Livestock?

[Aggar]

Anyone raising their own food besides gardens? This spring I did the little chicks from rural king for the kids and now we’re getting roughly a dozen a day since it got cold. Was about 2 dozen a day before thanksgiving. Also the kids show pigs in 4-h and we have one butchered every year. We plan on having the older chickens butchered after they’re done laying.

 

[Trevelayan]

I was considering getting into chickens for both eggs and meat but I have no idea where to start. I've heard they eat the hell out of ticks and other nasties so that would definitely be a plus where I'm at. I'm guessing they require a decent investment in a pen/house?

 

[Aggar]

I

I was considering getting into chickens for both eggs and meat but I have no idea where to start. I've heard they eat the hell out of ticks and other nasties so that would definitely be a plus where I'm at. I'm guessing they require a decent investment in a pen/house?

it not bad if you have some construction knowledge. Fresh water and good feed. Also they love dried meal worms. Our coup is an old hog house I’d converted into a shed and just sectioned off one side and found some old storm doors off of old houses and used them to get in and out. And then the outside I just used part of our pasture fence to make part of the outdoor coup area for them. We also have a few ducks too.

 

[Aggar]

I had a lot of wood from other projects laying around. I just had to buy a few things. Make it functional. Doesn’t have to be pretty b

 

[Trevelayan]

I

it not bad if you have some construction knowledge. Fresh water and good feed. Also they love dried meal worms. Our coup is an old hog house I’d converted into a shed and just sectioned off one side and found some old storm doors off of old houses and used them to get in and out. And then the outside I just used part of our pasture fence to make part of the outdoor coup area for them. We also have a few ducks too.

How bad is attrition from coyotes/owls/etc? Should I plan on losing a decent amount of the flock?

 

[Aggar]

How bad is attrition from coyotes/owls/etc? Should I plan on losing a decent amount of the flock?

Haven’t lost any to predators yet. We put them up at night. The outside area is totally enclosed. We’ve lost 2 ducks(our fault) and one chicken drown in the duck pond. Lol. And we had 2 extra roosters in a our flock that went for a nature walk.

 

[wagyu52]

I’ve got 24 calves on feed, 7-800lbs. We do freezer beef, got most of them sold for oct-nov. 20 pregnant cows on deck start calving in February. also have 24 free range hens they get locked up at night. We also did 100 boilers last year on pasture it worked well we processed them ourselves and sold whole chickens, I think we are going to do much more this summer

 

[wagyu52]

We use this automatic door for our free range hens.
https://www.omlet.us/shop/chicken_keeping/automatic_chicken_coop_door_opener/
With all the cows around and 12 acres of hay they rarely go outside the farm stead, so far we haven’t lost any we set the auto door for time, right now it opens at 8 and closes at 6

 

[jerrob]

Have some New Zealand Whites I raise in the barn. I just reset my brood stock at the end of summer, with the exception of one veteran doe. These are strictly meat rabbits that go in my freezer.
Their manure has worked miracles with my garden production.
I'd like to build a legit rabbit tractor this summer for the grow outs and the breeders, they love being out on the grass.

 

[Elcardo]

Dont think we're supposed to as we live close to downtown fort Wayne but we have a couple chickens it's great and they're kind of fun to take care of we , plenty of plans online for coups , we also setup a kind of "play pen" I can move to different parts of the yard so they can get out of the coup and get on grass ( have to keep moving it or they destroy the yard fast)
Would like to try and raise rabbits but I'm really interested in doing an aquaponics setup where you raise fish and grow veggies at the same time, guess you can use bluegill and that's my favorite!!

 

[Magyars]

I've had chickens for about 8 years now.
They have an enclosed run with 6 foot chain link fence around it. Netting over the top.
Never lost one to depredation yet.

 

[Aggar]

I've had chickens for about 8 years now.
They have an enclosed run with 6 foot chain link fence around it. Netting over the top.
Never lost one to depredation yet.

What netting did you use?

 

[Magyars]

Cheap nylon, ordered it on line a few years ago.
Came in a roll and it expands pretty easily.
Think it may have been for fruit trees

 

[Tactically Fat]

Unless you have a Chicken Fortress of Solitude, once a predator finds them, you WILL lose animals. Some predator-type animals will kill them just to kill them.

Gotta keep the hawks, owls, and eagles at bay. They're smart birds. They'll keep coming back to the well. And just so we're clear here: killing a raptor can be a FEDERAL offense. Get to be best buds with your district Conservation Officer if you have a raptor problem with your own birds.

Gotta keep the raccoons away. They're smart animals. They'll keep coming back to the well.

Gotta keep the foxes away. They're smart animals. They'll keep coming back to the well.

Gotta keep the mink away. They're smart animals. They'll keep coming back to the well.

See a pattern?

 

[Aggar]

Cheap nylon, ordered it on line a few years ago.
Came in a roll and it expands pretty easily.
Think it may have been for fruit trees

I got some deer netting from menards and it isn’t worth a crap. A strong wind can rip it free from being staples down. And the last snow we had caved it in on top. I’m going to have to rethink it. Lol

 

[Aggar]

Unless you have a Chicken Fortress of Solitude, once a predator finds them, you WILL lose animals. Some predator-type animals will kill them just to kill them.

Gotta keep the hawks, owls, and eagles at bay. They're smart birds. They'll keep coming back to the well. And just so we're clear here: killing a raptor can be a FEDERAL offense. Get to be best buds with your district Conservation Officer if you have a raptor problem with your own birds.

Gotta keep the raccoons away. They're smart animals. They'll keep coming back to the well.

Gotta keep the foxes away. They're smart animals. They'll keep coming back to the well.

Gotta keep the mink away. They're smart animals. They'll keep coming back to the well.

See a pattern?

We have dogs and cats that keep the critters out. I do need to get my upper part of the outdoor enclosure secured better. The deer netting isn’t doing any good.

 

[Tactically Fat]

We have dogs and cats that keep the critters out. I do need to get my upper part of the outdoor enclosure secured better. The deer netting isn’t doing any good.

Deer netting strung across the tops of whatever enclosure you have can really help with aerial predators. Can even hang some pie tins from it. Or flashy reflective streamers and some such.

 

[Aggar]

Deer netting strung across the tops of whatever enclosure you have can really help with aerial predators. Can even hang some pie tins from it. Or flashy reflective streamers and some such.

It is or was over the top until the snow caved it in. I’m going to get a couple 2x4’s to put across the top to support it. It was a paint in the butt to put up. My first time building one.

 

[Magyars]

The netting I use is not much thicker than heavy sewing thread.
I'll try to get a picture

 

[Magyars]

First pic is unused netting...second the fenced in area.third close up of netting. I apologise for the poor quality..my tablet sux