- Thread starter
- #41
mem79,
I don't know who "that one person" is. If you are referring to me, I apologize. I do not mean to come off as hostile.
Regardless of whom you were speaking to/about, posting comments about someone's spouse may not be the best way to avoid conflict with them.
Ok, on to answering your questions.
I agree that Spring would be the best time to start with chicks. Especially for newbies like you and I. I got mine at the local feed store/s in April. Sounds like you want to start with fertile eggs though, would be very neat to watch them hatch!
I opted for the chicks at the feed store as they were supposed to be sexed.
As chickenannie points out though, some Roos still slip through, I did not know this happens, so imagine the surprise as my Wife and I stood there puzzled for like 15-30 mins trying to figure out why our Hen was being so noisy, sounding like it was crowing, well eventually it did strike us, if it sounds like a Roo and acts like a Roo...
If you do want to hatch them and are concerned about getting attached to the Roo's you might consider getting an autosexing breed(http://www.autosexing.co.uk/) so that you will know right away who your girls and boys are.
An option I did not really know about, if you want to be sure about not getting any Roosters, is to buy some "point of lay pullets". I found one here on the BYC when I needed to replace my Roo. Of course this option is likely the least educational.
For the table size before it crows, mine began crowing later than the timeline I liked to above says they start, mine was also a bantam, it was not worth the effort to get the meat off of the wings, but the rest of it, I'd say it was table size, but not a "good" table size. Though the breed would make alot of difference in this. Egg laying breeds though are not as tender. So if you do go this route I would suggest a pressure cooker and/or using it as more of a soup meat.
I do not know of any other options for unwanted Roos other than what chickenannie listed.
Concerning what age is the right time to do things with them there is a really nice "Timeline of a Chicken" on this site that I found VERY useful: http://allaboutchickens.tk/
Actually I found BYC a bit overwhelming when I was first starting and found that site to be a good beginners guide.
Later I discovered that the site is maintained by a BYC member.
Besides sharing the eggs, another option I did not realize you could do is scramble them and feed them back to the Chickens. I've also heard from more then one source you can crush the egg shells and feed them back to them to help them get their needed calcium.
For winter heating, while it varies depending on the breed you have and the harshness of your winters, the consensus seems to be that heating the water somehow to keep it from freezing(you can buy poultry waters that plug in, someone mentioned using those coffee cup warmers - that sounded like a good way to do it on the cheap, some just use a heated dog bowl, etc) is the most important.
Other common suggestions I've seen are a panel heater, a nest box heater, or a light bulb.
Also, it is often mentioned that the coop should be well insulated while making sure there are NO drafts but be sure to keep it well ventilated. Honestly it's probably this gem of info that has me considering housing them in the basement all winter. How does one keep a coop well ventilated yet avoid any drafts?
For more typical threads about Winter with Chickens I found these two quite informative:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=79799
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=71542
*The first one basically ends at a link to the second one.
I don't know who "that one person" is. If you are referring to me, I apologize. I do not mean to come off as hostile.
Regardless of whom you were speaking to/about, posting comments about someone's spouse may not be the best way to avoid conflict with them.
Ok, on to answering your questions.
I agree that Spring would be the best time to start with chicks. Especially for newbies like you and I. I got mine at the local feed store/s in April. Sounds like you want to start with fertile eggs though, would be very neat to watch them hatch!
I opted for the chicks at the feed store as they were supposed to be sexed.
As chickenannie points out though, some Roos still slip through, I did not know this happens, so imagine the surprise as my Wife and I stood there puzzled for like 15-30 mins trying to figure out why our Hen was being so noisy, sounding like it was crowing, well eventually it did strike us, if it sounds like a Roo and acts like a Roo...
If you do want to hatch them and are concerned about getting attached to the Roo's you might consider getting an autosexing breed(http://www.autosexing.co.uk/) so that you will know right away who your girls and boys are.
An option I did not really know about, if you want to be sure about not getting any Roosters, is to buy some "point of lay pullets". I found one here on the BYC when I needed to replace my Roo. Of course this option is likely the least educational.
For the table size before it crows, mine began crowing later than the timeline I liked to above says they start, mine was also a bantam, it was not worth the effort to get the meat off of the wings, but the rest of it, I'd say it was table size, but not a "good" table size. Though the breed would make alot of difference in this. Egg laying breeds though are not as tender. So if you do go this route I would suggest a pressure cooker and/or using it as more of a soup meat.
I do not know of any other options for unwanted Roos other than what chickenannie listed.
Concerning what age is the right time to do things with them there is a really nice "Timeline of a Chicken" on this site that I found VERY useful: http://allaboutchickens.tk/
Actually I found BYC a bit overwhelming when I was first starting and found that site to be a good beginners guide.
Later I discovered that the site is maintained by a BYC member.
Besides sharing the eggs, another option I did not realize you could do is scramble them and feed them back to the Chickens. I've also heard from more then one source you can crush the egg shells and feed them back to them to help them get their needed calcium.
For winter heating, while it varies depending on the breed you have and the harshness of your winters, the consensus seems to be that heating the water somehow to keep it from freezing(you can buy poultry waters that plug in, someone mentioned using those coffee cup warmers - that sounded like a good way to do it on the cheap, some just use a heated dog bowl, etc) is the most important.
Other common suggestions I've seen are a panel heater, a nest box heater, or a light bulb.
Also, it is often mentioned that the coop should be well insulated while making sure there are NO drafts but be sure to keep it well ventilated. Honestly it's probably this gem of info that has me considering housing them in the basement all winter. How does one keep a coop well ventilated yet avoid any drafts?
For more typical threads about Winter with Chickens I found these two quite informative:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=79799
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=71542
*The first one basically ends at a link to the second one.
