Chickens!

[Mary Stetler]

My chickens are more of a hobby and pets. We are not at peak production yet but my little Easter Eggers finally started producing blue eggs. I told friends they were really big robins eggs. Not enough to share yet but got us through the last few months of hubby's breakfasts. I have two more upcoming pullets, (young hens). I went to the bird swap but decided the chicks were to stressed from the cold to take a chance on buying. So will wait till May to get more from a hatchery or my friend up in Chilton. Can't wait till I can get the barn pulled apart and cleaned. It seems to have developed a smell over the winter with my minimalist cleaning. Boy will I be in trouble when things really thaw out.
And gardening takes on a new meaning when you have a small farm.

 

[Yvonne Smith]

I have been reading that the prices of eggs is starting to come down, but I just looked at Walmart and 15 eggs is still almost $9. I would dearly LOVE to have chickens, but Bobby’s dogs kills chickens, and we would have to make sure they had a safe area from Rusty and Bobby does not want to have to put in a gate for that.
If I could have chickens, I would get some Silkies, they are so adorable and friendly, and do not fly, and then we could have fresh eggs.

Our neighbors have chickens, and they used to come into our front yard every day and wander around and I really enjoyed seeing them. Now they have their yard fenced so that the chickens do not come over here anymore, unless they fly over the fence into the back yard, where Rusty kills them.

 

[Faye]

And gardening takes on a new meaning when you have a small farm.

Yes it does! Small acreage gardening isn't hobby gardening and can become a lot of hard work, especially if you are going organic. Making enough compost without fresh farm animal manure, is a real task. I bought dried bagged steer manure last year and the stuff seemed void of any nutrients.

 

[Susannah]

I could keep chickens here but getting started would be a big undertaking. Egg prices do seem to be dropping, at least at Walmart. I got a dozen for $5.49 yesterday. That’s still high but they were up to $8.

We had chickens when I was growing up and their daily care was one of my chores. No more poultry for me.

 

[Faye]

I could keep chickens here but getting started would be a big undertaking. Egg prices do seem to be dropping, at least at Walmart. I got a dozen for $5.49 yesterday. That’s still high but they were up to $8.

We had chickens when I was growing up and their daily care was one of my chores. No more poultry for me.

Read that loud and clear! I made my spending money during Jr. High and first 2 years of High School, selling eggs. 100 White Leghorn hens is a lot of work. I averaged about 8 dozen a day. I sold at 50 cents a dozen back then. Lots of cleaning and candling. As a young adult, I had a dozen Araucana hens that laid pastel colored eggs. What I couldn't use, I sold for a $1 a dozen or left to hatch.

 

[Marie Mallory]

Yes it does! Small acreage gardening isn't hobby gardening and can become a lot of hard work, especially if you are going organic. Making enough compost without fresh farm animal manure, is a real task. I bought dried bagged steer manure last year and the stuff seemed void of any nutrients.

Haven't had a garden in last couple years, too busy with other things. We do have hens for eggs.
We don't use store bought manure, it is full of chemicals, and we so far have stayed organic except when we hydroponics. No way did I like the fishy organic method in hydroponic.

 

[Nancy Hart]

They recently discovered another outbreak of virus at a poultry farm about 20 miles from here and quarantined every place within a 6 mile radius. There are a lot of chicken farms in Georgia. However the price of eggs 2 days ago had gone down a bit, to $4.99/dozen, at Kroger. You should see the precautions they have always taken at these poultry farms. It's like entering a radioactive zone with hazmat suits, shoe coverings, etc.

 

[Don Alaska]

The cullings appear to be slowing as the Trump Administration seems to be more discriminating in how it is done. Eggs are also now being imported from Turkey to ease shortages and lower prices. We have our 10 hens, our only animals currently. They made it through the winter and hopefully as the light increases, so will the egg production.

 

[Yvonne Smith]

 

[Marie Mallory]

Our 9 hens are ok so far, hope it stays this way.

 

[Mary Stetler]

Three of my hens were taken out by coyotes last fall including my broody hen. So I will get some more when it warms up. A guy up here raises chicks till feathered which cost a little more than new chicks but are worth it to me. Never had one die. He is good at raising them. Lots of stories with chickens. To me they are very entertaining.

 

[Marie Mallory]

Three of my hens were taken out by coyotes last fall including my broody hen. So I will get some more when it warms up. A guy up here raises chicks till feathered which cost a little more than new chicks but are worth it to me. Never had one die. He is good at raising them. Lots of stories with chickens. To me they are very entertaining.

Mary, we lost 2 year before last. Our dog Leo killed them.

 

[Nancy Hart]

A couple of weeks ago I went to Tractor Supply to buy bird food. It just happened to be the first day of what they call "Chick Days." That's when the new live chicks (and ducks) arrive. The parking lot was full. The birds are supposedly only 1 or 2 days old. $2 - $4.50. Minimum 4. They are cute.

All over the store shoppers carrying little cartons, like they pack Kentucky Fried Chicken for takeout, but with air holes punched. After I got home, I wondered if this was due to the shortage of eggs, or is it always that busy the first day. Is it true chickens have to be 18 to 22 weeks old before they lay eggs? By then the virus could be well under control. I wonder if the new chicken owners thought about that?

 

[Bobby Cole]

Well, I once had a chicken but she wouldn’t lay an egg…..
So…I ran hot water up and down her leg….
She squbbled and she squabbled and she squabbled and she squeaked,
And then she sat right down and laid a hard boiled egg.
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Mary, we lost 2 year before last. Our dog Leo killed them.

Yup. Nearly every time our neighbor’s chickens jump the 6 ft. fence into our yard, Rusty gets ‘em. He doesn’t eat the raw chicken, just kills it.
So, if it is a comparatively fresh kill, I generally just pick them up and take them back next door for them to clean, cook or sell to other Latinos.

 

[Tony Page]

My daughter has been trying to convince get some hens. We've been discussing purchasing a coop, And making an enclosed area to protect them from our dogs.

There is nothing like a fresh egg. I had a flock of 32 laying hens about 30 years ago and really enjoyed The eggs. They were in a fenced in enclosure with a coup. We also had two bantoms roaming the Property.

I won't be able to care for them, If my daughter says she'll take care of them we'll probably be getting some.

 

[Mary Stetler]

A couple of weeks ago I went to Tractor Supply to buy bird food. It just happened to be the first day of what they call "Chick Days." That's when the new live chicks (and ducks) arrive. The parking lot was full. The birds are supposedly only 1 or 2 days old. $2 - $4.50. Minimum 4. They are cute.

All over the store shoppers carrying little cartons, like they pack Kentucky Fried Chicken for takeout, but with air holes punched. After I got home, I wondered if this was due to the shortage of eggs, or is it always that busy the first day. Is it true chickens have to be 18 to 22 weeks old before they lay eggs? By then the virus could be well under control. I wonder if the new chicken owners thought about that?

I might go to Tractor Supply when it is warmer. I hate the thought of stressing those poor little chicks any more than they already were. They are sent through the mail to the stores so some might not make it. Raising chicks requires some knowledge more than just buying those fluffy babies and bringing them home in a box. More than likely will get pullets from a guy up in Chilton. But one of the hatcheries is about 40 minutes from me. I could order chicks and pick them up.
The first chick week is always crowded. It thins out as the months go by.

 

[Don Alaska]

I might go to Tractor Supply when it is warmer. I hate the thought of stressing those poor little chicks any more than they already were. They are sent through the mail to the stores so some might not make it. Raising chicks requires some knowledge more than just buying those fluffy babies and bringing them home in a box. More than likely will get pullets from a guy up in Chilton. But one of the hatcheries is about 40 minutes from me. I could order chicks and pick them up.
The first chick week is always crowded. It thins out as the months go by.

Do you have a brooder @Mary Stetler ? When we bring home chicks or get them in the mail, they go into the brooder area until they have feathers, then I move them into the "acclimatization area", a space I have fenced off inside the main area where the new birds and the old birds can get used to seeing each other. After couple weeks of that, I open the door and allow them to mingle under a watchful eye. There is always some pecking order establishment, but it has worked fine for me over the years. I may never get more chicks, but one of our sons and his family have a small hatchery business, so if I should get more, it will probably be form them.

 

[Smithy]

My next door neighbour had chickens and hens I think noisy buggers in the morning.
She had about 6 of them, lovely birds.

 

[Marie Mallory]

Do you have a brooder @Mary Stetler ? When we bring home chicks or get them in the mail, they go into the brooder area until they have feathers, then I move them into the "acclimatization area", a space I have fenced off inside the main area where the new birds and the old birds can get used to seeing each other. After couple weeks of that, I open the door and allow them to mingle under a watchful eye. There is always some pecking order establishment, but it has worked fine for me over the years. I may never get more chicks, but one of our sons and his family have a small hatchery business, so if I should get more, it will probably be form the

Don, our chicks go into the brooder too. We used wire mesh on the bottom. It is very well secured yet a snake got inside and ate 2 of the biddies, so we took the snake to the woods and told it if, it came back we would kill it. It never came back, same with rattler in the hen pen. Jakes snake grabber work's great.


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My next door neighbour had chickens and hens I think noisy buggers in the morning.
She had about 6 of them, lovely birds.

I don't care for roosters crowing but had one I liked to " fight" with name Lucky, He was so funny.

 

[Schwallenstutter]

Never had any chickens, and I don't think I will.