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The 10 Mistakes of Raising Chickens
Raising chickens can be a very rewarding process. Besides providing you with fresh eggs, it can also be a teaching resource for your children and a way for you to become self-sufficient.
However, there are a few mistakes that people make when they first start raising chickens. Check out this list below and add your mistakes at the bottom to help others learn.
Building your Henhouse on the Ground
Many first timers will create a henhouse directly on the ground. They figure that the chickens will be able to peck for worms or that cleanup will be a lot easier. However, having a chicken coop on the ground can allow for foxes or other predators to work their way into the house. If there is an underground hole that you don’t know about, you may continue to lose your chickens. Instead, build a raised chicken coop that sits off the ground. Many people even incorporate removable or swing-away floors that allow for easy access cleaning.
- 3 Free Chicken Coop Designs –
The Material
While most people use rough recycled lumber to make their chicken coops, this may not be the best material to keep things clean. The rough board will be harder to clean, paint or whitewash. It’s better to use a material that is smoother and is easier to clean, wipe or paint.
Outside Access
Some larger chicken coops allow you to walk inside and collect your eggs. However, this can pose some problems. Going into the chicken coop might result in tracking chicken poo all over the house or intruding on the chickens while they’re looking for an available laying box. Instead, create outside access boxes that you can grab the eggs from the laying boxes without disturbing the chickens as they walk around the hen house. This will also keep your shoes a little cleaner.
Treats and Food
Determine what feed you will have for your chickens. It’s recommended that you get poultry feed and get feed with added protein during the colder seasons. Chickens also like fresh and dried worms, white grapes, pomegranate seeds, raspberries, chard, brussel spout leaves and cherry tomatoes. When the chickens begin to start laying eggs, they will need more calcium in their diet. Usually feeding them a few oyster shells will do the trick.
Heating
Depending on where you live, you’ll need to maintain a certain temperature inside the coop. If you install a heating lamp, make sure that it’s high enough that it doesn’t overheat the chickens or burn the shavings on the floor. Usually a 250 watt bulb will be warm enough. You’ll need to collect eggs frequently during the winter too because they will tend to freeze.
The Law
While most people are eager to start raising their own chickens, you may need to check your local ordinances. You don’t want to put a lot of effort into buying chickens or building a coop and then find out that it’s not allowed.
- How much land do you need to live on for a year? –
Bucket for Watering
A chicken can go a few days without feed, but they can’t go very long without water. Many first-timers just add a bucket of water into the coop that is tall enough so that the chickens won’t play in it and is heavy enough not to tip over easily. However, this encourages the birds to jump on top of the bucket and drink straight from the top – making it easier to tip over after a while. Consider using a hanging water source – called a waterer or a fount. This creates a trough, preventing the birds from sitting on the top.
Rooster to Hen Ratio
The ideal ratio of roosters to hens is 1:12, depending on the nature of the rooster. If you have a lower ratio than that, the rooster may get too aggressive with the hens. If you have a low ratio you’ll notice that your hens will tend to have bald spots on the back of their heads and featherless patches on their backs. If they’re over-agitated, hens’ egg lying will become sporadic.
Counting Your Birds
Each night, when you lock your chicken coop, you should count the chickens to make sure they are all in the coop. Usually, the chickens will move inside the hen house when it begins to get dark. However, you’ll notice that some chickens will try and hide their nests outside of the coop. They will set up a nest in nearby bushes and instead of moving into the coop they will move to their nest. Count your birds each night to make sure that you don’t have any unprotected birds that have set up rogue nests.
- Chicken with a 25 year shelf life? –
Preventing Passing Pets
Many people like the idea of free-range chickens. However, this may not mix well with urban homesteading. You may need to plan against passing pets – especially dogs on leashes. Don’t assume that owners will stop their dogs or be able to keep them on a leash. You’ll need to have some fence or security in place for passing dogs.
Your Advice
What advice do you have? Did you make a mistake that you’d like to add to the list? Comment below and share your knowledge.
A good idea for chickens that get board if they are cooped up is to hang a head of lettuce on a rope from the ceiling so the birds can reach it. They love to peck away at the lettuce and it gives them something to do.
February 7th, 2013 at 4:20 amJust a few short thoughts.
Roosters can get very loud at all hours of the day and night. Some city dwellers may not know this. It can make for grumpy neighbors!
Chickens still lay eggs with no rooster around. Some people may think otherwise.
Having a good dog around can keep some predators away. The trick is finding a dog that won’t be a predator.
Thanks for the article!
Have a nice day!
Mike
February 7th, 2013 at 6:11 amAll very good advice. (I have had chickens for over 40 years now) If you need to use a heat lamp during cold months, use the red bulbs. These will heat the birds only, not the bedding. Prevents an unexpected fire!
February 7th, 2013 at 8:55 amWe poured a slab for the coop floor. We also used 3 different sized wire to keep the bad critters out. Hog wire is on the outside of the coop. Then a small 1/4″ wire and then chichen wire. We have the boxes elevated, but we walk into the coop. The birds like us in there. We take our boots off at the door of our house so we don’t worry about dragging in poop.
We use a fount for water. We found that works the best. It hangs from the rafter. We also use a similar type of feeder that we hang for their feed. We use a heat lamp that is set on the fount so the water doesn’t freeze. It does a little sometimes, but it isn’t a problem. And if the chickens get cold they can go where the heat lamp is warming. We live in AZ so we don’t have to turn the heat lamp on much in the winter.
We will buy the premium bird seed as a treat for the birds. They love it! It has nuts and dried fruits. We also have cut a pumpkin in half and they love that, too. Pumpkin is a natural dewormer.
We really enjoy our chickens. They are pretty easy to take care of. We have 8. We use them for eggs as I like my chickens too much. If they are to be eaten, it will be in a desperate situation. I know that may be silly, but I can’t bring myself to eat my friends (pets).
February 7th, 2013 at 9:00 amI raised chickens for many years, they are amazing birds and I learned much from observation and self education!! When they are molting(loosing and replacing feathers) throw them a couple of handfuls of dry cat food once in awhile, its a great source of animal protein and they LOVE it. They will eat most any table scraps(not meat)they love watermelon rinds and corn cobs and will peck them clean! NO onions or garlic as these will give your eggs a flavor you don’t want!! They are great “recyclers” and wonderful for “pest control”. My labs grew up with chickens so were great “protectors” when preditors showed up. But beware of egg snatchers, if they have access to nests!!
February 7th, 2013 at 9:11 amI guess that is Number 11 Cathy. Don’t fall in love with your food. A real problem for folks who don’t have that farm/survival instinct.
February 7th, 2013 at 9:12 amNLJ,
That is true. hehe We will eat them if we have to, but for now I will stick with Safeway chicken. I read somewhere that it is easier to someone elses animals than your own.
If needed, the nonproducers will get the axe, sort a speak.
Cathy
February 7th, 2013 at 9:46 amMike Davis said that hens will lay eggs with or without a rooster. Will they lay as often with as without? Is there a difference in taste? I can see city folk wanting to do without a rooster, but I’d rather have one or two to propagate the flock. thanks for your answer(s)!
February 7th, 2013 at 10:07 am@Bee. Cat food contains Chicken meat, Chicken By Products (Chicken heads, feet, and intestines) and Chicken fat. Do you really want to make your birds cannibals?
February 7th, 2013 at 10:37 amWithout a rooster…hens will lay as many eggs and the quality and taste is the same.
February 7th, 2013 at 11:02 amFeed can be very expensive so I buy a ton of feed from wheat growers right out of the field. I will also buy a ton of barley and mix wheat, barley and corn. This provides exceptional protien. Spring through fall I allow my chickens to graze in clover, grass which makes excellent meat and eggs. Keeping your pin clean will cut down on lice and I use diatomatious earth for killing insects. It will not hurt the chickens and are good for intestinal parasites.
February 7th, 2013 at 11:06 amIt mentioned a low ratio of chickens to rooster being an issue, but what about a high ratio of chickens to rooster? Would that be an issue?
February 7th, 2013 at 11:17 amChickens need a readily available source of gravel or small stones. Softer rocks do not work well for “chewing” their food. I provide crushed quartz that I find at old quarries. It has sharp edges and the chickens sellect for it and when I butcher them I usually find only quartz in their gizzard. I would presume that better “chewing” makes for better feed conversion. Also chickens need atleast 14 hours of light to continue laying thoughout the winter. Put a light on a timer in the coop to come on early in the morning like 3am or so. By adding supplemental light in the morning if you have free range chickens they still return to the coop at the same time each night or right before dark.
February 7th, 2013 at 11:18 amOne other and very essential tip for raising chickens…don’t plant them too deep. LOL
February 7th, 2013 at 11:27 amGreat article!
what is a good number of chickens to start with for a true novice beginner?
February 7th, 2013 at 11:33 amI built a hen house from the free plans provided on the Purina web site. It was placed in an enclosure that is 20×20. The mistake I made was the opening in the fencing used for the enclosure. While it was good for keepping the dogs out, it wasn’t right to keep the birds in. They went right through. The enclosure has been upgraded with a layer of chicken wire and we will try again in the spring.
February 7th, 2013 at 11:36 amWhen looking to start raising chickens since there are so many types. They need to decide what they want from the chickens they are going to raise. LIke do they just want eggs then maybe they should get the chickens that are best for just egg production. Or if they are looking to raise the chickens for eggs and meat then they should get a breed of chicken that supports both egg production and are good for meat. They should also look into which ones can withstand the elements of weather where they are living. A hanging water container or faunt is a good idea and hanging feeder. I through in a little alfalfa hay for my chickens to pick at every once in a while they seem to love it.A great way to feed them worms is to talk to friends that go fishing and let them know that you would like the worms that they don’t use when out on their fishing trip to feed to your chickens and if your getting enough eggs you can offer them some eggs in return or maybe even come chicken meat.
February 7th, 2013 at 11:48 am@Greg and @Bee Chickens are cannibals by nature. If one of your hens gets injured, the others will peck the wound, and possibly kill and eat them. When you have a bird that has been hurt it is a good idea to separate them until the bleeding has stopped and the bird no longer looks or act hurt. Then keep and eye on them for an hour or so after reintroducing them into the flock to make sure the others leave them alone.
But speaking of food. Ours also like leftover popcorn, stale bread, crackers, chips and all those crunchy snacks.
February 7th, 2013 at 12:00 pm@Greg: as Roy said, chickens are already cannibals. In fact, they will eat pretty much any meat. We free-range our chickens and they will follow my on the lawn mower, scarfing down all the insects, snakes, & lizards they can find (had one eat a baby copperhead). I shot a wild hog once, they ate the eyeballs out of the head…
February 7th, 2013 at 2:20 pmI love raising chickens and started with day old chicks. I lost 4 chicks from 2 different shipments which can be hard if you have children. I saved several weak chicks by giving them a poultry drench which is a concentrated vitamin mineral liquid in dropper doses. The worst mistake I made with my pens, I have 2 8×12 sectioned off in a larger older building, is that I didn’t re-cement the floor with hardware cloth. I didn’t have rats until I had chickens and they dug their way up through the old cement and freely feed when they want. I did place enclosed poison feeders in the barn isle but make sure your chickens cannot access the poison. The rest of the pens have hardware cloth every place that a rat could crawl through. If you can keep the rats out every other predator will be kept out. The best thing to do is educate yourself and if you have children join your local 4-h poultry club. I learned more from other chicken fanciers talking about their mistakes and what they have learned than I read in any book. I have Cochin chickens and buckeye chickens both of which are cold hardy, picking a chicken breed that can survive well in your climate is important. I free range my birds and have no fenced areas for them shrubbery and hedgerows are important for them to hide in when the hawks circle. I have only lost one bird to a predator so far, an owl, and it was my fault I didn’t lock up the coop until after dark.
February 7th, 2013 at 2:27 pmThere is good information here. Very informative. I raised chickens for eggs and incubation. I let my chickens free range and maintained a ratio of 1:10. I had no issues with hens getting bald spots from the roosters I believe because they were free range and not confined during the day. I would get a 98% hatch. With less roosters the hatch would decrease. I would save back some chicks once a year for replacement and put the excess roosters in the freezer. For those incubating, your gathered eggs placed in the refrigerator will hatch in the incubater. They are fertile and the cool temperature will not hurt them. Store bought eggs are not normally fertile and won’t hatch. Although my hen house was on the ground at one end of the barn, the roosts were 3 1/2- 4 Ft off the ground and the hen boxes were at an equal height. I had no predator problem while they were in the house. I did loose one time to time while free ranging. And I used a hanging feeder and water fount and provided free access to oyster shell. Don’t limit your selection solely based on egg or meat production. If you don’t free range and plan to keep your chickens confined, be sure to pick a breed that takes confinement well.
February 7th, 2013 at 3:27 pmMike Davis captured my chicken experience: noisy! There is nothing (sort of) worse then baby roosters learning how to crow at 4:00 AM, when you just got in bed at 3:30 AM. And if you chase them (they were free range) they run into the bushes where you can’t thresten them with a 2×4 or log and continue screeching at the top of thier lungs just because they know you can’t get them, or your mom will strangle you for chasing ‘Guzda’ the rooster (ask a Czeck what that is) and Gwen the Hen, who seemed all nice when you met her but would poke your eyes out in a second if she could reach…I have to go now. And find a rooster…
February 7th, 2013 at 3:44 pmOur Americana’s egg yolks have a strange flavor. It has been very hard to get used to. We purchase regular chicken scratch from our feed store, oyster shell, and they free range. The Banty chicken eggs in our flock taste great. Any ideas? We do not have a rooster.
February 7th, 2013 at 4:05 pmA few years back i bought 50 pullets [no roosters], red sexlinks, normally pullets will not lay til after 5 months, but at 4 months we started getting eggs, and not only did we get eggs we got JUMBO eggs that wouldnt let a carton lid close… all i fed was cracked wheat, meat scraps, and garden wastes in the spring and summer, late fall i added in cracked corn 25% cause fat chickens will ot lay, but neither will cold chickens… we lost 2 of the pullets cause the kids dropped em by accident, but at 5 months we were getting 49-50 eggs per day [had a pullet or two laying overtime i suppose] which isnt normal but it happens every now and again.
William North Central Idaho
February 7th, 2013 at 5:18 pmMy grandmother raised chickens for eggs and meat. One thing I remember her doing is putting her eggshells in her scraps to feed the chickens. She said it made the eggshells on the new eggs stronger and helped the chickens digest what they ate.
February 7th, 2013 at 7:15 pmWe don’t have fancy chicken pens and hen houses, a chicken is just not a picky critter, and can call just about any place home. Some of ours are free rangers as are the turkeys, and they prefer roosting in trees even during ice storms. We have had temperatures below 0 at times, and have yet to have one freeze to death.
February 7th, 2013 at 7:50 pmHens are better incubators and brooders than the manufactured models, and they don’t use electricity or cause you any labor. By the time they are done raising the chicks (10 to 12 weeks), they are ready to butcher.
Just be sure to get a few hens of breeds that will set if you want to hatch chicks. Many dual purpose breed hens will set, but you will have to separate the hens you want to set from the laying flock, and let them accumulate an inviting clutch of eggs. You can switch the eggs after the hen decides she wants to set.
The best defense for your chickens is a good dog. We have had wonderful luck with labs, but in the past we have also had great protectors that were Doberman, Rhodesian Ridgeback, and mutts.
Great article.
February 7th, 2013 at 7:53 pmWe bought 17 chicks and they were shipped overnight.
One died the first day – probably from trauma. We setup a cardboard “house” in the spare bedroom and had a headlamp (red, 250W) water, and chick scratch in two feeders.
We kept them in raw shavings which we changed out about once a week.
When they got a few weeks old, we started taking them out to hold and talk to them. They loved their tummies scratched and would outstretch their little legs, showing they liked it.
Once they got nearer to going outside, we started taking them out for ~20 minutes to play and look for bugs and worms. One of these days. We lost one to a fast swooping hawk. We were sad, but had no time to react.
At this stage, we started looking for homes for most of them. We have friends who wanted some and found others through a local farmers market. None were allowed to be taken for food – other than eggs.
We ended up with two Roos. Being in the city, we had to find them homes. We found two great farms outside of town and were confident they had great new homes. Already had friends there in the form of many animals, including chickens and more Roos.
The goal was to keep six…
We repurposed an older playhouse that was our kids. It was built like a house, and on legs. Perfect!
We then sought out a “dog run” made,of cage and got a beautiful 10′x10′ unit almost new.
I tilled the ground where we were to put that and then assembled the run (heady cage with canvas top) next to the playhouse (coop).
I cut a section of cage where to coop door was and then framed it in – bolting it to the doorway so no animals could get in. Perfect.
I then dug around the perimeter of the cage and buried large cement blocks to help block diggers.
We adopted out all but six hens. Four breeds for variety and lovely eggs.
We lost one at six months – a Sicilian – due to a perpetually blocked crop. We could get it down by isolating her, but not permanently. I held her in the house with my granddaughter while she took in her last breaths. Very very difficult as we now had pets, not just chickens.
With five left. At six months, they starts laying eggs with a vengeance. Lovely brown, pink, blue and white eggs. My granddaughter calls it “rent”!
Everything was great. The right number of hens and eggs to take care of, and lots of fun to watch.
We began letting them roam the yard (big and totally fenced with nice wood to keep all but cats out – but cats never bothered the, one bit) for bugs, veggies, and worms. All,was well until on day ~10 days ago. I heard an awful commotion – 5x louder than the “we just laid eggs -’get out here” we usually get. I ran out to find the largest hawk (SoCal) ice ever seen in my life. I yelled and ran after it. I’m 6′-4″, and this thing had wings like my arms. It flew off screaming loudly, but I noticed one of our girls laying there. She was dead. It had broken her neck – thankfully, it was fast and she didn’t get a chance to tear her apart. I cried and quickly buried her next to her sister.
The worst. I felt guilty for days over that. So, no more letting them out in the yard. I feel bad, but…
The trauma,has effected the egg laying for sure. We are only seeing 1 egg a,day now between them. The remaining Sicilian has not laid since. I imagine the stress caused this.
So, here we are only four girls left. I don’t plan on replacing any at this point. Four is good, and,they seem happy, but still scared.
I’d never give up the chickens. In fact, a number of friends have seen my Facebook pics and want to raise them too.
Thanks for posting this story! Apologies for typos. This was done on my iPad.
WE HAVE 2 HENS I ROOSTER GIVEN TO US 5 MONTHS AGO.HUSBAND BUILD A removeable tractor chicken coop. (It has wheels to move around the yard) We get 2 eggs daily. Our dog keep the bad critters away.
February 7th, 2013 at 7:56 pmWe have ameracaunas and I don’t notice a difference in the taste of their yolks at all.
February 7th, 2013 at 8:47 pmI have 2 hens and they are both pets and great egg producers. These are “little dinosaurs” though and love meat….all meat…also nuts and grains…watermelon,grapes…canned cat food is a big treat. Chickens are designed to be omnivorous but do have different “taste” in what they like to eat. Even my two girls don’t always like the same foods.
February 7th, 2013 at 8:56 pmWe just ate my hens we had for years- it was hard! But when they stop laying, that’s what you do. They would eat out of my hand, like pets.. But like I said, that’s what you do.. Anyway, we found no more than 2 hens per family member, unless you REALLY eat a lot of eggs!
I’ll get new ones this spring. They like any leftover veggies, like greens that you don’t get around to cooking.
Biggest problem we’ve had is local birds swooping in to eat their grain. Ground oyster shell every few days.
They DO like bird seed as a treat!
If you have to catch them, do it in early dawn or after dark when they are less active. Don’t chase them, just walk behind them until they walk themselves into a corner, and reach toward them slowly while clucking soothingly.
They like to scratch for food. Even if you use a feeder, throw some out for them to scratch for. It makes them happy. Woodpiles attract bugs-they like them! Pile some firewood up where they can scratch around it for beetles.
We throw our compost veggie leavings at the edge of the coop, and let them peck through the fence for what they want.
Chickens are great. Everyone who can should have some!
February 7th, 2013 at 11:15 pmWe lost 2 bantam roosters to a hawk. The 6 girlz egg laying went down to 2 a day from 6. Someone told us they are much happier with a rooster around so we found a beautiful, huge Americana rooster and within 3 days egg laying was up to 5 a day.
February 8th, 2013 at 1:13 amWhen we first started raising chickens, we allowed them to free range until we got tired of them pickin and scratching the yard apart, mulch everywhere, now we keep them penned up with an occasional romp in the yard an hour before sunset, just enough time to eat enuff bugs but not do too much damage to the yard.
We feed them a variety of stuff, dry chicken feed, a handful of worms from the worm com poster, kitchen scraps, garden waste, bee hive comb, sprouted seed, whatever we have at the time. They love it all
And we love them
6 chickens gives enuff eggs to keep us happy and enuff to share w family and friends
Great hobby and great way to keep you in tune with the ebb and flow of nature
Good info and great comments!
Treats should be no more than 10% of what your chickens eat. Provide both oyster shell (for calcium, once they are close to laying age) and grit (for digestion.) If you can free range them during the day, that’s great for them to forage for natural edibles, but you can raise healthy happy chickens in a secure pen. The operative word is “secure” – you’d be surprised at the damage a stray dog can do to your coop, and to your chickens. Good idea to have doors and window coverings close into recessed frames, so a predator can not gain leverage around the edges and rip the doors off to get to your chickens. Heavy duty hardware (hinges and latches) are essential.
@James – I’ve found that a manageable number for a true novice beginner to start with is four chickens. I’ve also found that there’s an advantage to getting them as baby chicks (assuming you can set up a brooder for the first few weeks of the heat requirements they have) – it gives you a chance to get used to handling them and them a chance to get used to you – as opposed to getting older chicks that may not have been handled much as babies.
February 8th, 2013 at 3:29 amAbout feeding dry catfood to chickens.. I live in northern Wisconsin where temps can reach 30 BELOW ZERO. I often feed catfood to my chickens when it’s brutally cold. They seem to stay warmer that way, and I have had birds reach over 20 years of age!! (Pets, we don’t expect eggs or to eat the bird at that age) I have never had any issues with health over them eating small amounts of catfood. I am a country girl, so don’t think in “city folk” manners. Guess I’m a redneck; I do what works. LOL
February 8th, 2013 at 7:53 am@Chris thanks for the info.
February 9th, 2013 at 6:47 pmI raised chickens for about 16 years now and I just wanted to say this is some good info. My readers at http://kernschickenfarm.com/ would see as useful. Most of them are newbie chicken owners and make multiple mistakes. I will be sure to share this with them as it is very useful for us chicken owners.
February 9th, 2013 at 9:46 pmTo the guy who said chickens need 14 hrs of daylight to lay. Wrong.. We get an egg a day in our extreme northern climate in Michigan’s U.P. Chickens are also very cold hardy, much more than you think, we don’t turn on any heating lamps unless it is -10f. Use an old crockpot for a cheap heated waterer in winter or buy the heated base with thermostat for 45$-USd. 1tbsp of scratch feed per day will cut your layer feed in half during the winter too, or give them plenty of fresh hay from the hayloft floor. We don’t feed our pullets at all in the summer except scratch feed, they will range around and feed themselves.
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:30 pmGood luck and happy chickening.
Get Ducks! They lay in the morning so you don’t have to search for eggs all day. They are easier to move from place to place. I got mine to eat slugs after a very bad year of destroyed plants. The next year I had very little damage from pests. The ducks are allowed to free-range with a pen that they tuck themselves into at night.
March 5th, 2013 at 10:20 pmThey are very entertaining to watch.
To avoid losing chickens to hawks and eagles be sure to put netting over the top of their “yard”. My chickens were great escape artists, even with a 10′ fence. they would fly ot over the fence or climb it like a ladder. They are normaly free range but during the winter they have to be protected from those flying diners. My chickens have a 20′X40′ “yard” outside the horse barn they have taken over. All the exterior walls are lined with nesting boxes and those girls provide me with enough eggs to feed ten families a week. Got to love them.
March 30th, 2013 at 12:45 pmWhat a great article! Takes me back to my childhood in MI, where my parents had 5 acres not 20 miles from Flint. They a good acre garden, where they grew everything, and a chicken coop. 100 hens, and 1 rooster. They had the oyster shells and the small rocks-pea gravel-I think, and a light to keep them warm during the winter. My step dad thought he was killing the rooster, with all those hens, so he put in another rooster, to help share the load. Boy was that wrong! It was a 3 day battle royal, no quarter asked-nor given- for all 100 hens. In the end, the much smaller one, the one who’s hens were his to begin with, kept them all…
Do you know you can paralyze a hen by holding it down, sticking its beak in the dirt, and slowly making a line in the dirt directly away from its beak, about 12-15 inches, then slowly moving away. If you do it right, it will just stay there for minutes, until something distracts it. So of course us 3 young boys had to see how many in a row we could get. I think 16 was our record before one would wake up, and distract the rest. I remember my step dad walking out there, and seeing a dozen hens all lined in a row, beaks in the ground, hypnotized, “No wonder they aren’t laying any eggs!” No dad, that dozen eggs you were short about once every 2 weeks–that was us too…as far as you people who have a problem slaughtering them, that is understandable, they have become pets, instead of food stock. But as my step dad, a very wise man told me, “if they don’t lay breakfast, they may become dinner”
April 13th, 2013 at 1:48 pmI’m glad that the Ready Store is selling these chicken coops. I’ve talked to a few people that raise chickens and predators are a big issue. Winter is a big issue too as the chickens can die from the cold. (I recently read in Country Living magazine that there is a chicken breed that is bred to survive lower temps. They have thicker feathers and a bigger build.) Nevertheless, I came to the conclusion I would make a portable chicken coop that I would put in the garage at night. If it gets cold in the garage, I plan to have a wall mounted heater that runs off of natural gas. I also plan to have 2 or 3 places for them to range free, in a triple-fenced area, and rotate the places they roam. I heard if they don’t have a place to roam, they go a little nutty. I plan to make a chicken coop that rides in a metal wagon (you can buy at any Wal-Mart) which attaches to any riding lawn mower (like a camper for the back of a truck). If all else fails, a Country Living reader suggests keeping them in the laundry room for the night, if it gets too cold. The Bible reads that it is a wise man that tends to the needs of his animals.
April 15th, 2013 at 7:53 pmHaha! I broke nearly every rule listed here, and I have very happy, healthy chickens. I never heat in winter or cool in summer, I have only 1 roo and not near 12 hens, I used the recycled lumbar for our coop without any issues, I allow my birds to free range as they will, and I walk straight into the pen to gather eggs. I don’t think these are mistakes… Different things work for different people. Sometimes pampering chickens too much can cause them to develop problems because they aren’t allowed to live naturally.
May 20th, 2013 at 10:02 am