Raising Chickens

[shootemall]

My wife and I want to start raising chickens. Probably going to do a flock of 6 or so, just for eggs, she/kids won't eat a pet. We want various breeds, for a variety of egg colors. I'm planning/ building the coop with reclaimed lumber now, so we're ready to buy chicks when spring comes. I know there are poultry forums, but I try to keep a low online presence, so I thought I'd ask GON if y'all had any chicken raising experience.

We'll probably buy chicks from Murry McMurry, or local flea markets. As I build coop, I have people tell me to put hog wire in the ground so predators can't dig into the coop. Other people tell me to add wheels, so I can move it around for additional feeding opportunities. I'm leaning towards security, and letting them out to free range when I'm home. Thoughts?

I think I need a variety of food (grains, bugs/protein, veggies/plants), I'm still reading up. I know I won't save money having my own birds, but any tricks to cut expenses?

Any suggestions of things to think about that I might not be asking?

 

[Spotlite]

The only trick to cutting expenses is to buy feed in bulk from feed stores - not tractor supply. Chickens will eat table scraps, too. You will come out about the same but at least you know where your eggs came from.

After they learn where to roost, free range is good, just make sure the door is shut after they go in to roost. Run barbed wire 4 inches apart up to 3 feet high around the outside for predators. I have tried everything, barbed wire works!!! I have never ran any wire in the ground, cap blocks are wide enough to make the dig too wide, just lay them at the base of your pen on the inside, throw some dry concrete mix on them bout an inch thick, dampening it up and let it sit a couple days......it will be hard enough that predators cant move it.

Set them up on an automatic water supply. Once they start laying eggs, put a light on their coop and as long as they have around 17 hours of light................they will keep popping out eggs.

 

[livinoutdoors]

First off, you will save money raising chickens if you do it right. Have you seen the price of eggs lately? Dont buy food at tractor supply. Local seed n feed or grain mill is much cheaper. As for type of coop or run it depends. Are you raising in a fenced back yard or on a country property with wanderin predators?

 

[NE GA Pappy]

You will need to select the breed you are going to use carefully, especially if you are going to try and free range them. Most 'gentle' breeds (think Orpingtons, Comets, and Barred Rocks) don't do well free range. They are bigger, heavier birds that can't fly well, and hawks get them during the day, even if you are putting them up at night. Unless you are willing to load the shotgun and stand watch over them constantly, you are going to lose a few to hawks. I lost 2 over the summer in an enclosed pen.

If you go with the more flighty birds, ( think Brown Leghorns, Game, and Araucanas) don't make very good pets. They avoid humans as much as possible, and having the ability to fly more, they will escape from most pens if you don't enclose the top.

If you are starting out, I wouldn't get day old chicks for several reasons.

1. some are going to die, maybe most, since you are a newby

2. unless you buy sexed chicks you are going to have a 50/50 rooster ratio. You have already stated Mom and kids ain't eating no pet, and you will have to sell the roosters when you can identify them. Roosters don't bring much $$.

3. if you wait til April to get them, you won't have any eggs until September, maybe later

4. the feed, meds, and death rate and waiting time will add cost to getting to your first eggs

16 to 18 week old pullets would be my choice. No brood lamps, no problems with them dying from pasty butt, chills, or even rats getting to them. You will pay considerably more for them, but you don't have to feed them, doctor them, or guess what you are getting. You will really come out better doing this.

If you are wanting to raise chicks from your hens, you will need at least 1 rooster. I wouldn't raise a mix of chickens just to vary the egg colors. I would decide what breed suits my style, and only have that breed, and maybe 1 or 2 broody type hens if you decide on a non-broody breed like Leghorns. Brahmas make great chick raisers, and super big and can raise a large clutch easily.

 

[Spotlite]

First off, you will save money raising chickens if you do it right. Have you seen the price of eggs lately? Dont buy food at tractor supply. Local seed n feed or grain mill is much cheaper. As for type of coop or run it depends. Are you raising in a fenced back yard or on a country property with wanderin predators?

Almost $6 for 1 1/2 dozen in a store. Crazy.,

 

[NE GA Pappy]

Almost $6 for 1 1/2 dozen in a store. Crazy.,

I get $4 a dozen for my home growed ones. I probably ought raise the price, but I hate to do that to the people who buy from me. $4 will pay the feed bill, and I get all the fresh eggs I need, so there is that

 

[Toliver]

You will need to select the breed you are going to use carefully, especially if you are going to try and free range them. Most 'gentle' breeds (think Orpingtons, Comets, and Barred Rocks) don't do well free range. They are bigger, heavier birds that can't fly well, and hawks get them during the day, even if you are putting them up at night. Unless you are willing to load the shotgun and stand watch over them constantly, you are going to lose a few to hawks. I lost 2 over the summer in an enclosed pen.

If you go with the more flighty birds, ( think Brown Leghorns, Game, and Araucanas) don't make very good pets. They avoid humans as much as possible, and having the ability to fly more, they will escape from most pens if you don't enclose the top.

If you are starting out, I wouldn't get day old chicks for several reasons.

1. some are going to die, maybe most, since you are a newby

2. unless you buy sexed chicks you are going to have a 50/50 rooster ratio. You have already stated Mom and kids ain't eating no pet, and you will have to sell the roosters when you can identify them. Roosters don't bring much $$.

3. if you wait til April to get them, you won't have any eggs until September, maybe later

4. the feed, meds, and death rate and waiting time will add cost to getting to your first eggs

16 to 18 week old pullets would be my choice. No brood lamps, no problems with them dying from pasty butt, chills, or even rats getting to them. You will pay considerably more for them, but you don't have to feed them, doctor them, or guess what you are getting. You will really come out better doing this.

If you are wanting to raise chicks from your hens, you will need at least 1 rooster. I wouldn't raise a mix of chickens just to vary the egg colors. I would decide what breed suits my style, and only have that breed, and maybe 1 or 2 broody type hens if you decide on a non-broody breed like Leghorns. Brahmas make great chick raisers, and super big and can raise a large clutch easily.

What he said. But I would add Marans to the list of good birds. They lay a very dark brown egg and are good all around birds. I would look around locally for birds that are nearing laying age instead of getting chicks for all the reasons he said. They are too much trouble as babies and it takes too long to start getting eggs out of them. There are poultry shows where you can see lots of breeds at one time.

Just do your research on different breeds. You'll see a wide range in personality, pet quality, how prolific their laying is, egg size, egg colors. There are a lot of different chickens out there and you may be surprised at which ones you finally decide on.

 

[shootemall]

What feed do you buy in bulk? Do I show up with a barrel or something, or do they have it in a container?

I have a large yard near a wooded area neither has a fence, but I may build a run by the coop. I'm not in an HOA, but do have neighbors who might not approve, so I'm trying to keep it classy and clean. Thus they're likely gonna be free range in my yard when not cooped. I do have an area that used to be a dog run where I might dig up grass and plant a garden in the spring, and it has a 3 foot fence, but not sure I want them fertilizing my veggies directly, and picking my crops before I do. It is visible from road, where I don't want to put the coop.

I'm already misusing terms. I said chicks, but I'll probably buy poults that are already done drinking their mother's milk. Ha, just kidding, I couldn't resist. Still, I don't know what I'd do with roosters or how to help sick chicks, and having fresh eggs sooner makes poults the best option for me.

What light do you use? It'll be in my back yard, and I'm thinking if I run a wire it'll be a long distance, and need conduit, and possibly a county inspection, so is there an option that is battery operated with LED, to keep them laying, or do they need heat to lay too?

@Spotlite @livinoutdoors @Toliver and @NE GA Pappy you have been helpful already, thank you!

 

[Spotlite]

I just use a low watt white light. Heat light isn’t necessary for laying.

If you buy the “by the ton” price you can bring your own barrels. If it’s already bagged you’ll just get a discount for bulk feed.

 

[Spotlite]

I get $4 a dozen for my home growed ones. I probably ought raise the price, but I hate to do that to the people who buy from me. $4 will pay the feed bill, and I get all the fresh eggs I need, so there is that

I’m thinking the same. Just stay 50 cents cheaper than the store right now. But, losing customers may not be worth it.

 

[REDMOND1858]

I’d vote for a “chicken tractor” as it is popularly called. Basically a light coop on wheels. Allows constant grazing and Minimal feeding required. Many designs can be moved around by hand with a rope.

I have ALOT of experience with killing chickens, unintentionally. And this is by far the best way I’ve found to keep them alive.

One of the biggest benefits is constantly having the chickens on fresh clean ground. 6 full grown chickens can turn a large coop into a mud pit in about 2 days. During the rainy season, even quicker. I’ve found a fairly easy way to kill chickens is by them having wet feet. Another easy way to kill em is free ranging during the day. Some folks can master it. Me not so much. Every single time I get comfortable enough to let mine out, I’m quickly reminded why I don’t. Hawks, dogs, cats or a mad wife with a shotgun who just discoverd all her flowers dug up and porch covered in poop are all detrimental to a chickens survivabality. And it can happen quicker than you can stop it. A chicken tractor eliminates the need for free ranging. Another benefit is the minimal feed. If you move them every day or 2, you could cut your feed bill by 50-75%. Chickens will eat nearly anything including grasses. You may see a small decline in egg production, but the quality of egg will be better from my experience. Another plus, you can fit more chickens in a smaller area, therefore you don’t have to worry about light and such because even though they may lay fewer eggs, you’ve got more birds to make up for the loss. Some folks I know run 1 bird per 2 sq/ft in a tractor and have great success. You can pack quite a few in if you move it regularly. You also have less parasite/disease/bacteria problem when you can move your coop regularly.

 

[REDMOND1858]

You also mentioned wanting a garden, another benefit of a mobile pen or “chicken tractor”. Once you’ve picked all you wanted from your garden, you can move the chickens onto it. They eat the leftovers along with all the bugs and such while they fertilize your garden for you. Then you can put them back on it come spring before you get ready to plant. You want to talk about some good growing tomatos.

 

[NE GA Pappy]

I don't run lights with my hens. They lay enough during the winter for us, and I am not really about maximizing the egg production anyway. I think the 10 to 12 hours in the winter is enough light, and they will be laying in full force by mid March to early April anyway.

I have 10 hens right now, and without lights we are consistently getting 6 or 7 eggs a day. During the warm weather will have 9 or 10. I run them in a 40 x 40 pen because I chose a breed that is not good at avoiding danger. I am looking at high fencing my paddock where I feed out a beef. It is about 2 to 2-1/2 acres, and then I would run a flightier bird, probably brown leghorns. They are super productive, pretty, and do well on free pasture. The only problem with them is they will fly over a pasture fence.

 

[Spotlite]

I run my meat chickens in a chicken tractor.

 

[B. White]

I was new last year after a 30yr break from them. We had an old barn with an old dog pen attached with 2"X4" wire that was way bigger than needed, but I added some new posts around as needed and put a tin roof on the run. We were taking down an very old woven wire field fence and we took the best sections and attached to the bottom of the dog wire with hog rings and bent it so it laid flat on the ground. Did not bury, just let it get covered with leaves and pine straw and it became invisible after a little while. We covered the 2X4 wire with a layer of chicken wire. We are on the 2nd year and see dogs, fox, coyotes, hawks, coons and eagles, but nothing has made it in or left any sign of digging at this point. The dog pen was attached to an old barn, so I closed in a small section for them to roost and added a 2" water oak pole for them to fly up to.

My first time 30+ years ago I built a large run out of chicken wire and had the wire on top. Still had a hawk get in some how. Didn't know what it was killing them until one day he got in and couldn't get back out.

We got ours in the fall when the feed stores didn't have them locally, so we ordered sexed rhode island reds and barred rock from Cackle hatchery. They must be pretty good at knowing the mortality rate, because they shipped extra and that amount is what died before laying age. We had one other that I thought was a goner when older and I was going to give it one more day before putting it out of its misery, but it got over whatever the problem was. We haven't lost any grown ones yet.

My neighbor has a bunch they let out every day and they lose some regularly. I think dogs are their biggest problem. They will be ok for a while and then 3-4 dogs they have never seen will show up.

We feed something out of the garden most every day along with feed. I have an upright PVC feeder and they are still wasteful and will dig out a lot more than they eat.

 

[NE GA Pappy]

my chickens think raisins are the best thing in the world. I don't know if chickens can taste, but if I sprinkle out a few raisins on the ground, they will fight over them.

 

[LTZ25]

This needs more pictures , as hard as this sounds eggs should be a dollar each .

 

[shootemall]

Why do I need a rooster? If they're in an enclosed pen, they wouldn't be protecting the chickens from predators. However, I have no experience and may be missing something.

 

[livinoutdoors]

Why do I need a rooster? If they're in an enclosed pen, they wouldn't be protecting the chickens from predators. However, I have no experience and may be missing something.

You dont need a rooster.

 

[Toliver]

I only saw where Pappy mentioned needing a rooster if you wanted to let yours make their own babies. Otherwise no rooster is needed unless you just want one around for the noise.