Chickens!!
I want to have a garden and chickens at my new place. A garden is going to take some work, planning and advice that you are all going to have help me with (at least the advice part). The chickens are a project that I'm really interested in. My family had chickens when we were growing up and I always feel nostalgic about them. My first reason for wanting chickens was the nostalgia but also, I thought maybe I would save some money, be economical. Well, after thinking about it for a while and doing lots of research I know that they probably won't save me any money but I'm still super excited about this. I want to buy about 5-6 chickens that are ready to start laying. At first I was going to buy super cheap chicks and raise them but by the time they would be ready to lay eggs most of the summer would be gone (right? I think so). So I'll buy the chickens ready to lay. Good chickens will lay an egg every 24-36 hours so that means almost an egg a day. I definately don't need 5-6 eggs a day but my plan is to use more eggs (pickled eggs, deviled eggs, baking and lots of omelets with garden produce) and then also be able to give cartons away to family and friends. It might seem like a silly thing to want to do considering it will cost me money in chicken food but this is one of the funnest things I think. Another major attraction for owning your own chickens for most people is the knowledge that the chickens that produced these eggs are living in good conditions and eating good food. This is true, and is nice to know, but for me, it's just the feather in the cap. And, I hear the eggs are so much better than regular store-bought eggs.
The property that we will be living on has an old barn on it that is used right now for storing a few peoples boats. We were told that we could use the barn for whatever we want. I want to section off a corner and make some nesting boxes. If it's possible, I want to remove a few barnboards that would be replaceable and make a door for them to get outside and scratch around. We would have to wait to see when we get there how that would work.
Hannelle, a friend of mine, was telling me that her grandfather would go to the grocery store everyday and ask for all the old veggies that wouldn't sell anymore and would feed these to his chickens. I also heard that they will eat any kind of kitchen scraps you give them... another good incentive. I know that they need the special food to lay good eggs but I figure I might be able to save some money on food if I'm giving them fruits and veggies. Any other hints or tips? Does this all sound right?
In the next post I will tell you about some of the types of chickens I want.
The property that we will be living on has an old barn on it that is used right now for storing a few peoples boats. We were told that we could use the barn for whatever we want. I want to section off a corner and make some nesting boxes. If it's possible, I want to remove a few barnboards that would be replaceable and make a door for them to get outside and scratch around. We would have to wait to see when we get there how that would work.
Hannelle, a friend of mine, was telling me that her grandfather would go to the grocery store everyday and ask for all the old veggies that wouldn't sell anymore and would feed these to his chickens. I also heard that they will eat any kind of kitchen scraps you give them... another good incentive. I know that they need the special food to lay good eggs but I figure I might be able to save some money on food if I'm giving them fruits and veggies. Any other hints or tips? Does this all sound right?
In the next post I will tell you about some of the types of chickens I want.
posted by Nicole at 12:27 p.m.
5 Comments:
Hey! I used to have chickens! We just gave them up in order to grow some grass to make the place a little nicer to sell!
You DO save money!
You need to buy them two kinds of food to go along with your kitchen scraps. One kind of food is the "Laying Pellets". You want to make sure that they are completely free of animal products! This will be their main diet, and you will just have it available at all times for them to eat as much as they want.
The other food is "hen scratch" and it's just a bunch of different grain bits. This is more of a treat, and what you would use when you're trying to get them to follow you around or go back to their beds.
You'll also need to buy ground up oyster shells to scatter around for them to munch on to replenish their calcium. If you don't want to buy those, you CAN just grind up their own shells and scatter them around, but you want to make sure that they are really ground up so that they can't recognise them. If they still "look" like their own shells, they might start a habit of eating their own eggs. (also, if you find a broken egg, remove it right away so that they don't eat it!)
They love worms and other insects too. Beware that they will eat any grass that they can get to, so if you want a nice yard, keep them away from the lawn!
Make sure at night time you close them into their home and make sure no other animals can get in. Here, racoons kill and eat them if they can. There, (I think) you have fox problems.
Once they're used to their new home, they will go to bed on their own at dusk. You will just have to go and close the entrance to the barn after they're all in there. (I would always count them to make sure they're all in there.)
As well as having nesting boxes, they also like to have "perches".
The food is usually $10 a bag, and a bag of pellets will probably last you a month, and the scratch will probably last two months.
Be aware that moving them to your house may cause them to be stressed, and they may not lay right away. Also, they don't lay all year round. In the darker months you can encourage them to lay more if you keep a light on in the barn for most of the evening.
If you want any more info, email me! (I know more about chicken care than dog care, I swear!)
I always wanted to feed chickens some chicken to see if they'd eat it. Haha, cannibals!
Coryn - for sure!! I can't wait. If you think Orillia is hick, wait till you see Dunnville. I'll convert you to a straw-chewing chicken farmer for a weekend. You should see the property. I still haven't figured it all out yet. So many nooks and crannies and fun places to do or make things
Celena - Wow. Thankyou so much. When I was first looking into it I tried to finds some info online. I eventually did but it took me so long to find a normal website that just explains how to do this. I love your ideas. So could I just throw in some veggies? I'll definately have to ask you questions when we get it all started. What breeds do you like? I hope that I get good internet connection at this new house
Sarah - you are a wierd girl... and I LOVE IT. :) I actually thought it was kinda funny to. They like to eat their own... menstral fluid? (the egg)
Nicole, think Honduras!!!! In theory you wouldn't have to supliment hardly at all, mind you you wouldn't get an egg a day either. Extra food might lure them into their cage at night. But beware! If you have chickens you are bound to get rats. (Now if you could train Cloe to be be a rat dog....)And be ready to give up your favourite flower bed. They always manage to select a dust bath in the middle of your best flowers. AND yes, remember Flossie! She would roost in our kitchen window and leave you a reminder to look at all day. But no doubt about it they are entertaining. You and Dan will pull out your lawn chairs and just sit and watch them clucking and pecking.
Have fun.
PS. Have you considered getting a rooster?
Hey, You can throw in as many veggies as you want! They'll eat what they want, and leave the rest.
And yes, you will get rats!
Get a kitten. Or a full grown cat who is already used to chickens. Some cats will attack chickens, but most will not. My cats loved hanging out with my hens!
It's a good idea to have your dog socialize with the chickens and teach her not to bug them, 'cause she'll become their defenders (if your dog is anything like mine).
And, it IS a good idea to get a rooster, 'cause they protect your hens, and they're also good at maintaining "order" amoung the girls. Sometimes hens can be bitchy towards eachother, but a rooster can keep them in check.
There are a couple of drawbacks to having a rooster though. First, they're LOUD and they crow all day, not just in the morning. And they will crow when there's a full moon! Another problem, is if you get a really aggressive cock, he might actually be aggressive towards humans, which means you might not be able to develop a good relationship with your hens.
If you DO get a rooster, I would suggest you go with a bantam rooster (a small breed), because they are quieter, and are often a little less aggressive.
I pretty much like all the different types of hen breeds. We had several breeds, and they were awesome! If you want "laying" hens, you don't really have too much variety to choose from.
Some bantam HENS are often "broody", meaning they're bitchy and they don't lay often, but will just hang out in the coop and not be social. I don't suggest getting broody breeds. Make sure you ask about that, if the breed you're getting isn't specifically a "laying" breed.
If you get any new hens after your intital batch, always introduce them at least two at a time. If you only bring in one new hen, she will likely get picked on at first. If you bring two in, they'll have eachother and will find their way into the "pecking order" faster (and with way less pain!).
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