I Left my Chickens alone for 2 Weeks - and they Performed like Champs

[gunDriller]

I had a chicken-sitter lined up but those neighbors had to leave at the last minute because they lost their job & couldn't afford rent.

So I put 75 pounds of food and a cut-up pumpkin in the coop with 3 chickens, plus 2 4 gallon watering things (they water from the top, so the chickens have to look up, like licking water dripping off something).

They performed like champs ! ;)

I will have pictures of their eggs soon. They started a new habit. Instead of laying their eggs all over the coop, they started laying in one place, like one big nest - 20 eggs in one place.

When completely well-fed/ spoiled, they lay about 3 a day (42 over 2 weeks) - so their laying did slow down.

When I got home, they were asleep but apparently OK. I gave them some of their favorite foods (mandarin oranges) for a midnight snack, and then gave them double-rations for a few days.

I let them in the pen, which is un-protected from the top. At one point they started squawking real loud. I thought "oh no, what's wrong". They were just hungry - they had eaten everything and they wanted more !


This is their basic rations -

mashed potatoes, boiled rice, cracked wheat, cracked corn, sunflower seed - all mixed together.

corn on the cob

elbow macaroni

dry feed - cracked wheat, cracked corn, sunflower seed (wild bird seed mix) + extra sunflower seed.


i also water the floor of their cage and then put in new straw once a week. also put all food scraps from the kitchen in their. they eat what they want, the rest composts - the floor actually goes into hot compost mode and helps to heat up their coop. i don't know if it will be enough to counteract winter cold. i'm trying to do this without using electric heat - although i might give them a solar cell + battery and some planar heaters (wire wrapped around a piece of aluminum) to try & heat up the cage.

if that doesn't work, it will be "ventilation time" because I will take them indoors and their cage does smell a little. the chickens themselves have very little smell, less than a dog.

[undgrd]

You take care of your chickens better than some people take care of their kids.

That is all.
:-)

[Santa]

You take care of your chickens better than some people take care of their kids.

That is all.
:-)No way! Leaving ones chickens alone for that long should be considered fowl abuse. Think of the emotional trauma.

I'm thinking of reporting this to Abe Foxman. He'll know what to do.

[madfranks]

Great story, thanks for sharing.

[Carbon]

Wondering if you're gonna use them for meat or suppliment dog food?

[Mouse]

My lovely wife told me this story last week. I was not home, or asleep or something when it happened. We have about 40 chickens running free range. She heard a commotion with the chickens and went outside to look around. They were all bunched up in their usual hiding places where they run to when they get the alert from the rooster. She was looking around, like "whatever" and turned around to see a chicken fall out of a tree about 20 feet, hit the ground, get up and haul ass outta there, and a hawk flying away.

Just curious, how much of the food did they eat over two weeks with not being let out to get their own goodies?

OT but we are supposed to have kill day this weekend. I think we are going to process about 15 chickens and 4 turkeys. Weeeeeeee!

[PatColo]

Mother Earth News: Poultry Predators - How to Keep Your Chickens Safe (http://www.motherearthnews.com/city-to-country-one-step-at-a-time/poultry-predators-how-to-keep-your-chickens-safe.aspx?newsletter=1&utm_content=11.09.11+SLCS&utm_campaign=SLCS&utm_source=iPost&utm_medium=email)

Country: USA (http://www.collapsenet.com/member-submitted-news/tag/sourcelocation/usa/criteria:3/?tmpl_suffix=_newsfromfield) | Category: Food (http://www.collapsenet.com/free-resources/collapsenet-public-access/member-submitted-news/member-submitted-breaking-news/News+Topics/food_c161_m147/)

[gunDriller]

Just curious, how much of the food did they eat over two weeks with not being let out to get their own goodies?

OT but we are supposed to have kill day this weekend. I think we are going to process about 15 chickens and 4 turkeys. Weeeeeeee!


they ate EVERYTHING - except what ended up buried, due to their perpetual 'scratching' of the food. there's maybe a hundred pounds of birdseed in the floor of their cage, they scratch it out of the pan and it gets covered.

the pumpkins they didn't eat the entire rind, just picked around it.


how long does it take to pluck a chicken or turkey ?


http://www.sonomacompost.com
uses chicken feathers (and shredded male chickens, my guess is they get some of those from the chicken farms) in their compost. they call it "Mallard Plus", it has duck poop too. those feathers help make a premium soil, they sell it to the vineyards and i'm sure the marijuana growers like it too ($15 a cubic yard).



Wondering if you're gonna use them for meat or suppliment dog food?

the 3 chickens i have so far are like pets, i'm happy to get maybe 5% of my diet from them ... the eggs.

i have actually thought about feeding them dog food. just depends on the cost. they like people food - i have been known to eat dog kibble - so the chickens should like dog kibble ? how's that for logic ;)

they like those big 2" long female mosquito bugs, they're not too picky.

i may eventually mate them and have "designated livestock" that i raise for meat and try not to get too attached too.

[midnight rambler]

i have been known to eat rendered road kill and euthanized pets

wtf?!?!!?!?!??!!!

[muffin]

wtf?!?!!?!?!??!!!
Some people consider chickens as pets. Maybe that's what they mean?

We just culled 19 today. I dreaded doing it but it really is a relief to be back down to a manageble 17.

[Carbon]

We just culled 19 today.

Do you sell them, or do your own slaughter? If slaughter, how do you do that? Are you familiar with humane slaughtering?

[gunDriller]

Some people consider chickens as pets. Maybe that's what they mean?

We just culled 19 today. I dreaded doing it but it really is a relief to be back down to a manageble 17.

do you have one of those big horizontal freezers ? i'm curious how much electricity it consumes.

i saw one at an estate sale this summer - $50. it would come in handy with that many extra chickens, or during hunting season.

[Dogman]

do you have one of those big horizontal freezers ? i'm curious how much electricity it consumes.

i saw one at an estate sale this summer - $50. it would come in handy with that many extra chickens, or during hunting season. Horizontal ones are the best! Because when you open the lid, all of the cold air does not flow out like a standup. The down side, is that it can be a bitch sometimes if you want something on the bottom, and they take up more floor space.

If the one you are looking at is in good shape, and you have the floor space, do not walk--run and buy it, if you need one.

Imo

[muffin]

We let them reproduce over the summer and we were very overcrowded. They are dual purpose birds, so there isn't much meat. We kill for ourselves. It was more a learning experience than anything.

We have a small chest freezer that they went into. Most of it fit, with a little that went home with one of our helpers. I haven't really checked out how much electricity a small freezer consumes. Doesn't seem like much. But a big one or even a stand-up one would be VERY handy. Maybe one day. I really want to buy a 1/4 cow from the neighbor when he slaughters one of his.

As far as HOW... I caught them in the run. I was very gentle about it. They're MY pets more than anything. I talked to them. Calmed them down. Then I handed them over to our helper. He walked them to the edge of the woods where he and my husband (mouse on here) tied their legs together, hung them upside down on a string and slit their throats. I think it's about as humane as a small operation like our's can be. I love these silly birds so I made sure they were treated well.

[muffin]

i saw one at an estate sale this summer - $50. it would come in handy with that many extra chickens, or during hunting season.

If the one you are looking at is in good shape, and you have the floor space, do not walk--run and buy it, if you need one.
I say it depends on how old the estate sale freezer is. We got a helluva a deal on one a few years ago before we moved out here. But, to our dismay, it sucked up electricity like crazy because it was so old. The older ones are awful!

[Dogman]

I say it depends on how old the estate sale freezer is. We got a helluva a deal on one a few years ago before we moved out here. But, to our dismay, it sucked up electricity like crazy because it was so old. The older ones are awful! Fully agree!


You would be surprised at how many newer freezers show up for sale, for next to nothing.

Yes the older ones suck power, have very poor insulation! (compared to what is used today) And in general are inefficient. Any made in the last 10 or so years are much better than the older ones.

[horseshoe3]

The old freezers are inefficient, but they are durable. If you had one 50 years old and another one brand new, I bet the old will will still be running when the new one quits, even withthe 50 year head start.

[Dogman]

The old freezers are inefficient, but they are durable. If you had one 50 years old and another one brand new, I bet the old will will still be running when the new one quits, even with the 50 year head start.
I Quite agree with you, sort of like a 57 Chevy and the ones built with beer cans today.