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Anybody raise chickens?

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Looking to raise a few chickens. Maybe 4-6 Hens. Are they a nightmare to keep? What are the approximate costs per bird per month? They will be kept for egg production. We would be getting a coop and keeping it in a fenced in area approximately 2000 sq ft so we can let them out and still be safe.

 

I've done a lot of reading on the feed and water requirements, housing, etc. just want opinions from actual chicken keepers.

 

Thanks.

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I had 6 hens as a teen in HS.  We lost a few to a racoon.  The birds have NO night vision so they need to be cooped up at night to protect them from predators.  Nightmare? No.  I don't recall costs because quite honestly I wasn't paying for the feed at the time.  I had to get rid of the birds as one of my neighbors made an accusation that the feed was attracting rats so i had a former teacher who I knew had his own pen and flock.  He begrudgingly took the birds after I had raised them all summer.  I saw him about a year later and he RAVED about the birds which he reluctantly took as they started laying about a week after he got them and had layed all through the winter unlike his regular flock.

 

They generate a decent amount of waste - you should have a means of composting that ahead of time.  If you have a dog, you will need to observe their prey drive against the birds.  I had a cocker that would round up the birds but do nothing else untoward.

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We had chickens when my father had a spread in Quarryville P.A . Not too hard to keep per say , but +1 on having composting plans. When my dad and stepmom split my stepmom has a smaller property in the same town . She then kept the chickens in a chicken tractor in the fenced yard. It actually made cleanup easier . Pretty neat concept , look it up. They had scratch time in the fenced in yard for certain times , other than that they stayed in their tractor.

Predators and your own dogs can be pretty skilled at getting in the coup,tractor at night  , so take heed on that too.

Aside from cleanup and predators they are a breeze. Well worth the effort to have fresh eggs all the time with nice deep orange yolks. Yum!

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My buddy does. He has three coops now, including the main coop I helped him build, and the coop on wheels I helped him build.

 

I'm not doing the day to day so I may not be the best guy to ask, but that comes down to attitude. I have seen the day to day. They are basically self-caring except you might need to separate one if it gets picked on or eat the offender. They do require daily attention for water and to check on them, and a little coop cleaning once in a while. Raising the chicks is not much worse, I've seen three flocks. One was nearly neglected in a garage and started moving outside and roaming free, but considered the garage their coop and returned at night.

 

It really doesn't seem like a big deal, you just have to be consistent like caring for a pet. But with less attention. If you get tired of it or decide you made a mistake, you can always eat them. Most people don't consider that an option with pets. So there is actually less commitment in that respect.

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If you get tired of it or decide you made a mistake, you can always eat them.

 

While that may sound harsh, it's "farm truth" and valid here. 

 

Personally I think if you're considering raising anything as "farm stock", chickens are probably as easy as you can get.  By the way, they do fly - not far, but they can fly, especially if the dog gets a little...

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We have a composter as well so any waste would end up there. the coop I'm looking at has a screened in area below the nesting area so they can get fresh air and walk around while still being inside. Also the area that the coop is in is fenced so there is another layer of protection there.

 

I'll probably start this in the spring. Before I do I'm going to go down the street and get some farm laid eggs and maybe check out the coop set up. I heard they taste different so I want to be sure it's a good different.

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While that may sound harsh, it's "farm truth" and valid here. 

 

Personally I think if you're considering raising anything as "farm stock", chickens are probably as easy as you can get.  By the way, they do fly - not far, but they can fly, especially if the dog gets a little...

True that. A chicken flew into the back of my head last year while visiting a farm. I don't think they can go any higher than 6'?

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While that may sound harsh, it's "farm truth" and valid here. 

 

Personally I think if you're considering raising anything as "farm stock", chickens are probably as easy as you can get.  By the way, they do fly - not far, but they can fly, especially if the dog gets a little...

We ate a rooster because he screwed up too many hens. It was scheduled for the weekend, but he got loose and came after me on a weekday and I got tired of kicking him off.

 

They shouldn't be flying, you clip one wing and they learn not to fly.

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I haven't done it since I was a kid, but as I recall, trimming back the 4 or 5 longest primary flight feathers on each wing (kitchen shears worked fine) was enough to keep them from flying.

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We have a composter as well so any waste would end up there. the coop I'm looking at has a screened in area below the nesting area so they can get fresh air and walk around while still being inside. Also the area that the coop is in is fenced so there is another layer of protection there.

 

I'll probably start this in the spring. Before I do I'm going to go down the street and get some farm laid eggs and maybe check out the coop set up. I heard they taste different so I want to be sure it's a good different.

There's no reason to wait for spring. You wouldn't let them outside until then anyway, and you have to give them the heat light and check the temperature every day regardless. My buddy raised one flock in the winter and I think it was easier to keep the chicks in the box because it was their source of heat.

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I took care of chickens on Long Island during 1980-2. They lived in a totally unheated coop and free to roam a 1-acre fenced in property during the day, which they did. Getting them back into the coop was as simple as demonstrably and as loudly as possible throwing a handful of feed on the ground. A couple would hear or see and start walking in, followed by the others.

 

During the winter I had to change the water 2x/day because it froze. Minimal feeding requirements except when there was snow cover: They eat grass and bugs and even table scraps. Two possible challenges. Your neighbors might complain, but from what I've read every single legal challenge has been won by owners. Well maybe not on Park Ave. and 58th St. but probably down where you life. You should also be prepared to awaken when they do 'cause they make noise in the morning. 

 

BTW we kept guinea pigs in a hutch outdoors through 5-6 of the coldest winters imaginable, right here in Newtonia. Chickens for eggs, guinea pigs for meat. Yum.

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We have a coup and 14 chickens, can't wait to make chicken soup.  Unless someone is around and responsible for them 24/7, it's as bad as having pets, when you have kids.  Do the eggs taste better, yes because you will raise a rhode island red variety as they are the most "durable" variety.  Don''t get them from TSC, they suck.  Don't like the ones from Broadhecker farms in Newton, had problems with both dying and disease. Last batch got from Murray McMurray online and mailed USPS, they have been the best so far.  Had them debeaked and vaccinated, also.  Takes 20 weeks to get eggs from pullets, so do the math, and choose your brooding location wisely.  Once taught to go in the coup at night, they will do so on their own, just have to close it up.  You'll need a bag of food grad DE, too, to keep the insect population down and freshen the soil. Time to do  you homework before you open your mouth to the family, trust me.

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We have a coup and 14 chickens, can't wait to make chicken soup.  Unless someone is around and responsible for them 24/7, it's as bad as having pets, when you have kids.  Do the eggs taste better, yes because you will raise a rhode island red variety as they are the most "durable" variety.  Don''t get them from TSC, they suck.  Don't like the ones from Broadhecker farms in Newton, had problems with both dying and disease. Last batch got from Murray McMurray online and mailed USPS, they have been the best so far.  Had them debeaked and vaccinated, also.  Takes 20 weeks to get eggs from pullets, so do the math, and choose your brooding location wisely.  Once taught to go in the coup at night, they will do so on their own, just have to close it up.  You'll need a bag of food grad DE, too, to keep the insect population down and freshen the soil. Time to do  you homework before you open your mouth to the family, trust me.

A tale of Two Coups, by Charles Chickens.

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I had 1100 free range pastured certified organic hens, raised broilers and turkeys for 10 years. I'd like to think I know a thing or two about poultry. They didn't call me The Eggman for no reason. Shameless plug -- Gordon Ramsey and Mario Batali both used my eggs in their cooking at 2 separate charity event meals.

 

I don't know where your located but I would be willing to get into more depth with you on your design and care. I love chickens they are awesome. I wish we weren't selling our farm, I would still be in that business.

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true the stupid bans on chickens is stupid

I was at ground zero for this as the genesis of the issue came from my friend / coworker / neighbor. One of his immediate neighbors got her panties in a bunch and it took 5 years and countless hours of effort to get the matter solved. (I helped draft the ordinance even though I didn't qualify for the benefits of back yard poultry.)

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I have 3 Golden Comet chickens (used to have 4 but a hawk got one). First thing is to check your town regs and then gauge whether or not you think your neighbors will rat you out. If you get good layers they will typically lay an egg a day during their prime. Sometimes they will slow down like when they molt or when it is really frigid outside. Make sure you get a hardy bird that can survive cold temps, like the Comet (off shoot of RRed). If they stop laying first thing you do is check the yard. Mine have a habit of laying somewhere other than the coop every once in a while. It sucks to rack leaves and bust a dozen eggs open on the rake. Chickens are really dumb. The eat, poop, lay, and sleep. That is it. 

 

Also, they can fly and higher than 6' for very short bursts but enough to escape a backyard. That can be addressed by clipping one of their wings. You can find instructions online, it is easy. 2 people, one to hold chicken, one to clip - scissors does the trick.

 

The 3 chickens we have don't leave behind so much waste that you cannot just throw it in the trash. However, we typically compost but keep in mind for chicken waste you must have a very high temp compost, I think they say 120+, maybe 140 I don't recall. That is if you are going to use on garden for food.

 

Food costs depend on whether or not you keep them organic. Our 3 survive for at least 1.5 month on 1 50lb bag of layer feed. I think the non-organic bag is less than $15 but don't quote me. The organic is more than double that price. 

http://www.bellemeadcoop.com/Feed_Pages/feed_pages.htm

 

Someone mentioned 24/7 care and that is entirely true. Our chickens can go 2-3 days without anyone looking in on them. The feeder we use lasts for 3-4 days, longer in the summer because they are free ranging for their own food. I have an automatic water feeder I built out of a bucket and a toilet bowl valve, hook the hose to it, turn it on, and it runs until the bucket fills then stops. I have a hose coming out the bottom running to the bottom of the coop with a few nipples on it. You can buy those on a site like Farmtek. Actually, you can buy anything you could possibly need on that website. 

 

We've never had any problems other than one had swollen/sour crop. That was the one that got eaten by the hawk though so problem solved! lol

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I have 5 chickens... My wife opens the coop in the am and grabs the eggs. I close them in at night... On the weekend I spend about 30minutes cleaning the coop filling the water feeder and the food feeder. When they free range they supplement there feed and eat less. It cost me about $17 per month for feed(50lb bag). Each chicken lays about 5 eggs per week. Not quite one per day. Also winter they lay less. We usually get 3 eggs per day with the 5 chickens.

 

Bonus: since we let the chicken free range the yard the dog no longer get any ticks..... We did not apply frontline once this year to any of my 3 dogs.

 

About as low Maintanence as it gets.... The only issue is we we have a fox that on occasion has killed chickens during the day or if we get home after dark or forget to lock the coop at night the raccoons have gotten to a couple over the years...

 

Lastly, Make the the wire mesh as the bottom 2' of the coop it small. We had the raccoons reach in and dismember chicken right thru the wire.

 

Pm with any question... Had them for 10 years now so we have experienced it all.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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Looking to raise a few chickens. Maybe 4-6 Hens. Are they a nightmare to keep? What are the approximate costs per bird per month? They will be kept for egg production. We would be getting a coop and keeping it in a fenced in area approximately 2000 sq ft so we can let them out and still be safe.

 

I've done a lot of reading on the feed and water requirements, housing, etc. just want opinions from actual chicken keepers.

 

Thanks.

if you're on farcebook, what's your name there? i'll put ya in contact with my ex-wife. she's been raising them for a few years now.............

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For those that live in bear country, do you have any issues with bears trying to get into the coop?

Bear broke in once... After that we put pointy barbs in the outside of the coop. Never had a bear issue again.

 

The fox is the biggest concern since it hunts during the day. If I see it around I keep them in the fenced in pen for a few days but I prefer to free range the acre of property.. They eat bugs, less cleanup in the coop from droppings and overall happier healthier chickens..

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Thanks.

If I ever get to raise chickens, they'll have to be in a pen. My yard is not fenced in and I have all sorts of critters roaming around.

Up here in Sussex Cty. I'd say half the chicken flocks I notice are just roaming around. There was a grass-fed meat place up on 206 until a few years ago that sold free range chickens. He had dozens of chickens, not penned in. Was standing by the coop talking to the owner one day. "Where are your chickens?" He pointed to an area about 50 yards away. There they were, pecking away.

 

Of course if neighbors object, or if they have a particularly sadistic dog, that won't work.

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