Farm After $3500 in expenses, it finally happened
- Thread starter 20Gauge
- Start date
Fake Shemp
Banned for resurrecting the mayonnaise thread
What, no ham?
bw
Fringe Ranger
That was his performance in the OP.
coloradohermit
Veteran Member
Sounds like it'll be a while before you're giving away excess eggs. 
20Gauge
TB Fanatic
I am against showing my bum in open public
20Gauge
TB Fanatic
Funny thing is we have been checking, but it is a month early. Then again, they are huge. We have been feeding them scraps and such as it seems to keep them happy and healthy.Sounds like it'll be a while before you're giving away excess eggs.
We have 15 of them, so we will have an excess soon enough
20Gauge
TB Fanatic
We weren't after cheaper per se.
What we wanted was to be able to continue eating if the stores shut down.
Tristan
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Hfcomms
EN66iq
I've been checking my nesting boxes every day and imploring the pullets to start earning their keep. About twenty weeks old now and they are going through the chow ravenously and pooping copiously but so far no go. I learned the lesson the last time I had chickens. If you wonder when they are going to lay their eggs the answer is when they are da*n good and ready. LOL!!
packyderms_wife
Neither here nor there.
You'll need to up your security system them, once the stores shut down and other know you have inmates that lay eggs all bets are off.
Tex88
Veteran Member
You're giving them entirely too much credit. "Knowing where eggs come from", этo курам на смех!
magnetic1
Veteran Member
I am calling the coop and run my son built the “Chicken Palace” because he made it so fancy. Birds are spoiled rotten! As to thieves, it is very odd how many neighbors are quietly raising poultry in their yards now. The limit is 3 hens, period, but behind me has 25, the kitty corner has at least 10 and 4 ducks and we have 18. Some neighbors have already started asking to get eggs when I have extra. Andy did make that coop solid and even put a dead bolt in the door. We have security lighting, fenced yard, and a big dog who scares everyone, so hopefully no sticky fingers around here.
magnetic1
Veteran Member
They are hilarious!
Profit of Doom
Dismember
One egg
Two egg
Green egg
Blue egg
Two egg
Green egg
Blue egg
20Gauge
TB Fanatic
We live in a swamp /forest on 5 acres with our neighbor having 6. We are good for a bit, but we do realize longer term all best are off.
changed
Preferred pronouns: dude/bro
Yes and even if keeping chickens and bees is expensive it is well worth it to be self-sufficient. Have you looked into raising coturnix quail? Even people that live in the city could keep quail cause they are so quiet.
LittleYellowFlower
Flower Whisperer
Been there, done that! You tell it exactly as it truly is!!! ROFLMAO!!
Nopie
Contributing Member
I freakin’ love my chickens. Most evenings, including right now, I sit out in the chicken run as the ladies come home from free ranging for the night. Better than sitting inside watching TV. Instead, I’m watching a soap opera as the ladies complain to each other and the roosters do their thing. Better than Days of Our Lives.
Chickens are pretty awesome. They provide entertainment, food and pest control. I know you’re going to enjoy them. They are well worth the investment.
Chickens are pretty awesome. They provide entertainment, food and pest control. I know you’re going to enjoy them. They are well worth the investment.
We are against you doing that too.
Loretta Van Riet
Trying to hang out with the cool kids.
What breeds do ya have?
For that kind of money, why not just buy them a tiny home?
And don’t forget the chicknic table
And don’t forget the chicknic table
Profit of Doom
Dismember
I would be concerned with availability of feed. You have plans?
Melodi
Disaster Cat
This is why when we spent several hundred euros on our new setup (that has a roof and steel cage to deal with predators and the local climate) we put them in a courtyard with stone walls and 110-footthick wooden fences.
We have never done this, normally we put the chicken houses out in front where we can see them, but not this time. The big "courtyard" was originally put up (the part of the 10-foot wall) for our Wolf-dog, but he's elderly now and only wants to hang on in the small part we put a 10-foot gate across to make a smaller space near the kitchen.
Our other (also elderly dogs) now sleep in the front yard and don't wander anymore, when we get a new dog(s) well will have to teach them to avoid chicken run 101, but we thought that was better than risking certain types of two-legged people from just walking in and taking them or their eggs.
Two days ago my German housemate found a double yoke giant egg for the first time (she had never seen one) and I assure her this was normal, and that mostly they were infertile.
Melodi
Disaster Cat
Oh and as to why spend that much money? In some places, you can spend a lot less money over and over again when the climate destroys the runs and houses, or predators take them down and then kill your flocks. Or eventually, you break down and build something really secure if a bit expensive and hope not to have to keep replacing things every two years (including the chickens). And we just have rats, minks, foxes, and occasionally stray dogs but many places in North America also have coyotes, bears, raccoons, and other "varmints."
20Gauge
TB Fanatic
We live in a forest so plenty of something. We would have to cull most of them.
At current rates we have almost 2 months of feed on hand at anyone time.
20Gauge
TB Fanatic
Good point!
As I live in a predator heavy area, I decided to build once and have it over with. They have 360 degree protection from all predators whether they be dogs, cats, raccoons, coyotes etc.
Also, I built it so when we have trouble walking / standing, we can still take care of them. That cost more than I expected for sure.
Melodi
Disaster Cat
You can also feed them an amazing amount of table scrapes (including small amounts of meat), boiled potatoes (we've done this in a pinch), and throw in lots of grass; you might not have to cull all that many of them - you might want to build a "chicken tunnel" which is built out of chicken wire. It is moveable and lets them graze without being easy prey for predators - there are also plans for an "arch" that has a few chickens you can move around and larger ones with wheels.
They are also good for sitting hens, or hens with chickens - good things to look into and make or buy over the next period of time as you have the resources to do so. It cuts down on feed in good times and can replace a lot of feed during bad ones.
They are also good for sitting hens, or hens with chickens - good things to look into and make or buy over the next period of time as you have the resources to do so. It cuts down on feed in good times and can replace a lot of feed during bad ones.
20Gauge
TB Fanatic
We have been looking at these things, but have not pulled the trigger on anything else yet.
As far as the scraps, we do that ( not that we have much ) and they love it.
Melodi
Disaster Cat
In bad times it might be worth cooking extra beans/lentils/cornbread/pasta (you get the idea) to have "leftovers" for the chickens. We've also in a pinch (when the truck didn't come in with the feed) made up daily "chicken mash" with potatoes (which were cheap at the time) as a base and added stuff to it. The downside is you can't put it in a regular chicken feeder and sometimes they don't eat it all but the upside is they get fed and usually you still get eggs. We sometimes throw eggs (cooked into the mash) as well, as well as milk if we have it.
Raggedyman
Res ipsa loquitur
werd is that he's already a chicken chokerChicken wrangler!
Soon you will advance to master and King chicken choker.
