Monday, September 9, 2013

Chickens, Chickens

I'm thinking the chickens will go in the back corner. Location may change.

Hubby & I are planning on getting chickens in the near future or next spring. We haven’t quite decided when, but we know we want to get some. Hubby has been working on figuring out what kind of pen/chicken house he wants to build. Th ere’s a lot of scrap wood stacked up by the shed so he might be able to use some of that to build the pen. There’s a ton of chicken wire in the shed too so that helps save some on the expense of building a pen. I’m excited to see the finished ‘building’.

I've been doing some reading on chickens the past few weeks. I've mainly been reading from Barnyard in your Backyard, edited by Gail Damerow. It’s a beginner’s guide to raising chickens, ducks, geese, rabbits, goats, sheep, and cattle. Obviously we’re not planning to raise all those things, but the section on raising chickens has really helped me learn a lot.

If what I read in the book is correct I think we’ll want 8-10 hens. I mostly want them for laying eggs and the three types of chicken recommended in the book are Ancona, Leghorn, and Minorca. I don’t think I want Leghorn’s because supposedly they’re not very laid back and I think they lay white eggs too? Not for sure on that though. The Dual-Purpose Breeds recommended are New Hampshire, Plymouth Rock, and Rhode Island Reds. Those are used for laying eggs and for meat. I want chickens that lay brown or speckled eggs, those are the favorites. Do any of you bloggers who raise chickens have any suggestions on what type might be best for us?

We haven’t gotten very far on the chicken adventure, but we’re working on it. I've talked to the local feed store about purchasing chickens. The lady there said it would be least expensive to purchase them in the spring (April). Hubby doesn't want a rooster because they are noisy. I think I’d want one eventually so that we could hatch our own chicks, but that’s probably for much further down the road.

Do you have any suggestions for a first-time chicken farmer?
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5 comments:

  1. Stone Cottage AdventuresSeptember 9, 2013 at 1:09 PM

    We love our chickens! I guess the most frustrating thing is how susceptible they are to predators. Ours are loose during the day so they can graze and be 'real' chickens, but securely locked in their pen at night. -Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousSeptember 10, 2013 at 12:29 PM

    Helen,

    I found your blog while searching for Pentecostal blogs. Your blog is just lovely.

    Blessings to you.

    Sue

    ReplyDelete
  3. calicokatSeptember 19, 2013 at 12:41 PM

    You'll love keeping chickens! I have polish mostly, and they are fun & real conversation starters (look up a pix online, you'll see why!) The suprise will be what wonderful pets they will make. Check out backyardchickens websight, you'll learn tons!! ~kat

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  4. Kathy Shea Mormino, The Chicken ChickSeptember 28, 2013 at 8:42 PM

    Very eggciting! Where to begin...there's so much to tell. What I would recommend is getting a great beginner's book- I personally think "Raising Chickens for Dummies" is one of the best resources for the basics. It doesn't go into too much detail, but enough to get you started and thinking about the important things.

    As for keeping costs down: the very LAST place you want to cut corners is with the fencing. Chicken wire is only intended to keep chickens contained, it does NOT keep predators out of the coop or run. Only welded wire, aka: hardware cloth will predator proof your run. It's much more expensive than chicken wire, but as anyone who has lost their entire flock in one night due to using chicken wire will tell you- it's worth every penny to do it right the first time. Think of the feed costs and expenses associated with raising chickens only to lose them weeks or months into the process. http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/11/coop-security-hardware-cloth-vs-chicken.html

    I have a ton of information on my blog about chickens, which you can view at a glance in my "Chicken Resources Directory." http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/11/coop-security-hardware-cloth-vs-chicken.html

    There is much more to breed selection than just egg color. This post will help you select breeds very simply: http://www.communitychickens.com/2013/03/5-tips-for-chicken-breed-selection.html

    Here's another post of mine in which I complied a list of the things I wish I had known before getting chickens: http://communitychickens.blogspot.com/2012/12/what-i-wish-i-had-known-before-getting.html

    I hope that helps! Thanks for linking up with The Clever Chicks this week, I hope you'll join us again tomorrow!

    Kathy Shea Mormino
    The Chicken Chick
    http://www.The-Chicken-Chick.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Helen @ Blue Eyed Beauty BlogSeptember 30, 2013 at 6:26 PM

      Awesome thanks!! I was hoping you'd have something to share and that's something I haven't heard or thought of yet (the fencing). Thanks for the book recommendation! I'll be looking for one of those.

      Helen

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