About four years ago, hand raised four chicks to maturity, one turned out to be a rooster and had to let it go. Not long afterwards, fence between my dog and the three chickens had loose boards, and the dog...well. Anyway, two years ago adopted two hens used to dogs, stood up to dog and were fine...then about three months ago, red chicken (Popeye) was eviscerated in the orchard during the day...then this morning, at 4:30 am was awoken by commotion in orchard...Mr. Racoon had come to party. My hen McNugget was the guest of honor. Now chicken free and that's the way it will be...
Done with raising chickens....
- Thread starter Ron M.
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My grandmother raised chickens (among other things). I learned early in life I'd rather raise Cain....
CAJUNLAWYER
Member
Apparently urban chicken ranching has become all the rage. My son living in Baton Rouge has a coop in his back yard with 4 hens. He is eagerly awaiting the day when they give him the first eggs. He lets them out to run during the day and ay night he heards thm into the coop. I call him "Mr. &%^$ing Greenjeans" He has no idea what I mean.
He has invited me to the monthly chicken swap at the Denhem Springs Tractor Supply which I think might be an interesting experience indeed!
He has no idea what I mean.He has invited me to the monthly chicken swap at the Denhem Springs Tractor Supply which I think might be an interesting experience indeed!
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When you are younger it is fun to have animals to raise....at this point in life I have a hard enough time taking care of me. Plus I don't want guard duty at 2 am.
A neighbor raise chickens for eggs and unfortunately a monthly coon, fox or bobcat. all you can eat special
A neighbor raise chickens for eggs and unfortunately a monthly coon, fox or bobcat. all you can eat special
keith44spl
Member
When the lit'l lady and I married, my dad gave us 50 er 60 laying hens.
We sold eggs, enough every week to buy our other groceries...We ate purty high on the hog too.
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We sold eggs, enough every week to buy our other groceries...We ate purty high on the hog too.
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Chromedhearts
US Veteran
Funny thing; I opened up and saw your post. I just finished washing my hands from "dressing" a young rooster that had decided to prove that he wouldn't be fenced in.
He was just a lad at six months but he was becoming a bad influence on his sisters and brother. So this morning when I went to feed, he wanted to play his usual game of "catch me if you can". Well, it was a good opportunity for me to show my teenage son how Grandma used to do it.
Rowdy Rooster is taking a nice long hot bath at the moment. And later today I'll be introducing him to some onions and pasta
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He was just a lad at six months but he was becoming a bad influence on his sisters and brother. So this morning when I went to feed, he wanted to play his usual game of "catch me if you can". Well, it was a good opportunity for me to show my teenage son how Grandma used to do it.
Rowdy Rooster is taking a nice long hot bath at the moment. And later today I'll be introducing him to some onions and pasta
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
My father did the chicken thing when we kids were young and able
to collect the eggs.
It was fun for a while, then the light went on..........
Fenced yard and hen house was 7-8 miles North of SF Calif. and
after five years half the birds were killed by vermin and the killer
was one or two weasels that got into the pen and did them off.
Dad turned the area into a "Berry plot" where we kids would be
at work again in a year or two.
to collect the eggs.
It was fun for a while, then the light went on..........
Fenced yard and hen house was 7-8 miles North of SF Calif. and
after five years half the birds were killed by vermin and the killer
was one or two weasels that got into the pen and did them off.
Dad turned the area into a "Berry plot" where we kids would be
at work again in a year or two.
Mals9
Member
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Growing up we kept a couple of chickens at our suburban home, not sure how that got started. We got some eggs and never lost one to a predator. Mom has us move the coop each year and plated strawberries in the old location. We had huge strawberries.
Mals
Mals
kwselke
Member
Even though I bought a dozen Grade A Large eggs on sale last weekend for 70 cents, they can cost upwards of $1.50 to $2.00 a dozen. Keeping a couple of chickens would probably save me $50 a year in eggspenses. Big bucks!
Chickens, feed, and time are free... aren't they?
Small scale production has a few financial disadvantages in my mind. I think I'll keep buying my poultry products at the grocery store.
Chickens, feed, and time are free... aren't they?
Small scale production has a few financial disadvantages in my mind. I think I'll keep buying my poultry products at the grocery store.
I've had chickens around pretty much ever since I was a kid. This may seem odd to some of you, but we never did name any of our chickens. In fact, when you've got a whole flock of Rhode Island Reds, it's pretty darn tough telling one from another.
Nope. To be quite honest, chickens don't make very good pets. You can't housebreak 'em. They're dumber than a Dixie cup. That's probably why you don't see any trained chicken acts, seeing eye chickens, herding chickens, or guard chickens.
Sure, raccoons, skunks, weasels, and foxes love chickens. That's why you learn to build chicken runs out of galvanized mesh instead of the stuff they market as "chicken wire" or "poultry netting." (Raccoons can bite through that stuff in less time than O.J. took to track down the real killer.)
All of our chickens have been and are raised for a specific purpose...either eggs or meat. After they've been laying for a good solid year or so, I get a new batch at the feed store and send the old girls to the happy hen house in the sky. (For you non-poultry enthusiasts, egg production starts dropping off fairly quickly after a good year. Remember, these gals ain't pets.)
We get more eggs than we can use from our hens, so we trade eggs for honey to the folks across the road who raise bees on their farm. Works out pretty good.
Nope. To be quite honest, chickens don't make very good pets. You can't housebreak 'em. They're dumber than a Dixie cup. That's probably why you don't see any trained chicken acts, seeing eye chickens, herding chickens, or guard chickens.
Sure, raccoons, skunks, weasels, and foxes love chickens. That's why you learn to build chicken runs out of galvanized mesh instead of the stuff they market as "chicken wire" or "poultry netting." (Raccoons can bite through that stuff in less time than O.J. took to track down the real killer.)
All of our chickens have been and are raised for a specific purpose...either eggs or meat. After they've been laying for a good solid year or so, I get a new batch at the feed store and send the old girls to the happy hen house in the sky. (For you non-poultry enthusiasts, egg production starts dropping off fairly quickly after a good year. Remember, these gals ain't pets.)
We get more eggs than we can use from our hens, so we trade eggs for honey to the folks across the road who raise bees on their farm. Works out pretty good.
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My daughter and her family raise chickens, guinea fowl and a couple of peacocks. The guineas are self sufficient and relatively smart. Also tasty and the eggs are good though the shells are like trying to crack open a baseball. The peacocks are obnoxious as the dickens. Wild turkeys also abound in the area and everyone knows about them. The chickens are just plain stupid. Everything likes to eat/kill them, including her German Shorthair dogs, and they're too dumb to get out of the way. She sells eggs and makes about enough to pay for their feed but that's all. I like to eat 'em, but they're not worth the trouble it takes to raise 'em as far as I'm concerned.
I've figured the best way to raise chickens is to have a friend that raises them.
Sorta like the best way to have a boat.
Sorta like the best way to have a boat.
Firesticks
Member
Ex wife wanted to raise chickens. I told her they are nothing but ground vultures. She insisted. Long story short we spent quite a bit for the set up. She thought they were cute as baby chicks. About 6 weeks into raising them she contracted salmonella from them. A week in the hospital and VERY ILL. That was the end of the chicken farm! Yes I love eggs and I love grilled chicken but only from being raised by someone else. Power to yah if you like it!
I like fresh farm eggs and farm chickens. I also like farm pork and cooking a small pig in my fire pit once in the while. I also like the Hutterite colonies we have nearby. What do those two things have to do with each other??
We can't have.....
...'farm' type animals in our neighborhood. But that's ok because chickens aren't my thing anyway. My grandparents had at least a dozen chickens in a fenced in area of the back yard. They had little trouble. My sis in law has hers in coop that's bigger/nicer than a cage, but it's pretty secure. They love the eggs.
...'farm' type animals in our neighborhood. But that's ok because chickens aren't my thing anyway. My grandparents had at least a dozen chickens in a fenced in area of the back yard. They had little trouble. My sis in law has hers in coop that's bigger/nicer than a cage, but it's pretty secure. They love the eggs.
I can think of at least one chicken farmer that did well for himself.
Carroll Shelby, chicken farmer to race car driver, then race car/hot street car builder! Go to any decent car show and you can see his name on many vechicles!
Carroll Shelby, chicken farmer to race car driver, then race car/hot street car builder! Go to any decent car show and you can see his name on many vechicles!
kwselke
Member
I can think of at least one chicken farmer that did well for himself.
Carroll Shelby, chicken farmer to race car driver, then race car/hot street car builder! Go to any decent car show and you can see his name on many vechicles!
Go to the grocery store and you might find his name on chili spice mix not on chicken.
