sparrow.star
Chirping
- Apr 19, 2018
- 17
- 22
- 79
Hi. I've had chicks several times. I am currently building the most predator proof chickie Fort Knox that I can envision. I've been hit by coons, possums, fox and coyotes. Half-inch hardware cloth is going in the ground around the perimeter of the entire run to discourage diggers. It'll also have a 6' "ceiling" over the run of wire fencing (owls&hawks). I live in the SWVA mountains beside wildlife land.
The first chickens to come into the house 12yrs ago were silkies. WHAT sweethearts! But I'll never have another Leghorn--they insisted on roosting in trees instead of the coop, most of their eggs just dropped to the ground and broke, attracting skunks, and eventually an owl got every one of them. About 4 years ago I had a young mixed flock of 37 and already had any eggs they could produce sold for the next year. A coyote broke In and they who weren't eaten were scattered--accusitory crows still drift up the hill but I have yet to see a one of them.
In for a penny, in for a pound: I have 3 Easter eggers, 5 silkies, an unknown banty (mille fleur, maybe?), 1 golden comet, 1 black sex link, 3 straight run New Hampshire Reds and 9 straight run Rhode Island reds--23 total. I'm building the coop to house 48 standards.
Tipping point? How many chickens are enough to feed your friends and neighbors and not leave one left swimming in eggs but not having enough left to sell?
This year I'm going to wing it--finish getting the coop set up, let whatever happens happen.
My daughter feeds my cats when I'm go out of town but hates chickens. Therefore, tube feeders, gravity water and rollaway nest boxes.
I figure I'll do some hatching with broody silkies and make sure to have too many chickens to consider as pets (they're livestock) so that they can become soup after their egg laying days are done. Cycle of life and (wo)man is at the top of the food chain. When you're older and on a very low fixed income this becomes a necessary evil: can't afford to feed nonproducers. Not looking forward to that day but at least I have friends who are hunters and are willing to help me learn.
Nice to meet you all! I've already gleaned a lot of info from this site as a non member and am looking forward to both making more inquiries and reading the newsletters.
Sparrow.star
The first chickens to come into the house 12yrs ago were silkies. WHAT sweethearts! But I'll never have another Leghorn--they insisted on roosting in trees instead of the coop, most of their eggs just dropped to the ground and broke, attracting skunks, and eventually an owl got every one of them. About 4 years ago I had a young mixed flock of 37 and already had any eggs they could produce sold for the next year. A coyote broke In and they who weren't eaten were scattered--accusitory crows still drift up the hill but I have yet to see a one of them.
In for a penny, in for a pound: I have 3 Easter eggers, 5 silkies, an unknown banty (mille fleur, maybe?), 1 golden comet, 1 black sex link, 3 straight run New Hampshire Reds and 9 straight run Rhode Island reds--23 total. I'm building the coop to house 48 standards.
Tipping point? How many chickens are enough to feed your friends and neighbors and not leave one left swimming in eggs but not having enough left to sell?
This year I'm going to wing it--finish getting the coop set up, let whatever happens happen.
My daughter feeds my cats when I'm go out of town but hates chickens. Therefore, tube feeders, gravity water and rollaway nest boxes.
I figure I'll do some hatching with broody silkies and make sure to have too many chickens to consider as pets (they're livestock) so that they can become soup after their egg laying days are done. Cycle of life and (wo)man is at the top of the food chain. When you're older and on a very low fixed income this becomes a necessary evil: can't afford to feed nonproducers. Not looking forward to that day but at least I have friends who are hunters and are willing to help me learn.
Nice to meet you all! I've already gleaned a lot of info from this site as a non member and am looking forward to both making more inquiries and reading the newsletters.
Sparrow.star