2015 Projects

[tugrik]

...I don't have any. At least not any big or elaborate ones. Lots of little things, though

Comments

[schnee]

I think the chickens are a great idea, and I don't see anything wrong with killing them for meat eventually, either. As you say, they'll have had a much better life (and quite possibly a faster, more painless death) than the chickens whose meat you can buy in supermarkets.

If someone still couldn't do it themselves because of the rather more personal relationship with a chicken that's actually walking around and scratching in your backyard, I'd totally understand that. But I don't think anyone who's not already a vegetarian could fault you for raising your own.

On a side note, having a smaller flock's gonna be better for the chickens, too. I recall reading that chickens can only form meaningful relationships with about twenty others - so if you got more than that, your chickens will be increasingly lost in an anonymous sea of social stress. Six is a great group size.

In addition to chicken BBQ, you could also make chicken soup. Made with a fresh, whole fat chicken, it's quite unlike what usually passes for chicken soup these days.

[ungulata]

I think the chicken project is a good one. I have no advice to give on that and you have had experience dealing with chickens before so you are ahead of the game in that respect

[kitsumi]

I *ADORE* chickens, and have kept them as pets for much of my life. I do not have the heart to eat any chicken I have raised personally, but have no qualms with picking up a local pasture-humanely raised bird. Personally I would stay away from egg laying machine breeds like leghorns and production reds- leghorns are skittish, production reds while very sweet, tend to come down with internal laying problems when they are still at their prime. and you do not want to eat a sick chicken. It's very sad. But there are so many amazing breeds of chicken out there I would get such a variety. I could talk about chickens to the moon and back! I would highly recommend joining the California Poultry People group on facebook. They are a secret group so I would have to recommend your name personally, but for diy chicken care and problem solving and health care they are the best. Many do treat their chickens as pets but have no qualms with those that also raise for meat. They are a really nice open-minded group and I love the projects, anecdotes and

[centauress]

I'm not sure he has enough room for yard recover, tho there are things you can do with chicken wire and boxes to change the terrain... Good luck with yours ^-^

[kitsumi]

Yes this! Some people make wooden frames with wire and put it over grass so the chickens can eat the grass but not destroy it. I wouldn't want to deprive chickens of scratching, but this is probably a good idea to help spots recover. :) Btw, I owe you art - can you email me, or I email you ? kitsumi.art at gmail

[kitsumi]

You could also get breeds that lay eggs for much of their life (3 egg girls- easter eggers are hardy and continue laying for years though not as frequently as an egg factory bird) and three specifically meat or dual purpose bird. Usually an older chicken makes for better soup stock than roasting, and the meat bird gets harvested when it is about 5-6 months old I think, maybe four months. Commercial birds get slaughtered even younger because they really give them a ton of food, but I've noticed homesteaders try to slow down the growth rate a little bit, mostly to prevent health issues. That way you can cycle through about 9 meat birds a year or so while having the pet egg layers. Just a thought. :) And yes, fresh roast chicken is divine. I just truss, salt and pepper, roast at 425, rest, and eat! The leftovers and bones make the best chicken soup. I simmer it for over an hour to really get the flavor and nutrition out of the bones, with a simple miriepoux of onion, carrot and celery, salt and pepper to taste.

[tugrik]

Side question: what do you think of this?

http://urbancoopcompany.com/product/round-top-chicken-coop/

I admit it's too pricey, but man that'd look nice in the yard, and I love the feeders/waterers in there. That unit plus the extended run would be great for 6 chickens.

[kitsumi]

It does look great! I feel like that design is 'simple' enough to be able to build on your own for a fraction of the cost, though it is a lot of effort to finangle with a wood-based project. There are so many really amazing coop designs and lots have the instructions for them. I think the run is too small though, I know a lot of people go by conventional guidelines, but in my experience the more room to roam the happier they are. Have you seen the chicken hobbit houses? I would really love to have one and even build it into a hill like a real hobbit house.. too bad my bf doesn't like lord of the rings. ;P But hobbit house !

[tugrik]

The built-in run is 5x5 and the extra run is another 5x5, so that's 25 sqFt. Outside of that I'm making a 6'-high chicken fence (with a half-foot buried for safety) that encompasses a 20x20 section of yard, so that's a full 400sqFt. The idea is that when I get home from work at night and for most of the days on the weekends, I open the 25sqFt fully enclosed run and let them roam the 400sqFt one; it's still safe from everything other than hawks. By the time night falls I shoo them back into the fully enclosed one.

Now and then I'll let them roam the entire back yard, which is about 3x the size of the 400sqFt zone. I just don't want them out there the entire time so they won't trash the entire lawn or overly poop-up the nice parts of the cement porch. :) The whole yard has a nice 6-8' tall fence and latching gates so it'll be fine during supervised times, hopefully!

[tuftears]

This is John that's moving out, right? Or is it the bat?

Good luck with your endeavor!

[tugrik]

Hai, the coonerism is the one moving. :)

[tuftears]

Figured! I'm guessing it's back to you and the bat now. And I see you're thinking on getting a house eventually! That'll be exciting. ;)