Anyone keep laying hens?

CheapJ7 · Jan 18, 2015

Ok, so I know I can buy eggs cheaper than I can farm them and it is an expensive time consuming dirty pain in the ass, but I've got the wantabug to keep a few laying hens. I like the idea of fresh eggs, plus I think it will be something my daughter can grow to enjoy as well as learn some responsibility by.

Plan is to keep 3 or 4 hens, no rooster needed. Looking at Rhode Island reds. Heat and cold hardy, large brown eggs, 5 plus per week.
Build a medium size coop on stilts with a decent sized fully caged run, may do a run off each side so I can alternate.

Prob buy pullets so I don't have to go through the chick phase, but don't want any hens that are already laying.

Still undecided on a normal diet of laying pellets or go full time with grower feed for the higher protein content.
Scratch and treats will go in the run as well as water buckets with horizontal nipples, primary food will be kept in coop.

Prob build something similar to this, has the be asthetically pleasing for the wife.

Anyone have any experience, comments, concerns.

kmcminn · Jan 18, 2015

I did yard birds for awhile. Until a chicken hawk or tom cat picked off twelve of them within about 30 days. I enjoyed it. I feed them scraps from house and scratch feed. Your daughter will like it too. Don't side they are loud and **** a lot.

ibrokeit · Jan 18, 2015

We had two, but they turned more into pets than chickens. Laid some mighty fine eggs. We had them a few years, then they either both became sick at the same time and died or my neighbor poisoned them. They are buried in my back yard. RIP Henry and Etta.

The pics are kinda in backwards order, but I am too lazy to change. Yes, my chicken got stitches. About 30 of them to be exact laughing1. My bulldog got ahold of one of them, my MIL works at one of the major vets in town, and they wanted to see if they could sew up a chicken.

Beerj · Jan 18, 2015

My dad had some (maybe 6?) for a few years. He built the henhouse off of the side of the shed. Basically just continued the roof line down until it was about 4' off the ground and then built everything up to meet that. Used the same t111 as the shed so aesthetically it wasn't bad at all. Blended in really well. While that was being built he just fenced off the underside of the deck which was about 3' high. Pain in the ass to collect those eggs. Especially since he got a cornish rooster too. That thing was mean, like really really mean. So mean that he quickly became target practice for me. And as was stated, they are very noisy and shitty.

infamous1 · Jan 18, 2015

Re:

My little girl got a coop and a voucher for an order of birds this spring for Christmas!!

offroadr1 · Jan 18, 2015

i had 16 at one time. have 9 now. my layers have a coop, the rest stay in the yard. I was picking up to 3 ticks a day off my dogs before them, havent seen any since. I have 2 Rhode island reds and 2 white leggerns.

TheViking · Jan 18, 2015

I have lost our flock to dogs theseat few years but this year I have a brand new plan for that problem and will rebuild my hobby farm dream.

onepieceatatime · Jan 18, 2015

Re:

I wish I could find the picture of my uncles old chicken coop. It was an old school bus he would drag around the field to different spots and set up temporary fence so that they would fertilize the pasture on his organic farm. A school bus full of chickens is a pretty funny sight.

kevinhumphrey · Jan 18, 2015

Sex link are the best IMO.

CheapJ7 · Jan 18, 2015

Haha. It never ceases to amaze me how diverse hardline is... Thanks for the response guys.

I really only plan to keep 2 maybe 3 for the simple fact I don't want to sell any eggs, or have that many extra to deal with.

I'll start clearing land this week, by the time I get the coop built and get the hens settled in, it should be around spring.

race_jeep · Jan 18, 2015

Build a chicken tractor so u can fertilize your yard, and get some bees, I want bees but my neighbors have a pool and I've read they will swarm a pool

ibrokeit · Jan 18, 2015

race_jeep said:
Build a chicken tractor so u can fertilize your yard, and get some bees, I want bees but my neighbors have a pool and I've read they will swarm a pool

I built mine movable. Problem is you need to move them once a week to keep them from killing the grass. I gave up.

money_pit_yj · Jan 18, 2015

We had three a few years ago. They got dubbed the Kardashihens and turned into pets. We are down to 1 now, Kim ran off with a blackbird, Khloe froze a few nights ago so the other one is all we have left. We loved ours. Ours had a coop in a 10x10 dog kennel to roam. They will eat anything organic (fruit, veggie rines, grass, corn, berries, anything!!!) we had yellow buff orpingtons, very prolific egg layers and doscile enough to handle. Figure out a way to keep the crap cleaned out of the cage. We gave up and I have a crappy mess now. As long as they are dry and have a roost they are good. Layer pellets is best and make sure not to leave them out I the yard because they will crap right where you don't want them to. my some love them. He started taking care of them when he was three and still does to this day.

pjprice · Jan 18, 2015

money_pit_yj said:
We had three a few years ago. They got dubbed the Kardashihens and turned into pets. We are down to 1 now, Kim ran off with a blackbird, Khloe froze a few nights ago so the other one is all we have left.

That's great. :****:

CheapJ7 · Jan 18, 2015

race_jeep said:
Build a chicken tractor so u can fertilize your yard, and get some bees, I want bees but my neighbors have a pool and I've read they will swarm a pool

I don't have much grass to begin with. They will be fine. ;D

xjmarc · Jan 18, 2015

We have 6, started with 8. Got them at Tractor Supply as Easter chickens. Couldn't tell you what breed they are but we have grey brindle looking ones, white with a black stripe on the tail and neck ones and brown ones. The 2 that didn't make it were white meat chickens that just got huge fast and died. I get 6 to 8 eggs a day which is more than me and the wife can handle so we give them away. I hate store bought eggs now as they are nowhere near as rich. We feed ours veggy scraps from our restaurant as well as scratch feed. I have a smallish 2 story coop that I close up at night, already killed 4 possums in the year I've had them, and it's attached to a 10x20 dog run with a tarp roof I attached it to. Too many critters running around to let them run loose.

brownjeep · Jan 18, 2015

we here in florida have had up to 25 chickens running around. down to 9 now, due to a mom bobcat and her baby. also had some coyotes around. they are fun as hell to watch when your bored. especially with two roosters wanting attention. we have eggs every morning and do a breakfast for dinner once a week.. only problem I got now are fleas........ they are tough to get rid of......

gomer pyle · Jan 18, 2015

i built a chicken tractor out of a 5 x 10 dog pen with wheels on one end. with 6 hens and 2 roosters(i need to get rid of one), i have to move it every other day. i have americana(green eggs) and black sex link. i am getting at least 2 eggs a day even during the winter. little man loves messing with them.

wayne86 · Jan 19, 2015

You are going to think I'm crazy (not as crazy as taking one to the vet to get stitches lol), but I show chickens all over the country. At any given time I will have between 60 and 250 chickens during hatching season. I just recently got my American Poultry Association judging license. I've been showing since I was 12 and I'm 28 now. Chickens can be a lot of fun. Between offroading and chicken shows I could be gone every weekend.

I think you have already done your research and have a good plan in tact. If the birds are younger than 4 months I would say feed them the 20% protein "grower/starter" feed. After that the layer pellets (16% protein) will be fine. If they are out running in the yard you shouldn't have to worry about oyster shells or grit. That helps grind their food up in the crop.

Your kids will love them. Especially the first time they lay an egg. Have fun!

CheapJ7 · Jan 19, 2015

wayne86 said:
You are going to think I'm crazy (not as crazy as taking one to the vet to get stitches lol), but I show chickens all over the country. At any given time I will have between 60 and 250 chickens during hatching season. I just recently got my American Poultry Association judging license. I've been showing since I was 12 and I'm 28 now. Chickens can be a lot of fun. Between offroading and chicken shows I could be gone every weekend.

I think you have already done your research and have a good plan in tact. If the birds are younger than 4 months I would say feed them the 20% protein "grower/starter" feed. After that the layer pellets (16% protein) will be fine. If they are out running in the yard you shouldn't have to worry about oyster shells or grit. That helps grind their food up in the crop.

Your kids will love them. Especially the first time they lay an egg. Have fun!

Thanks for the info!