Chickens!

[steveh_131]

Thanks to all of you for all of the info provided!

I'm still weighing the pros and cons of this. I've got two little kids and need to be sure that I'm prepared for the time commitment.

How much time and maintenance does this really amount to? Any opinions?

And one other question: If I am focusing solely on hens laying eggs, will I find myself having to thin the flock very often to get rid of birds that aren't laying? Or do they tend to die off on their own once production gets slow?

I want the kids to be very friendly with the chickens, but I'm not sure how they'll feel about me chopping off their heads (the chickens heads, not the kids). And if I'm really being honest, I might have a hard time killing them once they've become our pets.

 

[88GT]

I'm still weighing the pros and cons of this. I've got two little kids and need to be sure that I'm prepared for the time commitment.

I haven't purchased eggs from the store for over a year, and that was only because one winter season they quit laying completely for about a month and I ran out of my "stock" of eggs. The eggs are soooo much better than store-bought eggs. And kids love chickens!!!!! There are at least a half a dozen educational opportunities in keeping chickens.

How much time and maintenance does this really amount to? Any opinions?

Initial construction of the shelter and run will be the largest single time investment. Beyond that, it's about a grand total of 5-10 hours a month, and that includes it all: daily feeding/watering, coop clean-out as needed, trips to the feed store, incidental needs that need attention, egg collecting. If I'm not doing one of those, I'm largely ignoring them. I check on them about 2-3 times a day for a visual count and to make sure one hasn't become injured (it's happened once; one broke her beak ).

And one other question: If I am focusing solely on hens laying eggs, will I find myself having to thin the flock very often to get rid of birds that aren't laying? Or do they tend to die off on their own once production gets slow?

Depends. If your goal is to have egg production at its max all the time and efficiency of cost is a primary concern, then yes, you will want to cull as necessary. How often depends on the breeds you choose. Some will lay for 3-4 years, some only for a year or two. Though all will slow egg production after the 2nd year, some do it more drastically than others.

And you will find that there will be natural thinning. I started out with 5 Barred Rocks. Lost the first one 8 months after I got them (May 2011). Lost the second one Summer of 2012. Lost a third last summer. Last year I also got 3 Rhode Island Reds. One became gimpy at about 6-8 weeks old. She never recovered and I had to cull her. So of the four I have lost, I've only had to kill one myself. I still get about a dozen eggs/week with 2 hens that are just over a year old and 2 hens that are 3 years old.

I want the kids to be very friendly with the chickens, but I'm not sure how they'll feel about me chopping off their heads (the chickens heads, not the kids). And if I'm really being honest, I might have a hard time killing them once they've become our pets.

Breaking the neck is far easier. And once you do it the first time.....If you set the stage that they aren't pets, it's not so bad. My kids still "play" with the chickens (feed them, "chase" them, etc), but they understand that they (the birds) are livestock and not pets. Then when a hen has dies, they donn't have a problem with it. Some people require their chickens be docile and accept handling and touching by humans. I didn't. So while the kids have to be nice to the chickens, the chickens don't have to play nice with the kids. And that seems to do a pretty good job of killing any deep, heart-felt relationship one of them might want to have with a chicken.

I won't lie and say it's cheaper than buying store-bought, but there's something to be said for knowing that there's one more thing you don't have to rely on a grocery store for.

 

[steveh_131]

So while the kids have to be nice to the chickens, the chickens don't have to play nice with the kids. And that seems to do a pretty good job of killing any deep, heart-felt relationship one of them might want to have with a chicken.

Hahaha. Just lol'd in my cubicle.

I won't lie and say it's cheaper than buying store-bought, but there's something to be said for knowing that there's one more thing you don't have to rely on a grocery store for.

Is it at least substantially cheaper than raw farm fresh eggs at $3.75/dozen?

 

[88GT]

Hahaha. Just lol'd in my cubicle.

Is it at least substantially cheaper than raw farm fresh eggs at $3.75/dozen?

How many dozens do you go through in a month? And how many birds would you have? How much ranging would they have to supplement the diet? My four birds cost me about $15 in feed every 6 weeks and lay about 6 dozen eggs in that time. Feed is their primary diet now, almost 100% of it. When the dog is less likely to eat them, it will become Lowe as I let them out to forage more.

 

[steveh_131]

How many dozens do you go through in a month? And how many birds would you have? How much ranging would they have to supplement the diet? My four birds cost me about $15 in feed every 6 weeks and lay about 6 dozen eggs in that time. Feed is their primary diet now, almost 100% of it. When the dog is less likely to eat them, it will become Lowe as I let them out to forage more.

I would say that my family goes through about 4 dozen a week on average. I was considering 10 birds, maybe 12. So for 12 birds I'd be looking at about $30/month in feed... is that for organic feed? I just know my wife will want organic feed lol.

Doesn't sound all that lucrative when I really start to crunch the numbers.

We would have plenty of kitchen scraps to feed them. They might be able to free range some, but not very much. I imagine hawks would be steadily dining on them if I let them out unsupervised during the day.

 

[88GT]

I would say that my family goes through about 4 dozen a week on average. I was considering 10 birds, maybe 12. So for 12 birds I'd be looking at about $30/month in feed... is that for organic feed? I just know my wife will want organic feed lol.

Doesn't sound all that lucrative when I really start to crunch the numbers.

We would have plenty of kitchen scraps to feed them. They might be able to free range some, but not very much. I imagine hawks would be steadily dining on them if I let them out unsupervised during the day.

Organic feed is a waste IMO, but.....

If you're looking at chickens solely on a dollar for dollar cost comparison, it might not work out.

 

[RockofStrength]

I would say that my family goes through about 4 dozen a week on average. I was considering 10 birds, maybe 12. So for 12 birds I'd be looking at about $30/month in feed... is that for organic feed? I just know my wife will want organic feed lol.

See if you can convince her to go with just non-medicated feeds. Labeled organic feed is rarely anything worth noting, and the meds are the really nasty part of the industrial feeding regimen.

Doesn't sound all that lucrative when I really start to crunch the numbers.

You won't make a fortune back, particularly if they're primarily fed on feed all their lives, but you will be getting a premium product. I can't personally vouch for egg quality (hate all egg-based dishes like omelets, thank heaven the family loves them) but home-raised and butchered chicken is better in every way compared to store bought. It still kills me to eat standard chicken breast when we lack for the good stuff...our chickens are just so tender and moist!

Just be aware that unless you raise White Cornish Cross (the de facto meat breed in industrial production by Tyson and the rest) you might notice that the breasts are smaller than what you may think of as normal for chickens.

 

[steveh_131]

See if you can convince her to go with just non-medicated feeds. Labeled organic feed is rarely anything worth noting, and the meds are the really nasty part of the industrial feeding regimen.

I'd say the GMO aspect would be more troublesome.

You won't make a fortune back, particularly if they're primarily fed on feed all their lives, but you will be getting a premium product.

True that. Any input on how much of their diet can be made up of kitchen scraps? Both of our parents would probably contribute plenty, in addition to what we would come up with.

Just be aware that unless you raise White Cornish Cross (the de facto meat breed in industrial production by Tyson and the rest) you might notice that the breasts are smaller than what you may think of as normal for chickens.

Hmm. Small breasts are a problem.

As long as there is still a good handful I'm happy.

 

[RockofStrength]

True that. Any input on how much of their diet can be made up of kitchen scraps? Both of our parents would probably contribute plenty, in addition to what we would come up with.

Chickens will eat just about anything from meat to veggies, so it's hard to say how much of their diet can be purely scraps. They won't usually put on weight as quickly unless your kitchen scraps include a lot of grains like the feed does, but since you said you want them to lay eggs a longer time to slaughter weight may not be an issue. Your primary problem would probably be a lack of calcium assuming you only used scraps without any feed, since a chicken burns through calcium when they make their eggs. I'm no chicken nutritionist, but so long as they have access to a little feed per day to balance out whatever may be missing in nutrients from your daily kitchen waste you'd only be limited by how much they can eat before your waste rots or molds over.

Of course if you have additional plans to free range on grass or even a compost heap that the chickens can go through, feed amounts can be diminished. The bugs and seeds help make up the shortfall in calcium and the like.

EDIT: Oh, and also if your lawn isn't treated dandelions are a great treat for chickens that is very nutritious.

 

[88GT]

Chickens will eat just about anything from meat to veggies, so it's hard to say how much of their diet can be purely scraps. They won't usually put on weight as quickly unless your kitchen scraps include a lot of grains like the feed does, but since you said you want them to lay eggs a longer time to slaughter weight may not be an issue. Your primary problem would probably be a lack of calcium assuming you only used scraps without any feed, since a chicken burns through calcium when they make their eggs. I'm no chicken nutritionist, but so long as they have access to a little feed per day to balance out whatever may be missing in nutrients from your daily kitchen waste you'd only be limited by how much they can eat before your waste rots or molds over.

Of course if you have additional plans to free range on grass or even a compost heap that the chickens can go through, feed amounts can be diminished. The bugs and seeds help make up the shortfall in calcium and the like.

EDIT: Oh, and also if your lawn isn't treated dandelions are a great treat for chickens that is very nutritious.

To add to this: you can add calcium supplements.

 

[shibumiseeker]

Is it at least substantially cheaper than raw farm fresh eggs at $3.75/dozen?

We sell our excess eggs at $3/dozen and make more than enough to pay for all of the feed we buy and the cost of the pullets. This is on top of the eggs we go through. We have an envelope on the fridge that we put the egg money into and all chicken expenses come out of that. In the summer the amount of feed we go through slows down substantially while egg production goes up.

I've never crunched the numbers because that simply is not the point, but the above suggests that at the very least the way I deal with chickens makes it better than break-even.

As far as retiring out older chickens, I've yet to have any reach retirement age. We have sold older birds to folks who want 2-3 ready layers, and more often than not we've lost them to predators.

 

[Leadeye]

We sell our excess eggs at $3/dozen and make more than enough to pay for all of the feed we buy and the cost of the pullets. This is on top of the eggs we go through. We have an envelope on the fridge that we put the egg money into and all chicken expenses come out of that. In the summer the amount of feed we go through slows down substantially while egg production goes up.

I've never crunched the numbers because that simply is not the point, but the above suggests that at the very least the way I deal with chickens makes it better than break-even.

As far as retiring out older chickens, I've yet to have any reach retirement age. We have sold older birds to folks who want 2-3 ready layers, and more often than not we've lost them to predators.

Predators have actually breached the chicken fort?

 

[shibumiseeker]

Predators have actually breached the chicken fort?

Not the latest one, yet (I never assume), we actually have 2.5 year old chickens now! But they have nabbed the occasional one that got outside the wire and spent a night out.

 

[Leadeye]

For chickens a night outside the fort at your place would be like touring Jurassic Park in the dark.

 

[shibumiseeker]

For chickens a night outside the fort at your place would be like touring Jurassic Park in the dark.

True dat!

I have raccoon, opossum, skunk, weasel, mink, fox, stray dogs, coyote, and probably a chupacabra or two.

I started playing "Clash of Clans" on my phone (because hey, I have a lot of time in my new job...) and building all those walls and defenses is pretty familiar.

 

[88GT]

True dat!

I have raccoon, opossum, skunk, weasel, mink, fox, stray dogs, coyote, and probably a chupacabra or two.

I started playing "Clash of Clans" on my phone (because hey, I have a lot of time in my new job...) and building all those walls and defenses is pretty familiar.

LOL that's my seven year old's favorite game of late.

 

[CBR1000rr]

It is one of mine as well....... I'm 35.

Our children love the chickens but understand that some times the same "birdies" aren't always going to be there. The educational aspect is just as important as anything, for us. You can't really out a price tag on that.

 

[Wheezy50]

I will try to remember to get some current pics of my coops. One is a converted mini barn and the other I built from scratch. I'm not much of a carpenter and gained a new respect for those who can frame/build from scratch. I had so much wasted wood, bad cuts, errors to cover up it wasn't even funny. Most all the questions have been covered already, all good replies from my experience. I've had chickens for about 5 years now. One thing to think about for a coop location is water and/or electric for a heated water bowl and light during winter. It's no fun hauling water a couple times a day when it's below zero. My heated waterers stayed unfrozen even in the "polar vortex" this past winter and got me a couple days between fill-ups.

I started with 8 chicks from Rural King. One of those turned into a rooster and then turned into chicken and noodles. Next year I added 6 more and kept that number for a couple years. I lost one or two to predators here and there and added a few more here and there. Then I allowed my hens to sit on and hatch out some chicks. Then I kept adding a few more here and there. As of this minute the wife and I are proud parents of somewhere right around 50 chickens. We also have 4 ducks (2 Peking and 2 Kahki Campbell) and 1 stupid Guinea. I picked up an inexpensive incubator this past winter and hatched out a few batches of my own. It's become a fun hobby and the extra eggs and chicks pretty well pay for the feed and expenses. I sell dozens to friends, family and coworkers for $3. I have a ton of different breeds at this point and some full blood chicks can be sold for a few bucks each here and there. I have some Cream Crested Legbars that can be sexed the day they hatch. Female chicks can be sold for ~$10 ("auto sexing" is a popular trait, they also lay blue eggs) We eat any extra roosters at about 4-5 months old.

I personally don't mess with any extra heat in the coop in the winter. I feel like there's more of a chance of them knocking over the heat lamp and burning down the barn than freezing to death. I only had a few small cases of frostbite this past winter and they've all grown out of it now. You can do a little research and get breeds with smaller combs and wattles and that are more cold hardy if it matters to you. My coops are not insulated and do have some small ventilation holes. As mentioned, the eggs will freeze but if you collect once or twice a day if its really cold they will be fine. The external nest boxes are nice so you don't have to go inside the coop to collect eggs. A timer and a compact fluorescent light to give them more "daylight" in the winter will keep the egg numbers up since they naturally slow down with shorter days.

Summer time the feed bills really go down because i'm able to let them free range in the yard and field behind the house. Of the 50 I have only about 18 are old enough to lay. I'm getting around a dozen eggs per day. Once all the chicks I have get to laying age I'll have more eggs than I know what to do with. I will be thinning that number down later this summer.

 

[eldirector]

We settled on a coop style:

I have some plans I will be modifying to suit us better. Total cost should be about $300 to build from scratch. Coop is about 4'x4', plus the nest box. The run will be about 8'x4', plus the 4x4 area under the coop. We plan on only 3-4 birds, so MORE than enough room.

I promised my wife I would help her finish out the garden and her flower beds this weekend. Then, time to get my coop on!

 

[SkinNFluff]

We settled on a coop style:

I have some plans I will be modifying to suit us better. Total cost should be about $300 to build from scratch. Coop is about 4'x4', plus the nest box. The run will be about 8'x4', plus the 4x4 area under the coop. We plan on only 3-4 birds, so MORE than enough room.

I promised my wife I would help her finish out the garden and her flower beds this weekend. Then, time to get my coop on!

lol that is what i and every single person i know said in the beginning. google "chicken math". if you plan to only have 3-4 chickens then build a coop that will hold is 2 or 3 times as many chickens than you are planning on. by doing so you can save a lot of money in the long run.