Sustainable Chickens!! :O

[ECO FRIENDLY]

Here to ask general questions about chickens!
These seem to be cheap and generally easy to raise so these will be my first investment as far as livestock.
My goals to having chickens are to take care of my egg and poultry needs while POTENTIALLY making some extra money on the side...

How many chickens will it require to take care of my needs?
Will I be able to keep 4-5 chickens and all together expect that to be enough?
What kind of coup should I look into?
Is building one less expensive than buying one?

Looking for all the help I can get here, can't wait to hear all of your expert advice!!

 

[baymule]

Bear in mind that chickens molt at about 18 months old. All their protein goes into new feathers, so no eggs at that time. I let the hens lay after their first molt until their 2nd molt, then they hit the stew pot.

I have figured out to keep 12 layers. Last year's, year before last, adding 6 hen chicks at a time. I add 6 new pullets each spring, which gives me 18-20+ chickens at a time. The 6 new pullets usually start laying in the fall/late summer, which pull the slack for the molting hens. I generally keep the old hens in reserve and butcher as needed. They make lovely soup! Depending on time of year, I get 9-20 eggs a day. By adding new pullets every year, I never "run dry" in the winter. We get enough eggs to feed us, family members, give to friends and sell some too. What I sell pays for most of the feed.

I live in town with very close neighbors, so no rooster. I deep litter the coop and run, so no smell. Build your coop like Fort Knox. Go to www.backyardchickens.com and study the predator and coop forum. Learn from other's mistakes so you don't walk out to raccoon/dog/hawk slaughter of all your chickens.

My coop is dirt floored as is my run. I pile in leaves, grass clippings, corn shucks and cobs, pea hulls, all types of vegetable matter. What they don't eat, they poop all over and scratch to bits. They are my garden compost makers! My run is made from cow panels, covered in hardware cloth, bowed over in a "hoop" stapled to a frame. I love it, was easy to build.

I put the frame on blocks because it was beams and 2x4's I had "found" and they are not treated. I had the blocks, so I raised the frame to keep it from rotting. I skirted the whole thing with 1"x2"x2' welded wire, laid flat on the ground to keep digging predators out. Study on BYC, there is all you ever wanted to know about chickens and a whole lot you never thought to ask. Be sure to come back and let us know how you are doing!

 

[Beekissed]

Separate. The goat will eat the chicken's feed and you won't want that. The chickens can wander into the goat's space and that's alright but you don't want the goat in the chicken's coop at all.

 

[piglett]

Separate. The goat will eat the chicken's feed and you won't want that. The chickens can wander into the goat's space and that's alright but you don't want the goat in the chicken's coop at all.

Bee is that you???

i think we were both over on that other forum

 

[piglett]

Yep...it's me! Welcome to the BYC sister site!

it's cold as all gitout but we are hatching up a storm here in N.H.
buff orpingtons,lemon cuckoo orpingtons & a few english orpington X french bresse meat birds
the crosses should be yummy come summer.

i don't really sell eggs, i hatch em in season & get $5 each for them
the left overs head off to freezer camp.

just added 15 more eggs to the cabinet bator
it will be on till the end of May
that should about do it for me.

i should also add that muscovy ducks are great for anyone looking to convert feed into good lean meat. we have a dozen our back in their own coop as i type.
with 9 girls i should be all covered up with ducklings once the weather warms

 

[Beekissed]

Sounds like you are going gangbusters even in the cold!

 

[piglett]

Sounds like you are going gangbusters even in the cold!

can't let bad weather slow up my hatching
i figure on making enough to cover all my years feed by going to the swaps & selling pullets & with some luck baby turkeys too

 

[LadyCedar]

We found 2 free ice-fishing huts, metal sheathed which is great to keep predators out! Insulated for winter use. We renovated the ice huts with recycled skid/pallet wood. Added "Florida windows" we had left over from having to scrap out an old slide in camper, left behind by the former owners. so we now have 2 coops that cost us $60 for the fuel to haul them home! And a couple of days of renovating......

 

[Hinotori]

Here to ask general questions about chickens!
These seem to be cheap and generally easy to raise so these will be my first investment as far as livestock.
My goals to having chickens are to take care of my egg and poultry needs while POTENTIALLY making some extra money on the side... I'm lucky to break even with egg sales vs feed. Right now I'm selling 6 dozen a week at $2.50 a dozen. Regular price on a bag of feed is $15. I stock on when there are sales. I have 41 birds and they go through a bag in roughly a week.

How many chickens will it require to take care of my needs? Depends on what your needs are. How many people you're feeding, age of birds, breed of birds.
Will I be able to keep 4-5 chickens and all together expect that to be enough? Depends on breed and age. Average egg production for many breeds is 4 a week. Hatchery bred production birds will do more.
What kind of coup should I look into? Depends on climate.
Is building one less expensive than buying one? Yes. And you get more coop for that lesser price.

Looking for all the help I can get here, can't wait to hear all of your expert advice!!

 

[FarmerJamie]

possibilities, possibilities....

There are many, many different approaches to managing a flock. Some prefer dual purpose breeds (eggs and meat), some prefer more specialized for meat OR eggs. The more you can free range the birds, the lower your feed bill is (plus, egg layers can be cyclical in levels of production due to time of the year, molting, stress, etc)

@Hinotori is correct. When I had 23 birds and sold eggs for $2/doz. I had enough eggs to supply a family of five and break even on the feed cost with the remainder.

As far as coops - are you going to free range or fence them in? 4-5 chickens are about right for a mobile coop that you could move around the property and let you fence them in specific areas (e.g., a future garden spot).