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General Chicken Thread - Post your pics and set ups here...

When I raised chickens I had 200 that were just to butcher each year( had five kids at home) Then there were the layers. I never gave a white leghorn type chicken space on my acreage, my kids had to gather eggs and leghorns are flighty, pecky birds. The RIR and Barred rocks just set there. You can name the layers but I never bothered with the ones for eating..kids sometimes ask if this is Petunia or whoever? When the layers slacked off about 2-3 years they went to the stew pot. Cull out the barred rock roosters! Ours would try to spur my car tires when I got home from school, finally we had to end his days as he was mean. By that time he was so tough the dog couldn't eat him cooked, we threw it in the garbage.

Something I tried once but didn't have time to work out was a cross between a Rhode Island Red and a Black Spanish rooster. Made chicks that had the weight and good sized breasts of RIR plus extra hardiness of the Black Spanish. In the cold winters of zone 4 hardiness was a good thing. I think it's a cross that has potenial. Now we live in town and I doubt if I'll get back to an acreage to see how this breed develops.
 
Yep, Barred Rock roosters are very territorial and love to sneak and hit you from behind. I had one that tried that on me once. Meat was as tough as shoe leather and ended up feeding it to the other chooks.

Never raised any Black Spanish, but sounds like an interesting cross.

I gotta get some more Orpington hens for setters.
 
Chicks at 3 weeks old. They have close to a full suit of feathers now.
Chicks7-24-10.jpg
 
Looking sweet as heck, SS!

I'm in a similar situation it seems, to pepperfever, in that I'm in an urban area, so unfortunately I can't get any more chooks at all - space forbids it, at least until I eat a few...!
 
huntsman said:
Looking sweet as heck, SS!

I'm in a similar situation it seems, to pepperfever, in that I'm in an urban area, so unfortunately I can't get any more chooks at all - space forbids it, at least until I eat a few...!
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Thanks hintsman, 2 square feet per bird is enough; although, they do appreciate more


LordViykor said:
Made a dodgy pen, need to make something a bit more permanent.

chooks01.jpg
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Pen looks fine, but I would add an extension to the fences height or they'll be flying out. Also, plant something green for them to munch on, unless you plan on throwing them some scrap veggie greens.


Chicks at 5 weeks. One more week and they'll go outdoors.
Hung the feeder to keep them from scratching and wasting feed.
Chicks8-7-10.jpg
 
Silver_Surfer said:
Pen looks fine, but I would add an extension to the fences height or they'll be flying out. Also, plant something green for them to munch on, unless you plan on throwing them some scrap veggie greens.


Chicks at 5 weeks. One more week and they'll go outdoors.
Hung the feeder to keep them from scratching and wasting feed.
Chicks8-7-10.jpg
Click to expand...

I clip one wing so they don't generally try to fly, and tend to throw veggie scraps to them as well as plant cuttings. They like to dig everything up in that area.

You're chicks are looking good SS.
 
I'd love some chicks and maybe a few rabbits they can really produce a lot of meat for the table.
Do any of you plan to build a chicken tractor? Those photo's of the little chicks were very cute, they can be a lot of fun to watch if you can let them free range and you don't have problems with predators. The other day while looking at some chickens I got over into the exotics, man there was some really colorful birds especially in the realm of pheasants, Pea hens and Guinea fowl all were very pretty to look at. Now all I need is a little more room.
George W.
 
Once we get some more land(once I finish school) I plan on having some, but for now the wifey will have none of it. Sad day.
 
LV and SS -

Things are looking good for you both...well done!

Surfer, you mention greens....are these essential? I've just been feeding them seed etc.... :crazy:

My flock has dropped to just 13, as I sold two roosters today. No good to have roosters occupy 25% of your flock...!!

I now have only two, A Silkie Bantam and a black Australorp, and that's more than enough... :cool:
 
wildseed57 said:
I'd love some chicks and maybe a few rabbits they can really produce a lot of meat for the table.
Do any of you plan to build a chicken tractor? Those photo's of the little chicks were very cute, they can be a lot of fun to watch if you can let them free range and you don't have problems with predators. The other day while looking at some chickens I got over into the exotics, man there was some really colorful birds especially in the realm of pheasants, Pea hens and Guinea fowl all were very pretty to look at. Now all I need is a little more room.
George W.
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I used to raise pheasants, colorful and very tasty. I'm not sure what you mean when you talk about a "chicken tractor". My chooks stay in a 60x130+ foot fenced area.
7-24-06.jpg


millworkman said:
Once we get some more land(once I finish school) I plan on having some, but for now the wifey will have none of it. Sad day.
Click to expand...
You can't beat fresh eggs, 10 times better than the ones at the grocer and fresh tender birds are miles apart from the store bought meat.

huntsman said:
LV and SS -

Things are looking good for you both...well done!

Surfer, you mention greens....are these essential? I've just been feeding them seed etc.... :crazy:

My flock has dropped to just 13, as I sold two roosters today. No good to have roosters occupy 25% of your flock...!!

I now have only two, A Silkie Bantam and a black Australorp, and that's more than enough... :cool:
Click to expand...
Greens aren't what I would call an essential as long as they are fed a balanced feed, but some greenery in their diet makes for a healthier and happier bird.

Yeah, too many roosters makes for some ragged hens. :lol: Eat the excess males while still young and tender.
tasty.gif
 
Silver_Surfer said:
I used to raise pheasants, colorful and very tasty. I'm not sure what you mean when you talk about a "chicken tractor". My chooks stay in a 60x130+ foot fenced area.
7-24-06.jpg



You can't beat fresh eggs, 10 times better than the ones at the grocer and fresh tender birds are miles apart from the store bought meat.


Greens aren't what I would call an essential as long as they are fed a balanced feed, but some greenery in their diet makes for a healthier and happier bird.

Yeah, too many roosters makes for some ragged hens. :lol: Eat the excess males while still young and tender.
tasty.gif
Click to expand...
Is that a deer?
 
Ate a bantam rooster a few weeks back, SS...beeg mistake!

My maid boiled it with onions, and it tasted just as bad as it sounds, and was tough as slave skin to boot! :eek: :lol:
 
Garrett, that's zoysia grass fertilized with chook excrement. :)

How old was that rooster huntsman? 3 to 4 months old for a rooster is about the limit for nice and tender and I prefer roasting them on a rotisserie. Anything older goes in the pressure cooker with some dumplings.

You could always caponize roosters when they are young though and eat them older.
 
Caponize?

I'll look that up later, but it sounds painful! :cool:

I received him as a gift SS, so have no idea of age, but damn he was a tough old bugger! I doubt if boiling him was a good idea either, but that's how the locals traditionally ruin a good chook, so I suffered in silence. Never again, though!

Your pressure cooker sounds like the way to go...

Hey!

I'm a granddaddy! To three tiny lil' chooks that were born last night. Actually four were born, but once has 'disappeared' overnight.
 
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