Backyard Chickens for Eggs...worth it? Smell? Loud? Rewarding? You Decide! 

Why don't you let them walk free on the compostyards?

❤ simple yet effective coop/run. Thanks for sharing 👌🏾 😎 👍🏾 👏🏾 well done

One key note that I have learned is to NOT wash the eggs until you are ready to use them. It takes the natural coating off significantly reducing shelf life

My great Grandfather lived in Ogden... Yes that one., just off of Washington Blvd, close to Millers Ski and Cycle Haus. He had two coups that were 12x30. They had concrete floors, glass windows that you could open in the summer time for ventilation.. I don't know how many chickens he had at one time. I think about 200. Lots of eggs, lots of chicken soup. When he finally got out of the chicken business, one coup was converted into a storage area for lawn furniture etc. The other became his smoking lounge. He had a radio, a rocking chair, a night stand with an ash tray on it. He would listen to Paul Harvey everyday. He passed in 1979. I sure miss him.

Great video! I have watched what seems like hundreds of chicken how to videos,,,and not once did anyone remind you that you can get salmonella from chickens. We are new to chickens, have 12 chickens giving us great eggs, we always wash hands afferward, but thank you for that reminder not touch our noses or mouths. Thanks for great content.

I’ve wanted chickens for years and years. This economy has pushed me toward reaching my goal pretty fast. I enjoyed your short, informative, and to the point video. Thank you

Josh my grandpa raised free range birds for over 45 years supporting a bakery and a family of 11 girls. They also had 4 Nigerian Dwarf goats producing 2 gallons of milk per day. My grandma made farmers cheese and soaps.

LOVE my girls! It took me 20 years to convince my husband that we needed them, lol. He loves them just as much as I do, has them spoiled rotten.

6 years ago you built that? Still looks new. Man I remember watching the video of you building it. Time goes by fast!

As someone who spends around 40 usd each week in eggs, Im really considering raising my own backyard chickens, plus the joy of having kids interacting with rhe chicks. Thanks for the video, definitely will come back.

Our chickens follow us like puppies. Sit on our lap. Very friendly

I have two roosters, Rocky (papa rooster)and Rusty(son rooster) and 10 hens. A hawk swooped down into my back yard and tried to attack one of the hens. Both roosters went on the attack and gave that hawk more then he expected. They pecked the 💩out of the MFer. The hawk managed to fly off never to be seen again.

I'm happy you talked about not needing a rooster for the hens to lay! I've heard people say that before and it just simply isn't true! Awesome video, very informative!

We've been raising chickens since the mid 80s and I whistle a little tune every time I would feed them. As they get older they come running back to the coop when I bring out the food scraps. Great video!

I've watched so may of your videos and my buddy it's given me tons confidence to start my own little chicken setup keep those awesome videos coming and take er easy Dwayne from Newfoundland

My kids just sold their first eggs, good sense of accomplishment for them.

We're thinking of Rent The Chicken up our way here in Southern, NH. Your video was so informative. Thank you so much. They deliver the coop, 2 hens, feed etc. Great way to start up.

I'm sooooo ready for my chickens!

well, seeing how they just killed 5 million chickens and closed a processing plant down, and food distribution plants across the country have mysteriously being burned down, I'd say a few chickens in your backyard might be a good idea if you want to eat........

Love your enthusiasm. And thanks for sharing your experience with chicken and the coup.

You should look into sprouting organic grains for fodder. It'll cut your feed costs by at least a third. We rotate oats, hard red and white wheat berries, and buckwheat daily. It's only an extra minute or two every day and we just do it when we're putting them up for the night when we collect eggs. There's a bunch of how to videos to make automating the fodder system easy.

Love your chicken talk and advice! Thanks! Woo! 🐔🐤🐔

Morning, Josh! Thanks for the info. Happy Sunday!

I enjoyed watching. Thank you for sharing!

Thats an awesome set up especially the open air coop!

I’ve been thinking about getting some hens and your video was really help full thank you. I plan to get few chicken just in case for this year.

Nice healthy looking chickens. Very good content Josh.

I’ve always been a back yard chicken man ! 14 hens two roos-one roo was a rescue. I’ve always had chickens my dogs love the extra eggs God is good.

Chickens will not run away from you if you handle them early and often! They will become like pets, and come running when you call them.

Thank you for this very informative video! My chickens follow me everywhere like puppies lol (I fed them a little bread and now they love me 🥰) love the coop!!

You rock Josh, awesome coop! McMurry's Delaware broilers lay nice eggs n stew well also. keep up great work

Thanks for the info Josh.

Great advice. Looking good!

I like to have one rooster in my flock. His job is security guard. He will alert the rest when there is danger. He will also break up fights when the hens are going after each other. Of course, I free range my birds during the day and only lock them up at night.

This was super helpful, thank you 😊

Love seeing the little chickens josh we've got close to 50 here including chicks. Now we're hatching quail and peacocks. Hope your having a good weekend and enjoy the tasty eggs.

My first video to watch about raising chickens . Great video thank you

My 10+ year old crippled cat has been miraculously healed by eating our raw eggs mixed in homemade catfood. He was crippled since 1 1/2 yrs old from a cat bite. Now he cleans himself, does not smell bad, and even stalks birds. all things he could not do most of his life. EGGS ARE A PHENOMENAL HEALTHFOOD. You have bees now too. I'm going to pick up my VSH bees from Brooks Mills Bees outside of Charlotte, NC this week.

Thanks for sharing. Never knew any of this stuff.

When i get my own place with a nice little backyard (or better yet a big one) I'm definitely getting some chickens. It seems very rewarding for the relative ease of keeping them.

Good information on back yard egg layers Josh. I've been on the fence but thinking about doing it. Of course I need to mortgage the house to buy the lumber! Lol. Enjoyed it! Wooooo!

a nice honest video i appreciate it!

Great Video! Thank you!

Great video and content. Chickens are on my list, this video helped.

You build a nice coop. Chicken 🐔 palace. Stay safe up there and keep on growing 🤠

Hey Josh thank you for the video I enjoyed it and I did not know you can get salmonella from handling chickens I just learned something new again from you woo thank you so much Josh

Great video and information! Thank you!!

Nice chicken house. We're not sure if we want laying hens or just do a couple cycles of meat birds each year when we get that part of our farm started. Would love to have chickens free range on the property but too many predators like chicken meat!!

Great set up with good ideas.

Unwashed eggs do not need to be refrigerated and last on the counter for a week. Once you wash them, they must be refrigerated. We have 16 layers and everything is about 2x the size here. Solar lights are a great idea. We have had predator trouble from a fox and an eagle.

I’m a stealth in town chicken farmer. I give a few eggs to the neighbors as a bribe for not turning me in.

GREAT looking coop! I had chickens for 6 years (not allowed in Youngstown without a permit, Department of health) Had 12 birds, and was nor until a neighbor heard the Rooster (mainly for raising peeps) and DOH wanted to see how healthy and living conditions the birds had! After fielding their questions, I could tell they had no idea what was good or not for chickens! (They were appalled I let them free range around the yard, and the nearest neighbor was over yards away!) Always had more than enough eggs(brown)with the yolk being a lot more orange than store eggs because of their diet ! MY biggest problem was that they LOVED the flower gardens of my better half, it was my job to rake mulch back into the gardens, lol

You need to start this conversation by asking Neyorkers if they are thinking about having a pigeon coup! I have one in New York City! Pigeon, fed and kept in the coup, is quite the metropolitan delicacy! I like chicken for eggs and hens for Gumbo and Chicken Noodle Soup!

This is great design my nabor has this type of coop ... works great..

This is an amazing learning video.

I live in the triad area on NC, outside city limits, and wanting to get my first coop. Trying to talk hubby into it. We buy about 2 dozen eggs a week. My main concern are keeping out snakes (and other animals) and how laborious it is cleaning it out. Thanks for the vid.

Great video thank you 😊

Great idea people need to know how to raise their food if possible

Looks beautiful. Looking to have one in denver area

Hi.... Josh, thank you for showing your video homestead 👋 bye 👋 bye 👋 bye 👋 🏡🎥👍👍👍

very interesting thank you sir for your sharing

thank's for this vidéo

Good morning from North Dakota have a great day

Hey Josh, loved the backyard chickens video today. I also noticed too that you have a anti-theft device on top of the lid above the eggs. (The screw sticking up through the lid) don’t know if that was intentional or not.

one of my favorite responses when I ask why people raise their own chickens is " Because I know what goes into them". I ask them do you feed bag feed most say yes I then ask them do you grow and produce the feed in the bags your feeding them they say no I don't. I look at them and say well you don't really know what is going into your chickens. Ps I also raise my own chickens yes I use bag feed and free range . With price of feed going up we allay need to find alternative ways to feed our chickens.

Great info on a backyard flock! Chickens are the easiest animal to start with! 👍🏼

Yeah I think it is worth it 100% for sure pure breeds can make some good cash. Especially in the season spring

It's worth it! You know your eggs are clean and cheaper than at the store

I am trying to convince my husband of having chickens. Lol even told him I will raise, clean and butcher myself. I LOVE chickens. His idea is they have no cage and roam free. With living in the woods with animals of prey and having two heeler dogs, I wouldn't have chickens. Great video!

I have had chikens now for about 8 years i i realy enjoi it. I now have a flock of 40 hens and 3 roosters. Would recomend !

What great timing, I know the gf was persistent on getting some welsummers & buff Orpingtons for us and the kids. We live in the capital of Wa state and we can get by with 5 max hens. So it will be great come 5 months when they are ready to lay.

Try putting risers under your waterers. Helps keep the scratch out of the water.

great video. How do you protect them in freeze during winters?

I had no idea that you didnt need a rooster for egg laying hens... Awesome! I've always wanted chickens but didnt want the noise! We have similar weather as you do in your area, what type of chix do you have?

they are great tillers and turnover beds in the garden

Time to make our own. I live in Southern California. Just spent $10 on 18 eggs at Walmart. .55 cents a egg is pretty crazy

Awe man my chickens follow me and still like to try to get under me like baby chicks. I have to be careful not to step on them, but they’re like dogs, I’ll whistle or call them and they come right away. I have to wear shoes though because I’ve got a freckle on my big toe that they think is a bug I presume because they’ll go after it every time. 😆

I think they deserve a bigger run, but thanks for all the information.

My Mom liked using my duck eggs for baking cakes and pies

Good Saturday afternoon everyone!!!! Unfortunately, i had to break the bad news to my free range hens bright and early this mornin that due to expected egg shortages regretfully numbered are their days of laying a couple of eggs and then basically taking the rest of the day off with ranging privileges' within the parameters of a few very nice rural acres - parts of which are rich with fat grubworms. There's even a short dirt road between the main barn and the farmhouse which they're free to cross to get to the other side as often as they'd like. My rooster Ben overheard me and he ain't too happy either, knowing full well that due to oncoming egg shortages, he'll be "workin' overtime to make sure there's plenty of eggs for me an the family. 😊

Worth it? With the supply chain breakdowns and sabotages going on these days, I'd call it a necessity!

i'm working on my chicken house outside but my baby chicks are still in the living room. i try and add grass/hay clippings every day. i have 9!

Question: Tractor Supply feed…did your hens stop laying this winter?

Not sure if I missed it or seen it in other video’s of your, relating to chickens. What’s the best way to add older chickens, or really any age chickens to your existing flock? Thanks again

I've had chickens for about seven years now. So I have a suggestion. Make a bigger chicken run and make part of it your compost pile. Let the chickens do all the work for you in that compost pile. You might have to rake it into place every now and then but they will make beautiful compost for you by the time next spring comes around. Through all your yard waste, food waste from the house that safe for chickens, bedding etc. on that area of the run. It's very efficient and very easy. And if you don't think they're stirring it up enough toss a couple handfuls of scratch on that pile and they will go to town.

If you wash the eggs how long do they last? Also can you store eggs outside of a refrigerator or do they need to be refrigerated?

As an Urban Chicken Keeper...Is it worth it. I probably saved very little with my small flock cost wise but it was very rewarding knowing I could walk out every morning and probably get a half dozen eggs that tasted phenomenal! Did they smell? A proper set up will result in very little smell and minimal increase in fly's and is super easy to clean. I used 12"x12" pavers on the floor of the run to make clean up even easier and discourage predators from digging under the run! As in the video I also garden and all the bedding goes into the compost pile and eventually the garden for a bumper crop! Are they noisy? I have kept RIR's, PBR'S and SS's hens only and it took a while for my neighbor's to even know I had chicken's on our small lot in suburbia. Im a prepper so the motivation for me was not cheap eggs as much as it was the ability to quickly expand my flock to a more sustainable level if things ever got ugly economy wise. Its also been a good teaching moment for my Grand Niece to boot! So to me, it more than worth it!!!

would love plan for your coop!

Finger looking good👍

chickens are the best. low maintenance all you can eat eggs for the most part. I agree on making it taller. Mine is also 4 feet tall. I wish mine was 8 feet tall so I could walk in there.

I have a newbie question. Just got our first small batch of chicks and one had pasty butt. I used warm water, cleaned her up and she’s doing fine so far. My question is, how “picky” do I need to be now that I notice every time I see a little poop on any of them?

Great video. Definitely want to get my own flock and coop. When the chickens mature and get old do they stop producing eggs ? Do you slaughter your older chickens ?

Morning Josh, any issue with predators-hawks? when the chickens are out and about in the garden?

How do you do, Sir, and thank you, from the suburbs of Forsyth County.

Bought myself 6 chicks at North40 last weekend I'm in City limits and legally I can have 6 hens. No roosters allowed only requirement is I need minimum 500 sqf of Yard space..which is small.. so yes I'm raising my own egg layers and really excited to

Awe is that the chicks from last year?? 😆 it's funny I know peeps that ONLY want Store bought eggs.. Lol..

Very good..however I was just thinking I would put the water feeder on a chain aswel to stop them putting straw into it

I like your egg laying system. I wish you can showe how to do it

My chickens come running to me, not away, just saying not all chickens are chicken. LOL.

Love that coop design. I have six 3 month olds that need to get outside but it's been too cold and I have yet to buy a coop.. Reviews are pretty bad on most of them. I think I need to find someone to build one.. I spy a live trap in the back on top of the run? What is it for?