Neko-chan
Lovin' The Homestead
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- Thread starter Neko-chan
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big brown horse
Hoof In Mouth
First of all, YEA for you guys! 
In all my years of owning chickens cats never posed a problem with adult chickens. (I come from a long line of crazy cat people too...sometimes having up to 13 cats at my mom and dad's house.)
Do you have hawks? If so, you may not want to leave them out unattended. Some people let their chickens out for a few hours before dusk (while they garden etc.) and they put themselves to bed for you.
If you or your fil have a garden or landscaping that you like, you will have to protect it from the chickens.
Google raising mealworms for chickens. I did that one winter, they don't smell and are super easy to care for inside or out. Although worm bins are fantastic for gardeners like yourself.
I built my own meat bird tractor (movable pen) all by myself, it is very simple. It can hold 25 meaties, taking up no more than an 8 x 4 foot of space at a time. My other birds free range the whole back yard all day. I just buy the organic chicken feed for the meaties, some grit etc. The rest of my birds (no roosters btw) eat the free stuff. I'd imagine you will have to supplement your chooks b/c of a small space. Take a walk, pick weeds ie "wild greens" for them. Ask neighbors for grass clippings. Feed scraps. Give them back their egg shells, crushed.
My favorite saying is "its chickens, not rocket science".
Um, I'll let the others chime in here. Even though I've had them since I was a babe, I don't consider myself an expert yet.
In all my years of owning chickens cats never posed a problem with adult chickens. (I come from a long line of crazy cat people too...sometimes having up to 13 cats at my mom and dad's house.)
Do you have hawks? If so, you may not want to leave them out unattended. Some people let their chickens out for a few hours before dusk (while they garden etc.) and they put themselves to bed for you.
If you or your fil have a garden or landscaping that you like, you will have to protect it from the chickens.
Google raising mealworms for chickens. I did that one winter, they don't smell and are super easy to care for inside or out. Although worm bins are fantastic for gardeners like yourself.
I built my own meat bird tractor (movable pen) all by myself, it is very simple. It can hold 25 meaties, taking up no more than an 8 x 4 foot of space at a time. My other birds free range the whole back yard all day. I just buy the organic chicken feed for the meaties, some grit etc. The rest of my birds (no roosters btw) eat the free stuff. I'd imagine you will have to supplement your chooks b/c of a small space. Take a walk, pick weeds ie "wild greens"
for them. Ask neighbors for grass clippings. Feed scraps. Give them back their egg shells, crushed. My favorite saying is "its chickens, not rocket science".
Um, I'll let the others chime in here. Even though I've had them since I was a babe, I don't consider myself an expert yet.
big brown horse
Hoof In Mouth
Oh, our chickens don't have their wings cut. How high are the neighboring fences? If you have to cut, just cut one wing. It keeps them off balance so they can't fly.
I don't cut my chicken's wings b/c if there is a preditor (that my livestock gurdian dog misses) they can fly up to a tree limb. Wings also help them run faster.
Depending what breed you end up with, they may be very dosile or very flighty..that may help you decide if you want to cut wings or not.
I don't cut my chicken's wings b/c if there is a preditor (that my livestock gurdian dog misses) they can fly up to a tree limb. Wings also help them run faster.
Depending what breed you end up with, they may be very dosile or very flighty..that may help you decide if you want to cut wings or not.
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Neko-chan
Lovin' The Homestead
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big brown horse
Hoof In Mouth
Ok, well I have an Ameraucana that is so flighty I want to ring her neck, always out in the pasture.
The rest of the brood (opringotns, marans, rhode island reds, australorps) are very calm and will just follow me around in the yard. They have a laissez faire attitude. (Squatting if I get too close. I have to remind them I'm not a rooster. ) They would never try to jump the fence.
Also if you get small sized chickens, cats might pose a problem. I forgot a friend of mine had a bantam hen picked off by a big ferral cat.
The rest of the brood (opringotns, marans, rhode island reds, australorps) are very calm and will just follow me around in the yard. They have a laissez faire attitude. (Squatting if I get too close. I have to remind them I'm not a rooster.
) They would never try to jump the fence.Also if you get small sized chickens, cats might pose a problem. I forgot a friend of mine had a bantam hen picked off by a big ferral cat.
pinkfox
Super Self-Sufficient
with 6 ft fencing you shouldnt need to clip wings, go for good ole fashioned egg layers (avoid the leghorns who can be flighty) and a 6 ft fence should eep them well safe.
cats shouldnt be much of an issue once the birds are full grown...our cats actually sleep in the coop during the day eeps the mice down lol.
the only bird of prey in tasmania that might try to take an adult chicken are the 2 species of eagle (and i doubt youd ever see either of those) and the swamp harrier...again unlikely to be around most backyards lol.
so it sounds lie your hens would be pretty secure in a 6ft fenced back yard.
they will eat and dig up pretty much anyting so vegie beds and flower gardens need to be fenced off from the hens...
they will dig through the mulch and fling it everywhere but i do thin removing some mulch and pavers and trying to get some kind of greenery to grow would be nice. our chickens LOVE clover, dandelions, mints...ect. all of which make very easy spreading groundcovers lol.
in terms of food we feed a layer crumble, i dont know what would be available in tasmania, but generally oats, corn, wheat for grains, and then almost any greens and bugs you can find. ours get grass just after its been cut, any thinnings form the veggie patch, lettuces that were for us that are just past their best, we hang corn or cabbage from a string for a chicken pinata!
i dont feed our girls worms simply because we want to keep as many as possible for the garden, but we do grow mealworms, and any caterpillas and such that we can find all go to the girls...and any maggots we can find, maggots are like chicken candy!
in terms of breeds...i think personal prefernce will play a big part.
http://www.backyardchickens.com/breeds/breed-chart
personally of our flock my faves are the easter eggers and the specled sussex
i also love favrolles
our ee's each give about 4 eggs a week, the speckled sussex gives me 5-6 a week. depending on the week
cats shouldnt be much of an issue once the birds are full grown...our cats actually sleep in the coop during the day eeps the mice down lol.
the only bird of prey in tasmania that might try to take an adult chicken are the 2 species of eagle (and i doubt youd ever see either of those) and the swamp harrier...again unlikely to be around most backyards lol.
so it sounds lie your hens would be pretty secure in a 6ft fenced back yard.
they will eat and dig up pretty much anyting so vegie beds and flower gardens need to be fenced off from the hens...
they will dig through the mulch and fling it everywhere but i do thin removing some mulch and pavers and trying to get some kind of greenery to grow would be nice. our chickens LOVE clover, dandelions, mints...ect. all of which make very easy spreading groundcovers lol.
in terms of food we feed a layer crumble, i dont know what would be available in tasmania, but generally oats, corn, wheat for grains, and then almost any greens and bugs you can find. ours get grass just after its been cut, any thinnings form the veggie patch, lettuces that were for us that are just past their best, we hang corn or cabbage from a string for a chicken pinata!
i dont feed our girls worms simply because we want to keep as many as possible for the garden, but we do grow mealworms, and any caterpillas and such that we can find all go to the girls...and any maggots we can find, maggots are like chicken candy!
in terms of breeds...i think personal prefernce will play a big part.
http://www.backyardchickens.com/breeds/breed-chart
personally of our flock my faves are the easter eggers and the specled sussex
i also love favrolles
our ee's each give about 4 eggs a week, the speckled sussex gives me 5-6 a week. depending on the week
savingdogs
Queen Filksinger
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It sounds like you have a better situation for a few layers as opposed to raising meat birds. It sounds like the area you have for them will be great for them to scratch around for bugs, but if there isn't currently much vegetation, they will clear out everything there in no time, given a chance. Any flowers or expensive landscape plants should either be removed or protected. I have not had any luck planting things in the area where the chickens are currently staying, their poo is too strongly fertlizing so they tend to kill off the plants in their normal stomping grounds.
Yes, I would skip having roosters in your situation.
I would be more concerned about neighborhood dogs than cats.
I clip wings but my Easter Eggers and my Russian Orloffs can still fly right over. You might think about that when you choose breeds, the bigger, rounder chickens have a harder time flying. My Buff Orpingtons cannot fly at all. I think they have Australorps down there that are supposed to be good, but check to see what they have available locally, that will be something acclimated to your individual climate.
Don't spend a fortune on a coop, it doesn't have to be fancy. We have a nice coop and also a hut with a hole in the side and a tire for a nest. Where do you think they prefer laying? If you spend a lot on a coop, those first eggs you get are awful darn expensive.
The amount of space they need depends on a lot of factors. If they have a large yard, however, I would just not get more than you need. How many people are you feeding eggs to and how many do you need per week? Just don't overdo the amount of chickens for your space.
Check out what your local feed store has available for food before you jump into this. Here, the feed is so expensive, the eggs are not a money-maker unless I do quite a bit of free-ranging.
What kind of watering system should we look into? For chicks you need a chick waterer, but for adult hens just a big dog water pan works great for us.
I would get them as chicks, that way they bond to you better and it is a lot of fun to watch. Since your spring is approaching, it is a good time for it. Beware when you go to the store for "just three chicks".......they are known to be like potato chips, can't have just one and they get addicting. I went to the store originally for five, came home with 12, and three years later I have 25. And I'm allergic to eggs!
I love having chickens however, they can make you very happy as they are so interesting to watch.
Yes, I would skip having roosters in your situation.
I would be more concerned about neighborhood dogs than cats.
I clip wings but my Easter Eggers and my Russian Orloffs can still fly right over. You might think about that when you choose breeds, the bigger, rounder chickens have a harder time flying. My Buff Orpingtons cannot fly at all. I think they have Australorps down there that are supposed to be good, but check to see what they have available locally, that will be something acclimated to your individual climate.
Don't spend a fortune on a coop, it doesn't have to be fancy. We have a nice coop and also a hut with a hole in the side and a tire for a nest. Where do you think they prefer laying? If you spend a lot on a coop, those first eggs you get are awful darn expensive.
The amount of space they need depends on a lot of factors. If they have a large yard, however, I would just not get more than you need. How many people are you feeding eggs to and how many do you need per week? Just don't overdo the amount of chickens for your space.
Check out what your local feed store has available for food before you jump into this. Here, the feed is so expensive, the eggs are not a money-maker unless I do quite a bit of free-ranging.
What kind of watering system should we look into? For chicks you need a chick waterer, but for adult hens just a big dog water pan works great for us.
I would get them as chicks, that way they bond to you better and it is a lot of fun to watch. Since your spring is approaching, it is a good time for it. Beware when you go to the store for "just three chicks".......they are known to be like potato chips, can't have just one and they get addicting. I went to the store originally for five, came home with 12, and three years later I have 25. And I'm allergic to eggs!
I love having chickens however, they can make you very happy as they are so interesting to watch.
old fashioned
Almost Self-Reliant
I've only had chickens now for about 2 years and only 5 currently so I am by no means an expert. We have a 6' fence and so far the only ones that have made it over are the little bantam types. If I remember correctly I think it said in a book 'back to basics'...'the smaller the breed, the higher they fly/flutter' also the smaller the eggs if that's what you're after.
Whatever breed of chickens you get, you could clip the wings anyway just as a safety precaution. It's really easy to do too, just hold em, spread out the wing & cut off a couple of inches. You won't cut into anything that would hurt them. Hey, if I can do it.....anyone can do it.
I've only had adult chickens cause I didn't want to have to mess with heat lamps or bators and I've found the downside of that is older hens have their own issues. One hen is currently sitting on some eggs that we are hoping will hatch us some chicks, but we're going to let Momma do all the work raising them.
Whatever breed of chickens you get, you could clip the wings anyway just as a safety precaution. It's really easy to do too, just hold em, spread out the wing & cut off a couple of inches. You won't cut into anything that would hurt them. Hey, if I can do it.....anyone can do it.
I've only had adult chickens cause I didn't want to have to mess with heat lamps or bators and I've found the downside of that is older hens have their own issues. One hen is currently sitting on some eggs that we are hoping will hatch us some chicks, but we're going to let Momma do all the work raising them.
