All the info i can get about raising chickens for eggs
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Beekissed
Mountain Sage
My best advice is to sign on to the sister site, BYC, link found at the bottom of each page here. Find your way to the flock management part of the forum and a thread called, unoffically, the OT thread...as in the Old Timer's thread. Officially the title is something like "Owned chickens for 10-20 years? Lay some wisdom on us!". It is the single most informative place to read about chickens on the web and better than any book you will find.
It is a lot of reading but one has to treat it like a study course and just copy and paste the info into a document on your PC, because it holds a world of chicken wisdom that you won't find elsewhere and it is spot on. Many new flock owners have applied the knowledge found there and found it to yield goodness in every way.
Best of luck!! Welcome to the forum!!!
It is a lot of reading but one has to treat it like a study course and just copy and paste the info into a document on your PC, because it holds a world of chicken wisdom that you won't find elsewhere and it is spot on. Many new flock owners have applied the knowledge found there and found it to yield goodness in every way.
Best of luck!! Welcome to the forum!!!
rhoda_bruce
Almost Self-Reliant
Agree with Bee. I've been into chicken farming, on and off for decades.....first got involved when I was about 9 years old and joined 4H. I sometimes think I have tackled every problem, but you read BYC long enough and you say,"I guess I haven't tackled it all."
My advice.......build yourself the biggest, Coop Knox you can afford, thinking about all the things that can possibly go wrong in your area and plan around it and decide on the best breed for what you want. If you want eggs only, go for a white egg layer because they lay more. They are also a bit more flighty, which is bad if you want a calm bird, but good if you want a bird with survival attributes.
I feel all people with SS interests should have a few general books, with various skills represented. Most of these books do have good info to get you started in the basics of chicken farming.
My advice.......build yourself the biggest, Coop Knox you can afford, thinking about all the things that can possibly go wrong in your area and plan around it and decide on the best breed for what you want. If you want eggs only, go for a white egg layer because they lay more. They are also a bit more flighty, which is bad if you want a calm bird, but good if you want a bird with survival attributes.
I feel all people with SS interests should have a few general books, with various skills represented. Most of these books do have good info to get you started in the basics of chicken farming.
heatherlynnky
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I agree with the above but I don't mind giving some starter advice too.
Ok here on the mistakes I made.
If it says pullets at any farm store don't believe it. I managed to buy 16 out of 16 who were roosters that way. If you absolutely cannot have any roosters then buy some sexlinks OR buy some point of lay pullets from someone you can trust. ( preferable from BYC because honestly i have never had a bad experience yet)
That little thing of DE that they charge a fortune for at TSC is a rip off and DE is in my honest opinion essential to keeping buggies away. Food Grade Diometrius Earth I think. ( unsure on spelling)Something like that. I buy it either at a local feed store in a 25 lb bag for like $35 or I buy it at the pet store in a 10 lb bag for like 15. you will use it, trust me. No one like bugs and this stuff is great for prevention. I put a bit in my feed also to keep buggies away
If you plan on just having 5 then plan on building a coop for more. At least double the number because chicken math has to be accounted for
Chicken math is where you want 3 but you know some might die so you buy 5 and all of them live and you are so in love with chickens that when a friend offers you 5 more you jump on it but your coop only holds 5 comfortable so now you have to build another coop. So while you are building that you figure you will build up a bit so you can fit 15. However after all this in like 3 years you will have more like 50.
Do not try to sex barred rocks by that little dot on the head because no matter how many time the lady who is the expert helps you, there is a good chance you will still pick all roosters. ( I did it twice before I gave up)
Things will die and part of the learning curve is that sometimes they will die because you just didn't know enough to help them. Prepare for it and don't beat yourself up for it. The same thing happens to people who have had birds 20 years. There is always a chance that something goes wrong that you won't be able to fix. Its ok
Ok, personally I would buy all birds from someone experienced and reputable. I would be prepared to have your ear talked off and plan on writing down notes in your car after you leave with you little chicks. If you buy them healthy you will have much better success and fewer losses. Not saying that tsc can't give you some pretty birds but.......well mass sold birds are in ideal environments to get sick. If you buy from there try to buy them as soon as they come in. I break that rule all the time myself. i feel bad for the puny chick and always regret it. So hard on the heart too.
Have fun with it. I wanted eggs too and I got production reds. I swear so little personality in the ones I got. BUT THEN I found australops which are lovely and polishes who are pretty but stupid and easter eggers and chocins and then Black Copper Marans and silkies. It looks so pretty having a basket of different eggs and its fun. When we have someone visiting they love sorting through the basket for the eggs they want that morning, especially the kids. It took my dad forever to try a green egg. He was so shocked it tasted the same as a brown. Its just plan fun.
Have some stuff on hand for emergencies like electrolytes. You can ask on BYC and get tons of suggestions. I personally always have an antibiotic, preparation H, blucote, probiotics and electrolytes. Thats my bare minimum that I always have now
Good luck, have fun and see ya on BYC
Ok here on the mistakes I made.
If it says pullets at any farm store don't believe it. I managed to buy 16 out of 16 who were roosters that way. If you absolutely cannot have any roosters then buy some sexlinks OR buy some point of lay pullets from someone you can trust. ( preferable from BYC because honestly i have never had a bad experience yet)
That little thing of DE that they charge a fortune for at TSC is a rip off and DE is in my honest opinion essential to keeping buggies away. Food Grade Diometrius Earth I think. ( unsure on spelling)Something like that. I buy it either at a local feed store in a 25 lb bag for like $35 or I buy it at the pet store in a 10 lb bag for like 15. you will use it, trust me. No one like bugs and this stuff is great for prevention. I put a bit in my feed also to keep buggies away
If you plan on just having 5 then plan on building a coop for more. At least double the number because chicken math has to be accounted for
Chicken math is where you want 3 but you know some might die so you buy 5 and all of them live and you are so in love with chickens that when a friend offers you 5 more you jump on it but your coop only holds 5 comfortable so now you have to build another coop. So while you are building that you figure you will build up a bit so you can fit 15. However after all this in like 3 years you will have more like 50.
Do not try to sex barred rocks by that little dot on the head because no matter how many time the lady who is the expert helps you, there is a good chance you will still pick all roosters. ( I did it twice before I gave up)
Things will die and part of the learning curve is that sometimes they will die because you just didn't know enough to help them. Prepare for it and don't beat yourself up for it. The same thing happens to people who have had birds 20 years. There is always a chance that something goes wrong that you won't be able to fix. Its ok
Ok, personally I would buy all birds from someone experienced and reputable. I would be prepared to have your ear talked off and plan on writing down notes in your car after you leave with you little chicks. If you buy them healthy you will have much better success and fewer losses. Not saying that tsc can't give you some pretty birds but.......well mass sold birds are in ideal environments to get sick. If you buy from there try to buy them as soon as they come in. I break that rule all the time myself. i feel bad for the puny chick and always regret it. So hard on the heart too.
Have fun with it. I wanted eggs too and I got production reds. I swear so little personality in the ones I got. BUT THEN I found australops which are lovely and polishes who are pretty but stupid and easter eggers and chocins and then Black Copper Marans and silkies. It looks so pretty having a basket of different eggs and its fun. When we have someone visiting they love sorting through the basket for the eggs they want that morning, especially the kids. It took my dad forever to try a green egg. He was so shocked it tasted the same as a brown. Its just plan fun.
Have some stuff on hand for emergencies like electrolytes. You can ask on BYC and get tons of suggestions. I personally always have an antibiotic, preparation H, blucote, probiotics and electrolytes. Thats my bare minimum that I always have now
Good luck, have fun and see ya on BYC
Beekissed
Mountain Sage
And it gets WAY more simple than all that if you just go to the OT thread and read a little. You don't need medicines or DE if you are doing things correctly...you won't find many true OTs that have ever used DE or have even needed to do so. Keep it simple and try not to get bogged down in advice from folks who are also new to it all...go to the source. Those folks who have kept healthy flocks for years upon years and can break it down for you in simple, logical steps. Easy.
heatherlynnky
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I agree Bee, I probably keep more on hand than most new ones need if they get good advice and healthy birds. I am an over prepared nut who knows she takes in the sorry cases too often ( see my goats and heifer posts on this and other sister sites). Thats really my best advice. Start off with healthy birds. The ones I get from knowledgeable people have never been on antibiotics ever, never been sick. I would say thats true of most of my birds. Once I learned that lesson, they became very simple to take care of.Beekissed said:
Keep it simple and try not to get bogged down in advice from folks who are also new to it all...go to the source. Those folks who have kept healthy flocks for years upon years and can break it down for you in simple, logical steps. Easy.
DianeS
Lovin' The Homestead
I have a friend who wants two chickens for eggs. I keep trying to tell her it's simple, but she doesn't believe me. I tell her: Buy a doghouse, put a good fence around it with a roof. Buy point-of-lay pullets. Put them together with shavings in the doghouse, and food and water in bowls. Viola! You will get eggs.
Sure there are lots of details you will want to learn about eventually. And sure, things can go wrong and you'll want to know how to fix them. But they send new parents home from the hospital with a newborn baby and fewer instructions than that and most parents do just fine. Chickens are easier than kids, that's for sure.
I agree with heading over to BYC and the thread the others are recommending.
Sure there are lots of details you will want to learn about eventually. And sure, things can go wrong and you'll want to know how to fix them. But they send new parents home from the hospital with a newborn baby and fewer instructions than that and most parents do just fine. Chickens are easier than kids, that's for sure.
I agree with heading over to BYC and the thread the others are recommending.
BarredBuff
El Presidente de Pollo
Okay, I agree look at multiple resources.
Your coop truly needs to be humongous (as you can build), we built an 8 by 8 coop and now we need a 12 by 12 coop because we have expanded and done more than we thought we would. We planned on 10 hens, now we have 25 hens, 2 geese, and 2 ducks. Chicken math has yet again showed her face. It needs to be secure too, nothing worse than losing a bird to a predator.........
I suggest ordering birds from a mail order hatchery, and I would choose different varieties. I have learned there is not one perfect SS breed, but when you add good breeds and good chickens they can do it all together. I have Delawares, Dominiques, Buff Orpingtons, Australorps, and Black Sex Links, and all of these work well for our homestead. I have had Barred Rocks, and Rhode Island Reds and I had bad experiences with them. But since then I changed my husbandry practice as well.
And husbandry needs to be as low intervention as possible, I don't use a lot of medicines or medicated feeds with any of the ages of poultry. I seldom do anything like that, I don't worm them chemically. I don't do heating for the birds, I do have a light up so they will have increased production in the winter. This is because I want eggs, and sometimes winter production isn't great and to get it I must mess with them. It is really just a mind game. Try and let your birds run loose during the day if possible, they are soooo much happier on range than in a muddy run. Something else I learned is to cull your birds. Cull (kill or sell) and get rid of birds you don't like, don't produce, etc. I try to do this in the springtime, and early fall.
Your coop truly needs to be humongous (as you can build), we built an 8 by 8 coop and now we need a 12 by 12 coop because we have expanded and done more than we thought we would. We planned on 10 hens, now we have 25 hens, 2 geese, and 2 ducks. Chicken math has yet again showed her face.
It needs to be secure too, nothing worse than losing a bird to a predator.........I suggest ordering birds from a mail order hatchery, and I would choose different varieties. I have learned there is not one perfect SS breed, but when you add good breeds and good chickens they can do it all together. I have Delawares, Dominiques, Buff Orpingtons, Australorps, and Black Sex Links, and all of these work well for our homestead. I have had Barred Rocks, and Rhode Island Reds and I had bad experiences with them. But since then I changed my husbandry practice as well.
And husbandry needs to be as low intervention as possible, I don't use a lot of medicines or medicated feeds with any of the ages of poultry. I seldom do anything like that, I don't worm them chemically. I don't do heating for the birds, I do have a light up so they will have increased production in the winter. This is because I want eggs, and sometimes winter production isn't great and to get it I must mess with them. It is really just a mind game. Try and let your birds run loose during the day if possible, they are soooo much happier on range than in a muddy run. Something else I learned is to cull your birds. Cull (kill or sell) and get rid of birds you don't like, don't produce, etc. I try to do this in the springtime, and early fall.
the funny farm6
Super Self-Sufficient
yup, that chicken math will get you!!!!
build your coop as big as possable- cause you WILL wish you built it bigger!
think ahead of ANY potential prediters. we were set up against coon and opposums. but nobody informed me of those darn owls. they have cost me more than i am willing to admit. and dont forget the stray dogs and cats if they apply.
and dont to forget to enjoy them, chickens have personalitys. i have one that sits on my shoulder when i go into the coop-a black copper meran mix. and one that pecks at my shoes-has done it since she was a chick. i can sit for hours in the summer and watch my chickens!
you can also google chicken coops and look at chicken coops on pintrest- there are LOTS of neat ideas.
build your coop as big as possable- cause you WILL wish you built it bigger!
think ahead of ANY potential prediters. we were set up against coon and opposums. but nobody informed me of those darn owls. they have cost me more than i am willing to admit. and dont forget the stray dogs and cats if they apply.
and dont to forget to enjoy them, chickens have personalitys. i have one that sits on my shoulder when i go into the coop-a black copper meran mix. and one that pecks at my shoes-has done it since she was a chick. i can sit for hours in the summer and watch my chickens!
you can also google chicken coops and look at chicken coops on pintrest- there are LOTS of neat ideas.
Marianne
Super Self-Sufficient
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Yeah, funny thing about chicken math... 
(Let's see, 8 originally, now 17 plus 4 guinea plus 3 ducks...is there ever an end???)
If there's anyone around you that raises a few chickens, ask them what predators are in your area. We were quite surprised to find out the hard way that little weasels were in this area. I think we lost three or four chickens that way. We knew about racoons, hawks, etc, but 'lesser' and 'least' weasels? Never even heard of 'em before.
Anyway, have fun with the hens. I fell in love with mine. They are so much fun to watch.
AND welcome!
OH! and don't think you have to have the most expensive coop. The hens won't care what it looks like as long as they have some protection from bad weather and predators. BYC has a lot of coop pictures, chicken tractor pics, etc. Raising chickens can be as cheap or as expensive as you want it to be.
I had good luck buying chicks at Orchelins through the years, except last time I ended up with 2 roosters out of my 10 chicks.
(Let's see, 8 originally, now 17 plus 4 guinea plus 3 ducks...is there ever an end???)If there's anyone around you that raises a few chickens, ask them what predators are in your area. We were quite surprised to find out the hard way that little weasels were in this area.
I think we lost three or four chickens that way. We knew about racoons, hawks, etc, but 'lesser' and 'least' weasels? Never even heard of 'em before.Anyway, have fun with the hens. I fell in love with mine. They are so much fun to watch.
AND welcome!
OH! and don't think you have to have the most expensive coop. The hens won't care what it looks like as long as they have some protection from bad weather and predators. BYC has a lot of coop pictures, chicken tractor pics, etc. Raising chickens can be as cheap or as expensive as you want it to be.
I had good luck buying chicks at Orchelins through the years, except last time I ended up with 2 roosters out of my 10 chicks.
