Chickens

[mezmo]

Way back When, in childhood, our grandparent's neighbors had a
half dozen or so chickens/hens [I don't remember any roosters] in
a lean-to coup attached to their garage with a fenced-in run/yard
of about 12x16 on the back of that. The chickens just loved it when
we kids would toss our watermelon rinds over the fence to them in
the summertime - those rinds didn't last very long.

Our first experience with chickens was when we were even younger
and an older neighbor, of ours [He was a really neat old guy], kept
some in a coup next to his garden. He'd let us little kids help him
when he was putting out their feed and replenishing the water dispenser
and such. One day, my sister decided to help him out and gather up
all of the eggs for him. She proudly presented him the small basket
full of eggs, when she was done, but was greeted by him bursting out
with laughter! She had gathered up each and every glass egg that he
had put in the nests to give the hens 'the hint' that they were to lay
more eggs! He had already gathered up the real eggs. Once he stopped
laughing, he explained to us what the eggs were made of and why he
put them in the nesting/laying boxes, and then let us help him put
them back where they needed to be.

Cheers,
Norm/mezmo

[robfisher]

There are some great ideas for chicken coops. Here's a link to one of my favorites.

http://moderncoops.weebly.com/index.html

[bdosborn]

Fun link, lots of coop ideas. Oh and chickens!





Bruce

[bdosborn]

Well, duh! A solar powered chicken coop door: http://www.waldeneffect.org/blog/DIY_so ... or_opener/

You know, those things aren't cheap. But they are *very* cool. Thanks, I saved the link.

Bruce

[Kevin A]

We just got rid of all of our chickens. The fresh eggs were great, but there is nothing on the planet that smells worse or is more trouble than a dead, wet chicken. I will butcher hogs all day long before I will ever kill another chicken!

HaHaHa! I think hogs smell the worst of anything in the world, especially hog poop! To each their own.

You ever smell a billie goat? stinky!!!!!!!!

[Mojave Bob]

"Well it looks like we're getting some chickens. The county changed the zoning law..."

Ha! All I can say is, just because I CAN doesn't mean I WILL. Chickens are horrible economics on a small scale, and my time is worth something to me. Let's see... fresh eggs cost $1 or $2 a dozen, depending on where I go. That is either $0.083 or $0.166 per egg. If you average two eggs a day, that is $0.166 or $0.333 per day. Out of that, you pay for feed, electricity, water, and infrastructure. I'd have to really love what I'm doing to put that much effort into it.

Mind you, I love to have nice fresh eggs, and I get them every week from one of several people living nearby who don't value their time as much as I do.

On the other hand, most of my hobbies don't make good economic sense, either. Ya do what ya enjoy doing. So, based on that, go for it!

[GerryS]

Sometimes, it's not about cost...it's quality. We make our own soap, yogurt, preserves...if I could I'd add eggs. The freshness and lack of hormones and the crap that gets added by commercial farmers....priceless to have removed.

Plus, your not financially participating in the awful way the birds are treated is just a bonus.

[Mojave Bob]

Gerry -- I agree with you on all points. That is why I buy my eggs from known local people who, unlike me, find it rewarding to raise a small number of chickens for their own eggs, and who then sell the surplus. I know the people, I know what the chickens are fed, and how they are treated. I can go into the back yard and say hi to the "ladies" if I choose. And, I can then get in my car and drive away from them, which appeals to me.

[Catherine+twins]

Sometimes, it's not about cost...it's quality. We make our own soap, yogurt, preserves...if I could I'd add eggs. The freshness and lack of hormones and the crap that gets added by commercial farmers....priceless to have removed.

Plus, your not financially participating in the awful way the birds are treated is just a bonus.

Commercial producers have not been allowed to use hormones on chickens for quite some time. Antibiotics and other animal byproducts are a different matter. And the animals ARE treated badly.

My cats are not an economically explainable expense. I spend money on their food, their vet trips, treats, and toys. They sit on my lap and purr, they lay on my arm at night and pin me down, sometimes my pirate kitty catches gophers outside and eats them on my bed, etc. They are pets.

My chickens are not an EEE either. I spend money on their antibiotic-free vegetarian food, make sure they have a place out of the (very occasional) rain and snow, bring them in when the temperature drops, toss them weeds and bugs in the summer, etc. They aren't lap pets, but they make me laugh with their antics in the garden and yard. They are pets of a different sort.

And they give me eggs for about 8 months out of the year, and fertilize my veggie garden. Sounds like a deal to me.

Catherine

[Mojave Bob]

Catherine --
And, I am glad, indeed, that there are people who feel like you do, because otherwise I would not have a source of fresh, natural eggs.

And, as I pointed out earlier, my hobbies don't necessarily make economic sense, either -- teardrop trailers being one of them. Let's see... I have about $6500 wrapped up in a trailer and mods. If we spend 10 nights a year for 10 years in our camper, that comes to $65 per night, plus $25 per night for camping fees, plus loss of fuel economy, ... we probably spend $100 per night that I use my camper. There are much cheaper forms of recreation. But, doggone it, we enjoy it!

[GerryS]

I didn't know hormones were disallowed. That's a small step in use right direction.

But the real difference to me is TASTE. When you crack open a fresh egg, and the yolk is so vibrantly yellow it looks like a painting, it's more visually appealing as well..

It's gladly pay extra...eggs are cheap. But you can't get that unless you know an egg producer or are one yourself.

I think we are off used far too much on cheap in this country. Quality has been hurt very badly in so many areas.

[bdosborn]

The chicken coop I bought off eBay showed up today. I'll post photos of it after I've put it together.

Bruce

[sagebrush]

When I was young ,we would get 50 baby chicks each year. When the pullets would start laying regular, the roosters would become frying chickens and last years layers would become stewing chickens. The eggs taste better than store-bought. Gather them daily. Fruit and veggie scraps, lawn clippings(w/o chemicals )etc.are good for their diet. DO NOT feed them onion greens (trust me on this!)
Oyster shell to provide calcium for the shells.
I would much rather have chickens as neighbors than dogs with negligent owners.

Will

[bdosborn]

We got the chicken coop put together. It's a little smaller than I would have liked but it will get us started,







Now I need to go down and get the permit from the county.

Bruce

[rowerwet]

in the teardrop theme
http://www.keepingchickensnewsletter.co ... 2_pg04.htm