SufficientSelf's Chicken Thread!!!

[westtxamber]

So I've been thinking about getting maybe 3 hens...my boyfriend is taking some convincing. I think he's mostly concerned about the initial investment...we'd have to build a coop and I think he's more interested in spending the money on home repairs. I've been researching how to build one and I think I can get it done pretty inexpensively...and possibly myself. But how expensive is it to keep them? I don't suppose with only 3 I'd go through food too terribly fast, so would the coop be the biggest expense? Just looking for some advice, what to look out for being that I'd be just getting started. Thanks guys!

 

[Beekissed]

Your coop will be the biggest expense but still won't be very expensive for the size you will need for only 3 hens. Chickens are ridiculously easy and cheap to keep and three won't eat you out of house and home. I've been feeding 30 for years and I have a single, very low income and had three teenage boys eating their way through my paycheck.
Trust me, you can afford three hens.

I'm currently building a coop that can house up to 20 chickens and the total build will probably be $180-$200...I can't imagine how much cheaper it would be for such a small coop. You can't do many home repairs for $200. And this coop is being built by a woman~me~and with a minimum of materials or special tools. You can check out the first few pics on the meat chicken thread on here. Be sure and check back at how cute it will be when I'm done...it will be coop-worthy.

 

[westtxamber]

He said yes! lol I'm getting chickens! And he's going to help build the coop, which is a relief I'm not solo on this project. I'm thinking 2 females and a male. I'm hoping to have a nice weekend this weekend with weather so I can get out there and get started. I guess I was over thinking things a bit, (I'm afraid I was raised a "city" girl) and after some poking in the yards (the property is four lots lol) I think I have picked out enough wood to do most of it so I gotta buy chicken wire and whatever we're going to do their nesting boxes with.
Beekissed, your coop is awesome! How tall and wide is it? It's kinda what I wanted to do for like the run part and have the end part a shelter.
How am I gonna keep them cool in the summer? I saw some people built like a mini house, insulation and all that, is that really needed? I only worry because I live in west TX. Also do you that sell your eggs happen to ship? Lulz I'd love to support the SS community, and it's either that or support the local cock fighters or online...
so God willing we have a beautiful weekend I may have pics to post on Monday
Chickens!
YAY!
/happydance

 

[Beekissed]

That's good to hear! Although, I advise against getting one rooster along with two hens unless you don't mind those hens getting all the feathers worn off their backs(not good in your hot sun). Repeated and excessive breeding can also make your hens disinclined to lay, out of pure stress. Unless you are wanting to increase your flock, a rooster is not needed at all and your hens will be just as happy without him.

My coop is 8 ft. x 10 ft.


From what I hear about TX, it would be good to get light weight breeds(RIR, Leghorns, Dominiques~all great layers but not real heavy), provide double shade(keep your coop under a shade tree), provide misters or ice your water in the hottest season.

 

[so lucky]

I agree with Beekissed on the "no rooster" suggestion. He would be a non-productive member of society unless you are wanting him for breeding. My 5 girls get along wonderfully without a roo around. We gave away the 6th chicken that turned out to be a roo, when he made life too hard for the girls. Weather wise, I worry more about heat than cold for the chickens. If I could have put electricity in the coop, to run a fan, I would have. You may want to arrange for a fan to help with cooling this summer. Don't try to heat them in winter, tho. (they do have down coats.)

 

[westtxamber]

Big thanks for all the input! I heard from someone having a rooster was somehow better, though they didn't go into detail. I think I'll stick with my original plan of 3 girls and no rooster then. A fan...hmm..I wonder if I could come up with something. Oh and just to update it was much too cold to do much today outside, so the coop will have to wait a day or two. Spent a whopping 10-15 $ on the chicken wire I've been looking at breeds, I'm told a lot of people around here have rhode island reds and banneys and those are beautiful birds so I think I'll get one of each of those and the RIR are too cute! lol Am I normal?!? lol Bf likes the idea of also getting a game hen, though that means a second coop. So that's a possibility and would make 4 girls. Though I'm reading not to expect eggs from the game hen, but not sure why? Anyways I'll keep you guys updated on the coop

 

[laughing dog]

Big thanks for all the input! I heard from someone having a rooster was somehow better, though they didn't go into detail. I think I'll stick with my original plan of 3 girls and no rooster then. A fan...hmm..I wonder if I could come up with something. Oh and just to update it was much too cold to do much today outside, so the coop will have to wait a day or two. Spent a whopping 10-15 $ on the chicken wire I've been looking at breeds, I'm told a lot of people around here have rhode island reds and banneys and those are beautiful birds so I think I'll get one of each of those and the RIR are too cute! lol Am I normal?!? lol Bf likes the idea of also getting a game hen, though that means a second coop. So that's a possibility and would make 4 girls. Though I'm reading not to expect eggs from the game hen, but not sure why? Anyways I'll keep you guys updated on the coop

im gonna sound nuts to most who dont know.. but games are actually a lot cheaper and easier to keep and friendlier given decent handling and what not at first, and are pretty predator and sickness free. i had layers i spent a lot of money on and they were terrible all around, and a lot meaner and flightier, and couldnt take heat or cold ect.. the rescued and some bought games however, i just had old dog houses up off ground, pine needles on floor if dont want to scrape out poo in morn (if your smart enough to feed in evening only to then next morn collect poo for fertilizer or drying and burning for fuel, as birds poo more in so many hours after fed majority, so feeding in evening right before coming in to roost, which also gets them to roost and nest were you want, as then have trap boards under roosts or just to place roosts and nests so dont get pooped on from ones above at niight, will then collect most poop in the house). i just used old chainlink dog fence with no topping/covering to confine, as was strong and keeps preds out but lets things games love to eat, which is anything they can fit in mouth, even huge rats that they attack in flock like raptors. i just fed cheapest dry dog food mostly when they even were wanting it, and fed to other things that the hens stole from anyway instead of eating expensive layer pellets had bought which when cooped and starved to only point to get to eat, they got poops, dehydrated, suger high then crash, and finally layed terribly and eggs tasted worse), crushed up or blended for the chicks (which they raise way to many of on own if you dont watch them for hidden nests, so no need to incubate or brood). my hens also layed six more eggs than i had hens to lay EVERY DAY, even in winter, except for my layers and heritage breeds! so all this heritage and layer hen talk seems to be hogwash to me, just to fool to spend money and fluff somebody up, as had tried layers, hatchery and farm stock (hardly ever seen a pure bred or even half breed looking as what was sold as supposedly from hatcheries), even had mixed in with games, and the hatchery, layers, and heratige were always the ones starting fights, just couldnt finnish them.. if you dont make nice with your games, they may try to kill you if you charge their nest or chicks, as friend saw the neighbor kids playing with the chicks and decided to just try to corner and grab a chick quick, and she charged quick and cut his face once before i called her off (they are smart and obiediant like dogs if you work with at all and not just lock in small space devoid of anything but food). the eggs were not the jumbo sized like my layers, but normal to large sized, and yeah they came out differant colors/shades, but the taste was soooooo.. much better. id even dropped their eggs and just put safe glue on, and they still hatched. i still have all the fancy stuff id left at families in mountains.. rotting away. the cheap plastic doghouses and chainlink fence panels still here, and great shape. also games are supierior foragers and will find most or all of own food if left out, and if keep some of the cockerals around they will be extra protection, as will perch high, and act as sentinals to warn of differant preds with differant calls, to tell hens to fly up, hunker down, run, hide, or defend. i only had one hen ever taken off after got rid of all but two hens and a gimpy roo, as an owl grabbed her up off roost out side, as had house and run blocked off for some reason, and she came back frazzled but strutting couple days later. think of it, most of these bids people talk of in large or small groups protected are just continually hawk bait, but game bird breeders keep staked out on short tethers in all elements and fully exposed to preds by dozens to hundreds.. do you here about them getting taken as easy prey? no, you just look out on a feild with hundreds still there every time you pass unless some taken off to do the bad stuff with that trained and abused into, and only thing to do and taught to do, other than stand at a tether.

one of the few laying and supposedly successful breeds that ive never had as rescue, but always wanted to get before moving to south as true rhode island reds dont do well in the heat supposedly so never tried them once moved down here and could have, but heard much praise about up were from, was the mohogony colored red old style rhode island red, not the ones you get from hatcheries, or what ive seen passed expensively off around the south, or sold saying theyre heritage bred, but good old actual rhode island reds that come from real farmers were the birds get scraps and thats it then surviving free range to make own nests and incubate and raise own chicks out in open or in woods, looking and partly due to being supposed mix of new hampshire red, and leghorns. the ones seen and heard great things from up in great lakes area were pretty friendly and tough birds laying pretty to really well med to even large eggs sometimes every day but you should have twice as many hens as you want eggs from anyway and a spare roo at least to every eight hens to keep fertility and safety up if wanting chicks raised naturally and truly "free range".

oh, found that my games, and well actually all my hens even before the games laid better with roo around, than without or separated. my one lone "egg laying white" which was white leghorn hen under game roo, was a egg laying beast, and would usually give me two eggs a day, even three, but always gave at least one (and yes, i locked her up in locked cage in locked bathroom in my locked place, to make sure wasnt joke someone was playing or another hen laying by her). heard a lot of good things about game cocks over layer hens, as get great big many eggs, but better feed to everything ratio, calmness, pred caution and free range feed finding ability, and ability to go broody but easy to break for production purposes.

 

[laughing dog]

i just suggest game birds, same as here in country in places bully breeds are used for hunting herding and guarding stock and kids. you cant truly blame a simple animal over the evil and stupid minds of most ignorant humans, as we are supposed to be educated, evolved, or enlightened (depending on your backround raising). just thought maybe some people wanted actual hard self sufficient type stock, not coddled expensive pets, that would die soon after any shortage in their luxury.

 

[BarredBuff]

 

[so lucky]

westtxamber, Henderson's Chicken Breed Chart gives some excellent info on size, egg-laying habits, color, cold-hardiness, broodiness, friendliness, etc. You can google it or go to BYC and use their search feature.