hobbies?
Gardening and permaculture.
(6) Tell us about your family, your other pets, your occupation, or anything else you'd like to share.
I escaped from the city last fall having seen the writing on the wall re: 'Rona/lockdowns. We live in an off grid property about an hour away from a major urban centre and 10 mins drive from closest town. We live in a wetlands area with lots of sensitive and environmentally protected areas, and my hope is to develop my property into a micro eco-agro-tourist destination with a bunkie or two for guests.
(7) My chicken setup, design and intention for the birds
I will again reiterate that it's my first time raising bird, so I will layout the basics and hoping to get some feedback from experienced users.
- Intention with the chickens is for egg laying and compost production. Also as an educational platform for my kids to learn about how to care for chickens (kids are 6 and 2.5 yrs old)
- Longer term intention is to raise dual purpose birds from chick to meat, and do the butchering myself
- I have designed an electric fenced in chicken run with a deep mulch section, and an open pasture section - inclusive of a large tree and some shrubs. Apx. 1600 square feet
- I have built a Justin Rhodes style chickshaw 2.0 for housing the chickens overnight. I intent to leave in place until the fall, and will be layering wood chip mulch to deal with the droppings
- I intend on having the chickens free range, eat from daily food scraps, and to supplement with feed in the evenings (happy to take advise on how much to feed them given circumstances). I may also let them out in the evenings to sanitize the garden once it's mature, and will be using the chickens to clean up garden beds in the fall
- - I've got a basic metal pan feeder and plastic waterer. Rain barrell is close by and will be using this for daily watering
Photos attached. Please provide any feedback, regardless of how critical. I'm a newbie but have thick skin
Thank you all, and I look forward to being a part of this community.
Best,
First day on the forum and I look forward to learning *a lot* from seasoned members. My family and I moved to a rural 10 acre lot last August with the intention of becoming more self sufficient. I am growing out a very large garden and working on a permaculture food forest layout, piece by piece. I am excited to introduce chickens into my system and have drawn a great deal of inspiration from Joel Salatin, Justin Rhodes and the team at Edible Acres.
Aside from the intro - I have attached photos of my setup which I will be introducing my chickens into on Monday. I am looking for feedback, tips, tricks and any comments or suggestions.
On to the structured intro
:(1) Are you new to chickens / when did you first get chickens?
Brand new to chickens, but experienced in gardening and have watched a lot of youtube
(2) How many chickens do you have right now?
I am getting 6 RSLs on Monday, and another 6 Plymouth Rocks at the start of September. I will probably get some chicks as well in September because it's something I've promised the kids.
(3) What breeds do you have?
As per above RSL and Plymouth Rocks
(4) What are your favorite aspects of raising backyard chickens?
I look forward to putting my birds to work in turning food scraps and producing compost. And in having my kids take care of them and take on the responsibility of caring for animals.
(5) What are some of your other hobbies?
Gardening and permaculture.
(6) Tell us about your family, your other pets, your occupation, or anything else you'd like to share.
I escaped from the city last fall having seen the writing on the wall re: 'Rona/lockdowns. We live in an off grid property about an hour away from a major urban centre and 10 mins drive from closest town. We live in a wetlands area with lots of sensitive and environmentally protected areas, and my hope is to develop my property into a micro eco-agro-tourist destination with a bunkie or two for guests.
(7) My chicken setup, design and intention for the birds
I will again reiterate that it's my first time raising bird, so I will layout the basics and hoping to get some feedback from experienced users.
- Intention with the chickens is for egg laying and compost production. Also as an educational platform for my kids to learn about how to care for chickens (kids are 6 and 2.5 yrs old)
- Longer term intention is to raise dual purpose birds from chick to meat, and do the butchering myself
- I have designed an electric fenced in chicken run with a deep mulch section, and an open pasture section - inclusive of a large tree and some shrubs. Apx. 1600 square feet
- I have built a Justin Rhodes style chickshaw 2.0 for housing the chickens overnight. I intent to leave in place until the fall, and will be layering wood chip mulch to deal with the droppings
- I intend on having the chickens free range, eat from daily food scraps, and to supplement with feed in the evenings (happy to take advise on how much to feed them given circumstances). I may also let them out in the evenings to sanitize the garden once it's mature, and will be using the chickens to clean up garden beds in the fall
- - I've got a basic metal pan feeder and plastic waterer. Rain barrell is close by and will be using this for daily watering
Photos attached. Please provide any feedback, regardless of how critical. I'm a newbie but have thick skin
Thank you all, and I look forward to being a part of this community.
Best,
We are happy you have joined us. Best of luck with your new home and chickens.
thanks for sharing! I think you are well on your way with the learning, if you have specific questions in the future, BYC is all ears. Welcome aboard!
