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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1182
  
Location: Do I hear Banjos? | I am seriously considering building a coop and getting a few for the farm. I have only raised them in a laboratory setting (they were a safety flock for a very valuable research company...We hatched and raised them and just kept the flock going).
My questions are: What type of coop do you like best? Raised coop above ground to help keep out snakes? Maybe a pen area fenced around it to keep them in most of the time?
Where do you buy your chickens?
What breeds do you like and why?
We know Coyotes will be an issue...but we will be practicing some "predator management". I have a Ruger for that.  |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 685
Location: Arkansas | Hi! We have always had chickens it seems and weve kept them in many different ways. right now they are free range and its like easter every day to go egg hunting! They will mostly lay in their boxes but when it gets hot they like to lay eggs on the ground. Ive had good luck with rhode island reds, domineques (Idk how to spell, but they are black and white striped) Leghorns, Americauna, Buffs and Cochins.... The leghorns aren't as hardy as the others, but produce large eggs. Plus side of leaving them out is that they keep the barn stalls pretty clean and eat bugs!! They stay around the barn and roost in an outside stall at night... weve dont the whole coop and pen thing, but I woudn't worry about them being out too much as long as youre not super close to neighbors. |
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 Underestimated Underdog
Posts: 3971
Location: Minnesota | I love my chickens almost as much as my horses. I have a coop attached to my barn. Inside the coop they have little boxes they can nest in. They also have a door to go outside and they can free range in the pasture. The chickens come in every night to help prevent other animals from getting them.
I have all different kinds. Are you looking for good egg layers or meat?
You can order eggs from Strombergs, I have a friend who raises them so I got my first ones from him and now hatch my own. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1182
Location: Do I hear Banjos? |
Thanks for the info ladies!
We are wanting them for the eggs mainly. Although the bug eating and entertainment of watching/having them is part of it too.
That's part of why I was asking about breeds. Are some better layers?
I like the idea of letting them range some...but worry about predators. Do any of you have barn cats also? Mine are "Barn Cats" in name only. They are all spayed/neutered and the 4 of them basically sit around waiting for dinner/breakfast. But I worry they may hunt my chickens!
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1094
Location: Idahome | TrailGirl - 2014-02-24 8:54 AM Thanks for the info ladies! We are wanting them for the eggs mainly. Although the bug eating and entertainment of watching/having them is part of it too. That's part of why I was asking about breeds. Are some better layers? I like the idea of letting them range some...but worry about predators. Do any of you have barn cats also? Mine are "Barn Cats" in name only. They are all spayed/neutered and the 4 of them basically sit around waiting for dinner/breakfast. But I worry they may hunt my chickens!
I don't think I would worry too much about the cats. Chickens can defend themselves pretty well against smaller animals. My mom has always had chickens that she coops up at night because of coyotes and lets them range during the day. They definitely help keep pens clean.
I personally hate all birds so never plan to have chickens, but most of them are pretty hardy. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1392
Location: Central Texas | I love my chickens. We turned the end stall into a coop. They are locked up at night and turned out during the day to free range. I kept them in the coop for the first week and then started letting them out into a fenced area. Now they free range during the day and have never even thought about going out near the road, they just hang out in the pasture and barn. I have Production Red, Rhode Island Reds, Cochins, Silver laced Wyandotte and Black Marans. All are great layers. Production Red and RIR lay almost everyday, the cochins lay most days and the rest are every other day.
ETA.... I also have cats but that has never been a problem for the chickens.
Edited by GraciousLegacy 2014-02-24 10:56 AM
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Addicted to Baseball
Location: Where the stars at night are big and bright, TX | TrailGirl - 2014-02-24 9:21 AM I am seriously considering building a coop and getting a few for the farm. I have only raised them in a laboratory setting (they were a safety flock for a very valuable research company...We hatched and raised them and just kept the flock going).
My questions are: What type of coop do you like best? Raised coop above ground to help keep out snakes? Maybe a pen area fenced around it to keep them in most of the time?
Where do you buy your chickens?
What breeds do you like and why?
We know Coyotes will be an issue...but we will be practicing some "predator management". I have a Ruger for that.
We raise them, kids show them at livestock shows and we have after-show markets for pullets and eggs too.
We prefer a coop off the ground, helps keep rodents and snakes out. Our current coop for the mature has a drop down floor so all I have to do is drop the floor into the wheelbarrow and compost the shavings. We also keep a drop board down so all we really have to do is scrape that to keep the shavings clean. We also have a brooder building for the young pullets until they are done showing and ready to go out with the mature hens.
Ours mostly free range during the day, but I do have tall fenced coop yard for when I need to keep them locked up.
We buy ours from breeders if we want a certain breed, but we also purchase from Ideal in Texas for the livestock show birds. They have always arrived healthy, haven't lost one! Our clubs ordered 200 last season and not a one was lost. Breeds depend on what you want. We mostly raise layers, so we have Barred Rocks, there are many other good layer breeds but they are one of the best and most popular. You can go to hatchery websites and see them by "purpose" meat, laying, dual purpose, etc. You can also reasearch breeds who lay different colored eggs. Silkies and some others are more broody, so if you ever want to hatch out any of your own without an incubator, a broody breed is a nice novelty to have around.
Coyotes don't come on our place during the day, big mean dog sees to dogs and other predators. I shut my chickens up at night, too much money invested in them. But with our chicken yard and coops behind those and the brooder building nothing like that could get in anyway. We are fortunate enough that though he couldn't take on a big predator, we have a wonderful huge Columbian Brahma cross rooster who is a big son of a gun. Not people aggressive either which is a big plus.
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1182
Location: Do I hear Banjos? | GraciousLegacy - 2014-02-24 10:50 AM I love my chickens. We turned the end stall into a coop. They are locked up at night and turned out during the day to free range. I kept them in the coop for the first week and then started letting them out into a fenced area. Now they free range during the day and have never even thought about going out near the road, they just hang out in the pasture and barn. I have Production Red, Rhode Island Reds, Cochins, Silver laced Wyandotte and Black Marans. All are great layers. Production Red and RIR lay almost everyday, the cochins lay most days and the rest are every other day.
Oh...that's an interesting idea about converting the stall to a coop. Could you post pictures of that?
And thanks for the info on breeds. I need to look up the different breeds etc.
I don't think we will get a rooster. My understanding is you don't need one to have them laying and I'd rather not deal with a roo. (bad flashbacks to a traumatic-jeans tearing-attack by a neighbor's chinese white muppet looking rooster as a kid) |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1100
Location: Southeastern Idaho | Love my chickens! I have a definate problem. I have both layers and raise meat chickens for my family. The favorite breeds I have are Easter Eggers, love colored eggs, Astralorpes, Road Island Reds, Buff Orphingtons, and cochins just because they are cute. Not good layers. I have to get chickens with reduced combs because it is so cold here. I also built my own 15 foot run off of my coop. Coop was an old shed that existed on our place. It has a nice cement foundation. We have lots of critters, so I buried the chicken wire about 8 inches all around and covered the run with chicken wire. As of yet no body has gotten inside my coop to kill my girls. I let them out during the day to scratch and shut the door on them at night. My neighbors love my eggs as well since we can't keep up with all the eggs. But it is nice to know we have a food source in our back yard.
Edited by luvropin 2014-02-24 11:04 AM
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Underestimated Underdog
Posts: 3971
Location: Minnesota | TrailGirl - 2014-02-24 9:54 AM
Thanks for the info ladies!
We are wanting them for the eggs mainly. Although the bug eating and entertainment of watching/having them is part of it too.
That's part of why I was asking about breeds. Are some better layers?
I like the idea of letting them range some...but worry about predators. Do any of you have barn cats also? Mine are "Barn Cats" in name only. They are all spayed/neutered and the 4 of them basically sit around waiting for dinner/breakfast. But I worry they may hunt my chickens!
Yes, some chickens lay more eggs than others. If you check out Strombergs website they have all the info on about 100 different kinds of chickens. They are very helpful.
My barn kittens don't bother the chickens. They basically just stare at them. My one horse is scared of them which I find hilarious. |
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Expert
Posts: 1392
Location: Central Texas | TrailGirl - 2014-02-24 10:59 AM GraciousLegacy - 2014-02-24 10:50 AM I love my chickens. We turned the end stall into a coop. They are locked up at night and turned out during the day to free range. I kept them in the coop for the first week and then started letting them out into a fenced area. Now they free range during the day and have never even thought about going out near the road, they just hang out in the pasture and barn. I have Production Red, Rhode Island Reds, Cochins, Silver laced Wyandotte and Black Marans. All are great layers. Production Red and RIR lay almost everyday, the cochins lay most days and the rest are every other day. Oh...that's an interesting idea about converting the stall to a coop. Could you post pictures of that?
And thanks for the info on breeds. I need to look up the different breeds etc.
I don't think we will get a rooster. My understanding is you don't need one to have them laying and I'd rather not deal with a roo. (bad flashbacks to a traumatic-jeans tearing-attack by a neighbor's chinese white muppet looking rooster as a kid)
I don't have any roosters either. I will post some pics of our stall conversion when I get back from lunch. No laughing though. We just used left over wood from other projects and only had one day to construct something to keep them in.
I didn't set out to have chickens. My city dwelling friend thought she could have them in town and that lasted all of 3 days before the neighbors called and reported her and she got ticketed and was getting fined for each day they were there so she called and asked if I would take them. We literally enclosed and built ramps and boxes with my scraps in one afternoon. Now I'm hooked and have added more and have plans to do a major barn expansion and the chickens will get a much bigger coop area |
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 Reaching for the stars....
Posts: 12704
| KylaKris - 2014-02-24 10:46 AM TrailGirl - 2014-02-24 8:54 AM Thanks for the info ladies! We are wanting them for the eggs mainly. Although the bug eating and entertainment of watching/having them is part of it too. That's part of why I was asking about breeds. Are some better layers? I like the idea of letting them range some...but worry about predators. Do any of you have barn cats also? Mine are "Barn Cats" in name only. They are all spayed/neutered and the 4 of them basically sit around waiting for dinner/breakfast. But I worry they may hunt my chickens! I don't think I would worry too much about the cats. Chickens can defend themselves pretty well against smaller animals. My mom has always had chickens that she coops up at night because of coyotes and lets them range during the day. They definitely help keep pens clean.
I personally hate all birds so never plan to have chickens, but most of them are pretty hardy.
Our cats all run from the chickens! After one or two 'hunts' and finding themselves swarmed by the flock they stay clear. I have one hen that will chase the cats even. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1182
Location: Do I hear Banjos? | Gosh guys...this is all really great info! I appreciate it!
I am reading around on line of course (love the Stromberg site!)..but there's nothing like first hand information.
I promise not to laugh at any pictures! I'm looking for ideas and using scraps/supplies on hand is always a great idea! That was so nice that you could help out a friend.
I am seeing some completely cute coop ideas on line too. My SO is pretty darn handy...so whatever we do I bet we can make it functional and neat.
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1094
Location: Idahome | lonely va barrelxr - 2014-02-24 10:26 AM
KylaKris - 2014-02-24 10:46 AM TrailGirl - 2014-02-24 8:54 AM Thanks for the info ladies! We are wanting them for the eggs mainly. Although the bug eating and entertainment of watching/having them is part of it too. That's part of why I was asking about breeds. Are some better layers? I like the idea of letting them range some...but worry about predators. Do any of you have barn cats also? Mine are "Barn Cats" in name only. They are all spayed/neutered and the 4 of them basically sit around waiting for dinner/breakfast. But I worry they may hunt my chickens! I don't think I would worry too much about the cats. Chickens can defend themselves pretty well against smaller animals. My mom has always had chickens that she coops up at night because of coyotes and lets them range during the day. They definitely help keep pens clean.
I personally hate all birds so never plan to have chickens, but most of them are pretty hardy.
This is the main reason I hate them. I seem to attract them in a bad way. I got attacked by a rooster when I was young and it scarred me for life. I steer clear of my moms when I visit.  |
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 Chicken Chick
Posts: 3562
Location: Texas | we have chickens... and ducks. If the breed you get can fly i would make sure your fence will keep them in. Cant protect them if they get out whenever they want. Mine are all heavy breeds or have feathers that make it impossible for them to fly, (they are also bantams) so my fence is only 4ft tall and i have had very few actually be able to get out. Some, once they were done growing got too heavy and never got out again... and the rest ended up dog food.We let ours out during the day and put them up at night. Before we had the backyard fence done they would only be let out while i was there to watch and run off neighbor dogs.We have cats and they will walk right through the middle of the ducks and chickens. The birds make a little noise but neither party seems to care about the other. My cats are hunting little suckers, and in the beginning when i would see them stalking chickens i would throw something at them to get their attention. It only took a few times before stalking chickens wasnt fun. Now you can go out and my momma cat is laying in their yard napping, or she is sprawled out under a tree while they walk all around her. When i go get eggs it is me, the dog, and a cat in the coop with the chickens lol.Not all roosters are mean, breed has a lot to do with how birds act too. Granted they dont all follow the rules but you can get a good idea about them with some research. I have had quite a few rooster and the only one that ever tried to get me was a 18oz serama... who we later named kujo. |
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Chicken Chick
Posts: 3562
Location: Texas | Oh and i will add that you will get a lot of advice from people that dont have a clue but think they do. Like if you dont have a rooster your chickens wont lay eggs. Which is untrue, the egg just isnt fertile. Some people will argue that until the cows come home lol. |
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Expert
Posts: 1392
Location: Central Texas | For my hens that wanted to fly over fences I just clipped one wing. Solved that problem. You can find some good videos online that show you exactly which feathers to cut. Only cut ONE side.
I'm trying to send the pics of my coop from my phone to my email but my phone is being stupid and not participating in the sending. grr. I can text them to you if you want to PM me a number. |
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Expert
Posts: 1642
Location: Kansas | We have egg layers. Barred Rocks, Buff Orpingtons, brown leghorns, RIR's. Did have production reds and but sold them when they got age to them. Now we are NOT getting the egg production we did have with those. They are great layers. Most consistant. I will be getting mroe of them again eventually. We free range ours in spring, summer, and beginning of fall, then lock them up about end of Oct or so until spring. Coyotes are a problem in the cold months, but do not have a problem the rest of the time. Not sure why but we just manage with what works best. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 685
Location: Arkansas | TrailGirl - 2014-02-24 9:54 AM Thanks for the info ladies! We are wanting them for the eggs mainly. Although the bug eating and entertainment of watching/having them is part of it too. That's part of why I was asking about breeds. Are some better layers? I like the idea of letting them range some...but worry about predators. Do any of you have barn cats also? Mine are "Barn Cats" in name only. They are all spayed/neutered and the 4 of them basically sit around waiting for dinner/breakfast. But I worry they may hunt my chickens!
We love watching ours! They can be pretty comical at times...
We have 4 dogs and 2 cats and we didn't have a problem until recently when our Border Collie pup decided to play chase with them and some were found dead. The other three we made sure the rooster got them good from the get go, so they never tested them.
Theyre pretty smart and learn where they are safe at. I would definitely wait until they are young adults before turning them loose, so they can run/ fly away if needed. You can always build a small coop that you can close them in at night and leave it open during the day. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 685
Location: Arkansas | TrailGirl - 2014-02-24 10:59 AM GraciousLegacy - 2014-02-24 10:50 AM I love my chickens. We turned the end stall into a coop. They are locked up at night and turned out during the day to free range. I kept them in the coop for the first week and then started letting them out into a fenced area. Now they free range during the day and have never even thought about going out near the road, they just hang out in the pasture and barn. I have Production Red, Rhode Island Reds, Cochins, Silver laced Wyandotte and Black Marans. All are great layers. Production Red and RIR lay almost everyday, the cochins lay most days and the rest are every other day. Oh...that's an interesting idea about converting the stall to a coop. Could you post pictures of that?
And thanks for the info on breeds. I need to look up the different breeds etc.
I don't think we will get a rooster. My understanding is you don't need one to have them laying and I'd rather not deal with a roo. (bad flashbacks to a traumatic-jeans tearing-attack by a neighbor's chinese white muppet looking rooster as a kid)
Everyone always has mean rooster stories, but Ive never had one that was mean at all!! we had a RIR I would carry around as a kid and he loved it!! Cracks me up....  |
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