Does any body raise chickens

[crossbreed curt]

I was just wondering if i was the only one who raised chickens on this web site. I have a small flock of 11 chickens. I have 8 buff orptoning hens 1 buff roster. I also a pair of show chickenns for 4h they are B.B.reds it is the closest realtive to the wild chickens in Inda. Last year I won Champon in pullets class. I also won champon in showmanship. I am begging my dad to let me show his friends hefer. 8)

 

[jedstivers]

I have six Rhoade (sp) Island Reds and get lots of enjoyment watching them.

 

[I luv herfrds]

I've got an odd mix of chickens. I have a Califonia Whites, Turkens, RI Reds, Silver Laced Wyondot(sp?)
Also have some Chinese geese, a mix of ducks, and Starndard Bronze, Broad Breasted White, and a Bourbon Red turkey's.

 

[crossbreed curt]

I've got an odd mix of chickens. I have a Califonia Whites, Turkens, RI Reds, Silver Laced Wyondot(sp?)
Also have some Chinese geese, a mix of ducks, and Starndard Bronze, Broad Breasted White, and a Bourbon Red turkey's.

I alaways wanted turkeys. I do have 15 gueines. They are fun to watch race around the yard. Next year we are planing to buy 15 bronz from are local feed mill.

 

[angel5]

We have 75 black sex links.....i think this is our last year of so many..too much work for what they are.
our dog LOVES chicken....brat...ate 5 of them.
she is growing out of it now...thank God!

 

[bigbull338]

ive messed with chickens guienies an turkeys for the last 9yrs.an i enjoy them very much.but if you let the turkeys freerange they will make 1 heck of a mess.

 

[mischief]

We have about 25 hens-Barred Rocks plus some Buff Orpingtons and some other unknowns! Plus 2 BR roosters. There are in 2 mobile chicken coops that we use to move around the pastures to keep the bugs down and also fertilize the grass. Can't do free range because of our dogs and the feral dogs. Enjoy watching the birds-they get excited about new grass when they are moved and about the kitchen garbage!! The eggs are good too! Friends always enjoy the fresh eggs.

 

[I luv herfrds]

Curt do you plan to get the broad breasted or standard bronze?
The broad breasted ones cannot mate naturally while the standards can, just letting you know in case you plan to breed them. Get them around April to May, but no later especially if you plan on Thanksgiving dinner. ;-)
I raise and sell fresh turkeys for $15.00 a piece and smoked ones for $30.00 a piece. May have to raise my price on the fresh ones though.
Do not feed them corn it will cause them to go blind.

 

[angie1]

I also a pair of show chickenns for 4h they are B.B.reds it is the closest realtive to the wild chickens in Inda.

I have always wanted, yet never has any of these. I never seem to order them in time. I have had just about everything else with feathered feet though. Love the Brahma's and Cochins, both full size and bantam. I have always wanted a frizzled chicken, but never gotten one.

I have raised the standard bronze turkeys as well as Bourbon Reds. Both breeds did very well, but Ilh is right ~ the broad breasted cannot breed naturally, and I am not willing to participate that much in their affairs. :help: The bronze toms got mean ~ really mean, sneaky, predatory mean. The Bourbons were great setters and wonderful momma's ~ a real pleasure to have.

Probably the feathered thing I enjoy most is the call ducks.

Anyhow ~ HAVE FUN!!! Feathered things are an endless source of amusement. :nod:

 

[1982vett]

Curt do you plan to get the broad breasted or standard bronze?
The broad breasted ones cannot mate naturally while the standards can, just letting you know in case you plan to breed them. Get them around April to May, but no later especially if you plan on Thanksgiving dinner. ;-)
I raise and sell fresh turkeys for $15.00 a piece and smoked ones for $30.00 a piece. May have to raise my price on the fresh ones though.
Do not feed them corn it will cause them to go blind.

:???: First I ever heard of that. I'd like to hear more about it.

 

[I luv herfrds]

A family friend told me that when I first started raising turkeys and ran into trouble with them. He passed away a couple of weeks before Christmas :cry2: , and we always called him the "Bird Man", if you had a question, concern or trouble you called him. He could tell you what was wrong and how to fix it.
He told me that feeding corn to growing turkeys will cause them to go blind and it will also not allow for proper bone growth and they will get spraddle legged. Mainly occurs in young poults.
He also told me to start them on finely minced hard boiled eggs for the first couple of days. It helps prevent that paste up on the vent. Then start adding the Turkey starter.
For chickens you do the same thing, but add corn meal to theirs, does the same thing.

I lost a bunch of chicks one spring. Called him up and we must have spent an hour or more on the phone talking birds. Mainly him talking and myself learning.
If you ever get chicks and the weather is really cold add 1 tablespoon of sugar to warm water in the chicks waterer and just give them water for the first hour or two.
I do that with all of my chicks no matter the breed and have not lost one to being chilled since.

 

[angie1]

I had no idea about the corn. I have always fed my turkeys free choice of corn. In the summer they spend a lot of time eating out, but in the winter cracked corn ~ its whats for dinner. :nod:

 

[MistyMorning]

Anyhow ~ HAVE FUN!!! Feathered things are an endless source of amusement. :nod:

Oh really! :shock:

 

[hillsdown]

Anyhow ~ HAVE FUN!!! Feathered things are an endless source of amusement. :nod:

Oh really! :shock:

I was thinking the same thing.. :? I guess I have enough constant amusement in my life.. :lol:

But seriously, to all of you that raise your own poultry :tiphat: to you; I am not smart enough nor patient enough.. :help:

 

[dun]

Anyhow ~ HAVE FUN!!! Feathered things are an endless source of amusement. :nod:

Oh really! :shock:

Particularly ducks in the henhouse

 

[angie1]

Anyhow ~ HAVE FUN!!! Feathered things are an endless source of amusement. :nod:

Oh really! :shock:

Seriously ~ you, of all people, should not question this! :lol2: ;-) Why do you think I hang out with you? Sometime we will drag HD around with us and she will see then what I mean.

Particularly ducks in the henhouse
You still have duck MM? How is she doing?

 

[VtMapleGal]

I purchased 25 pullets this spring, only to get 17 roosters. Ugh. Damn Hatchery. SO now i have 8 silver laced wyndottes, 5 ring neck phesants (we released 12) and about 6 bantams. We also raised 50 meat birds, and 6 turkeys, but they are all gone now. I plan on getting more hens in the spring, and love the wyndottes, but am wondering if they are hard to sex, i dont want to raise a bunch of roosters again.

 

[dun]

I purchased 25 pullets this spring, only to get 17 roosters. Ugh. be nice Hatchery. SO now i have 8 silver laced wyndottes, 5 ring neck phesants (we released 12) and about 6 bantams. We also raised 50 meat birds, and 6 turkeys, but they are all gone now. I plan on getting more hens in the spring, and love the wyndottes, but am wondering if they are hard to sex, i dont want to raise a bunch of roosters again.

No matter what the breed if they're sexed by someone competent you shouldn;t run over 1-2% cockrels.

 

[I luv herfrds]

Vt did you call up the hatchery and tell them what happened? You should get a credit for that screw up. Had that happen once with a hatchery, called and they credited me the difference between the cockerl and poulet.

 

[VtMapleGal]

I purchased them through the local feed store, and told the feed store of my problem. The hatchery wouldnt stand behind them they said, but they would credit me for the price of them, which i thought was nice of them. It wasnt thier fault. The problem is that i had already raised them for months before we could tell who was males and females. Where do people get thier chicks from on here? Does anyone order from the hatchery direct?