Raising egg laying hens

Memerulez

I live in a rural town. I live in a neighborhood/subdivision. I raise Boxers, yes big dogs. However, one of my favorite pets was my laying hen Scarlet. She ate the left overs when I cleaned veggies for meals. She ate laying pellets, about 25 pounds every six weeks. She had an automatic waterer like a rabbit that I had in her milk crate coop about 4 ft. off the ground. I built her a ladder to it out of sticks from fallen limbs. I used grass clippings from the yard being mowed to fill her nesting coop. She was my friend. I could hold her, pet her, talk to her, and I cried like a child when she passed away at six years old. I will tell you this, get your hens young and never stop cooing to them. The poop makes for wonderful potted plants, that grow wonderful veggies and fruits. I used a large - about arm sized - limb with strange branches for a slanted perch in her coop. I had 3 other hens along with her, but she was the head chicken in charge and the most tame for me. She was an Araucanian, they lay blue green eggs and have beautiful plumage. Sometimes this species is called the Easter egg chickens.
Remember, no roosters unless you want to hear crowing all night from street lights, noise, and just plain liking the sounds of their own voices.

slowturtle1

We have hens also..........one thing we have learned that I didn't see already said is that in the winter (depending how cold it gets where you live) ........to keep them laying we put a light out there--it's just a lightbulb in a light socket....we did heat lamps when they were medium sized but when they were super tiny we kept them in the basement with heat lamps. ....but basically they need light to lay and when the days start to get shorter like right now in Utah where we live--we already see a dramatic reduction in their laying. Ours are also older so it might be some of that due to age but it's always been this way every winter. Seems like my husband also uses a horse water heater in their water too in winter so their water doesn't freeze. They ADORE the old cobs of corn from the corn patch and tomatoes!!!

Have fun!!!

I do worry about the winter, which in Texas could be no worse than fall or could be a frozen tundra situation. I figured we'd need a light and heater, but I didn't think about heating the water. Thanks!

slowturtle1

I live in a rural town. I live in a neighborhood/subdivision. I raise Boxers, yes big dogs. However, one of my favorite pets was my laying hen Scarlet. She ate the left overs when I cleaned veggies for meals. She ate laying pellets, about 25 pounds every six weeks. She had an automatic waterer like a rabbit that I had in her milk crate coop about 4 ft. off the ground. I built her a ladder to it out of sticks from fallen limbs. I used grass clippings from the yard being mowed to fill her nesting coop. She was my friend. I could hold her, pet her, talk to her, and I cried like a child when she passed away at six years old. I will tell you this, get your hens young and never stop cooing to them. The poop makes for wonderful potted plants, that grow wonderful veggies and fruits. I used a large - about arm sized - limb with strange branches for a slanted perch in her coop. I had 3 other hens along with her, but she was the head chicken in charge and the most tame for me. She was an Araucanian, they lay blue green eggs and have beautiful plumage. Sometimes this species is called the Easter egg chickens.
Remember, no roosters unless you want to hear crowing all night from street lights, noise, and just plain liking the sounds of their own voices.

Awwww, your Scarlet sounds like a great bird! I do like the ones with pretty feathers.

mycrazy8splus1

I do worry about the winter, which in Texas could be no worse than fall or could be a frozen tundra situation. I figured we'd need a light and heater, but I didn't think about heating the water. Thanks!

A heated dog bowl would work fine for just a few hens. More than 6 an d I'd get something bigger probably though.

slowturtle1

We have had chickens for like 9 months now--we got them at 8 days old.

My youngest held them as often as possible until they got too heavy for him to hold on one arm. Now they walk up and squat to be petted. They also come running any time they see me or hubby coming.

We have 5 hens in a coop the size of a car, and about 2 months ago we finally set up an outdoor run for them. We use the deep litter method in the coop, and honestly it doesn't smell much at all. They *can* squawk, but usually it is only when I have not let them out of the hen house quick enough ( we lock them up at night for their safety).

About every 6-8 weeks I buy a 50# bag of layer feed for $16. They also get scraps from the kitchen--apple peels, strawberry tops, left over pasta, oatmeal my son didn't finish... After the first month of laying, 90% of the time I get 5 eggs...occasionally I get 4 eggs.

Next spring we plan on getting more chickens--I would like to get 7-10 more. My ultimate goal is to get a dozen eggs per day ( so we can sell them)

Sounds like you started out small and are working your way up. I think that's why I want to start with just 2, just to see if I can do it. Good luck with yours! I hope you get some more! :drinker:

jennikelly796

chicken poop that has been left for a while is great fertiliser for your garden, fresh poop will burn your plants, if your into gardening that is

csummer8882

I dont heat or light my chickens and we live in New Hampshire. I figure it gives then a natural rest. It will keep them laying a bit longer than keeping them laying during their slower time. My 6 girls make it just fine with no heat or light in their coop.

Debutante55

Good luck with your chicken venture, if you decide to give it a try. We're in the country and have chickens all our lives. Honestly, it's not much more work to care for 10 hens versus 2 hens but it's a good idea to get your entire flock all at once, since introducing new members to the flock will be *trouble* for a few days until they sort it out amongst themselves... the phrase "pecking order" is the real truth!
- The first thing you need to decide is if you and your husband prefer white eggs or brown eggs, because the colour of the shell is determined by the breed of the chicken.
- If you're new to fresh eggs, you might be grossed out by the blood spots that will frequently appear in some of the yolks. They're common in eggs produced by very young hens and very old hens and they're completely harmless to eat (but pretty unappetizing if you don't pick them out). The thing is, ALL eggs have blood spots, it's just that they disappear as eggs sit for weeks on the shelves of a grocery store.
- Speaking of gross, be prepared to wash the occasional egg that gets all covered in poop as it's laid. If you wash it with soap then use it right away, as the natural protective coating (called "the bloom") will be gone.
- Do not attempt to make Devilled Eggs with super-fresh eggs. They won't peel and you'll go mad. ;-)
- As others have said, hens and coops do not smell bad if they're cleaned out regularly. We bed ours on pine shavings, the same type we use for our horses (available at any feed mill or livestock supply store), and we clean out the coops almost daily.
- You mentioned you have a dog so be careful! Some dogs have a real appetite for tasty chicken, or at least love chasing and terrifying them – especially bird-dogs like Labs, Retrievers, naturally.
- If allowed to free-range they are dirty and destructive. Say goodbye to any nice plants or annuals as they'll accidentally dig them all up as they scratch around the gardens. And they WILL poop on your veranda, walkway, driveway, barn aisles... everywhere... if they're not contained in a large, safe, fenced area.
- We always found our flock to be quite friendly and their antics are very entertaining! Depends on the breed - check out the "Heritage breeds" which have a long history of living side-by-side with people and of being climate-hardy and disease-resistant.
- Hens are very routine-oriented. They like to be fed "scratch" and "pelleted feed" twice a day and they'll put themselves to bed early in the late-afternoon/evening if the coop door is open. At night they go into a weird trance so they really need to be protected from predators.
- Make sure their roost is wide enough so that they can sit flat on their feet when roosting to keep their feet warm - a 2x4 works well if the wider side is upward.
- I suggest you buy a book called "Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens" by Gail Damerow. That'll give you a good overview of what you're in for.
- I don't think that raising laying hens is a good idea to "save" money on eggs because by the time you buy all your feed, oyster shell, and factor in health-care (like annual mite-dusting) you won't!!! However, free-range, organic eggs are now going for $7.00/dozen in my area so I might be wrong, if you have enough to sell.
- Most importantly, DO NOT get a rooster... EVER! They are always noisy and are often aggressive, egomaniacal jack-*kitten*!!!

I wish you LOTS of luck, and if you decide hens are not for you, you shouldn't have any trouble finding them a nice, loving home.

bpotts44

Chickens are stinky and nasty. We have to clean out the water container every day because they poo all in it. It doesn't matter how we rig up the water container, they still manage to gross it up. We keep woodchips covering the bottom of the pen, but doesn't help with the nastiness. We have 30 chickens. We have had all kinds including ones that laid green eggs! We have found that the double yokers come from the Rhode Island Red hens. After purchasing the food and oyster shell each month, it is really cheaper to go to your local farmers market and buy them. I only still have them because they are my childrens' pets. They used to be "free range" until my entire yard and porch was covered in crap. UHhh! I hate having chickens. I hate cooking the eggs. I am "chickened out". Goats are nasty too, but thats another story. Oh why does my family love animals????

They are only stinky and nasty if their area is not properly maintained or you are housing them in too small an area. We get eggs for about 1.50 - 2 per dozen and there is no smell whatsoever 2 ft from the coop and if we smell something then we put in more bedding and the smell goes away. If you let them on your porch, then yes they are going to poop it up.

Hey, I'm not an animal person. We have a 20 X 20 enclosure for our hens that my husband built. Are you telling me that it's not gross when you have to go into the enclosure and trample thru all the crap and clean out all of the crap, and water containers, and food bins. I'm just saying that in my circumstance, it's nasty.

In a 20x20 area you have about 13 sq ft/ bird. Is this outside or all under roof? You should be able to spread down wood chips 2-3 inches thick. Add more if you have to. Spread around scratch grains daily and the birds will turn the bedding. Every six months or so you should be able to pull out almost pure compost. I just did this last weekend and apply it directly to our garden in the fall. Sure there is a little fresh manure mixed in, but when bedded properly it should not be gross and there should be little visible manure.

The feeder and waterer should be above ground level approximately the height of the chicken's chest, maybe 6 inches. They should not be able to roost above the feeder or waterer either. Somehow your birds are getting above the waterer and pooping in it or it is ground level where they can cause havoc. We hang the feeder over a sheltered area and we put the waterer on a stone to keep it up. These are pretty easy problems to fix.

Pisc2749

Sounds like you started out small and are working your way up. I think that's why I want to start with just 2, just to see if I can do it. Good luck with yours! I hope you get some more! :drinker:
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You can do it, it seems more intimidating then it really is. They are pretty low maintenance.

We live in the city and have had chickens for about 5 years now. Just a warning, if you start out with only 2, you'll wish you'd gotten more. Two is risky because they can't really tell 100% if the chicks are boys or girls. There is a chance one of the two (or both) could end up roosters. To better our odds, we normally get about 5 or 6 chicks in the spring and we usually get at least 1 rooster out of the bunch, sometimes 2. You won't know it for several weeks, or when they start trying to crow.

My advice is to get a few extra, because also sometimes chicks can get sick and die through no fault of your own as well (thankfully we've never had that happen, but it's pretty common).


There are a lot of people raising chickens in their backyards, if you decide later to keep only 2 or 3, you'll have no trouble getting someone to take the others off your hands.

Linda_Darlene

I just found this youtube video about keeping garden chickens!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjTLPYkH0K4

endlesoul

Lots of good information for you, but just hope you have checked with your RCW's where you live. Also if you live in a HOA what are their rules for chickens. Example I live in a county where we are allowed to have chickens but I am in a home owners association that doesn't.

With that said, we have a neighbor who is petitioning the board to allow chickens. OMG I hope this doesn't happen. No offense to those who have them. My issue NOISE and what a ruckus they don't have roosters just hens. We live next to the chicken lady and trying to sleep in the morning some days is terrible.

So my advice is make sure you read tips on "www.backyardchickens.com" and please make sure you have neighbors that won't be impacted.

therighttrack

We have hens also..........one thing we have learned that I didn't see already said is that in the winter (depending how cold it gets where you live) ........to keep them laying we put a light out there--it's just a lightbulb in a light socket....we did heat lamps when they were medium sized but when they were super tiny we kept them in the basement with heat lamps. ....but basically they need light to lay and when the days start to get shorter like right now in Utah where we live--we already see a dramatic reduction in their laying. Ours are also older so it might be some of that due to age but it's always been this way every winter. Seems like my husband also uses a horse water heater in their water too in winter so their water doesn't freeze. They ADORE the old cobs of corn from the corn patch and tomatoes!!!

Have fun!!!

I do worry about the winter, which in Texas could be no worse than fall or could be a frozen tundra situation. I figured we'd need a light and heater, but I didn't think about heating the water. Thanks!

I put the water container IN the hen house where the heat from the lamp will help to keep it from freezing(Canadian winters! BRrrrr) ...but I admit I do not keep AS MUCH water in the container as I do during the warmer parts of the year - just in case it does freeze. The straw in there as well as the heat from the chickens help too! (The hen house is also insulated around the walls, and I throw a tarp over the top to help the heat from escaping through the roof) And yes, this is what happens when the temperature starts to get a little colder (mid - late fall for us) and the egg numbers drop to a dull roar! By late Oct-Early Nov we dont really get them anymore - have to buy again until the spring time when they start up again. Hence I am getting from 0-2 eggs every other day now.

therighttrack

quote
`In a 20x20 area you have about 13 sq ft/ bird. Is this outside or all under roof? You should be able to spread down wood chips 2-3 inches thick. Add more if you have to. Spread around scratch grains daily and the birds will turn the bedding. Every six months or so you should be able to pull out almost pure compost. I just did this last weekend and apply it directly to our garden in the fall. Sure there is a little fresh manure mixed in, but when bedded properly it should not be gross and there should be little visible manure.

The feeder and waterer should be above ground level approximately the height of the chicken's chest, maybe 6 inches. They should not be able to roost above the feeder or waterer either. Somehow your birds are getting above the waterer and pooping in it or it is ground level where they can cause havoc. We hang the feeder over a sheltered area and we put the waterer on a stone to keep it up. These are pretty easy problems to fix. `
quote

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Wood chips....great idea. I usually spread a thin layer of the straw all around the pen floor. This helps it to fall through to the underside so when I walk in, its not so messy on my shoes! When I clean the pen I simply shovel the straw up with the poop and turn it into the garden (very well). My veggies grow great! Everyone is commenting on the size of the Zucchini I have this year (bigger than the large butternut squash! - some were almost twice that size)

cabaray

We live in the country and have about 25 hens. We love the fresh eggs! My husband does all the dirty work as I have a fear of birds (bad experience with a mama blue jay in my youth lol). As someone said, they don't peel as well when boiled. I do make deviled eggs out of fresh eggs. If you add vinegar to the water you use for boiling, it will make eggs (store bought or fresh) much easier to peel.

Nukkers

I'm from the south and my memaw rasied chickens all my life. I'm not too sure about the chicken poop question, maybe use it as fertilizer? But the chickens do bond with their care takers. My mawmaw's chickens would follow her anywhere. Along with the goats and ducks, etc. It was a sight to see, my little ole grandma walking around the barn yard and all the animals following her around, including the dog. She could barely turn around. Haha.

Christine1110

We have had ours for a long time now...the eggs are the best!! I usually buy egg beaters egg whites for myself....lol.
Check to make sure your allowed to have chickens...and how many.

Good luck. I love watching ours. They get along great with our cats too.

Mistyblu08

poo makes great fertilizer for gardens and flowers but be sure to let it :rest: outside in bin or something ( I live in country so not a problem to let lie) for 6 mos to year....poultry poo caustic to plants if its too "hot"

chickens are always a little standoffish but fiancee had a rooster at one point that would let himself be picked up and carried around the yard and brought into house lol though he didnt stay in lol

they need light to lay as well as laying food and dirt to help digestion....good luck and yes the eggs are awesome to eat!!!

o they will also eat whatever scraps you have from table ...just to keep them busy ours dont like some veggies but otherwise they love it!!

amyhoss

I think this is a great idea. I just don't think my husband would be on board. He would think I'm crazy. Why buy the chicken when you can get the eggs for (almost) free?


ETA: I get the benefits though; healthier eggs and cruelty-free.

cabaray

The difference between store bought and fresh is amazing. If you feed them right, the fresh eggs will have harder shells, thicker whites and much yellower (actually orange) yolks. We will never go back to store bought eggs. I did bring home a store bought egg from my Mom's house (not sure why she had it because they live next door and we give them eggs) and I could not believe the difference. The store bought egg was so pale and runny! We have about 25 hens and get about 16 eggs a day right now (in Indiana). We have white leghorns (large white eggs) and black (almost blue) Australorps (large brown eggs). I can't say much about personality because I'm afraid of birds and refuse to get in the pen with them!