More Chickens!

[daddykirbs]

I just got my first time ever mail order chicks! This will be my first attempt to raise a batch of meat chickens as well.

[Anianna]

Congrats! Do you already have laying chickens? Just curious, you seemed to specify you are new to meat chickens specifically.

I haven't raised meat chickens (save for excess roosters in dual purpose breeds). Here is one of my girls we got last spring:




Have you been to Back Yard Chicken forums yet?

[daddykirbs]

Yes, I have a nice flock of layers. Right now I have a "main flock" of 14 layers. I also have two smaller coops that hold my Wyandotte breed and the Silkies. Both of those coops have one rooster each. I have no rooster for the layers.

[daddykirbs]

... oh, and I meant to add... Nice looking hen you got there. That is a Buff Orphington, right?

[Birddog1148]

I am thinking of trying some chickens this year.

[daddykirbs]

I am thinking of trying some chickens this year.

It's fun. We bought our house and it came with 12 chickens. We are up to 48 counting the meat chickens. In about 12 weeks we'll be back down 28, but with a stocked freezer

[Anianna]

Yup, yup, Buff Orpinton. I love my buffs. I like my RIR's but I love my buffs.

How lucky are you? Your house came with chickens? Awesome!

[daddykirbs]

... How lucky are you? Your house came with chickens? Awesome!

You have no idea how Blessed I consider myself to have found this place!

[Anianna]

I am thinking of trying some chickens this year.

I <3 my chickens, but I don't think I want to brooder raise anymore chicks. Now that I have adult chickens, I hope they'll take care of raising a few more to add to the flock.

[Birddog1148]

I think I will just start with 6-8 since I have to buy a min of 6 at TSC, I like egg sandwiches for lunch

[Anianna]

I think I will just start with 6-8 since I have to buy a min of 6 at TSC, I like egg sandwiches for lunch

Just know that most TSC stores have no clue what they are selling and don't believe the bin that says "sex links". They have baby roos in there with the hens. They also seem to like to pick a breeder and market a breed as something special and unique to TSC, but it's really just a typical breed you can get under the commonly accepted breed name. Since they call it something else, it is very difficult to do your homework on the breed. I have had good experience with Southern States and local swaps, but definitely do some serious homework if you are going to go to TSC.

[kyle]

http://blog.mypetchicken.com/2012/03/09 ... pocalypse/

[daddykirbs]

http://blog.mypetchicken.com/2012/03/09/the-best-chicken-breed-to-choose-for-the-zombie-apocalypse/

good blog post! I'm gonna have to look at adding that breed to my flock.

[JesterODX]

Heard the same info on TSC before. A local guy told us you never know what your really getting with them.

We wanted to get some last year but it didnt happen. We're still looking for this year. We shall see.

[Birddog1148]

Thought I would try TSC since this is my first time. If I get eggs great, if not its drunken chickin, either way I win I guess.

[echo2]

we got chickens last year.....we have 10 layers and a rooster.....January we got around 215 eggs....

[RachelBB]

Total chicken addict here. I added speckeled sussex, gold and silver laced wyandottes and two sex link layers this year. Then, my honey went to buy chicken feed and they had a "buy a bag of feed, get three free chick" special, so I added a dozen barred rock babies to the brooder! Not quite as good as getting chickens with buying a house, I admit, but a score anyway.
My last years girls are kicking into gear now, I'm actually starting to sell a little bit of eggs. Hoping some of my bantam cochins go broody soonish, I'm wanting to hatch out my own.

We did meaties last year and I like them, but honey just doesn't like butchering them. I'm trying to convince him I COULD do it myself, but of course he's the man and he does all the killing/butchering, in his mind anyway. So, I'm not pushing for meaties again this year. Maybe next year.

My only words of wisdom for raising meaties is to be prepared for poop, the likes of which you've never seen before.

[daddykirbs]

Total chicken addict here. I added speckeled sussex, gold and silver laced wyandottes and two sex link layers this year. Then, my honey went to buy chicken feed and they had a "buy a bag of feed, get three free chick" special, so I added a dozen barred rock babies to the brooder! Not quite as good as getting chickens with buying a house, I admit, but a score anyway.
My last years girls are kicking into gear now, I'm actually starting to sell a little bit of eggs. Hoping some of my bantam cochins go broody soonish, I'm wanting to hatch out my own.

We did meaties last year and I like them, but honey just doesn't like butchering them. I'm trying to convince him I COULD do it myself, but of course he's the man and he does all the killing/butchering, in his mind anyway. So, I'm not pushing for meaties again this year. Maybe next year.

My only words of wisdom for raising meaties is to be prepared for poop, the likes of which you've never seen before.

I have 5 kids and 5 dogs... I'm used to poop LOL!

[JesterODX]

I'm trying to convince him I COULD do it myself, but of course he's the man and he does all the killing/butchering, in his mind anyway.

He has a wife that will do the killing and cleaning and doesnt mind. You need to tell him he has it made!

[Anianna]

I have 5 kids and 5 dogs... I'm used to poop LOL!

The poops of kids and dogs are insignificant next to the accumulation of chicken poop.

I have chicken poop on the underside of a high chair in my barn. Chicken poop defies physics. It's also great to put on your garden in the beginning of the dormant season for healthy soil in the growing season. I have never met an animal that poops as much as chickens. They also don't pick a spot like dogs and kids. They poop everywhere. Absolutely everywhere in great abundance.

[Anianna]

We dispatched and processed six chickens today. I'm beat! That's some hard frickin' work!

But I have lots of meat in the freezer now and fewer roosters to bother the children and the hens.

[daddykirbs]

We dispatched and processed six chickens today. I'm beat! That's some hard frickin' work!

But I have lots of meat in the freezer now and fewer roosters to bother the children and the hens.

Good work! I finished the chicken run and chicken door for my meaties today.

[Anianna]

We dispatched and processed six chickens today. I'm beat! That's some hard frickin' work!

But I have lots of meat in the freezer now and fewer roosters to bother the children and the hens.

Good work! I finished the chicken run and chicken door for my meaties today.

Awesome 'possum!

I love it when a plan comes together.

[EvilTOJ]

If you're going to kill and eat them, let me give you this advice; do NOT name them! Don't give them names, don't let the kids name them either! Trust me, it makes it MUCH harder to slaughter them later.