Which Breeds should I consider?

[Pastornater]

A friend helps me with the cabin. He just got a house in the country. He offered to raise the chicks for me since he wanted to get some layers and meat birds of his own. We planned to get them early march and release may 1st. Thanks a ton guys. I. Look forward to more comments please.

 

[what did I do]

The make automatic coop door openers and closers that would give you more protection from predators. I can't see leaving them out at night in the woods.

I'd go for an assorted heavy roosters batch.

 

[Oregon Blues]

Live animals are for people who can take care of them. Even the wild range cattle out here on the BLM have someone checking up on them frequently and making sure they have feed and water and nobody needs a vet.

If you want meat off your property, put out a salt lick and shoot one of the deer in the fall.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

Good day!

Hello folks I am new to these forums, but have spent a good deal reading them. My friend and I have a crazy idea, and after reading through various forums and articles have come to realize its not so crazy.

I am building a cabin in Northern Wisconsin, and I have a small orchard I started a few years ago. This spring I am expanding it to about 1800sq ft of fenced in land... (deer and rabbit protection)

We were talking about how chickens might be good for keeping the bugs in check, plus all sorts of free chicken poop.

Here's the catch. We only make it up to the cabin once a month. My mom lives near there and check up on it for us from time to time, but I dont want to put all of this on her. I plan to put a 3ft apron around the bottom of the fence to keep predators out. There are a lot of trees to provide cover from hawks. I will clip wings to keep them in the 8 ft fence. And I have some cleaver rainwater/cistern water ideas and of course feed.

The bottom line is I am looking for "self sufficient" chickens that I can place in the orchard mature at may 1st and let them do their thing until mid October. We will eat the chickens and start all over each spring. So I dont know if that's too old for good chicken meat either. One other thing, this is not necessary, but if you can suggest multiple breeds, I like variety!

Any comments, question, concerns are much appreciated. Also I document all my projects with photos and will be certain to send some nice contributions to the community.

Thanks, Nate

The modern chicken is a domesticcated animal. The process of domestication has made these animals a little reliant upon us to meet their needs for survival. Turning a flock of chickens loose in a fruit orchard with no regular means of feeding and watering is not a great idea....they need to be tended too on a daily basis.

If you cannot commit to their daily needs than I would recommend that you strongly reconsider your plans.

 

[Bullitt]

Thank you all for the responses, very helpful indeed.

I am aware there is some risk involved leaving them unattended for a long period of time, and I do not want to be irresponsible with them. I believe there is a good way to do this with proper planning.

Although I hope to eat some good birds in the fall, my main goal is having them assist with the bugs in the orchard so the quantity of birds I want is more dependent on the chicken's comfort and that the bug extermination is getting done.

I intend to build a coop. I do not plan to have chickens in the winter so is there any considerations to be made in planning this coop? I can place it in a shady spot if thats what they will prefer in the spring summer and fall.

Also I heard that roosters will often times fight a hawk... is this only when they are protecting hens? Is it worth considering getting all roosters for meat and self defense, or will they tear each other apart?


Also, Billit, you mentioned burrying that fence apron in the ground, how exactly do you mean?

Thanks again everyone

Someone mentioned getting all cockerels. That is a good idea since you just want them for meat, and the cockerels are cheaper. As mentioned, an order of 25 might be good because you will lose some. Maybe you can find a hatchery special of leftover cockerels, and that would be very cheap.

I think you could leave them at the orchard after they are at least 2 months old.

It would be good to put a raised coop in the shade so it will be off the ground, out of any water puddles, and it will be cooler in the shade.

A rooster will attack a predator to defend his flock. If there is not a flock, I think the rooster would only defend itself if attacked.

The easiest way to install the fence apron would be to have it cover about 3 feet at the bottom of the fence and then have the apron run along the top of the ground at least 2 feet from the fence. You can then cover the portion on the ground with dirt. If a coyote, raccoon, or other animal tries to dig under the fence, it will be digging against wire. If an animal like a fox can get under your fence, all the chickens will be killed.

This hatchery http://www.schlechthatchery.com/chickens.htm has Red Sex-Link cockerels for .65 cents each. If you bought 50 of them, it would be about $50 with shipping. Or if there is a hatchery or a farmer nearby, you could buy some cockerels from them and you wouldn't have the shipping cost.

 

[Bullitt]

A friend helps me with the cabin. He just got a house in the country. He offered to raise the chicks for me since he wanted to get some layers and meat birds of his own. We planned to get them early march and release may 1st. Thanks a ton guys. I. Look forward to more comments please.

In that case, you and your friend could get some straight-run chicks, and then as soon as you can identify the cockerels, you could take the number of cockerels you wanted over to your orchard.

If you bought the chicks in say late February or early March, you could then take the chicks to the orchard at about 2 months old.

 

[Bullitt]

The modern chicken is a domesticcated animal. The process of domestication has made these animals a little reliant upon us to meet their needs for survival. Turning a flock of chickens loose in a fruit orchard with no regular means of feeding and watering is not a great idea....they need to be tended too on a daily basis.

If you cannot commit to their daily needs than I would recommend that you strongly reconsider your plans.

The guy explained that he would provide water and feed, and that his mother would come by each week to check on the chickens and their water and feed.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

The guy explained that he would provide water and feed, and that his mother would come by each week to check on the chickens and their water and feed

Seriouslly?...Supplying water & feed; stopping by once a week...does not constitute taking care of and being responsible for the well being of an animal.

 

[Henery Hawk]

The modern chicken is a domesticcated animal. The process of domestication has made these animals a little reliant upon us to meet their needs for survival. Turning a flock of chickens loose in a fruit orchard with no regular means of feeding and watering is not a great idea....they need to be tended too on a daily basis.

If you cannot commit to their daily needs than I would recommend that you strongly reconsider your plans.

Seriouslly?...Supplying water & feed; stopping by once a week...does not constitute taking care of and being responsible for the well being of an animal.

They're chickens, not puppies. They don't need to be pet and played with. If they're fed, watered and reasonably protected from predators, they will be well cared for.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

They're chickens, not puppies. They don't need to be pet and played with. If they're fed, watered and reasonably protected from predators, they will be well cared for.

I would hope that you would know the difference between chickens & puppies. If you don't, I could recommend a good book.

I could also recommend a great book on the proper care and maintenance of poultry. It sounds like this project could use a little more fore-thought and planning; especially if the foundation of the plan is the reliance on others to take care of the animals on a once a week schedule. I strongly advise the gaining of some basic experience in animal husbandry before trying to attempt some lackidaisical, long distance, absent owner, meat production project.


Bottom-Line: This plan is "iffy" at best and prone to failure. My position is soundly based.