Newbie With A headache, Please pass the Tylenol..../introduction

[DENALI]

Hey everyone!
Thanks for the replies so far and will answer the question you asked of me in a bit, havent had a chance to read over them all yet but i will get around to it tonight after i chase my two "we want chickens now daddy" girls to bed!
I do have one quick question.... I seen a couple of you refer to your "DH" ? Let me know where to get my secret chicken decoder ring so i can figure it out!....... "D"ead "H"amster? maybe? Surely it couldnt mean "D"amn "H"usband ??

Just want to know if this rooster is safe in this hen house LOL

 

[miss_thenorth]

There are LOTSA roosters in this hen house--DH means dear husband, dd dear daughter, ds dear son, etc. It's ok- rooster--you're safe here with us hens

 

[Scrambled Egg]

Read this earlier and laughed!! Welcome to the forum and there's plenty of tylenol to go around for that honey-do list!!

 

[HenHappy]

Awesome post!!! Welcome!! Enjoy!!! I will look forward to the trials and tribulations I am sure you will regale us with!!!

 

[EweSheep]

Welcome aboard!

I personally love all sorts of breeds but the Orpingtons, Welsummers, Amercuanas or EE's and Silver Spangled Hamburgs, Spitzhaubens won my heart hands down....colorful egg layers too!

Honey to do list, I do have a very long list for my hubby to do but he kinda rolls his eyeballs at me like more chickens? At least with bribe or all lovey dovey, he will do it for me LOL!

Have fun and you will certainly will be addicted to chickens, that s for sure! Like potato chips, can not stop with just one, gotta have more!

 

[greyfields]

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Don't second guess yourself. This is a great decision to make. And if you are like me, you'll get very quick at building arks... and you'll never have enough, and will only build them in crisis. Crisis farming we call it.

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Absolutely. You will find your eating habits will change radically once you start enjoying the fruits of your own labor.

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For 3 dozen eggs per week, you will need 10 hens. For 2 dozen eggs per week, you will need 6 hens.

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Not really. The feeding requirements for broilers is vastly different from hens. The two can share a brooder for about 2 weeks, then you will need to separate due to different feeding and space requirements.

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The coop size depends on the size of run they have outdoors. 4 sf per bird is fine as long as they have plenty of room in their day pen. Also, wherever you put the birds, they will strip it of vegatation in a couple weeks. I suggest portable field shelters and portable electric netting and use a roation. For great poultry netting, only order from here:

http://www.premier1supplies.com/fencing.php?mode=detail&fence_id=96

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My customers prefer brown and they tend to believe they are better for you. In reality, there is no difference. What sells best is to have the dozen mixed in size and shades of color. Irregularity is our strength, where as homogony rules in grocery stores.

The best layers are Red Sex Links, Golden Sex Links and Black Sex Links. They vary in proprietary name, such as Red Star, Golden Comment, Black Rock, etc. They are hybrids and are unsurpased in vigor and production.

However, most back yard people like a variety. Pick a breed that looks pretty. Where do you live, by the way? That can make a big difference in my suggestions.

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There is only one meat broiler which is used for commercial production, which is the Cornish Cross. It's sometimes called a Jumbo Cornish or other proprietary names. If you have never done meat birds, it's a good starting point to learn the ropes... and unfortunately, the pitfalls. Mortality can be high. They will also very quickly be 15 pounds live weight before you even have arrangements to get them processed.

I personally use Freedom Rangers since they are far better suited for ranged production and have far less health problems.

 

[WriterofWords]

Hi Fred, welcome! Where do you live? I saw the Denali and wondered if you were in AK.
Kate

 

[greyfields]

I was wondering that, too. If he is, I would recommend Black Sex Links and Plymouth Rocks.

 

[BrahmaMama]

Welcome to BYC Fred! You sound like a fun person to have around

as far as the name, is it bad that I didn't know *where* Denali is, but was thinking of the decked out version of the GMC Yukon....

 

[Poison Ivy]

Welcome to the world of chickens!! Your going to love it.
Here is a chart that will help with a list of breeds and egg size & behavior.

http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html#a