Posted on 05/03/2017 8:18:45 PM PDT by djf
Thanks!
I don’t think the color of the eggs matter, except maybe aesthetically.
I guess because of the possible cat intrusion, I am more concerned about the fight they got in em!
Our Amberlink hen actually out-produced (eggs) either of our white leghorns, and in our limited experience Amberlinks are more docile / less flighty.
In our quasi “free range” situation, our rooster (also an Amberlink) will find food for his hens. :-)
Red Rangers (meat birds) in our experience also seem more docile than many other breeds, but in their case they just seem to be a little less “active” bird.
Regardless, if you observe your chickens carefully, each will have it’s own “personality”. If given the opportunity, some will do hilarious stuff, on occasion. However, allowed to roam, they can tear things up, too, not to mention pooping anywhere they please.
We were very lucky last year to have a rooster (a good size Amberlink) who was very defensive of his hens, but gentle / friendly to people.
The rooster (smallish Amberlink) we have now is the first to “chicken out” from a potential threat, but will sometimes try to attack from behind a child who tries to pick up a hen. He used to try that on me, and a good kick taught him not to do that — “smart” bird - most roosters will not “learn” about that sort of thing. He mostly ignores our 12 lb. cat, who is scared of the chickens. The cat has good reason: Our friendly-to-people Amberlink hen (as well as the deceased rooster mentioned above) will at any good opportunity attack the cat (who scrams).
My Dad’s condo in Florida strugung fishing line above the pool. It kept the birds outa the pool. Might work for hawks?
The first time I let mine out, years ago, many ventured out of site. They all came back to the coop in the evening. Now and every time since, even with a turnover of chickens, they only stay within about 100 feet of the coop. When I do let them out, they seem happy, but sometimes one will get killed. Never let them out when hawks are around (here, spring/early summer is safer).
Look up instructions for washing the eggs. You can store them outside the fridge, but as soon as you wash them, refrigerate. You do need to wash them to avoid the (remote) risk of bacteria on a shell bit that might make it in your breakfast.
They somehow stay warm in winter, even during the polar vortexes here (0 deg F). Biggest problem is their water freezing - you give them new water and it can be ice within hours. They still survive. If not, you’ll need to look into a warmer, but I haven’t figured that out - No electricity in my coop.
Raising “peepers” into layers is a hassle. They need a non-stop heat lamp and a breeze-free location, plus water and chick scratch (basically ground-up pellets).
Once they have full feathers, they are ready for the coop. Ease back on the heat lamp to get them ready for the real world. Once they start laying, they will produce about an egg a day for around a year. Our three hens keep us supplied with eggs plus enough to give away.
After around a year, the birds will “molt” or lose lots of feathers. All birds do it so don’t worry. Egg production stops during the molt, which lasts a couple of weeks, and resumes at less than full pace afterward. After their second molt, their egg-laying slows to the point where they no longer justify the cost of the feed.
Adding new birds to an existing flock is uncomfortable to watch. The birds need to establish a “pecking order” and they will beat (peck) the hell out of the newcomer. New chicks added to a pack of old buzzards might not make it through the initiation abuse.
Chickens poop constantly, everywhere. Don’t let them into the house. Chicken poop makes great fertilizer (very high nitrogen) but it needs to compost at least six months. It is deadly strong and will fry garden plants if added without dilution or composting.
One little side benefit of chickens ... they eat ticks. I haven’t seen a tick in my yard since The Ladies started their patrol. On the downside ... they love to scratch and dig for worms and will tear up a flower bed.
The smell of ammonia tells you it is time to clean out the chicken coop and add fresh straw to cover the floor.
“Going to bed with the chickens” is an old saying for folks going to bed at sunset. The chickens will hop up onto their roosting bars right at dark. If you hear the chickens cackling after dark, bring a shotgun when you go to investigate.
Getting my chickens back into their pen is the easiest thing in the world. I just toss a handful of scratch (cracked corn with grains) into the pen and they come a-runnin’ to get it. A fenced pen, WITH A WIRE ROOF, provides you with peace of mind when the hawks are circling. Build their pen over a patch of lawn and they will strip it down to bare dirt before the summer is over.
Go online for instructions how to hard-boil fresh eggs. They are a little tricky to work with, but you will fall in love with fresh eggs. The dark yolks, the flavor ... you’re gonna love ‘em!
I am a city girl with NO background in chickens. Started last Jan 16. I now have 10 .
First and foremost. Keep them from predators. I lost my first 4 in a slaughter. Triple check your coup for breeches. No male needed
mine began laying eggs around 4.5 months old.
Roosters are not a great idea, IMHO.
We always kept about 20 Amber Links or Barr Rocks. My daughter has about 75 of them on her farm now. They are very gentle, lay nice brown eggs, and are hardy enough to stand the cold.
When my kids were young, they used to put a chicken on their bike handlebars and drive them up and down the street, like hood ornaments. The chickens loved it. They always roamed around the yard - range birds are happiest and the eggs are better. Have fun!
But still - the cleaning of the coop is just not fun****************
I had RI Reds for years. Great chickens and SMART. You can teach them to count and they love sitting in laps...for awhile. Anyway,
Cleaning coops is a fast job and easy. After gloving and getting a face mask (to decrease breathing dried poop dust), gather a tarp at the door of the coop and lay it out flat on the ground. Get a shovel or 5 pronged rake and and scoop up all the dirty straw and put on tarp. Get broom and broom out the rest of dirty straw to the tarp. Take tarp to compost. Replace old straw with gloriously clean new straw and let your “girls” back in. They will be thrilled with the change!
My FIL used to have a small herd of Herefords (30-40) on his hobby farm (fairly serious hobby). Apparently one year when a boy my BIL named one of the calves. It was later semi-traumatic when David ended up in the chest freezer in the basement . . .
Ditto on Murray McMurray. Great service and fantastic quality. Their website is probably all a beginner needs for planning.
Just got 16 of the little critters yesterday.
I gave them all names but they keep taking their name tags off and so confusion now reigns.
Very timely post for me. We are probably going to set up a chicken coop and fencing next week. A neighbor offered to give us a bunch of chicks from her hens and help us get started. We have a perfect location for them, 100 acres in the western North Carolina Blue Ridge Mountains. The resident predators will be a challenge (coyote, hawks, bear, and our own two Labrador dogs) but I guess we will learn. I was wanting a rooster too, but after reading the replies here, may change my mind on that.
So, thanks for your post. I’ll have to get back with you in a few months and we can exchange stories about our chicken-newbie adventures.
“Easiest meat animal to raise are pigs. Really.”
Pigs may put on more pounds for the feed; however, I would disagree that they are the “easiest” meat to raise. Pigs are devious, mean and destructive and let’s not mention the smell—definitely back 40 animals. That said, it’s definitely nice that you can buy a spring pig and butcher it that fall. They really aren’t bad if you have a decent setup—strong fencing, good water, shade and ventilation.
My candidate for easiest meat in a suburban environment is rabbits. Care is pretty much just let them breed and feed. It’s good, lean white meat and they are a breeze to butcher. Of course, rabbits are viewed primarily as pets, so YMMV.
You need to decide if you want them just for egg production or dual purpose ( eggs and meat birds).
Red Star (aka Golden Comet) chickens are excellent for egg production only. Eat the least amount of food for greatest yield of x-large eggs. Stay small, are quiet and friendly, but are no good for meat production.
Dual purpose: there are several, Rhode Island Red, Buff Orpington are just a couple.
Forget the rooster, you don't need him for egg production unless you want fertile eggs to hatch. Plus they are very loud and will start crowing at all hours of the night.
Head on over to: Backyard Chickens for lots of discussions and info about chickens.
Once you taste the eggs you've produced you'll never buy eggs at the store again.
You certainly have a lot to learn. A “male chicken” is called a rooster, and is only required if you want fertilized eggs, which you don’t unless you want baby chickens.
And you need to look into the costs of feed and maintenance before you start counting your profits from your feather factory.
I didn’t mean to sound arrogant in my previous post. I just mean that there is a lot to know about any livestock-raising endeavor.
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