Very good information and well presented, but people please be aware that chicken wire is not predator proofing. While it is better than nothing, it primarily keeps chickens in. It does not keep predators out. Hardware cloth is what you need for that. Also, chickens need a dust bath or dirt area to use as a dust bath. If you have rainy weather, keep flooding and mud in mind for coop and run placement. Have you next box open from the outside on the side rather than the roof of it. It will keep the nesting area dry. Ventilation in the coop is of the utmost importance even in the winter. You can feed eggs back to your chickens for protein and calcium. Also, you do not need a rooster to get eggs. Start with 3 chickens and add to the flock every year or two if you are just a hobbyist. Chickens can live a decade but only produce eggs abundantly for a few years. Anyway, keep up the good videos!
I Agree with everything, that you said in this video,...! Especially,... the bond that we develop with them. I'm 75, retired zoo keeper, have had poultry since I was eight yrs old, still have many breeds,... Thanks for sharing.
Thank you, I'm very glad you enjoyed the video. My flock has transformed my life for the better in so many ways. I'm so grateful for them every single day.
I am a new crazy chicken lady! I started a flock thinking it would help us be more sustainable. But, I’ve fallen in love with our birds. One thing you should mention is that chicken math is real! I have 10 more chicks on the way early May. 😂😂❤
Only 10? You must have a limited area. lol I feel you. I'm experimenting with incubating this year. I have backup orders with two hatcheries and I have two goslings showing up in April so I can expand my guard geese to help protect the chickens. Getting poultry to protect poultry is multi-tasking, plus I get more birds. I'm looking for a good excuse to start with turkeys. Do you think tick prevention is a good excuse?
I had a silkie rooster that I loved so much. He was sweet and took such good care of his hens. I cried and cried when "Love Shack" got attacked and killed by a skunk. One of his hens, Tin Roof, was in mourning over him until she died( another predator incident) you have to be prepared to accept that no matter how protective you are of your flock. You will lose some of them in devastating ways. Those two silkies were some of the best pets I've ever owned.
Well done! Molting - I expected gradual 🤣. Then there’s the morning when you think one of the hens has been killed…..yes, like a feather pillow explosion! My girls follow me around the yard. They come when they’re called (treats are involved, of course!). #8 - how quickly the chickens will train you. Up on the deck, knocking on the back door and magically, I know to provide treats. 🐓🐓
Another secret, that I figured out a few years ago. Feed your chickens, every single one of them, no matter their age grower feed. And have oyster shell on the side. This gives them the increase protein they need. And you don't have to worry about too much calcium when they go into molt, too much for the roosters too much for the chicks, etc. All the chickens could eat it at all life stages and it makes buying Chicken Feed so easy.
Great tips! Sickness and parasites are also things to be prepared to deal with. It will happen do some research ahead of time and make the best decision for your flock.
I'm the same way. I love to eat meat, but know I am not going to kill a chicken. I am going to be getting some as soon as possible, however, because they make excellent compost production specialists! They are going to scratch, peck, and eat anyway, right? So, my aim is to have some chickens to make compost for us out of the greens and vegetables I grow right here near them. Getting eggs is viewed as a bonus in our operation here in Tucson, Arizona. I am turning my small city lot into an urban Food Forest!
What a great video. One thing I stated doing last year was feeding all my birds, egg producers and meat birds, the same feed. It's an organic 22% protean grind that contains only one seed; black oil sunflower. The rest is fish and bone meal, blood meal, other animal protein sources, Teff grass, Alfalfa. I think the higher protein helps them endue molting much better and I've never seen a molt last more than a few weeks. The layers also get their own shells back as a calcium supplement. I have a very special but complex relationship with my birds as many of us do. All of my birds are meat birds, even the egg layers; which are a Cornish based Freedom Ranger. I love my birds and give them the best life I can and they sustain me with eggs and meat. Because my current egg laying flock is so productive despite being a meat bird, laying more than 4 eggs each per week on average, I'm going to try a breeding program with them mid year. I'll be using New Hampshire heritage roosters to try and create my own dual purpose heritage mix.
Your rooster looks just like mine! So beautiful. I use whole grains and do a 3 day ferment. I sprinkle a scoop of food grade diatomaceous earth to prevent parasites and a scoop of kelp for their trace minerals. They love their food!
The domesticated dog is the NUMBER ONE predator of your chickens. Many dogs won’t bother them if trained but so many will. We live in the country and my neighbors two chihuahuas killed two of my chickens and we have an electric fence! They got through a tiny gap. They would have killed more if we hadn’t come outside. Uggggg!😢
We have had chickens a bunch of years now. Everything said here, in this video, is true,,,,, Especially about how much you will love your chickens. Humans have lived with domesticated Chickens for over 9000 years. The birds remind you of how to be a human...
😊 Thanks for this informative video. On Sweet Tomato Vine Homestead she's using her whole property as well growing food every way possible. Love how different gardeners in different states are using similar techniques to grow food. Look forward to the next video. Thanks.
I'm blessed to live in a predator-free city, so don't need an infrastructure. My chickens have a small coop but prefer to sleep high in the tree anyway. But I agree that with predators around it's probably the hardest and most expensive thing is to keep them safe. Otherwise, with water, a feeder they can open themselves (rat-proof) and ready-made pellet and access to grass they very much take care of themselves.
I have raised chickens on and off (mostly on) for over 30 years. I have never witnessed a "mass molt" in any of my flocks. I have always raised brown egg laying "heavy" breeds.
No one ever believes you when you say they make great pets, with individual personalities! Infrastructure, yes, the greatest outlay, but worth it to do it right.
I too am a victim of chicken math! I started with four. Two days later I went back and got six more. Then last year I got six more. The most fun I've had with animals has been raising chickens.
I've had chickens for about 10 years now. I recommend building your coop and run as big as possible to begin with. Don't do what I did and start with a small little cute but a small little run. I started with three chickens. I now have 15. Outgrew that little coop pretty quickly so plan ahead. There is this thing called chicken math and it is real. I also did the same thing with the run, I started out with a small little run, and I enlarged it three times. I should've just started big to begin with.
That's why I keep telling my wife they're food, not pets. Told her no names. However, I understand that she will probably ignore that warning.😂😂🤣🤣😂😂 P.S. nice job using as much repurpossed material as you could. Great advice given here.
Excellent presentation. I'm weighing the possibility of raising chickens. A key question I have is In a SHTF situation is it possible to grow or gather enough to feed them? I live in an isolated location on eighty acres, completely off-grid.
With that many acres, do the "free range" method. Make their coop moveable so every month you move them to a new location outside of the range they explore. They'll stay close to the coop because of the nesting boxes/quick safety, but will wander around eating grubs/worms during the day. Let them have access to your compost pile, but if you want to grow feed to supplement in winter, corn/soybeans/sorghum is what the majority of the feed is.
Here's my tip. Wooden coops WILL rot and WILL get redmite and redmite is almost impossible to eradicate. I swapped to a nestera plastic coop and as yet, not a sign of the mites.
Oh yes indeed they are awesome the Stubs chicken palace nest box is too ,I have a mixture of those and Nestera penthouse . Never going back to those high maintenance mite ridden wooden things ever again ,and the hens love them too . ATB.
@@Niki-xr6cw Absolutely. Wooden coops are good for one thing: firewood...I have a Nestera and an Iglu (2nd hand from an auction) and for 6 chickens they are more than adequate.
Chickens can recognise at least 100 faces ,this includes all their flocks faces and all the human faces they interact with ,not only that they also remember the interactions they have had with each and every one ,mine choose to hang out with me when I’m outside ,if I’m on a sun loungers or just pottering about weeding etc ,I will have hens perched on the back of it ,the foot of it ,the arms and on me ,it’s very sweet ,I don’t mind at all as your spot Loving one’s chickens is almost maternal ,my husband believes they treat me like a mama Hen and seek protection in the same way chicks seek the comfort of their mother . I can’t have a rooster. my girls have been purchased as pullets from a little family run business. I buy pullets as it is clear at that age they are hens ,so they hang out with me not because I reared them as chicks ,but just because it pleases or comforts them to do so ,perhaps they understand being near me they safe ❤
It sounds like you have an amazing bond with your flock and they absolutely appreciate your efforts to protect and provide them with an amazing quality of life. I agree that chickens are amazing livestock animals, companions, and pets. They are more intelligent than most people realize. It's hard to understand that prior to owning them. Adopting chickens changed my life for the better. It sounds like you had a similar experience. Thank you for your comment!
My young birds squirt is my layer chick-a-dee is my rooster both are mix breed. He's got additude and she's sweet. He can be sweet when he wants to. I believe it is because he getting older. More protective. We need more room so he can get more ladies. And forage I believe it will keep him happier.
What Brand of Chicken Food do you prefer? Purina? Do you prefer Crumble or Pellet Chicken Food? Do you add Poultry Grit to the Chicken Food or Provide it on the side as a "Side Dish?" Do you give the Hens access to Oyster Shells for Calcium or just get Chicken Food with added Calcium? Do you feed your Roosters the same Food as your Hens? These are some of the questions I had after buying some Chicks six months ago. - Theodore Alexander Vegh ❤️🇺🇸🌎
*What Brand of Chicken Food do you prefer? Purina? We have tried many different brands over the years we have had chickens here on our micro homestead. Every flock will have different preferences. A good general rule is to buy the highest quality food you can. We started with the big box store generic brand and then upgraded when we were able to. We also use the combination method where I provide healthy kitchen scraps about 3 times per week to supplement their feed as a treat. I have never fed only scraps or only processed feed, I have always fed both. The best brand is the one your flock will eat and not waste. You can try incorporating a small portion of all-flock feed which has a higher protein content into your regular feed (I incorporate some into our layer feed on occasion at a 1-to-4 ratio, 1 part all-flock to 4 parts layer feed) or fermenting your current feed to up the appeal and nutritional availability for your chickens. Try fermenting in small batches at first to ensure your feed will ferment well. Local farm supply stores will often blend and create their own layer mixes. Those are another option. Ultimately it takes some experimenting with what’s available to you to dial in what works best for you and your flock. Don’t be afraid to try different brands and textures. You know a food is a good fit for your flock if they have healthy feathers, if they are producing plentiful eggs, and if they are actually consuming and not wasting the feed. *Do you prefer Crumble or Pellet Chicken Food? We have bought and provided both kinds of textures for our flock. If you are going to transition textures do so slowly like you would when transitioning any type of animal food. It really comes down to what your flock prefers. If you have any chickens with eating difficulties crumble is easier to consume in those cases. *Do you add Poultry Grit to the Chicken Food or Provide it on the side as a "Side Dish?" We provide poultry grit and calcium in a side dish and fill them when needed. The chickens are great about taking what they want when they need it. I found buying these particular supplements in bulk is a money saver. The large bags last a long time. We refill the separate dish as needed. *Do you give the Hens access to Oyster Shells for Calcium or just get Chicken Food with added Calcium? We provide them with access to oyster shell supplement year-round. That is what has worked best for us. *Do you feed your Roosters the same Food as your Hens? Yes, our roosters eat from the same food dispensers as our hens and they don’t have any sort of separate feed. An instance where a rooster might have a different diet than a hen might be in the case of a competitive show bird. I can’t speak to this directly as our lived experience with backyard chickens has been as backyard egg layers and companion birds. Roosters do benefit from the occasional protein boost. We provide this in the form of healthy kitchen scraps, all-flock feed fed as a treat, and by fermenting our chicken feed when possible to make sure the whole flock has access to maximum nutrients. Thanks for your questions! I hope this information is helpful!
I think there are chicken 'saddles' you can put on them to protect their backs. Possibly hen to rooster ratio too small, making them only mount the same hen too much? I'm just starting out so that's barely more than a guess, but since no one answered you I wanted to try to help.
Try Muscovy ducks then. You’ll probably like those a lot more. Cleaner, more feral, live and lay longer, whole lot of pros. Jack spirko has a good video on that
Speaking of nasty... Your comment was completely unnecessary and mean. What possesed you to post it here? Did posting it make you feel good? That would be very weird and sick if so. Do better, and maybe get help.
*FAYO GIANT CHICKEN BREED FACTS* (Read more about these birds in comments) I made new breed Fayo Giant chicken breed. I began by using 4premium strains Jersey Giant fed diet unlike any other@ a cost of $1,000 per bird. That 1st year I averaged 75g vs 64g egg size2 yield bigger stronger chick& fertility rose 35%. Chickens get locked in DNA/color/shape gene pools like dogs due to ludicrous "Standards of "Perfection" rule. Crossbreeding dog makes much better dog. So, 1st I corrected this problem with 4Jersey bloods. Chicken feed currently limits protein so egg not too big to fit a carton = tiny chickens we have today vs 25lbs 1900. Feed is 20% innocuous brutal to digest seed coat saps chicken energy 2digest vs my birds ate 50% meat bone hide fur fish scales organs & all with greens salt spices garlic wood ash, sugar& sprouted oily dry corn. My Jersey Giant initial new breed Gen1 emphasis focused on massive bigger then ave. leg strains 2forage much deeper with energy efficient calm demeanor they are tractors. They get many more insects. Initial cost Gen1 averaged $28 an egg these breeders eggs ave. 64g with horrendous 45% fertility due to inferior feeds. Diet was key my eggs became huge thru diet unlike any other. Chicks became muscular Secretariats. Best? Facts: ...6 of my Gen2 birds yielded 9lbs fat = as much calories as 175lb deer in 6 months. No other bird touches this. Chest cavity packed with 1lb premium organ fat prized by chefs & 1/2 lb delecatble fat riddled thru meat like wagyu beef. Did u know oil = #1 killer of off grid survivalists. Human organs begin fail in 1 week without oil = why people died en mass depression eating fat free rabbits. Oil basically non existent on farms & in nature. It's manufactured product only. No money = no oil. Chicken fat = oil of all oils the cullinary chef leverage king of kings. My moto delete money. I bred my Gen2 with a Fayo Giant Gen1 rooster. A STUNNING bird unlike anything I have ever witness. He would knock on door jump on my arm come in at night, yet guarded thflock like master sheep dog he owned thfarm. Pure Fayoumis by far most intelligent dog like birds. This trait stuck with my Fayo Giants u can discern th intelligence just looking @their eyes. Fayo roosters TOLERATE each other yet are fierce regarding hens THEY NEED 2B. Thus was born my Gen 3 Fayo Giants. Fayo G. mature fastest crowing 4.5 months with legendary disease resistance& lay earliest on minimal protein. Streamlined, refined Hondas vs my original Gen1 Jersey as a clunky cumbersome loose fitting Buick. My garden engines: Premium diet = superiour (fall only) manure 4garden I use zero fertilizers just thick mulch + my birds. All thworlds problems can be solved in thgarden. No other farm animal can make bread& cookies& pastries& gives u meat (eggs) every day while continue work 4u. Fayoumis: Eaten by Egyptian Pharoahs, lived wild thousands years till today. My Fayo Giants cut from just cmpletely dffrnt next level factory. Immediately they strike u as a wolf vs a Jersey Giant being a big inferior design clunky domestic dog. Friendly yet fiercely street wise independent. I have no inerest in raising breeding birds. I live on food forests I build& sell& I coined thword. People breeding grossly inferior birds using "Standard of Perfection" stifle suffocate gene pool while on crippling feeds with deliberate protein ceiling/all across thboard poison methods my velociraptors told me absolutely dont work. This has cost me absolutely massive losses with 40 incredibly dreadful teeny tiny tuff bad tasting breeds. 15hour days 1.5 years yeided my Gen1 Fayo-Giant. Sergio Andrade JERSEY GIANTS listing. 12 eggs from from Lake Wister. I live on 100 tree food forest. If my Jersey Giant look different is bcuz they are. Deliberately crossed with 4 colors/blood strain Jerseys 2strengthen gene pool, they are "calico". They can be any of a number of color. I dunno what ebay is stating, these I always plan ship minite u buy. I spent 1.5 years 15 hour days total focus2 build worlds best chicken. Then 2.5 years more spawned Gen3 final drive. Don't believe it? Spend1 day with Fayo Giant like I did. Only breed hasnt constantly demonize me. I tried 40 breeds chose Jersey Giant = calm LOW ENERGY friendly produce by far most meat best tasting most TENDER meat. MASSIVE feet/legs bulldoze earth yet birds notoriously calm, efficient of energy &my eggs gigantic. Up2 86.1 grams ave. 74.5g, th feed of all feeds which massively strengthens breed stock. Bigger egg bigger stronger better chic that simple. Worlds best Chicken requires worlds best care. Self sustain teeny jungle fowel have very little fat. Chicken MUST be abomination of nature that gorge on what nature cant possibly provide. U must be perfect 4your Fayo Giant is perfect. = My birdz get all thmeathey can eat& no u can NOT half a$$ chickens.
