Egg prices are on aconstant rise due to various factors, last but not least bird flu. I may want to acquire a few chickens and see how it goes. I could look everything up online, but I figured it more convnenient to instead pick the brains of the resident chicken farmers. I can give the hens plenty fenced in space to roam freely and safe from coyotes. Burds of prey copuld be a problem, but I can build them a hen house. Our summers get hot, maybe 100°F or so, but I can provide water for drinking and bathing. A natural garden, more of a meadow really, with weeds, shrubs and bushes would be their realm. How much work are a few chickens? I don't mind puttinmg in maybe half an hour a day. What do I with their poop? What breed of laying hens should I get? Do I need to keep a rooster around, or do hens lay eggs even without a rooster? Is there anything in particular the layman, get it? needs to know about keeping hens?
I cry fowl. Bawk bawk!
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Chickens will need shade the heat can bother them I live in N california where is gets Hot during the summer. There are chicken websites. There is nothing better than Organic fed free range eggs. Chickens are more fun than an aquarium or tropical birds.My daughter does all the chicken work . They eat many bugs and scratch up the soil. They aren't hard to care for but they do need some care .
An added plus is bug fed chickens make tastier eggs.
My wife is paranoid of non organic stuff. I spent $500 on a cage to keep predators out.$200 on a coop, feeders and waterers etc. 6 birds eat about $30 worth of feed a month.... Cheaper to buy at the store imo
As infrequently as we buy eggs in my household, it is a lot cheaper to buy in store. We maybe buy a dozen eggs once or twice a year.
Originally Posted By: Chris142
My wife is paranoid of non organic stuff. I spent $500 on a cage to keep predators out.$200 on a coop, feeders and waterers etc. 6 birds eat about $30 worth of feed a month.... Cheaper to buy at the store imo
Home grown free ranged eggs are sooooooooomuch better and healthier than store bought factory fed eggs. People spend tons of money on stuff but balk at buying healthy foods.
My wife is paranoid of non organic stuff. I spent $500 on a cage to keep predators out.$200 on a coop, feeders and waterers etc. 6 birds eat about $30 worth of feed a month.... Cheaper to buy at the store imo
Home grown free ranged eggs are sooooooooomuch better and healthier than store bought factory fed eggs. People spend tons of money on stuff but balk at buying healthy foods.
My family has always raised chickens in a large scale for private consumption. Aka, providing for friends and family and financially its not worth it. You'll get into it for $1000 before you know it and when you think you have it under control the'll start dying off or stop laying. But if you want chickens go for it! I built a new chicken mansion this year with may dad and get a dozen or two eggs per week out of the deal. Go to Murray McMurray hatchery online and you can study up. Get chickens that are NOT broody and are considered good layers. I could go on forever on this but I hate typing. I can answer probably any question you have down the road.
Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
As infrequently as we buy eggs in my household, it is a lot cheaper to buy in store. We maybe buy a dozen eggs once or twice a year.
The two of us consume about a dozen eggs a week, including for homemade egg pasta and baked goods.
As infrequently as we buy eggs in my household, it is a lot cheaper to buy in store. We maybe buy a dozen eggs once or twice a year.
The two of us consume about a dozen eggs a week, including for homemade egg pasta and baked goods.
Originally Posted By: Chris142
My wife is paranoid of non organic stuff. I spent $500 on a cage to keep predators out.$200 on a coop, feeders and waterers etc. 6 birds eat about $30 worth of feed a month.... Cheaper to buy at the store imo
Naw, your wife is not paranoid. She just wants to feed you healthy things.
My wife is paranoid of non organic stuff. I spent $500 on a cage to keep predators out.$200 on a coop, feeders and waterers etc. 6 birds eat about $30 worth of feed a month.... Cheaper to buy at the store imo
Naw, your wife is not paranoid. She just wants to feed you healthy things.
i can buy organic free range eggs at the store for $4\dozen.
Btw you cant hard boil a fresh egg. We get 3-4 eggs a day
Btw you cant hard boil a fresh egg. We get 3-4 eggs a day
Oh we feed then king non gmo feed.its 23 a bag
In my family we have always grown chickens both for meat and eggs variety.
Rule of thumb for free ranging is a minimum of 50 Sq ft/chicken so they don't get crowded and turn aggressive on each other.
Commercially available large feeding and watering systems means that if you plan wisely you will have to refill the containers twice a week. We fed ours a combination of corn, wheat, sunflower seeds and soybean. If the chickens are large enough it's not even necessary to grind the mix anymore and you will also reduce wastage. If you want to go even further you can always trow in some yeast for even better results.
The resulted feces are the 2nd best natural fertilizer (after guano) known to men; you have to keep into account that when it piles up if it rains or the humidity is high, the smell of ammonia will drive you nuts, so keep that into consideration and place the enclosure accordingly regarding distance and usual wind direction in relation to your house or any neighbors
You will also need something like a bedding filled up with sand for when they want to bath, some straws for the laying and for the winter, lice substances for the coop and some Methylene blue for when the pick at each other, injure themselves or for the eventual case of mycoses.
If you get them very young, Syngamiasis might pay you a visit, but it's easy to fix.
One last thing from the top of my head: they will compact the soil like you would not believe.
Rule of thumb for free ranging is a minimum of 50 Sq ft/chicken so they don't get crowded and turn aggressive on each other.
Commercially available large feeding and watering systems means that if you plan wisely you will have to refill the containers twice a week. We fed ours a combination of corn, wheat, sunflower seeds and soybean. If the chickens are large enough it's not even necessary to grind the mix anymore and you will also reduce wastage. If you want to go even further you can always trow in some yeast for even better results.
The resulted feces are the 2nd best natural fertilizer (after guano) known to men; you have to keep into account that when it piles up if it rains or the humidity is high, the smell of ammonia will drive you nuts, so keep that into consideration and place the enclosure accordingly regarding distance and usual wind direction in relation to your house or any neighbors
You will also need something like a bedding filled up with sand for when they want to bath, some straws for the laying and for the winter, lice substances for the coop and some Methylene blue for when the pick at each other, injure themselves or for the eventual case of mycoses.
If you get them very young, Syngamiasis might pay you a visit, but it's easy to fix.
One last thing from the top of my head: they will compact the soil like you would not believe.
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We buy 6-7 dozen eggs every week.
We eat a very high protein diet,along with veggies and carbs.
We goto the gym 4-5 days a week,so yeah it all gets put to good use.
We eat a very high protein diet,along with veggies and carbs.
We goto the gym 4-5 days a week,so yeah it all gets put to good use.
Originally Posted By: BRZED
Thanks for the info. Do I need a rooster?
If you don't intend to produce your own stock of chicks, then the answer is NO, they will still lay the same amount of eggs, but they won't be fertilized.
Thanks for the info. Do I need a rooster?
If you don't intend to produce your own stock of chicks, then the answer is NO, they will still lay the same amount of eggs, but they won't be fertilized.
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Originally Posted By: RazorsEdge
We buy 6-7 dozen eggs every week.
We eat a very high protein diet,along with veggies and carbs.
We goto the gym 4-5 days a week,so yeah it all gets put to good use.
If I was you I would get my LDL tested ASAP.
We buy 6-7 dozen eggs every week.
We eat a very high protein diet,along with veggies and carbs.
We goto the gym 4-5 days a week,so yeah it all gets put to good use.
If I was you I would get my LDL tested ASAP.
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