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Barnyard Buddies:  chickens  |
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chickensforme
True Blue Farmgirl
90 Posts
Anne
Coopersburg
Pa
USA
90 Posts |
 Posted - Nov 17 2013 : 12:47:54 PM
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Hello,everyone!!
I have been waiting for a few years to get some chickens and raise them.
I do read a lot about them, but still have a few questions. First, I have a lot of hawks around my house, so I will keep them in a coop right next to my house under my deck, now they say the chickens need to forage around the yard for bugs and things, I will have them in a coop with a pretty big wire enclosure but is not a tractor type. So they will be in the some grazing area all the time, now I know they will strip that grass in no time. I did see several pictures of the chickens with hay on the ground of the wire enclosure. It that the reason why?
And is it ok to have different breeds together? I want to get 6 egg layers of different breeds all of them were labeled docile.
Thanks, I cannot wait to start this project in the spring.
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batznthebelfry
True Blue Farmgirl
1257 Posts
Michele
Athol
Ma
USA
1257 Posts |
Posted - Nov 17 2013 : 1:11:50 PM
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Ok dear hen the chickens can be in a enclosed run & do not have to be free ranged in the yard. if that area has grass & dirt they will be quite happy to scratch in it & yes they will dig up & eat all the grass & weeds but don't worry about that as any bugs/worms that are in the ground they will find.
When its muddy or snowing some people (like me) put down straw or hay so they don't get all muddy & wet plus it helps encourage them to go out side when its nasty....otherwise they tend to stay in the coop on nasty days...which is ok but they do enjoy the fresh air even on nasty days...also the straw & hay in the run encourages new bugs to show up...kinda like when you put newspaper on the ground & the worms show up.
All my chickens are different breeds & mixed breeds & they get along just fine.....I have a old cochin hen who has decided she is head queen but never hurts the others but does tend to lord over them...lol
Have fun & can't wait to hear all about your new kids...Michele'
Chickens RULE!
hen #2622
www.theoldbatzfarm.blogspot.com/ |
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Simply Satisfied
True Blue Farmgirl
427 Posts
Emily
Montana
USA
427 Posts |
Posted - Nov 18 2013 : 05:29:25 AM
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Our chickens need to survive foxes, raccoons, and hawks. They are penned in an enclosure that has an area of grass and a roof. They also have another area that isn't roofed. We only let them out there on warm days and when we are home which discourages the foxes and raccoons anyway. We also dug trenches a few inches wide and probably six inches deep to put the chicken wire walls in then filled the trench with concrete. This seems to make our foxes give up before they tunnel under. Good luck getting your chickens they are so great.
Emily
Farmgirl # 3591 |
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chickensforme
True Blue Farmgirl
90 Posts
Anne
Coopersburg
Pa
USA
90 Posts |
Posted - Nov 22 2013 : 2:47:19 PM
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| That you ladies for the information. I cannot wait for spring. |
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my4hens
Farmgirl at Heart
8 Posts
vicky
Florence
MT
USA
8 Posts |
Posted - Nov 22 2013 : 5:08:34 PM
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| I keep my 4 hens in a fenced area when I am gone. They have the run of the yard and garden when I am home. Mixing breeds is fine. Just make sure they are hardy for the kind of winters you have. I have a buff orpington, barred plymoth rock and lace Wyandotte. My buff is a sweetie and she is boss. |
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Madinet85
True Blue Farmgirl
94 Posts
Elizabeth
Indiana
USA
94 Posts |
Posted - Dec 18 2013 : 09:42:13 AM
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We have our chickens in a permanent enclosure. We converted an old corn crib to be their coop. So they have a nice big coop, plus an area outside with a roof, and an area more in the open. Everything is surrounded by tall chicken wire fence. I made the area a lot bigger than what is recommended for the size of flock I have. We have two dogs, plus coyotes and foxes run wild by our house, so I don't feel comfortable letting them roam the yard unattended. Sometimes if I'm going to be outside the whole time to watch them, I'll let them into the yard for a little change of scenery.
Farmgirl Sister #4915 |
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levisgrammy
True Blue Farmgirl
9325 Posts
Denise
Beavercreek
Ohio
USA
9325 Posts |
Posted - Dec 19 2013 : 07:12:58 AM
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Our hens are in a fenced area with a top to it as we have to watch for hawks, raccoon, and recently weasel.
We have to shut them in at night even though we have the enclosure, because of the weasel. They can get into even the smallest spaces. We just recently lost one of our girls. She was dead in the coop and her neck was a mess so the only thing I know of to kill them and leave them that way is a weasel. I want to put additional wiring around the bottom of the enclosure and bend it so it will cover the ground where something might be able to dig under and into the fencing. We made the new coop this past Summer. We still need to put insulation in as we seem to be getting quite a cold winter this year. We usually never have snow before January here but this year we've had it 3 times already.
Denise
Farmgirl Sister #43
"Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path."
Psalm 119:105
http://www.ladybugsandlilacs.blogspot.com/
http://www.torisgram.etsy.com |
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Barnyard Buddies: chickens |
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chickens
