Getting started with chickens

[flsgear]

I co-mingled ducks and chickens. I don't recommend it.

The ducks are TREMENDOUSLY messy. I mean as in every single day they are covered in their own crap *if living with chickens*. This is because while similar, they have completely different living conditions than chickens. They pretty much NEED somewhere to get into water and do their duck thing. If they don't, then the water dish/trough/etc will become the source of a giant muddy pile of poop, feathers, and bedding.

Side note:
My ducks taught my chickens to honk/quack.
So now my chickens all honk like messed up duck/geese when they want something. It's funny, but annoying.

[KnightoftheRoc]

The (future) Mrs. and I have decided on breeds. Went to http://mypetchicken.com to look over breeds (good info there, btw), and decided on a mix of Australorpes, Delawares, and Silkies (she wants some chickens to be pets, not potential meals). The Silkies were chosen because it would be hard to mistake one for a Delaware, so no accident pet slayings. All three are decent layers, according to the site- one hen of each would give us a dozen eggs a week, so as little as 5 of each would supply all our eggs, and still provide extras for sale. I'm figuring I'll probably end up with a chicken population of 7-12 of each, allowing the Aussies and Delawares to breed out some roosters which can become Sunday dinners, so I'll have meat, too. We'll be very selective on the Silkie's breeding- those are strictly for the egg production, not for population growth. A small percentage of eggs will be left for hatching to get the population to grow at a rate equal to the, ummm, 'mortality rate' of the roosters (52 per annum- what are the odds?)

So- anyone got ideas or suggestions on this decision? I'm in NY state, if that factors in at all. How much yard room, in square feet, do I need to set aside per chicken? I've figured out the nesting boxes, so that's covered, and the roosting area, too. But I'm not sure on what would be sufficient yard space for happy, healthy hens. Also, I know I'll need overhead netting for the yard space- would the normal chicken wire work just as well as the plastic netting cloth? The chicken yard will be right next to the barn, with the coop being a room inside the barn. If the rabbits and chickens get along OK, I may have them share the room and yard (doubling the space, of course), for the additional body heat during the winter.

[Anianna]

The (future) Mrs. and I have decided on breeds. Went to http://mypetchicken.com to look over breeds (good info there, btw), and decided on a mix of Australorpes, Delawares, and Silkies (she wants some chickens to be pets, not potential meals). The Silkies were chosen because it would be hard to mistake one for a Delaware, so no accident pet slayings. All three are decent layers, according to the site- one hen of each would give us a dozen eggs a week, so as little as 5 of each would supply all our eggs, and still provide extras for sale. I'm figuring I'll probably end up with a chicken population of 7-12 of each, allowing the Aussies and Delawares to breed out some roosters which can become Sunday dinners, so I'll have meat, too. We'll be very selective on the Silkie's breeding- those are strictly for the egg production, not for population growth. A small percentage of eggs will be left for hatching to get the population to grow at a rate equal to the, ummm, 'mortality rate' of the roosters (52 per annum- what are the odds?)

So- anyone got ideas or suggestions on this decision? I'm in NY state, if that factors in at all. How much yard room, in square feet, do I need to set aside per chicken? I've figured out the nesting boxes, so that's covered, and the roosting area, too. But I'm not sure on what would be sufficient yard space for happy, healthy hens. Also, I know I'll need overhead netting for the yard space- would the normal chicken wire work just as well as the plastic netting cloth? The chicken yard will be right next to the barn, with the coop being a room inside the barn. If the rabbits and chickens get along OK, I may have them share the room and yard (doubling the space, of course), for the additional body heat during the winter.

I would not recommend mixing the chickens and rabbits. Some people have done it supposedly without issues, but chickens can make rabbits ill and that is exactly what happened to our rabbits when we kept the chickens in the same barn. They did not have direct contact; the rabbits were in hanging wire cages and the chickens had free access to the barn except over the cages. It may have been a coincidence but we had never had an illness with rabbits previously and I did have a list on my old computer (that crashed) of illness that chickens can pass on to rabbits. I highly recommend keeping them in separate housing and preferably not roaming in the same places.

Right of the top of my head, I do not recall the ideal square footage for chickens, but I can look it up again. Mine are completely free range and I don't even worry about it anymore. However, if you intend to keep multiple roosters, you may have trouble if you confine them. When they have wide open spaces to roam, they don't bother each other, but when they are confined, they are more apt to fight with each other. How much room do you potentially have? The bird netting will keep the chickens in but will not keep predators out. The same goes for chicken wire. The closest you can get to "predator proof" that I am aware of in a mesh would be hardware cloth, but some determined predators can get through even that, as we found out when we used to have our chickens confined at night and a fox chewed through some pretty heavy duty hardware cloth. The chickens had nowhere to escape and the fox got many of them. Since we let them free-range, we have not had a problem with predators being able to get them (though not for lack of trying). My chickens have survived coyotes, foxes, skunks, and 'possums without a single loss since being allowed to roam freely. I recommend letting them roam if you are in an area where you can do that.

I don't know if it is typical of the breed, but our Delaware roosters were mean. They frequently attacked my children and husband . We had four of them and they would gang up on people and the hens. They are now in the freezer and I don't intend to have Delawares again. We only had one Deleware hen and she did not forage well like my Buff Orpintons or even moderately well like my Rhode Island Reds. We did feed them pellets, but she was always scrawny.

My Buff Orpintons are my favorite. They handle cold well and forage very well. They continued laying in the cold (though less frequently) even after my RIRs had stopped.

I don't have any experience with Silkies, but they sure are a pretty breed. I've heard good things about Australorpes, too, but also do not have experience with them.

[KnightoftheRoc]

Thanks! This is what I love about ZS- so much info, freely offered, to benefit from.

Space shouldn't be an issue, as the farm I'm hoping to get is nearly 80 acres. I was going to keep them near each other mostly for convenience, but having them sick certainly wouldn't be convenient, so I'll scratch that idea. The footprint for the proposed barn is 50X100', oriented East-West, and on the North face of the barn, to keep them out of the direct sun. I can easily set up a second run/yard along the same side, but further down- at the other end, if need be.

I know chicken wire isn't predator proof for fencing, but I was asking about it as an overhead cover. I was figuring on chicken wire for all sides and the top, with a layer of heavy hardware cloth along the bottom few feet to keep foxes out. A concrete curb as a footer would go around the entire yard to discourage any tunneling. (When I build, I like to build "bullet proof").

[Anianna]

Space shouldn't be an issue, as the farm I'm hoping to get is nearly 80 acres.

I am so envious. My 13 acres now feels small.

[Tank Woman]

We us a chicken tractor for our chooks. Its 2 layers of woven wire fencing in a circle with a chicken wire skirt that fans out from the bottom and covered with chicken wire on top.
Our main predators here are flying. There is a large osprey nest about a football field away and they are ALWAYS present. Plus we have owls and buzzards everywhere. The chicken wire has been effective since last May, no chookie losses.

[Anianna]

We us a chicken tractor for our chooks. Its 2 layers of woven wire fencing in a circle with a chicken wire skirt that fans out from the bottom and covered with chicken wire on top.
Our main predators here are flying. There is a large osprey nest about a football field away and they are ALWAYS present. Plus we have owls and buzzards everywhere. The chicken wire has been effective since last May, no chookie losses.

Out of curiosity, have you noticed a lack of or decrease in smaller bird species populations in your location? We also have lots of large bird species and have a noticeably low small bird population. I have been curious if the increased large bird population has been to the detriment of the small bird species in our area.

[duodecima]

We us a chicken tractor for our chooks. Its 2 layers of woven wire fencing in a circle with a chicken wire skirt that fans out from the bottom and covered with chicken wire on top.
Our main predators here are flying. There is a large osprey nest about a football field away and they are ALWAYS present. Plus we have owls and buzzards everywhere. The chicken wire has been effective since last May, no chookie losses.

Out of curiosity, have you noticed a lack of or decrease in smaller bird species populations in your location? We also have lots of large bird species and have a noticeably low small bird population. I have been curious if the increased large bird population has been to the detriment of the small bird species in our area.

Have you got good cover for the little birds? There's still a decent songbird/little bird population at my dad's, but that's because there's probably a mile's worth of close planted pine tree rows around the property edge for the little guys to hide in, where the birds of prey can't swoop in. Not even the kestrel. Not nearly as many little birds as there were before the kestrel showed up tho, naturally.

[Anianna]

We us a chicken tractor for our chooks. Its 2 layers of woven wire fencing in a circle with a chicken wire skirt that fans out from the bottom and covered with chicken wire on top.
Our main predators here are flying. There is a large osprey nest about a football field away and they are ALWAYS present. Plus we have owls and buzzards everywhere. The chicken wire has been effective since last May, no chookie losses.

Out of curiosity, have you noticed a lack of or decrease in smaller bird species populations in your location? We also have lots of large bird species and have a noticeably low small bird population. I have been curious if the increased large bird population has been to the detriment of the small bird species in our area.

Have you got good cover for the little birds? There's still a decent songbird/little bird population at my dad's, but that's because there's probably a mile's worth of close planted pine tree rows around the property edge for the little guys to hide in, where the birds of prey can't swoop in. Not even the kestrel. Not nearly as many little birds as there were before the kestrel showed up tho, naturally.

A lot of our area is wooded. About a third of our property is wooded with a wide variety of trees. I remember as a child in northern VA, we would get so many robins and doves. Here, I've seen a jay or two, a robin or two, and some finches. I don't get lots of birds happily picking my yard like I remember as a child.

[Tank Woman]

The preying birds have been a fixture here for several years according to our neighbors. We're in S. Coast Oregon. On the south edge of our property is a dense tall forest with an understory of berries, on the north (down a cliff) is the river, with pastureland. We have a buttload of small bird species here, robins, stellar jays, yellow tanagers, finches, starlings...the list goes on. There are always birdies to be seen in the yard.
Now the raptors do fly over very frequently, and land in the tops of the trees to the south, but I'm thinking maybe they hunt more often in the grasses of the pastureland. That might be why our little spot here is relatively safe from them. BUT thats just a guess

[RachelBB]

b.m., If I were you, I'd put the hen duck in with your chickens and seperate those drakes into their own area. Ducks are very aggressive when mating and those males will literally gang bang that hen to death. Plus the fighting amongst themselves. Males usually do okay in a group by themselves if there is no female to fight over.
I don't recall how large your dog kennel is, but if you seperate an area for the drakes, I'd just give the chickens the rest. They really can't have too large an area.

KotR--Those sound like great breeds for your area. Basic rule of thumb is four square feet per bird in the coop and ten per in the run. That's a minimum, personally I like to have more. Overcrowding can lead to pecking and cannibalism. I think your honey will like her silkies, many folks keep them as pets but they're decent layers too, when they're not going broody that is!

[KnightoftheRoc]

Thank you- I'm not shooting for a minimum here, but I certainly didn't want to under estimate the needs of the ladies, either. I'm only wondering at this point, because there are other buildings to consider in the layout, and I want to leave myself plenty of room for the chicken population to expand in.

[ZombieGranny]

Somebody asked about what size to crush eggshells to feed back to hens, and I can't find the thread.
This seems like a logical spot to show the size I use.

[KnightoftheRoc]

Somebody asked about what size to crush eggshells to feed back to hens, and I can't find the thread.
This seems like a logical spot to show the size I use.

THANKS, ZG!

[Anianna]

Just FYI, if you free range chickens, they don't need calcium supplements. For enclosed chickens, some "experts" claim shells are not sufficient and that the chickens need something like crushed oyster shell (which you can buy at the feed store). YMMV. I don't supplement mine and have never had egg problems.


I went nuts and bought pet chickens at a recent chicken swap. If you want an animal purely for entertainment value, I cannot recommend a bantam rooster enough. I laugh every day now when Mr. Big "crows". Not only does it sound like, "squeak-a-doodle-squeak", but he seems to work so hard to get that out. I also got two Mille Fleur bantam ladies, which I have named Millie le Fleur and Minnie the Moocher. They lay some nifty eggs:

Right: standard, full-size chicken egg
Center: egg laid by bantam lady Millie le Fleur
Left: egg laid by bantam lady Minnie the Moocher

[flsgear]

Things I've learned about raising chickens:

1) Keep the waterer level with the height of their back to avoid them getting it clogged with yuckies.
2) Auracanas may lay blue or green eggs (which is pretty cool) but they're a damn annoying breed. Plus note: they lay up to 2 times a day per bird, easily twice the production of anything else I had.
3) rooster spurs are incredibly sharp. Also .. roosters are jerks.
4) If they start pecking each other, put petroleum jelly where they peck. It will sour their taste for it in the short term and if done quickly in each instance over months, they will stop veritably altogether.
5) The best thing for a sick chicken is solitary bed rest and hand watering. Hand watering is accomplished by using a straw and lifting their head, opening the mouth and dribbling water in.
6) A sick chicken can look very, very dead, but be very, very alive.
7) There is no more humane way to kill a chicken than to cut it's head off. A few drops of clove oil will numb/sedate them beforehand. Apply to mouth via dropper or straw.
8) Breaking a chickens neck doesn't always kill it. See #7.
9) Flipping a chicken upside down will usually calm it down.
10) Cultural chicken references are much more interesting after owning chickens. "Stop hen-pecking." "Top of the pecking order." etc.
11) Kids freak out over chickens and chicks. At least, my 2yo does. He absolutely loves them.
12) Pine chips are not good bedding. It creates an unhealthy and unsanitary dust.
13) before laying the bedding down, put a tarp down attached to a wooden frame (Got this idea from a friend of mine who raises 40-60 ducks), put the chips on that and when you need to change the bedding just pull out the frame.
14) Onions are bad for chickens. Read and memorize this list: http://birds.about.com/od/feeding/tp/poisonousfoods.htm
15) Chickens need lots of consistent light to lay... well consistently. Naturally lit northern birds don't like to lay in winter without an extra light on a timer or something.
16) Chickens lay in cycles naturally. Factory 'force laying 24/7' gives the birds a very short lifespan. Mine are still laying after 4 years.
17) Chickens cheer each other on when one is having trouble laying an egg. It's pretty funny. "Comon Alana, you can do it! Push that egg out! SQUAWK!"
18) If on the off chance you have a VERY sick set of birds and need to use antibiotics, you cannot eat the eggs for a week afterwards. Which makes you wonder why we can eat factory-farm produced eggs that have antibiotics in the feed.
19) Hens don't need a rooster to lay eggs (sounds basic but when I first started, this was hugely revelatory to me)
20) And last, but not least... factory produced eggs taste like cardboard, home grown eggs taste unbelievably good. They also have significantly higher nutrient value: http://www.backyardfarmers.com/nutrition_egg_facts

[Anianna]

Good infoz!

Things I've learned about raising chickens:

1) Keep the waterer level with the height of their back to avoid them getting it clogged with yuckies.

Indeed! Hang it or put it up on blocks. Otherwise, chickens get their water filthy!

3) rooster spurs are incredibly sharp. Also .. roosters are jerks.

I have three roosters right now who don't bother anybody (except the hens when they're feeling frisky), but I had several roosters who "had the devil in them" and attacked everything and everybody.

4) If they start pecking each other, put petroleum jelly where they peck. It will sour their taste for it in the short term and if done quickly in each instance over months, they will stop veritably altogether.

I didn't know this one, thank you. You can also use petroleum jelly on combs and waddles to prevent frostbite in the winter.

12) Pine chips are not good bedding. It creates an unhealthy and unsanitary dust.

Get the presifted kind marketed for horses and this is not an issue. Sifted pine shavings are great bedding and don't harbor dangerous mold like straw can. Pine shavings absorb excess liquids and dry evenly and is great at reducing odor. Do not use cedar, though, it is bad for the respiratory system of birds and many small animals and not just due to dust.

13) before laying the bedding down, put a tarp down attached to a wooden frame (Got this idea from a friend of mine who raises 40-60 ducks), put the chips on that and when you need to change the bedding just pull out the frame.

This sounds like a great idea for anybody who removes bedding regularly. I prefer deep litter method. The chickens naturally compost everything into the bedding and the manure naturally ages as it is turned under. Clean the bedding out once in the fall and it is ready to put on the garden. You can even put lower layers directly on the garden in the spring without harming the plants (because it has naturally aged).

14) Onions are bad for chickens. Read and memorize this list: http://birds.about.com/od/feeding/tp/poisonousfoods.htm

Good list. Here is another list for poultry. Don't worry if some of these are in your yard, though. Free range chickens are good at avoiding plants they shouldn't be eating.

17) Chickens cheer each other on when one is having trouble laying an egg. It's pretty funny. "Comon Alana, you can do it! Push that egg out! SQUAWK!"

I was so surprised by this! We were sitting in the house and all this noise started up outside. I thought my flock of chickens was fighting with a flock of geese! The girls get all boisterous and honky when one is working hard to get an egg out. If your chicken is laying outside the box and you don't know where, just listen for the direction of the squawkfest!

19) Hens don't need a rooster to lay eggs (sounds basic but when I first started, this was hugely revelatory to me)

I'm not sure I would call what the rooster does a "big hug", but I love this poster.
(The poster is available for purchase here)

20) And last, but not least... factory produced eggs taste like cardboard, home grown eggs taste unbelievably good. They also have significantly higher nutrient value: http://www.backyardfarmers.com/nutrition_egg_facts

I really did not believe this before getting my own chickens. I used to not like eggs. I thought I was being dumb getting chickens because my husband hates eggs and I would only eat them very occasionally. Now, I eat an egg for breakfast every morning and often eat egg salad sandwiches. These eggs are so rich in flavor and they don't have that dry texture like grocery store eggs do.

[Anianna]

Another tip I was just reminded of: if you visit your chickens in bare feet or in open-toe footwear, they will taste your wiggly, worm-like toes!

[flsgear]

LOL @ the infographic.

Yeah the roosters in question were an auracanas. Small but feisty little buggers. I had to don leather gloves just to even handle the little jerks.

The really small one we actually ended up changing his name from chippy to "Chicken McJerkface".