• If you enjoy the forum please consider supporting it by signing up for a NES Membership  The benefits pay for the membership many times over.

Chickens 2023/2024

Knob Creek

Knob Creek

NES Member
Joined
Oct 9, 2007
Messages
10,971
Likes
9,297
Location
South Coast Mass
Feedback: 101 / 0 / 0
Anyone start looking into Chickens this year? Breeds, availability, cost etc.

I have some three year old Plymouth Rock and Ameraucanas layers that i need to replace. Buddy of mine has Australorps that he's had good luck with.
 
I’m in.

Need to build a coop here in the next couple of weeks. Can’t decide whether to go stationary or on wheels. It will be living in the pasture regardless, but there’s 4 acres over there on the big side.

If anyone has plans or design ideas, please post them here.
 
My birds get killed all the time.. some are f***ing stupid. I have a coupe with an automatic door.. automatic door last about two months. Or.

I do ducks these idiots always want a midnight swim..

I don’t have it in me for the wife to yell at me to chase and these birds around when I got to go to work.

My coop looks like shit but it’s actually pretty nice and I had old greenhouse I was using as a run, but we finally got it set up, but I didn’t get an anchored all the way. We had some wind we were inside of it almost blew away… even if it was properly anchored the wind would’ve crushed it. Also, it’s too hot inside for the birds.

This year I’m just gonna put the roof on it wrap the rest of it in hardware cloth. It’s a lot of work and money if your birds keep getting killed.

One year we bought unsex birds that was mostly female but the other couple years we end up with two many mauled, she’s always going around rescuing males… I hate it it’s just stupid..

She’s got better at dealing with the dead birds, but I’ll come home and shrub like wrapped in a towel or they’ll be second she’ll bring them in the house to try to take care of them they always die.

Set yourself up for success or you’ll have failure and by three times as many birds as you’re gonna need.


I probably just suffer from bad luck. I don’t people had birds for four or five years just roaming around.

We usually go to tractor supply or order them cause sometimes they don’t carry ducks depending on the location but there’s a good website we’re gonna use this year if I talk to her I’ll tell you what it is later
 
Knob Creek said:
Anyone start looking into Chickens this year? Breeds, availability, cost etc.

I have some three year old Plymouth Rock and Ameraucanas layers that i need to replace. Buddy of mine has Australorps that he's had good luck with.
Click to expand...
Weve had chickens now for over 10 years. We've hatched-out and raised a number of generations.

During that time, we've had a large variety of chicken breeds (some pics are posted below). The australorps are some of the smartest. My wife (CowgirlUp here on NES, knows each and everyone real well).


For those considering chickens, here's some input:

- You need to build your coop and enclosed run with hardware cloth mesh and NOT chicken wire.

- You need to create a solid barrier along the coop and run so that NOTHING can dig underneath. Our hardware cloth continues down about a foot below the grade and it's got large rocks over & under it, so nothing can dig through as would be the case if there were dirt there. We have 1 layer of hardware cloth + an additional layer of stronger type hardware cloth along the entire lower perimeter (so 2 layers).

- You should have a roof over your run to keep them dry and also keep the snow out.

- You should have a way to close over the run during brutally cold weather. We have winter panels (heavy plastic poly in wood frames, and some have plexiglass so they can see out. Some have hinges so we can flip them up when the winter Temps are not that bad). That also allows some necessary ventilation.

- You should have a means to keep their water dish from freezing during winter months. We've found that using a plastic chicken watering container over a safe coop heating element works best. They don't like the galvanized water containers because of some taste issue from the metal surface.

- You should have 2 areas of the coop and the run that can be separated for integrating new hens. That way they can see each other but stay separated. We have a slide up door panel that can open and connect the 2 areas once full integration is established.

- You should have the ability to place sick or injured hens isolated & away from the flock. We have several old rabbit hutches in our basement as an infirmary area with plenty of meds and a counter to examine them.
Hens will hide their injuries and sickness from the flock, so you have to watch for the slightest changes of behavior and very minor indications of any kind (that something is "off" with them). Letting even 1 day go by and not taking action can mean the difference between successfully heading-off a condition, or, the hen's health going down-hill and her suffering and dying.
The wife has a couple of plastic, self-made, chicken first-aid boxes with anything from gloves, bandages, wound cleaner, gauze, to common types chicken meds that you should keep on-hand.
If you leave a sick or injured hen with the flock, they will likely eventually attack and kill her.
(If they see a blood spot on another chicken, a common chicken-reaction is to pick at it constantly, until that hen dies).

- You should monitor them constantly if you allow them to free range. We've had attacks regularly from hawks. Also coyote, bobcats, and rabid racoons.

- Be ready to "react immediately" to stop threats from varmint attacks quickly. You may only have seconds from hearing a commotion and grabbing a firearm and making it to the yard. Seconds are the difference from losing a hen and successfully stopping an attack.
We live in the sticks. So we have perimeter motion sensor alarms, cameras and other ways to try to reduce our reaction times when the hens are out free ranging.
A rooster is also very helpful for sounding the alarm early.

- Avoid having more than one rooster with most flocks that are a from few hens -to- 20 hens. They will constantly fight each other and eventually one will kill the other. During that time, the entire flock was always completely stressed-out.
(We once had 3 roosters that we had as chicks. They got along because they grew-up with each other, they knew the biggest was in charge, and they also knew their place because of that. We've also had 3 roosters that we raised that started non-stop fighting at a certain adolescent point, and we had to separate and re-home 2 of them = so you never know .... ).

- Learn everything you can about raising chickens, including common sicknesses and diseases, and behavior aspects.
Examples: They like to take dirt baths. Its good to look it up and understand what that is, and the benefits to them. Also common rooster behavior between the hens (example: look up the rooster "domination dance").

- Chickens are "self aware". They know what death is and they know when one of them is visibly dead (such as when they can see a death happen/occur, or, the see the aftermath of a dead hen).

- They have exceptional eye sight and hearing. But don't assume that will be able to always protect them from various predators.

- Chickens are not humans. So don't try to interpret or assign certain chicken behavior as you would a person (and get frustrated or angry). You need to be patient and realize that they react to many things and to each other = simply due to their natural, ingrained, instinctive, ways.
One Example: They have a "pecking-order" and they establish & maintain it in some ways that can seem a bit harsh.

- Check out the website and forum "Backyard Chickens" for an exceptional amount of very good information.

(There's a lot more that can be said, but those are some initial key points for "your consideration").

Also check out the 2 helpful videos below:


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rDArRNSDBE


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1c06xOF4uQ8

FWIW, here is a pic of our coop (with the "separation section" addition constructed): It has elec. power, lighting, wireless cameras, insulation, etc.
1676051928759.jpeg
Example of "Winter/Cold-Weather" Coop/Run Panels (older pics before the left side addition was put on):
1676054406875.jpeg

1676052160486.jpeg 1676052382313.jpeg 1676052409508.jpeg 1676052422755.jpeg
 

Attachments

  • 1676054370171.jpeg
    1676054370171.jpeg
    1.2 MB · Views: 6
Last edited:
oh cool, a chicken thread. glad one of these popped up. i can share a few things i know/have learned....
-dodge grain in salem, n.h. has chicks and pullets year round. i got my first 4 pullets there early september. they're advertised as 8-10 weeks old and it took mine about 4 months before they started laying. they were fully feathered so they could go straight to the coop outside.

Home | Dodge Grain | United States

Dodge Grain is a family-run company for horse and pet feed, pet and animal supplies, lawn and garden supplies.
www.dodgegrain.biz www.dodgegrain.biz
-orchard ridge farm in maine will also have seasonal availablity of chicks and pullets. i got a 9 month old bird from there in november, she has been a reliable layer and was a bit of a bossy bitch when i added her to my flock.

Home - Orchard Ridge %

Orchard Ridge Farm is a u-pick orchard with farm store situated on 38 acres of hilly orchards and wooded forest located in Gorham, Maine. %
orchardridge.farm orchardridge.farm
-i was really impressed with the performance of this water heater during the recent cold spell
Amazon product ASIN B00FQ61ZD4View: https://smile.amazon.com/Harris-Farms-Heated-Poultry-Drinker/dp/B00FQ61ZD4/ref=sr_1_6?crid=1WOPKEU0HT2G6&keywords=manna+pro+chicken+waterer+heater&qid=1676043720&sprefix=manna+pro+heater%2Caps%2C127&sr=8-6
-chickens poop A LOT, especially when they're on the roost. you WILL have stalagmites of droppings that build up quick and you WILL need a place to dump these, something to consider if you have a smaller yard and close neighbors......
 
Last edited:
I have had a handful of yard birds over the last 3 years, Issa Browns and RI/NH Reds have been the heartiest egg layers. I had 8 Silkies at one time, and am down to 1 who is the coop mom that sits on the eggs and minds chicks when I have them, but the rest of them died because they were stupid. I have a big rooster who is great at his job, I would suggest getting one, I lost a lot of birds to predators before he started keeping the hoes in check.

I am probably going to add 6-10 more browns or reds this spring, and rebuild my run once the snow is gone for good. I am going to build a water catchment system off the coop and I also want one of those auto doors for the coop.
 
We just started chickens 3 years ago and NHCraigT nailed it. As for birds, we have Golden Commets (very friendly breed) Easter Eggers and my wife wanted Silkies. The Commets have never gone broody on us, just the Silkies (which I had to build a 2nd coop and run for as she thought they were too small to be with the bigger ones). We lately have had an issue with 5 of the 10 birds that we got last spring. Actually 5 of them died, well 4 and one has water belly. Couldn't really tell anything was wrong until we say them standing apart from the rest and when we got them separated from the rest usually a day or 2 later they died. We did have 1 bout of round worm but no mites. My wife even found a visiting "chicken nurse" to come look at one of them when they were ill (I say ill but one started with a bum leg and then both legs then dead) and the chicken nurse said that until they are at least 1 year old they can still develope issues and die. Go figure.
 
image.jpg Mutt true bantams
They are about 1/4 -1/3 normal sized chickens so they’re easy to house and cheep to feed.
They fly really well and can escape most ground predators. Awesome free rangers who do minimal damage cause they’re so small.
They are exceptionally friendly with just a little effort on your part.
They are awesome mothers and rarely loose a chick even when they hatch em out somewhere in the woods. The hens just show up at the coop with a dozen peeps in tow.
They lay fairly well. The eggs are about 2/3 normal size with almost full size yolks. They tend to get broody if you don’t take the eggs right away but are usually cool with you reaching under them to get eggs.
I’m phasing out the full size birds that I’ve raised for the past 27 years in favor of the bantys.
 
lancecolonel said:
oh cool, a chicken thread. glad one of these popped up. i can share a few things i know/have learned....
-dodge grain in salem, n.h. has chicks and pullets year round. i got my first 4 pullets there early september. they're advertised as 8-10 weeks old and it took mine about 4 months before they started laying. they were fully feathered so they could go straight to the coop outside.

Home | Dodge Grain | United States

Dodge Grain is a family-run company for horse and pet feed, pet and animal supplies, lawn and garden supplies.
www.dodgegrain.biz www.dodgegrain.biz
-orchard ridge farm in maine will also have seasonal availablity of chicks and pullets. i got a 9 month old bird from there in november, she has been a reliable layer and was a bit of a bossy bitch when i added her to my flock.

Home - Orchard Ridge %

Orchard Ridge Farm is a u-pick orchard with farm store situated on 38 acres of hilly orchards and wooded forest located in Gorham, Maine. %
orchardridge.farm orchardridge.farm
-i was really impressed with the performance of this water heater during the recent cold spell
Amazon product ASIN B00FQ61ZD4View: https://smile.amazon.com/Harris-Farms-Heated-Poultry-Drinker/dp/B00FQ61ZD4/ref=sr_1_6?crid=1WOPKEU0HT2G6&keywords=manna+pro+chicken+waterer+heater&qid=1676043720&sprefix=manna+pro+heater%2Caps%2C127&sr=8-6
-chickens poop A LOT, especially when they're on the roost. you WILL have stalagmites of droppings that build up quick and you WILL need a place to dump these, something to consider if you have a smaller yard and close neighbors......
Click to expand...
Plus 1 for Dodge Grain! Our healthiest birds have come from them.
 
lancecolonel said:
oh cool, a chicken thread. glad one of these popped up. i can share a few things i know/have learned....
-dodge grain in salem, n.h. has chicks and pullets year round. i got my first 4 pullets there early september. they're advertised as 8-10 weeks old and it took mine about 4 months before they started laying. they were fully feathered so they could go straight to the coop outside.

Home | Dodge Grain | United States

Dodge Grain is a family-run company for horse and pet feed, pet and animal supplies, lawn and garden supplies.
www.dodgegrain.biz www.dodgegrain.biz
-orchard ridge farm in maine will also have seasonal availablity of chicks and pullets. i got a 9 month old bird from there in november, she has been a reliable layer and was a bit of a bossy bitch when i added her to my flock.

Home - Orchard Ridge %

Orchard Ridge Farm is a u-pick orchard with farm store situated on 38 acres of hilly orchards and wooded forest located in Gorham, Maine. %
orchardridge.farm orchardridge.farm
-i was really impressed with the performance of this water heater during the recent cold spell
Amazon product ASIN B00FQ61ZD4View: https://smile.amazon.com/Harris-Farms-Heated-Poultry-Drinker/dp/B00FQ61ZD4/ref=sr_1_6?crid=1WOPKEU0HT2G6&keywords=manna+pro+chicken+waterer+heater&qid=1676043720&sprefix=manna+pro+heater%2Caps%2C127&sr=8-6
-chickens poop A LOT, especially when they're on the roost. you WILL have stalagmites of droppings that build up quick and you WILL need a place to dump these, something to consider if you have a smaller yard and close neighbors......
Click to expand...
Didn't know about Dodge Grain. We have been looking for some more white leghorns and couldn't find any. Dodge has them on their calendar! Thanks.
 
Knob Creek said:
Anyone start looking into Chickens this year? Breeds, availability, cost etc.

I have some three year old Plymouth Rock and Ameraucanas layers that i need to replace. Buddy of mine has Australorps that he's had good luck with.
Click to expand...
I have a couple Autralorps. Very mello girls and they lay good sized eggs. My favorite right now are my Plymouth Rocks. We have several different breeds and it took a while to introduce the new ones into the flock as my Road Island Red can be an A-hole at times
 
C38A3206-8ADD-40AE-803F-31D99A0CA7E5.jpeg DA4D55D0-F2B2-4428-8D12-2C32D6F99D4C.jpeg FE1F76E4-B5F6-44B8-98A3-195D3DB62294.jpeg A83FB82D-39E7-4DED-BBE1-1F21E8404C1A.jpeg 0BE1BD49-37DC-45FE-963B-FBF113FE0486.jpeg 7616F815-458D-4CD8-8E6E-4A3336CA7334.jpeg

Had chickens. 3 Amberlinks, 2 Australorps, and a Buff Orpington. Gave away the Australorps last year and the remainder as they were advanced in age. My wife and daughters just didn’t have the time to continue caring for them in a suburban setting. We will revisit the chicken thing with more land and a new home build. It was a great experience for over 2 years.
 
everything must be sized, shaped and positioned to accomodate the owners (yeah you ... the human meat bags).

nothing sucks more than banging your head, oddly holding weight in strange poses, stubbing a knee, and having to f***ing bend over for everything !!!!

oh ... that and for some strange reason chickens like to roost as high as they can traverse. they also might lay eggs where they feel comfortable, not always your henhouse.
 
We haven’t added ACV yet but we usually add rooster booster to their water all the time. (Well most of the time, occasionally if I’m in a rush it’s straight water till the next refill)

Although today I had to cull a 3+ year old golden comet that probably stopped laying eggs over a year ago after a winter molt, she had a whole bunch of her insides hanging out her vent.
 
Romokid said:
We haven’t added ACV yet but we usually add rooster booster to their water all the time. (Well most of the time, occasionally if I’m in a rush it’s straight water till the next refill)

Although today I had to cull a 3+ year old golden comet that probably stopped laying eggs over a year ago after a winter molt, she had a whole bunch of her insides hanging out her vent.
Click to expand...
That’s a bummer. This might be a silly question but what’s the best (most humane) way to cull? I’m not looking forward to the day I’ll have to do that.
 
lancecolonel said:
That’s a bummer. This might be a silly question but what’s the best (most humane) way to cull? I’m not looking forward to the day I’ll have to do that.
Click to expand...
When the time comes, I use a chicken culler cone and a a pair of branch trimmers.

I hang the cone from a post, slip the chicken into it head first, then cut it's head off.

Chicken culler cone branch trimmer.jpg
 
lancecolonel said:
That’s a bummer. This might be a silly question but what’s the best (most humane) way to cull? I’m not looking forward to the day I’ll have to do that.
Click to expand...
Yeah my wife doesn’t want me to do the “kill cone” so I’ve done the cervical dislocation as once the head “pop” from the spine they are basically done but they still flap from nerves and muscle contractions and there is no blood. If you google it there are a few videos that show it.
 
Romokid said:
Yeah my wife doesn’t want me to do the “kill cone” so I’ve done the cervical dislocation as once the head “pop” from the spine they are basically done but they still flap from nerves and muscle contractions and there is no blood. If you google it there are a few videos that show it.
Click to expand...
It's like what we do with pheasant and quail.
 

Similar threads

The preppers who fear global meltdown in 2024 ....
2 3
Replies
61
Views
3K
tinhorn
tinhorn
interested in learning about raising chickens?
2
Replies
38
Views
6K
lancecolonel
lancecolonel
Anybody in the south shore raise chickens?
Replies
15
Views
3K
southshore
southshore
Hope to get chickens next year - beginner questions
2
Replies
39
Views
9K
newportri
N
Back
Top Bottom