p/backyard-chicken-coop

Looking for Tips

help!

Anybody have advice for broody hens?

Egg storage idea for those people with a surplus of eggs

I got my first egg today!!!

I love chickens but I thought about you when I saw this… https://www.instagram.com/reel/DGvxEt2pfVF/?igsh=MW1jdjl4MTNpNzlzaQ== why not have them all?

I was looking through my lists to see what I had, can't find what I thought was there...  however I think if it's extremely cold, you can use infrared lamps, obviously that would be more for in the coup, rather than rolling one... another more bush style solution would be hot water water bottles although they have obvious downsides.  I hope you get a little more interest here, I'm keen to know others ideas. 🙏

Are you trying to make this harder for me simms?!!???  lol I will have to check out that lady's channel.  I guess I just prefer chicken to duck as a meat.  I have such an unrefined palette.  But maybe down the line, if the chickens dont work out that would be a great option.  Do ducks live longer than chickens?  And wont they just fly off and live on the closest lake?  or do they establish a home if you raise them from chicks?

I raised chickens for years, I can probably answer most questions you have. You can get dual purpose breeds, but honestly I feel it's a waste of time. If you want eggs and meat I'd advise you to have separate coops. All the chicken that you see in the stores comes from Cornish Rocks. They are hideous, disgusting birds which you will grow to hate very quickly... They are a four way cross breed that does not breed true, so don't bother trying to "cheat". The longest you want to keep them is 8 weeks, any longer is a  waste of time and you run the risk of them dying. I would recommend raising them in 20 bird batches. The mortality rate is generally high, but if you're smart you should only lose 1 or 2 birds per batch. They can grow up to 25 lbs. If you don't want to slaughter and butcher them yourself you can take them to the Amish or some other processors. I can't remember what they charge. As for eggs, you really can't go wrong with most breeds. I've had several. If I remember correctly, one of the record layers was Black Australorp (which was supposed to be a dual purpose years before the Cornish Rock was developed). Rhode Island Reds, Isa Browns, they're all good.

Luckily I have water and power run to a fenced in area that has a concrete pad to build a coop on.  I have seen infared lights and heat pads but not an expert obviously.  Thanks for the free bump!  The meat chickens I have been led to believe if you get chicks at the end of winter they will be grown for harvest by the beginning of next winter...