Backyard Chickens

Predator proof the Hen House.

1. They like quarter -- or in your case, 1/8th cut green grapes, mealworm, romaine lettuce on a bungee code that they can peck, and very chilled but not frozen quarter or half a watermelon to keep them comfortable and cool in the summer. They just peck at it and it keeps them very comfortable. All this you can get at Walmart. The mealworm is in the garden section and nicely priced.

2. Buy some food grade Diatomaceous Earth (DE) to keep the mites down when they are older. Careful to inhale the stuff -- not great for your lungs.

3. Make sure you have adequate tree and shrub cover in the summer and also for protection against hawks and other predators.

4. They are awesome and joy-enhancing pets!! The more time spent with them as pets, the better it is for all!

check out backyardchicken dot com --great website!

Pets or stewing hens ? Eggs ?

Here's a free download of a great handbook of natural remedies for most problems
[link to www.countryfarm-lifestyles.com (secure)]

our girls are free range out in the country. When I pull in the driveway, they run to greet in the truck and even jump in my lap when I open the door. My kids grew up on farm fresh eggs and won't order eggs in restaurants because they are snobs about 'store bought'.

Backyard chickens are the best!

beware of racoons. they will kill all your chickens and walk away for fun.

Are you in the city or country? You would be wise to get a rooster, they help with keeping the hens safe and three is no problem for one rooster.

You will find out after they start laying which ones are broody (they will sit their nest and peck your hands) if you try and shift them.

I use a shovel or something to move them off the nests for eggs.

Chickens are pretty smart for the most part but you have to watch out big time for dogs, black labs and other bird dog breeds are really bad around chickens.

You will also lose hens probably over time they get old and no longer lay well but we had pet chickens and fryer chickens so you have to decide if you are eating them or if they are pets.

use them to compost, plant lots of herbs and berries as well around their run.

thanks folks for the tips!
I got them for their eggs.

Be very careful . salmonella can be a real problem with chickens . I have known families made dangerously I'll and hospitalized from their chickens . read up on it and be safe . they can be fun . I've raised many thousands of them over the years .

They are sweet...Enjoy

oh like these?

I had a cochin bantam rooster like that and I'm just thinking that specific breed is very friendly.

Make sure You cover the bottom of their coop with sand and only sand because when it rains a lot the sand absorbs the water where as soil won't which will become one muddy stinky quagmire. The chicken shit also stinks when it gets wet where as You don't smell it when its dry so that's why I said use sand.

I grew up on small farm, we used to have 20-30 all the time for eggs , meat; the biggest threat was hawks, diseases, parasites, foxes,ferret.I remember we got a german Shepherd pup, as it grew up, one night killed them all over 20 and brought them on the porch, in the morning was waiting in front of the door next to a pile of dead chickens shaking his tail waiting for reward for its bravery.

Cochins are sweet! We used to have 3 lavender banty hens. The kids called one of them Blueberry and she went missing but returned a few weeks later with a brood of 13 little puff balls.

Have fun with it.

I do.



Each breed is different, just like races, yet each chicken is an individual, regardless of the race.

Do not under estimate their intelligence and do not over estimate their emotions or love for you. They are highly efficient in survival logic. They will teach you a lot.

If anything comes up medically, message me, I'm an accountant by trade, but I have doctors that call me when medical advice is necessary. Birds, like cats, are out of the ordinary. Dont know everything, but know a lot.

possums too, if you find one hidden in the yard with its head gone, you have a weasel

All goodvadvice above.

A couple of other things.

They are pack animals.

I've trained all my pit bulls and Rotts to get along with the chickens. It takes time. Messge me and zi will teach you that. Once done.....be very careful....the dogs become highly protective of their chickens. All prey, children dogs, cats, squirrels or other birds can be taken down quickly if they get too close.

Always have more than one chicken...or they turn into a very needy woman. Beyond Needy. Binyole5able actually. Lol

All true.

Pitts, Rotts, or any dog urine will provide some invisible fencing for you.

Yes....this is normal.

But I've trained my dogs.

I put them in a dog cage in the yard.....no water and in the heat....i let the chickens run loose around the cage and the pitts would wear themselves out thinking about killing them. It takes about an hour before they are exhausted, thirsty, then they lay down. While that is happening, I feed the chicks, pick them up, and I turn the chickens tail feathers toward the cage so the dog can sniff their butts. That is what dogs do. At first, they try to bite the feathers. Days later, they go to lick the tail feathers, days later, they go to sniff the tail feathers. Once they treat them like a dog, by sniffing, instead of biting, they are close to being allowed out with them.

Rhode Island Reds, (trailer trash behavior), produce a lot of eggs and meat, but they will play/wrestle /spar with a pit bull. I have video of it. Just something in them. Others do not based on my experience. They are too boogie (sp?).

Again, once you train a dog with chickens,you have to make sure children, other family members, other dogs or animsls do not show any aggression or even play toward them. Your newly trained dog will take them out instantly. That chicken will be under the protection of that dog.

I dont believe their protection is altruistic. I believe it is more, "if anybody gets to kill them, its me, not you".

in other words...agroid the void!

Started this spring with 18, down to 8. Suspect a fox or skunk, We’ve had them for a decade. One of them is ten years old, no longer laying but to much character to cull. Watch your garden, the shits get in and eat the whole thing!!!

parasites and diseases eh? sounds like they are some dirty fuckers, what are the parasites and diseases Thank you

LOL that is a great story about the dogs protecting them that is just beautiful!

This.
We have chickens as well; 8 different breeds and each breed tends to hang out with their own kind (birds of a feather....)
Even though they all share the same coop/run and free range area together, when out free ranging the white chickens (leghorns) keep together and the red star, plymouth rocks, etc keep together as well.
Just like humans tend to enjoy the company of people of their own kind.
Except today that is racist.

I put a coffee can over the head if they are aggressive. Then, I can reach under her for the eggs.

Ditto on the predators. We have coons, possums, squirrels, and rat snakes eating our eggs.

If not fully enclosed in chicken wire, I like a hot wire from a fence charger on the top of the fence to keep coons out.

Squirrels are legal here with an air rifle. We eat them.

LOL

Backyard chicken forum

Yes, great forum.

I put ACV in their water. I Tbs per gallon.