As an aside, I have a group of customers who have located here from Nam. They prefer pullet eggs, so all pullet eggs are sold to them.
I used to save all pullet eggs for us but we could never consume them all... This has solved that problem since more than 1/3 of my eggs each summer are pullet eggs.
I don't doubt a word you write but I too was in 'NAM', many years ago and for three tours. I don't recall any of the populace demanding pullet eggs but war will take it's toll on the best of us. I certainly have my scars, physical damage and some will say, considerable mental deficiency...but I passed the bar on my second effort so I guess I hide it well.
Dunno... they go through 12 dozen a month total and 4 dozen of those are pullet eggs. They save those for raw eating and claim they have better flavor. I have never tested it. LOL
Dunno... they go through 12 dozen a month total and 4 dozen of those are pullet eggs. They save those for raw eating and claim they have better flavor. I have never tested it. LOL
Wow, your husband is awesome. I went to your coop link and saw your building. Lucky girl! My husband built my portable chicken tractor and he has done remodeling work, but he would never tackle a project like that (I don't think). We built the tractor because we are not going to be staying in the house when he retires in about 2 years so I don't want to invest that kind of money into something no one else will want anyway. But... I will put the bug in his ear for our next residence/farmette.
My plan for this year is to get him to make portable fencing. I saw it on a website that I bookmarked. The guy is selling it, but it is expensive and very easy for my husband (or me) to build. However, if I pick up an electric saw, my husband will jump right in and take it away and do it. LOL Anyway, I want to put a high fence (6 ft.) around our vegetable garden about 3 feet out into the grassy area, then put another about 4 ft.) around the interior of the garden with a couple gates and pathways. I want the chickens to do the weed work. They should be able to keep the weeds/grass from creeping into the garden while having a good time doing it! We also have a compost area so I want the outside "run" around the garden to have a gate at the composting area so they can "work" that too. We shall see... I have to get the plan all mapped out for him. I bought "FREE-RANGE chicken gardens" by Jessi Bloom to help me plan it. I have also purchased "heritage seed" so no GMO food for us or chickens!! I also have got to come up with a better plan for winter next year. They get along fine, but I just think it is too cramped in there for them. They are not picking at each other, but... I am not a farm girl and so am buying books and reading here to get as much information as I can. Our yard is not fenced and I cannot simply let them out to free-range because they would go into my neighbors yards and my one neighbor treats his lawn with chemicals. So my SIL is giving me 2 dog X-pens so that I can add it as a movable play pen as I move the tractor. I will have to buy bird netting to put over it because we have hawks and vultures. I need to get the book you have. It sounds good!
Thanks! I love my coop! We were not planning on moving in the next couple years (when we built it last year) but we didn't know if this was the forever place either.... we only have just under an acre and had always imagined ourselves on much more way back off of the road with all kinds of animals (sheep, goats, chickens, pigs and maybe a couple cows!). It is amazing how all your life you will think you want one thing but then end up so happy with something so totally different. Our subdivision is out in the country and we have wonderful neighbors-- 2 of the houses have couples that are just like extra sets of parents to us! We bought this house right so if we wanted to go somewhere else we could really just easily sell it and go....It is weird but I am really at this point in my life that I want to grow some roots-- I want to change the house around the way I really would love it and I have been landscaping and planting trees and I want it to be for "me" not the next guy. We have 2 other properties (rentals) and the first one we lived in for 5 years and remodeled it-- it is beautiful but it is right in town! The second one we never lived in but put a new kitchen in it and some other work and it is right in town too! So-- I guess what I am getting at is that I am used to doing things for other people (as far as improvements to property goes) and I am ready to do it for myself. We have been here 4 years this spring. When DH built that coop last year out of my parents old barn he put together with screws so that all the decking and walls could be taken down in 1 piece each and moved if we decided to moved because he said that he knew that there was no way I would go anywhere without it. It sounds crazy but it is probably true....
I grew up on a farm where we dappled in all sorts of livestock-- but honestly with Chickens it was just "dappling"-- I have way more experience with larger livestock like pigs, cattle, sheep and goats! We bred sheep and goats for years-- in fact Dad still has breeding sheep with baby sheep! The only thing I can get away with here is chickens, but ya know, I have enjoyed the learning experience and I LOVE THEM so much!!! I started out with "Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens" by Gail Damerow (very good, informative basic book) and Jessi Bloom's "Free-range Chicken Gardens"---which I love! That book not only has wonderful information about integrating your chickens into your space, small or large, but also has BEAUTIFUL pictures! Every-time I look at those pictures I am like-- "oooohhh, oooohhh I want that (and then I see another one and I am like).....but maybe I want that....
Just recently I bought (I have a book obsession, can you tell?) Harvey Ussery's "The Small Scale Poultry Flock" and Lisa Steele's "Fresh Eggs Daily"-- both which focus on raising chickens naturally. Harvey's is more about tapping into your natural resources in your garden, yard, etc... where as Lisa's focuses a little more on herbs and natural remedies.
We do have a fenced in yard so I do let mine out to free-range. I know they could easily fly up over the fence but to date they haven't tried. I love your idea about the portable fencing around the garden and then around the compost! Share your plans when you get it worked out! I always put in a very large garden (about 30'x40'-- not large by some's standards but large enough for just me!) and while I would love the chickies to do the weed work I have no idea how this is going to go down yet--- I have a feeling I will be in Jessi Bloom's book A LOT! Our compost is accessible to the chickens when they are free-ranging and it isn't far from the coop but I get concerned about that because I think that other critters (coons, opossums) probably frequent it as well as we had both in our yard prior to having the chickens. Our Old English Sheepdog brought us a opossum up to the back door as a gift one day (it was playing dead but he was laying there with it) and he has held coons up on the fence until hubby came out at 3am and fended it off with a shovel! He is 7 so was our pet long before he was the chicken dog.... I never had to train him with the chickens and he can be trusted 100% to be with them...but he is our pet above all so when I had him shaved down do to his unruly hair matting up in December-- he has spent a lot more time indoors in these extreme weather conditions...prior to this he has always been outside or in the garage. He would prefer to be out laying in the yard though.
I would love to hear your ideas about your fencing!!!! I did see something on the inventions forum about using clothesline as a bird's netting. I don't know how expensive bird netting is but someone used clothesline as an alternative. We have many hawks around here (not so much vultures in our immediate neighborhood) and I often fear one will get my girls. I haven't actually seen them scoping us out but you do have to be cautious in the winter especially. One did try to get my neighbor's chicken around Christmas but he is on the outside of the circle that borders a field-- I don't think that is in his favor.
Coutrs - did you see mlowen's moveable fences on the diy thread? I think those are the ones. A guy does sell them too. It's pretty sweet!
And I love books too. I have all the books you mentioned (and more) but Harvey's is my favorite! I won Lisa's book in a give-away...the first time I've ever won anything in an on-line give-away
How long do you normally let your processed chickens rest before cooking them? I processed on Saturday and thought about fixing one today..... or should I just fix a marinade today and cook it tomorrow?
How long do you normally let your processed chickens rest before cooking them? I processed on Saturday and thought about fixing one today..... or should I just fix a marinade today and cook it tomorrow?
Coutrs - did you see mlowen's moveable fences on the diy thread? I think those are the ones. A guy does sell them too. It's pretty sweet!
And I love books too. I have all the books you mentioned (and more) but Harvey's is my favorite! I won Lisa's book in a give-away...the first time I've ever won anything in an on-line give-away
I don't think so--- I will go back and look it up..... I think it would be wonderful for the garden situation....gives you a little more control over where they go....
I will need to keep them out of mine right after I plant (until everything is established) and maybe some during harvest--
That is awesome that you won Lisa's book! It is an awesome book! I've never won anything online but I haven't signed up to win anything yet-- I hope I do someday-- that is a nice surprise! Those are the only "chicken" books I have but....Oh....My, don't get me started on all my other books-- novels, non-fiction, college books I've held on to.... and KID'S BOOKS-- my 5 year old told his teacher that his mom "hoards books" -- they couldn't believe he knew what that meant and that he said it....it's crazy.
