10 Things To Know BEFORE You Buy Backyard Chickens | Poultry Care For Beginners | Homesteading Tips

Comments · 1.1K

• OA

  @OakAbode · 4 years ago · pinned

  Part 2 is up! Thanks for all your great ideas! -- 10 MORE Things To Know About Backyard Chickens: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcNCKKQJ3a4">https://youtu.be/XcNCKKQJ3a4</a>

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• SA

  @sapper72783 · 4 years ago

  Here in New York 6 chickens is the minimum so naturally I have 30.

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• GR

  @GrumpyGamer28 · 4 years ago

  Can confirm: Chickens are guard dogs. <br>When I had a small flock of hens (RI Reds), they were mischievous little devils that would peck/nip at everyone except me. Anyone else in the yard was fair game for them to torment. <br>So much so, that when a small black bear wandered into the yard while I was tending the garden, the hens put themselves between me and the bear (before I&apos;d noticed the bear). When I got up, the chickens charged at the bear, pecking at its head and flapping wings in its face. I didn&apos;t know bears could run that fast, but that thing tore out of the yard into the woods quicker than I could have made it to the house!🐔🐔🐔🐔🐔🐔vs 🐻= 🤣🤣🤣

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• TH

  @ThatGuyChris11 · 4 years ago

  3 tips I&apos;d like to add here that I wish I knew at the beginning:<br>- To deal with fluctuations in egg production due to season, age etc, learn to store eggs thru &quot;water glassing&quot;. Youtube has a few good videos on this easy method.<br>- Reduce your egg cost to under 50 cents per dozen by trying to incorporate natural feed anytime possible. When you weed your garden, toss the weeds into the pen. Start a worm bin that produces black gold for the garden but also tons of worms as feed. Chicken tractors are awesome in getting free food too. Even a bug zapper can produce a bit of food overnight. Get creative, just avoid citrus and onions (sour crop issues)<br>- The best breed for your climate and temperatures is one with the correct size comb. A large comb is best in hot climates. The blood flow thru there cools the chicken off. Very small combs, like in this video, are best suited for very cold climates where the summer is short. If you switch that around the small comb ones may die of heat in Florida and large comb ones may get frostbite in Wisconsin.<br><br>Hope this helps. I agree with not letting analysis paralysis get you. Good luck!

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• DA

  @davemccage7918 · 4 years ago

  I wouldn’t call it a myth per say, but in my experience, you can keep a happy solo chicken! Our leghorn we rescued from a meth addicted neighbor has never met another chicken in her life and was raised with a German Shepherd and Pitbull. It’s truly amazing how “dog like” her behavior is now. She comes when called, scratch/pecks at the door when she wants to come inside and even takes naps on the dog bed on top of the shepherd. Admittedly the chook doesn’t like to be in the yard by herself, but when the dogs accompany, she’s very content to scratch for insects. I have in fact observed the dogs digging a small ditch for the explicit propose of letting the cukuroo have <br> a dust bath in it!<br><br>Solo chickens just need surrogate family to live happy healthy lives!

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• RE

  @rebelyell2741 · 4 years ago (edited)

  When it comes to protection from predators. I use the standard military blue print for my chickens<br>Land mines, claymores, razor wire, motion activated turrets, boiling tar(and feathers), assault squirrel catapults, trenches,a moat that has sharks with lasers mounted to their heads.<br>They’ve been trained to use a switchboard for the claymores, resenting and firing catapults,and in trench warfare.<br>But there’s a young upstart in the flock.<br>He wants to take over the homestead for himself. And Rule with an iron hand. Trained in guerrilla tactics, wanted for trafficking narcoberries, chicken trafficking, henitution, illegal fights,he ambushes his unsuspecting master. Always planning, and every night he tries to take over. <br>His name:<br>El Polio Loco.

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• TH

  @thesamuelrios2181 · 3 years ago

  I started with 4 chickens then I thought they were really cute so I got two more. Then about 7-8 months later I started working at tractor supply during baby chick season. Needless to say I now have 11 chickens and love it

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• GR

  @grandma6552 · 4 years ago (edited)

  I agree with everything you say execept the &quot;They are so easy&quot; part. &nbsp;As a person who had indoor/outdoor cats all my long life, I can tell you one thing, even with a fantastic auto door to handle that part of the job, taking care of chickens takes a lot of work but, more importantly, you now have a daily - or twice daily - chore that YOU CANNOT forego ANY DAY FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. &nbsp;Thinking of going for a couple of weeks to see that newborn grandchild? &nbsp; Not so fast buster! Feeling so sick you need to stay in bed for a day or two? Too bad. You&apos;ve got chores. Broke your ankle? AWWWW. Guess you&apos;re going to learn how to dance with crutches on.

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• TH

  @thejuanderful · 3 years ago

  For winter we would use subpar potatoes. Every morning we would cook up a pot of potatoes and when it cooled enough to touch we&apos;d feed them the warm potatoes. It&apos;s anecdotal but it seemed to improve our winter yields and the chickens loved it! Also it saved the potatoes from the compost heap.<br><br>If you want to compare quality look at the yolk colour. A rich deep yellow, orange or reddish yolk is a healthy egg. (Feeding chickens red peppers produces reddish yolks). Most commercial egg yolks tend to be pale yellow.

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• AN

  @anyascelticcreations · 4 years ago

  This is the second one of these &quot;know before you get chickens&quot; videos that I&apos;ve watched. And I have to say, thank you. What I&apos;m learning is that raising chickens is not for me. Maybe when I was younger it would have been. But I&apos;m not physically able to do the work needed anymore. And I don&apos;t have the money to put into it. I&apos;m good with my cats and my dog. And I&apos;m better off buying eggs from someone else who is able to raise them. I&apos;m glad to know that now.

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• BR

  @brokenglassshimmerlikestar3407 · 4 years ago

  When I was younger I&apos;d ask my aunt why we didn&apos;t put new hens with the old flock. She told me that the old flock would relentlessly bully new hens! It was a surprise to me how hens are like highschool girls, gosh

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• NA

  @nataliemaupin3160 · 4 years ago

  I would add, people should begin researching chicken illnesses and wounds beforehand! That way you have an idea of what to look for so you can catch problems quick. Also, BIOSECURITY! Very, very important. learn it, plan for it, implement it. It will keep you from potentially losing your whole flock.

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