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Razadia
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Post Any chicken owners here?
on: February 16, 2012 05:03
I've been looking through The Last Homely House's Fauna (for the millionth time since I first came here years ago) and now I'm curios if I'm the only chicken person here?

I raise two differint types of chicken, but 3 different breeds. I have game chickens; these are normally used for fighting or are show birds. Mine are just there to look pretty and make me laugh as I do not condone fighting animals and I don't raise show quality birds. The other type I have are raised for meat and eggs. I just started raising them in spring of last year, so I don't have any roosters old enough for prossecing, but I normally have way more eggs than I know what to do with from my 4 hens. My rooster (while he is old enough) will not be turned into drumsticks as I need him to have fertile eggs. I also hatch my own chicks and try hard not to leave the eggs with them hens since it's really really hard to hand raise chicks when they run from you.

If you don't have chickens, but you'd like to (or think you might like to) raise them and have questions, ask away! I've been raising chickens for the better part of my 22 years and I'd say I know more than is considered healthy.

Note: I'm sorry for what I imagine is a whole bunch of spelling mistakes, but the spell checker isn't working for me.
BelleBayard
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Post RE: Any chicken owners here?
on: February 17, 2012 03:37
I don't personally own chickens, but we've considered it more than once. I did go to a class on how to kill, pluck, and clean a chicken. A truly hands-on experience and made me much more appreciative of the animals who give their lives so we can have food on the table.

The folks who taught it talked about the difference between meat and egg chickens and used something I think the called Cornish chickens. They were white and had very fine, small plumage. They also used one of their ornery roosters as a demo since he'd started attacking other chickens and people and they weren't about to put up with that (he was a big one too! Yikes!).

Although I live in the suburbs, our neighborhood has a fair sized (and growing) flock of mixed chickens roaming around. Started out with about 4 hens and a rooster and now we have conservatively 30 chickens. I have NO idea if anyone collects eggs from the hens since they don't seem to roost in any particular place and the eggs hatch under their mothers.

What sort of chickens do you recommend for a back yard? How many would be optimal? Not quite into the meat ones at this time, but fresh eggs would be nice. Do you have to have a rooster or can you just do hens? Thanks!
Razadia
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Post RE: Any chicken owners here?
on: February 19, 2012 07:40
Aw, I had a really long post all typed up and ready to go and my internet acted up.
BelleBayard
Prancing Pony Moderator & Elf Laundry Mistress
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Post RE: Any chicken owners here?
on: February 21, 2012 04:15
No worries. Post what you can, when you can.
Erucenindë
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Post RE: Any chicken owners here?
on: February 26, 2012 04:05
I have always wanted to have chickens for the eggs... but I have not gotten any yet. One day soon hopefully! Farm fresh eggs are the best.
Eomer_4_Lothiriel
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Post Re: Any chicken owners here?
on: April 09, 2012 08:47
I think I will be of Hope here, so, here goes. I have 3 old hens who are not laying as they used to. And my family and I are getting 2-3 youngers hens so the retirees have some young'uns for company! They have a 3x3 metre and 2.5 metre high indoor enlcosure with food/water/roost, we prefer our hens to be 'fit' of sorts in the enclosure. Better than the ones in tiny 4-hens-per-small-wire-cage. We let them wander 'round the backyard. It's funny, 'cos when you unlock the door, they jump on the door, and get really excited 'cos they're going freerange for the day!
Fellowship
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Post Re: Any chicken owners here?
on: April 09, 2012 08:31
I have 4 adult white leghorns, and 15 chicks of different breeds (Buff orpingtons, rhode island reds,and both black and gold wyandottes) I love 'em! I raise them for eggs, that I'm trying to get into the business of selling. Just on a small scale basis.
Leoflic_Nightleaf
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Post Re: Any chicken owners here?
on: May 17, 2012 11:18
We have probably around 30 altogether, like mostly Red Stars or something, and a few Rhode Island Reds.get more or less 20 eggs a day.
Hobbits2Isengard
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on: August 02, 2015 09:55
My mom and I love raising chickens, we have all sorts of breeds, about two and a half dozen total birds. We don't sell or show them, but they are all beautiful and very tame, especially our rooster Darth Vader
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