I am getting chickens!

ben62670

Found a local guy who has Barred Rocks for $3 each. They eat bugs including scorpions, one of the best layers of large brown eggs, fertilize the yard, nicer than RI reds, and you can eat them:) I am going to try a rooster. They are supposed to be more well behaved than RI reds. We'll see. He may be the first in the pot;) With the price of free range eggs, and all the benefits listed above the $15 a month to feed them is well worth it. My girls will love feeding, and chasing them too. I can't wait!

Edit: This is the kind I am getting
http://www.cacklehatchery.com/barred.html

tugboat

What are you going to tell the little ones when the come over and can't find their friend? They'll be looking all over the yard for it and you'll be ringing the dinner bell! :eek:

read-alot

Hawks, Owls and Skunks will love you.

billbillw

Wild dogs will be visiting you too!

pearsall001

Make sure you use a "maple" chopping block when you wack there heads off before they become dinner. Any true audiophile knows that maple wood is the best. I hear it makes them taste better!!!

exalted512

Good luck with that. Chickens smell like **** and require more than just a little bit of upkeep, thats why we got rid of ours when I was younger.

That and a rooster attacked my brother...lol.
-Cody

ben62670

read-alot wrote: »

Hawks, Owls and Skunks will love you.

Hawks are my main concern:( They will run free around the yard that is completely fenced in. I have a 44 magnum (Ruger Super Redhawk with a scope) to take care of naughty critters;)
http://www.ruger.com/Firearms/FAProdView?model=5502&return=Y
I sure hope no deer try to attack my chickens:D

Kex

Congratulations! Enjoy your new "gear"! I hope you are right about the cost of feeding. Remember also that too many eggs are bad for cholesterol levels (seriously bad, I think).

Are you going to be setting up Polk Audio speakers in the yard to keep them relaxed?!

Early B.

Edible pets? OK, Ben -- I'm getting worried. Just grow some veggies.

vlam

Don't do it. My wife got some egg laying chicks for the boys a few weeks ago and let me tell you, they are a lot of work!

1. They are messy
2. They stink
3. You really can't let them run around in the yard.

I got an eagle, fox and who knows what else in my backyard so I keep mine in the garage and let them out in a caged area.

I am not trying to give them away because the fun is over. My boys no long think they are fun. My garage smells like a fish room already and adding the chicks just put it over the top.

ben62670

Kex wrote: »

Congratulations! Enjoy your new "gear"! I hope you are right about the cost of feeding. Remember also that too many eggs are bad for cholesterol levels (seriously bad, I think).

Are you going to be setting up Polk Audio speakers in the yard to keep them relaxed?!

The Rocks seem to be a pretty laid back chicken. RI reds weren't too friendly. When we were little kids we used to try and punt them:o I know I will have extra eggs, but I can earn points with the X by giving her free range chickens. There are lots of positives to having them. The girls were just enjoying some vids of chickens. I may buy a rooster to use for a little while, or just buy the fertilized eggs. My girls, and I can incubate them so they can learn a little. Plus next year we will plant some veggies. Hopefully this will not only teach, but get them to eat veggies too!

F1nut

Cracker!

george daniel

Ben,, educate me please,, what are "free range eggs"

read-alot

ben62670 wrote: »

Hawks are my main concern:( They will run free around the yard that is completely fenced in. I have a 44 magnum (Ruger Super Redhawk with a scope) to take care of naughty critters;)
http://www.ruger.com/Firearms/FAProdView?model=5502&return=Y
I sure hope no deer try to attack my chickens:D

AK, AR, Pump Magnums, Weatherby mag and a few calibers of light weight pistols couldn't keep the Fox from raiding the hen house.

If they want them they will get um, that statement comes from experence.

ben62670

Guys I have had them before. I have a fairly large completely fenced in yard. There will be an "access hole" in the fence for critters to try, but they won't make it all the way through;) I am a country phucker who has lived out in the woods for years without electricity. Well we took the battery out of the truck to run a 12v TV for the Simpson's if that counts, and the 1978 CB750 tail light with an aluminum reflector(AKA the Crystal chandelier:eek:). We had pigs, cows, and chickens. This isn't some half thought out oh yeah lets get chickens. GA is new to me, but we had fox, coyotes, raccoons, and hawks in CT too. The coyotes were the worst. They made nice pelts though, and the pigs ate the carcasses:)

ben62670

george daniel wrote: »

Ben,, educate me please,, what are "free range eggs"

Free range just means the chickens are free to walk around, and feed themselves with bugs, and such. Most eggs are produced by chickens in little boxes that are feed whatever is cheapest. Also because of the bad environment they are feed extra chemicals to keep them healthy:rolleyes:

BTW guys I know I will loose a few.

F1nut wrote: »

Cracker!

He lives!

brettw22

exactly how many of these things are you getting?

ben62670

8-10? I expect to loose a few. A few obnoxious ones may fall out of their skin, and into a pot of boiling water filled with onions, carrots, potatoes, celery, and salt and pepper.

read-alot

My neighbor on the West side has 50 thousand, the one on the North has 80 thousand and to the South she has 40k chickens growing for Tyson Foods and the damn varmits will still get my layers.

Yeah every now and then the air gets a little stinky here in the mountains.

ben62670

I fully expect them to get a couple, but I have made up a few alarms to thwart their efforts before. We had an excess of coons out at his pond for a couple years (mild winters). I took an onion bag with some punkinseeds I caught, and tied it to a limb. I then tied a fishing line to it then ran it into the house through an eye screw, and down to a beer can. Then I took a short piece of line, and tied it to the eye screw, and to another beer can. When the coons would come they wood grab the bag of fish which would make the beer cans clang together. I cracked the door, and popped them. Well my neighbor, and I were talking trash saying who would get more coons so it was on! He had a have-a-heart trap that he baited. Well on night I popped two. My buddy and I brought the dead coons down to his place and laid them on their backs. The male died at full attention so we put a condom on his... The female was laid next to him with a cig in her mouth. We tossed a couple beer cans around the seen for aesthetics. Well the guys name was Pat. He stuttered. We went down to his place in the morning, and knocked on his door. He opened the door, and stuttered away "y y y y ou ggg gg uys are sick", and slammed the door! Well back to the varmint alert system. I think I can rig something a little better than two beer cans, and some fishing line to alert me if there is a predator;)

BTW I don't sleep much;)

snow

ben62670 wrote: »

Found a local guy who has Barred Rocks for $3 each. They eat bugs including scorpions, one of the best layers of large brown eggs, fertilize the yard, nicer than RI reds, and you can eat them:) I am going to try a rooster. They are supposed to be more well behaved than RI reds. We'll see. He may be the first in the pot;) With the price of free range eggs, and all the benefits listed above the $15 a month to feed them is well worth it.

Better get a few hens to go with that rooster if you expect to get many eggs, there not good egg layers



REGARDS SNOW

SolidSqual

If you were my neighbor I would be calling animal control. If you think scorpions are your worst problem, wait till you see what other wildlife thrives in Georgia's warm climate.

John30_30

ben62670 wrote: »

I fully expect them to get a couple, but I have made up a few alarms to thwart their efforts before. We had an excess of coons out at his pond for a couple years (mild winters). I took an onion bag with some punkinseeds I caught, and tied it to a limb. I then tied a fishing line to it then ran it into the house through an eye screw, and down to a beer can. Then I took a short piece of line, and tied it to the eye screw, and to another beer can. When the coons would come they wood grab the bag of fish which would make the beer cans clang together. I cracked the door, and popped them. Well my neighbor, and I were talking trash saying who would get more coons so it was on! He had a have-a-heart trap that he baited. Well on night I popped two. My buddy and I brought the dead coons down to his place and laid them on their backs. The male died at full attention so we put a condom on his... The female was laid next to him with a cig in her mouth. We tossed a couple beer cans around the seen for aesthetics. Well the guys name was Pat. He stuttered. We went down to his place in the morning, and knocked on his door. He opened the door, and stuttered away "y y y y ou ggg gg uys are sick", and slammed the door! Well back to the varmint alert system. I think I can rig something a little better than two beer cans, and some fishing line to alert me if there is a predator;)

BTW I don't sleep much;)

Haw, haw.
Don't forget possums and snakes. They like little chickens and eggs over easy.
Possums are just nasty, smelly things.

Oh, and here's something you might think about: we've got 2 hens left, and they're both black. Hawks have never bothered them. My theory is that hawks leave all black birds alone, including the chickens, since the only ones they know about are crows, starlings, etc. scavengers that are not good eats.

p.s. We had a couple of these- a woman I knew had to get rid of them. They lay little bitty eggs, and died off, but your daughters would love them! Cute!
http://www.cacklehatchery.com/silkie.htm

obieone

It blew my mind when I went to close on my house a couple of years ago.
At the closing, the builder started to go over the restrictions on my property, based on what was agreed to at the development stage.
I'm allowed x# of cows, horses, chickens, etc.:p
Coming from a city in eastern MA, I cracked up laughing. It's like being in a WHOLE other country.

ben62670

My buddy had Silkies. Real cute, and amziningly clean, and white. Their "slippers" were real neat.

Coming from a city in eastern MA, I cracked up laughing. It's like being in a WHOLE other country.

I lived in the woods of CT. NE corner. I kinda like it here. Well except no money, lots of bad insects, snakes, and the scorpions. I am less freaked out by them now. FYI Did you know you can be 90, and have a 16 yo girlfriend with full access:eek: Too bad we can't add music to our threads. I'm thinking dueling banjos:D

danger boy

ben62670 wrote: »

8-10? I expect to loose a few. A few obnoxious ones may fall out of their skin, and into a pot of boiling water filled with onions, carrots, potatoes, celery, and salt and pepper.

like this??? I hope so.

ben62670

Well you got my mouth watering like Pavlov's dogs!

disneyjoe7

Ben, Does anyone here other then myself know what you meant of RI Reds. But thanks I haven't heard that in 15 years.

ben62670

Sorry Rhode Island Reds;)

mrbigbluelight

ben62670 wrote: »

I fully expect them to get a couple, but I have made up a few alarms to thwart their efforts before. We had an excess of coons out at his pond for a couple years (mild winters). I took an onion bag with some punkinseeds I caught, and tied it to a limb. I then tied a fishing line to it then ran it into the house through an eye screw, and down to a beer can. Then I took a short piece of line, and tied it to the eye screw, and to another beer can. When the coons would come they wood grab the bag of fish which would make the beer cans clang together. I cracked the door, and popped them. Well my neighbor, and I were talking trash saying who would get more coons so it was on! He had a have-a-heart trap that he baited. Well on night I popped two. My buddy and I brought the dead coons down to his place and laid them on their backs. The male died at full attention so we put a condom on his... The female was laid next to him with a cig in her mouth. We tossed a couple beer cans around the seen for aesthetics. Well the guys name was Pat. He stuttered. We went down to his place in the morning, and knocked on his door. He opened the door, and stuttered away "y y y y ou ggg gg uys are sick", and slammed the door! Well back to the varmint alert system. I think I can rig something a little better than two beer cans, and some fishing line to alert me if there is a predator;)

BTW I don't sleep much;)

You know .... #sniff# .... that's the kind of stuff that makes America great !

rhulett

Guess it's better than getting crabs. Of course chickens just might eat crabs, so I think you've got all of your bases covered.:D

Congrats anyways, though.
Rob