Chickens - The Greatest Story NEVER Told!

[Gaillo]

Greets!

I've never met a chicken I didn't like, which is more than I can say about humans.

Free ranging, caged, or grilled to perfection... chickens are just alright with me! ;D

Any other fans of our fine feathered friends here?

http://www.ronandjoe.com/funfree/sillypet/page08/red2.jpg

[Serpo]

http://newine.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/red_fox_close.jpg



yes Im a great fan

[Dogman]

Love them, had some along with turkeys and geese at one place I used to live. All those birds are a hoot to watch their antics and then in time eat. And domesticated turkeys are as dumb as lead bricks.

Geese make some dam fine watch birds for a biological early warning system.

[Libertytree]

If I would have had a full drink on in my mouth I would now have a clean keyboard....damn dude, that's funny as hell!

I love chix, any how, any way any time. Yard birds!!

[General of Darkness]

http://static.themetapicture.com/media/funny-baby-chicken-running.jpg

[Gaillo]

If I would have had a full drink on in my mouth I would now have a clean keyboard....damn dude, that's funny as hell!...

To whom is your post addressed? Just curious...

[k-os]

To whom is your post addressed? Just curious...

Well, he was sitting about 10 feet from me when I heard his bellowing laugh. I am pretty sure the laugh was for you. :)

[Mouse]

They are kind of a pain in the ass to process but they taste like chicken. We just wacked a bunch of gangsta ass cocks of the plymouth barred rock variety. They were tasty. We still have 22 and about 12 are getting it in the end of October :)

[skid]

I have 12 chickens, and have almost finished the chicken palace for them. If nothing else, my chickens will likely have one of the nicest chicken coops around:)

[k-os]

I have 12 chickens, and have almost finished the chicken palace for them. If nothing else, my chickens will likely have one of the nicest chicken coops around:)

Pics or it didn't happen. :)

[Mouse]

I have 12 chickens, and have almost finished the chicken palace for them. If nothing else, my chickens will likely have one of the nicest chicken coops around:)

My chicken palace is more palacious.

[Carl]

I like browsing this site:

Cackle Hatchery (http://www.cacklehatchery.com/default.html)

[skid]

Let's see some video or pic's. I'll get my kid to take a quick video of mine tomorrow even though it's only 90% finished. Mine's not that big (8x8x8 cube), but I've put a lot of thought and work into it and the run.

[Mouse]

Let's see some video or pic's. I'll get my kid to take a quick video of mine tomorrow even though it's only 90% finished. Mine's not that big (8x8x8 cube), but I've put a lot of thought and work into it and the run.

I don't need no vids and neither do you. I would but I don't want everyone to see the grand throne of cock Frederick the first. Let us say, he has windows and vinyl siding on his castle and call it a draw. About the same size, I think 8*12 is Frederick's castle. I don't want to be recognized for my greatness, it is all a work of God for the benefit of Frederick the first. Pride be not.

Frederick's rule is sovereign over his house, and his ladies. I do not venture into the chicken plane and therefore are unable to enforce any statute upon his rule. Frederick has a land patent over his area and tenant in common with the entire property. His chicks eat at any spot that is open.

[skid]

I'm not meaning to start a contest, but am interested in what you have built. I'm proud of mine too. I have one large window facing south, and another facing north, fully insulated, good one side plywood interior walls painted white, cedar shake siding, and a metal roof. I just completed the nest boxes today, and am installing the roosts probably tomorrow. To finish I need to complete some wiring, add some hardware/weatherstripping to the rear hatch, build a chicken sized door to the run, install a ramp up to the roosts, and put down some litter on the floor.

I built the run first as I need somewhere to put the chickens while I finished the coop. I used 4x4's and 6x4's for posts, and have it completely enclosed due to all the predators I have lurking in the nearby woods. Had something try to dig in under the wire, but I buried stucco wire one foot down and one foot out and that discouraged the fox or raccoon that was trying to dig under. Gonna have to fire my guard dog:)

[skid]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RS6rK2__Uqs&feature=player_embedded

See link for a video of my chicken coop. I don't know how to embed it...

[MNeagle]

Looks great skid!!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RS6rK2__Uqs&feature=player_embedded

[Mouse]

Hey Skid,

That certainly is a palace! You win on that one. I will pop up some pics tomorrow, but it would seem you have it figured out. I don't have a power run out to mine, so when we need power we just run a cord from the garage. I am not sure where you live, but you probably don't need a heat lamp, or even insulation unless you are in Canada or something (Accent?). Also, if you have the house built too tight (insulation), it won't dissipate moisture and that can make the chickens get sick. They need plenty of ventilation. The boxes look great, that should be good for about 12 or 14 hens. We just made a couple roosts out of small limbs from the woods. They mostly use the roosts to get on top of the boxes and that's where almost all of them hang out, so I wouldn't work too hard on the roosts. They will completely destroy the interior of your coop, so you get to look forward to your nice paint job getting the treatment. Really nice coop and very well thought out and looks very well built.

[skid]

Yep, west coast of british Columbia, Canada. It doesn't get too cold here, but some winters we do get snow. I figured if I need some heat, the chickens probably do too. I have read that chickens need plenty of fresh air and you confirm it, so both windows open. Yes, as you mention chickens crap everywhere, even in their food and water so that's why I painted all the wood so it is easier to clean. I'll put some hay or stall dry on the floor to soak up their mess.

I have a book from a century ago on how to build barns, coops, etc. and got some good ideas out of it. One recommendation was to put crushed gypsum powder (calcium sulfate I believe) or wall board plaster under the roosts to prevent the droppings from sticking to the poop board. It soaks up the moisture and balls up like kitty litter. The calcium is excellent for the garden and the chicken droppings provide a great nitrogen boost.

I've never had chickens before, so I'm sure I will learn alot over the next couple of years...

[Gaillo]

Bump for the chickens.

Let's see more coop footage! ;D

[Santa]

Here's my house. I'll show the coop another time. J/K.... 4x4's, steel roof, chicken wire buried 1 1/2 ft deep and some fence panels. Reflective shade cloth, dirt floor. It's been standing since before the trees were there, and has done fine for 50 or so hens thus far. http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac358/jackconrad/junk/Untitled.jpg

[Bigjon]

Greets!

I've never met a chicken I didn't like, which is more than I can say about humans.

Free ranging, caged, or grilled to perfection... chickens are just alright with me! ;D

Any other fans of our fine feathered friends here?

http://www.ronandjoe.com/funfree/sillypet/page08/red2.jpg

Spoken like a man who never had to haul feed and water to the hen house. Then pick eggs where you get pecked by annoyed hens. As you reach under the hen you get that old aww-shit, yep real chicken shit in your hand and there is also the broken eggs, gooey crap all over your hands. All the while you do this you have to breathe in that wonderful aroma of ammonia laced chicken shit.

If you're not feeding and watering you're cleaning the hen house and spreading lots of allergy inducing oat straw into the nests and onto the floor.

Oh yes you really bring back some not so fond memories of why any honest farm boy hates f'n chickens.

[Gaillo]

Spoken like a man who never had to haul feed and water to the hen house. Then pick eggs where you get pecked by annoyed hens. As you reach under the hen you get that old aww-shit, yep real chicken shit in your hand and there is also the broken eggs, gooey crap all over your hands. All the while you do this you have to breathe in that wonderful aroma of ammonia laced chicken shit.

If you're not feeding and watering you're cleaning the hen house and spreading lots of allergy inducing oat straw into the nests and onto the floor.

Oh yes you really bring back some not so fond memories of why any honest farm boy hates f'n chickens.

Yep. Every day! ;D

Still loves me some birds, yo.

[Santa]

Spoken like a man who never had to haul feed and water to the hen house. Then pick eggs where you get pecked by annoyed hens. As you reach under the hen you get that old aww-shit, yep real chicken shit in your hand and there is also the broken eggs, gooey crap all over your hands. All the while you do this you have to breathe in that wonderful aroma of ammonia laced chicken shit. If you're not feeding and watering you're cleaning the hen house and spreading lots of allergy inducing oat straw into the nests and onto the floor. Oh yes you really bring back some not so fond memories of why any honest farm boy hates f'n chickens. I like chicken shit. I probably have some on my boot right now. Everything you mentioned above beats the hell out of driving through traffic to get to the f'n corporate grocery store as far as I'm concerned, with the exception of slaughtering the little dinosaurs. I do dislike that part a lot.

[Bigjon]

Yep. Every day! ;D

Still loves me some birds, yo.

How many? 10?

Try 600. We had 3, 12 gallon waterer's and the well was 300 feet from the chicken house, i know cause I counted the steps every day, many trips with 2, 5 gallon pails. When you are 11 years old you can only carry those pails half full, as you get older that goes up. Actually when I was 11, we only had 400 laying hens and 2, 12 gallon waterer's.

From spring to fall or from frost to frost we had a hose that made things a lot easier.

When I left the farm for the big city (mpls), dad had a water line put in the first week I was gone.

edit: This was a little while back, (things get bigger and better with age.) As I put my eyeball imagination on it and measure the size of the hog barn, followed by the cattle shed plus the hay shed and throw in the angle up hill (both ways) I'm sure it was at least 200 feet.

[Gaillo]

How many? 10?

Try 600. We had 3, 12 gallon waterer's and the well was 500 feet from the chicken house, i know cause I counted the steps every day, many trips with 2, 5 gallon pails. When you are 11 years old you can only carry those pails half full, as you get older that goes up. Actually when I was 11, we only had 400 laying hens and 2, 12 gallon waterer's.

When I left the farm for the big city (mpls), dad had a water line put in the first week I was gone.

Currently 8 full-grown, and 6 young "teen chickens". As a child, I helped my parents tend a flock of about 125.

[Serpo]

New Zealand had some big chooks early on in the piece,all gone now,hunted out.


http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0BuvID10bgY/TOHvaLwRlPI/AAAAAAAADWs/Z4kgDY-dv5Q/s1600/800px-Hunting_Moa_-_rotated.jpg

[Bigjon]

I like chicken shit. I probably have some on my boot right now. Everything you mentioned above beats the hell out of driving through traffic to get to the f'n corporate grocery store as far as I'm concerned, with the exception of slaughtering the little dinosaurs. I do dislike that part a lot.

Now that I'm older and (hopefully) wiser I would dread the thought of chopping off their heads.

But when I was a teen it seemed great sport to lop their little heads off and let them run for their life with blood squirting straight up in a red fountain and my dad hollering John cut that out. Then there is the smell of immersing them in boiling water to pluck the feathers out and then singeing them over the fire that kept the water boiling. Mom and dad would do the butchering and then the birds were stuffed into empty 1/2 gallon cardboard milk cartons.

We got 100 roosters every year and kept them on the alfalfa field north of the grove where they roosted in the trees at night. You can't get birds that taste as fresh as those did in any store around here.

[Mouse]

Now that I'm older and (hopefully) wiser I would dread the thought of chopping off their heads.

But when I was a teen it seemed great sport to lop their little heads off and let them run for their life with blood squirting straight up in a red fountain and my dad hollering John cut that out. Then there is the smell of immersing them in boiling water to pluck the feathers out and then singeing them over the fire that kept the water boiling. Mom and dad would do the butchering and then the birds were stuffed into empty 1/2 gallon cardboard milk cartons.

We got 100 roosters every year and kept them on the alfalfa field north of the grove where they roosted in the trees at night. You can't get birds that taste as fresh as those did in any store around here.

The thought of that made me laugh my ass off. But seriously, it's a lot easier to hang em upside down on a trot line and slit em. They don't bruise and the blood gets out of them pretty good. Plus you can be nice to them before you do it.