Nothing personal, but I'm glad I'm not the only one with feather-brained retarded ideas. I got somwhere between 20-40 bits of 2-legged eagle food.

 

I usually have 3-10 egg layers at any given time for the last ten years. They're good at eating bugs. They will not eat ants or roly polys. I normally can't stand the smell let alone the taste of commercial eggs, but these glowing orange eggs are pretty good. In the summer they hardly eat any chicken feed but they're pigs in the winter. Living with a vegetarian, I don't have any interest in the nuisance of meat birds.

It does suck not being able to go barefoot in the yard due to landmines. However, they are entertaining.

Usually one gets eaten by a hawk per year, then the chickens remember to keep their eyes to the sky. The thing about hawks is they usually just eat the brain and neck.

Raccoons usually just kill and leave the chicken after dragging it off somewhere.

Mink/weasel family will usually just drink the blood.

The worst is when a racoon starts going after them. I had one raccoon that over 3 nights had systematically attacked the chicken run and eventually broke through two layers of welded 2x4 wire fence. I normally shut a guillotine style door that separates the coop from the run, but when on vacation I leave the door open. Thankfully we were getting home just as the raccoon was starting to terrorize the chickens.

I had a raccoon learn to climb up to the roof then shimmy along the soffit dangling from the J-channel until it got to a window, push the window sash down with its rear legs, then get in the coop. By the time I got there it had already decided to kill 3 of my favorite chickens. Since I have cameras in the coop that's when I learned how shitty raccoons are. It would catch the chickens, then bite them, then release, over and over for like 20 minutes before the chicken bled out. It took like 2.5 hours to before the third one died and I scared it out of the coop.

Ever since, if I see a raccoon or evidence of one being within 100' of civilization I go scorched earth on them. Usually we have 1-2 mean raccoons on the property that keep the rest away and they stay away from the house/chickens. This year has been really bad for distemper.

 

I usually have 3-10 egg layers at any given time for the last ten years. They're good at eating bugs. They will not eat ants or roly polys. I normally can't stand the smell let alone the taste of commercial eggs, but these glowing orange eggs are pretty good. In the summer they hardly eat any chicken feed but they're pigs in the winter. Living with a vegetarian, I don't have any interest in the nuisance of meat birds.

It does suck not being able to go barefoot in the yard due to landmines. However, they are entertaining.

Usually one gets eaten by a hawk per year, then the chickens remember to keep their eyes to the sky. The thing about hawks is they usually just eat the brain and neck.

Raccoons usually just kill and leave the chicken after dragging it off somewhere.

Mink/weasel family will usually just drink the blood.

The worst is when a racoon starts going after them. I had one raccoon that over 3 nights had systematically attacked the chicken run and eventually broke through two layers of welded 2x4 wire fence. I normally shut a guillotine style door that separates the coop from the run, but when on vacation I leave the door open. Thankfully we were getting home just as the raccoon was starting to terrorize the chickens.

I had a raccoon learn to climb up to the roof then shimmy along the soffit dangling from the J-channel until it got to a window, push the window sash down with its rear legs, then get in the coop. By the time I got there it had already decided to kill 3 of my favorite chickens. Since I have cameras in the coop that's when I learned how shitty raccoons are. It would catch the chickens, then bite them, then release, over and over for like 20 minutes before the chicken bled out. It took like 2.5 hours to before the third one died and I scared it out of the coop.

Ever since, if I see a raccoon or evidence of one being within 100' of civilization I go scorched earth on them. Usually we have 1-2 mean raccoons on the property that keep the rest away and they stay away from the house/chickens. This year has been really bad for distemper.

So I'm thinking you don't trap them then?

 

Looks more birdbrained an harebrained to me.

 

Mmmmmm.... Chicken.

 

Says every predator in the area.

 

It is stuff like this is why we are growing are own

 

I get mine from the butcher, but I know what you are saying.

 

yea I know what you mean. I see that and I'm glad I don't have that problem.

 

Just got a text stating I have a big box on the front porch, I am betting it is my Plucker 👍


RBB

 

Well they out grew their nesting box so this weekend the egg birds got evicted from the back room of the coop to allow the meeties to take over the back half.

 

Dang, they're growing fast!

 

Yes they do!! it is unbelievable how fast they grow look at what one week will get you

Got a chance to play "glue and stick" this weekend, I still need to add the mesh to the sides and it will be all ready to be there home for there last 4 weeks before they head off to freezer camp.

 

Yes they do!! it is unbelievable how fast they grow look at what one week will get you
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Got a chance to play "glue and stick" this weekend, I still need to add the mesh to the sides and it will be all ready to be there home for there last 4 weeks before they head off to freezer camp.


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A little over 9' x 9' as my roofing was leftovers from other projects




RBB

 

So one of my Buddies came over this weekend and pointed out that 6 of your birds are not meat birds but turkeys. So this little experiment has another twist for us to roll with.

 

The last turkey I got to 35lbs before we had her cut. I had to get rid of her because she went after the kiddo. Sounds like a semi-pleasant surprise.

 

Picked up a new Chicken Coop yesterday given all the birds and all the stuff coming out of the garden right now it was time for more space.

 

Nice!!

I see the wife is a southpaw. (I am too)

 

I love the new coop.

 

28 down 10 to go!!! It was a ton of work but extremely rewarding, and that china plucker I bought was worth every dollar. Birds are averaging 8 Lbs +-

RBB

 

That's awesome!

Now I want chicken....haha

 

 

So just a quick breakdown I had 375 dollars in expenses aside from my coop and plucker as both of them will be used year after year, with 38 birds averaging around 7.5 Lbs I have $1.32 per Lb chicken with no steroids or mystery chemicals in my food. I still have 5 turkeys that helped suck down some of that 375 that I will still need to feed for the next 6 weeks before they head to the plucker also. When all of them are done I will be able to have more solid numbers. All in All, I think it was a great first run I learned a ton lost 14 birds do to shit happening, I don't think I will ever do 57 birds again but a batch of 30 looks like a better option for my setup right now. And who knows I might just do 2 or 3 batches next year.




RBB

 

And another dinner from the yard

every morning When i go out to feed the birds they are so excited to see me, until they get there food, it won't be long and these guys will be headed to freezer camp also. They are starting to get big

RBB

 

Yum!!

They are getting big!

 

These guys are going to be a little harder to butcher as they are such a Happy Bunch from the time I step out the door till they are stuffing food in there mouths we are barking at each other. And when I shove them over on new grass they dance around chasing bugs and barking at me.


Don't get me wrong I will still eat them!!! I am just recognizing the fact that, these ones were more fun to raise than the chickens.

RBB

 

Stupid question..... How long do they live? (if you didn't kill them and eat them)

 

3 to 4 years