Love my chickens

[Einsamer Krieger]

I have but two, a White Leghorn and one a Rhode island Red,  in four days I get around 30 eggs from just two chickens, honest to God.  They are the best chickens , I have ever seen or had.  Brown and White eggs.

[cynthiafu]

1 hour ago, Moho81 said:

I only live on 1.25 acres so I wouldn't have that many and I wouldn't want that many anyways I would only want enough to keep my family stocked with eggs and give the extras away. Even getting 6-7 eggs a day would be a lot for us. 

You should  figure 2 eggs per person.  4 chickens for 2 people . Because  sometimes you don't eat eggs every day  and sometimes  the chicken  don't lay every day

[Bolt action]

I don't know much about chickens so this will probably seem like a silly question. Is there a reason to have all the variety? If  you have 10 birds, why 2 of these and 2 of those and 2 of the other instead of all 10 being the same breed?

[Farflung]

Jerkman- you mentioned the peacocks. Do you ever hear gobblers shock gobbling to peacock calls. Had a couple of peacocks on adjoining farm. Would often get the gobblers going. I carry a peacock/pileated woodpecker call with me and occasionally (like rarely) it gets the birds gobbling.

[Marion]

Jerkman- you mentioned the peacocks. Do you ever hear gobblers shock gobbling to peacock calls. Had a couple of peacocks on adjoining farm. Would often get the gobblers going. I carry a peacock/pileated woodpecker call with me and occasionally (like rarely) it gets the birds gobbling.

All the time! Shit I get those goofy birds responding to my turkey calls and when I coyote hunt my coyote calls. It is nice when they alert me to something trying to sneak over though that parts nice!

Call Me The Teflon Don

[airedale]

I have always kept a few chicken here on the farm, my favorites are American gamefowl because of their toughness and hardiness as free rangers.

Have a some Blues and Brownreds now and a few Jersey Giant hens.

[mowin]

54 minutes ago, Bolt action said:

I don't know much about chickens so this will probably seem like a silly question. Is there a reason to have all the variety? If  you have 10 birds, why 2 of these and 2 of those and 2 of the other instead of all 10 being the same breed?

Some do it for the variety of the egg color.  Easter eggers usually have a blue to blue green egg.  Olive eggers will have a greenish egg. 

Other breeds will have different shades of white to brown eggs. 

Some have mixed flocks because they like different looking chickens.  

Some breeds are better rent payers, some better for raising chicks.

[Arcade Hunter]

Don't forget the cornish crosses... excelent meat birds.  Nothing like farm raised chicken

[Elmo]

This is so awesome.

[Doewhacker]

1 hour ago, Arcade Hunter said:

Don't forget the cornish crosses... excelent meat birds.  Nothing like farm raised chicken

So true, we skipped doing them last year because we were both too busy with work for it. I think we may do some this year but less than 100+ like the last time. 
 

I even built my own plucker. 

[Doewhacker]

3 hours ago, Bolt action said:

I don't know much about chickens so this will probably seem like a silly question. Is there a reason to have all the variety? If  you have 10 birds, why 2 of these and 2 of those and 2 of the other instead of all 10 being the same breed?

Mostly because it’s a fun hobby, we started small and now hatch our own when we want in an incubator and get some cool mixes. We stay around 20-30 birds. 
 

 

[Doewhacker]

7 hours ago, The Jerkman said:

Man that's easily like 50 bucks in eggs right there!

Call Me The Teflon Don
 

Dame my wife needs to jack her price up! 
 

We sell them for $2 a dozen using a cooler and the honor system just to get rid of them. People do go nuts for them, Duck eggs when we had them too. 
 

 

[cynthiafu]

4 hours ago, Bolt action said:

I don't know much about chickens so this will probably seem like a silly question. Is there a reason to have all the variety? If  you have 10 birds, why 2 of these and 2 of those and 2 of the other instead of all 10 being the same breed?

I like different  colors . If you get chickens you will see just like guns . Oh that one is cool but this one looks great ....

[Pygmy]

1 hour ago, Doewhacker said:

So true, we skipped doing them last year because we were both too busy with work for it. I think we may do some this year but less than 100+ like the last time. 
 

I even built my own plucker. 

My Mom ( Bless her Pea Pickin' Heart)   , before she died, designed her own  device to remove chicken feathers...

I inherited it, and I call it my Mother's Plucker…….

[airedale]

Raising various species of birds has been one of my favorite pastimes, I have messed around with waterfowl, gamebirds, Turkeys, and chickens for most of my adult life. One of the goofiest species I had the pleasure to have messed with were Rhea birds, pictured below on the bottom, they are of the Ratite family and are similar to an Ostrich but smaller. About 5 feet tall and around 70 lbs, the males get very territorial and mean as a snake.

Al

[mowin]

30 minutes ago, airedale said:

Raising various species of birds has been one of my favorite pastimes, I have messed around with waterfowl, gamebirds, Turkeys, and chickens for most of my adult life. One of the goofiest species I had the pleasure to have messed with were Rhea birds, pictured below on the bottom, they are of the Ratite family and are similar to an Ostrich but smaller. About 5 feet tall and around 70 lbs, the males get very territorial and mean as a snake.

Al

What were the Rhea's breed for? 

[airedale]

56 minutes ago, mowin said:

What were the Rhea's breed for?

There was a movement back in the 80s to breed and raise Ratites [Ostrich, Emu, Rhea} for food, feathers and oil. There was some modest success in the beginning but that has since pretty much faded as it never really caught on. There is still some activity for the oil for cosmetics but not a lot. I purchased mine just for fun.

Al

[Pygmy]

2 minutes ago, airedale said:

There was a movement back in the 80s to breed and raise Ratites [Ostrich, Emu, Rhea} for food, feathers and oil. There was some modest success in the beginning but that has since pretty much faded as it never really caught on. There is still some activity for the oil for cosmetics but not a lot. I purchased mine just for fun.

Al

Did you ever eat one  ?  Do they taste just like chicken ?

[airedale]

 I never ate one, I did try a piece of Ostrich at the State Fair once and it was just OK in my opinion. These birds have no breast, most of the edible meat is on the legs. In the Rhea's case even though they stand 5 feet tall they have less meat on them than a large production bred broad breasted Turkey.

Al

[mowin]

1 hour ago, airedale said:

 I never ate one, I did try a piece of Ostrich at the State Fair once and it was just OK in my opinion. These birds have no breast, most of the edible meat is on the legs. In the Rhea's case even though they stand 5 feet tall they have less meat on them than a large production bred broad breasted Turkey.

Al

I'm assuming since they were mean, you didn't get too cozy with em.   Ever get tangled up with one? 

[turkeyfeathers]

@Bionic @crappyice  care to share your air fryer recipes for chicken and wings ? Asking for a friend 

[mowin]

12 minutes ago, blackbeltbill said:

I was just in the Chester Tractor Supply today. Plenty of Different Chicks on about 4 layers on each side making a Racket. I saw Yellow ones. Grey ones,etc.  I was just about to take a picture of the Chicks and was stopped by the Manager. He told me Corporate will not allow any Pictures taken of their Chicks.

Lol.   I see people snapping pics every time I'm in there. 

[Bionic]

33 minutes ago, turkeyfeathers said:

@Bionic @crappyice  care to share your air fryer recipes for chicken and wings ? Asking for a friend 

Yes, remove air fryer from home, gently place next to your mailbox.  This time of year is perfect, between junk week, and scrappers cruising the hood. 

[cynthiafu]

2 hours ago, Bionic said:

Yes, remove air fryer from home, gently place next to your mailbox.  This time of year is perfect, between junk week, and scrappers cruising the hood. 

Best place for it .we used ours once then sold it. 

[Paula]

I use to keep chickens, most I had at once was 27. They paid for themselves and half of the coop. 

Now with the boyfriend he is getting 13 a day. He has 40 in a incubator and most of those will be for meat only.

I do miss having my own