Chickens

My sister has three chickens. Fun to watch. They have a big hay field for them to run around on during the day time so the mess isn't as bad. :shock:

Here's a couple of pic's of the chicks and one of the front of the hen house. Hee he he. :lol: (click to enlarge}

http://www.nei.nih.gov/health/histoplasmosis/index.asp#0

LOL good point David, did'nt think of that.

I agree with you free loader, adds to the Theme, I had Domineckers and RI reds, they had alot of "attitude" with dogs and cats. hmm wonder if we get some of them high dollar Asian or Japan show chickens, if they know martial arts, alittle Ju Jitsu and da nieghbors dog perhaps. not as loud as my 12 gauge

I've had a few chickens in the past. The sounds of the chickens and just having them around make a place more homey, like a farm. The problem I had was keeping them safe from dogs. I would build a pen that they couldn't scratch out of, and maybe leave only the real survivor types with wings unclippied so they could roam a little. Keeping the little ones safe when some hatch is a real chore. You need to cage them.

Noelle,

I'm not too sure if you were planning on raising chickens in Bothell or Kettle Falls, or maybe elsewhere. One thing to keep in mind is if you are living in an incorporated area like Bothell, there proably are some ordinances that limit the number of chickens you can keep--usually somewhere in the range of 5 to 7. The wise thing there would be to keep them for egg laying rather than meat. Make sure that you have a fully enclosed area to keep them in. If you let them out, beware that they can climb almost anyting and in the city they can find good hiding places and the neighbor's cat.

If you are planning to raise them in a more rural area like Kettle Falls, where there is probably more freedom from municipal codes, you would want to follow the standard practices for raising them. The agricultural deparment publishes information on raising chickens, you can also ask at your local 4-H for sources of information.

As others have said on this post, they are messy critters, which can easily turn into 'dirty' critters if one does not keep up on the cleaning duties.
Also, if you keep your coup near a neighbor's property, clean it twice as often as you think you should. This will ensure that your neighbors remain friendly.

-A

:) We raised chickens last summer and it was an experience ... lots of fun too. We let them free range as much as we could and they were quite the companions when we were "working the farm" ... they saw us and came running and would follow us about. They do poop alot and can be quite messy ... if you have the right chicken house and grounds for them to run it would be to your advantage ... keep in mind they do make a mess of your garden when trying to give themselves dust baths.
Overall, unless you're going to raise a lot it isn't worth it. We spent probably $50 in feed to get 9 chickens ... calculate that out and it's expensive! I have never butchered anything in my life but found an easy way to get the meat without using hot water and it takes 10-15 minutes.
Basically hang them from the legs, cut a ring around the ankles and down the center and pull the skin, feathers and all to the back ... imagine no plucking necessary! On a positve note, it was a worthwhile adventure for my family and we have many fond memories. You'll have to evaluate the worth for yourself ... nothing ventured ... nothing gained!

01-09-06

Hey,

I saw a real neat article in Backwoods Home Magazine about chickens. The article mentioned building a chicken coop with two doors. On one side of the fenced yard, the chickens roam free. On the other side of the fenced yard, you raise your garden. Each year you switch sides by just opening the other door.

The chickens are safe each and every day, and you have a nice garden as well. I like the idea, but only a few chickens at a time. I do not want to be a slave to the coop.

Tom
nobleknight
class 01-15-05

We have sheep, goats and chickens. They lay nice eggs but their main job is to keep the bugs, flies and snails down. And they have done their job. We used to be run over with flies and nats but with the chickens running around pecking, little or no flies. They are "fowl" but we let them run around on their own (free range), give them some feed, water and a place to roost at night. We have egg hunts to find where they are laying this week and all is good in the barn yard. Chris & Wendy

chickens can be disgusting creatures, and they can transmit salmanella and other diseases in their feces as well as eggs and meat so be careful.

I grew up on a farm where they had about twenty five chickens and two roosters. they had a large pen to scratch around in, we fed them the trashy corn out of the bottom of the corn bin as well as table scraps-they eat an amazing assortment of things. I know many people let their chickens run free and "live off the land" but my grandparents always clipped their wings and kept them in the pen. If you provide them with a henhouse where they can roost off the ground,(rafters are fine, as long as they can get to them) and close the doors every night so they can't get out and nothing can get in, they are fine. If you don't have very many, they are practically free. Having said that, eggs are cheap unless you eat a lot, and chicken meat is so cheap anymore that I would rather pay for meat that is already processed. But I'm not that worried about the hormones and all, so that's just me.

I almost forgot, you need to have a laying area lined with something soft like hay or straw, for each chicken. And if you don't get their eggs every day, they start pecking unattended eggs, you start to get fetuses if you keep roosters, all kinds of things begin to happen. It's like a garden, it becomes a daily chore, only it's year-round.

~snort~

Rats dont bother me as much as huge spiders.

they are also good for raising rats!!!!!!

I am telling myself they are also for the meat, But I have never butchered any animal. I see a recipe book based on the egg coming from my kitchen! 1001 things to do with an egg. Side note: Carver made over 300 inventions with the peanut. :lol:

We raised chickens when I was a kid. Originally was meant for the pot, but we couldn't bear to raise the cleaver to butcher them. Eggs were good though. Some coyotes got them in the end.