If I could summarize the problems discussed by the article they are:
-not realizing animals=work
-not realizing it gets cold in Minnesota
Broomstick, I think you’re safe.
Broomstick, I thought the article was worth reading in that the Chicken Rescue operation took in 6 chickens in 2001, and fielded 500 requests in 2012. Chickens produced eggs for 4-5 years, but can live for 10 to 12 years. It does mention health risks, but doesn’t go into detail.
HelloAgain, Thank you for reminding me that I should summarize the article and not just provide a link.
http://tv.naturalnews.com/v.asp?v=EADC17C55558EC771C29B1DCA1C1EC92
Now this link is just humor.
This thread reminded me of a story I posted a few days ago.
I second the poster who said you have to compost chicken manure for a long time, and mixing it with other compost, before putting it on a garden. It’s too powerful to be put on “straight”, although if a chicken runs around and poops in it, that amount would be OK.
Thank you very much for the heads up regarding that sort of thing, anyone contemplating acquiring an animal needs to be aware of potential downsides.
That is why we’re researching the idea at present, BEFORE we jump in. Both my family and his are responsible owners, keeping pets for life, not abandoning animals, etc. While I’d consider butchering the layers for stew after about 5 years he thought about it and concluded that no, he’d become too attached to them after caring for them for that long. Best to figure that out now, right? He’s an animal lover to the extent of trying to relocate pest animals like a raccoon living in an attic rather than simply killing it, but he is also on board with appropriate and humane euthanasia when there’s nothing else to be done.
I suppose rescue services could be a source of birds to start with, but it would have to be a bird examined and healthy, and it would have to be from someone OK with the bird being a layer. I agree with the people in the article that constant egg-laying takes a toll on a bird, but it’s possible to give the birds a break in winter if you don’t keep the artificial lights going 14 hours a day. That is under the owner’s control to at least some extent.
Broomstick, Should you decide to proceed, I’m guessing you’ll want to maximize your results by ordering new baby chicks from your nearest farm supplier, rather than a rescue operation. (Maximum cuteness and egg producing ability)
And I might add, though it probably mentions it in something online - they will need grit and calcium - grit for digestion and calcium for the eggshells.
If you are going to keep them caged - someone above mentioned a cage with a mesh bottom to collect the crap, they will need a source of grit for digestion. As with humans, they need a source of calcium for their offspring [eggs] just like we need it for healthy sprogs - humans will pull calcium out of their bones to put it in the fetus - hence the old wives tale of losing a tooth per child you bear.
We free range our birds, but save the eggshells and toss them out into the coop for the hens to pick at. They do make commercial calcium supplimentation, I seem to remember it is ground up clamshells and bone meal. You can also buy grit. They make cute little feeders for chicks that can be repurposed for grit and calcium, or you can make your own - just google chicken feeders for all sorts of ideas.
Chickens* can *live 12 years, but that’s really quite unusual. They’re 3-5 years is much more typical. And I wouldn’t get rescue chickens if your goal is eggs, after about 2 years egg laying drops off. They’ll still lay, but much less efficiently.
If you don’t want to do the actual killing and eating, there are people who will take them off your hands. An old layer can be tough, but has very nice flavor IME.
We used to get battery farm chickens for free - ones the farmers were going to cull … twisted beakers, double yolkers, bumpy egg shells and the like. Oh they were a sorry looking lot. Funnily enough it’s not the smell of chicken shit that makes me want to chunder, but the mash!
One thing I’ve heard many times is that if you use a lamp, make sure the bulb is Teflon-free. A Teflon-containing bulb gives off fumes that will kill the birds.
I used to have chickens when I lived more rurally. They’re fun to have around.
Part of the entertainment value of chickens is how enthusiastically they attack their favorite foods. They love corn cobs – peck them totally to the “bone”. I once discovered that their feed had gotten wet and was totally infested with earwigs. Felt horrible about being a bad chicken farmer as I dumped it out onto the ground. Stopped feeling horrible as the hens rushed over and gobbled down the earwigs as fast as they could.
Quieter and less hassle, sure, but certainly not cheaper, and probably not cleaner, either.
And Lord knows what kind of conditions the hens laying the store eggs are subjected to. I think it was Pollard’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma, or another similar book, which explained that in a more natural state hens eat not only grains but bugs, and their eggs are more nutritious.
Most of the eggs bought in stores are from “factory farms.”
Costs money to have those Chinese assembling all those eggs.
I don’t know if you’re describing the tricks or the chickens as stupid, but they are eminently trainable! I think your kids are a bit little yet, but show them the video! I don’t know of any animal training books written specifically for kids, but Karen Pryor’s books are fairly accessible.
If I had chickens… man, I’d train the SHIT out of them!
For that trick they come pretrained…
Was riffling through old threads and came across this one, thought I’d update it because, what the hell, why not?
The landlord did not get chickens after all.
However, one of my co-workers does have chickens. Rhode Island Reds, in fact. Earlier in the year I was trading my excess garden produce (very little this year, I’m sad to say, although as usual the chard went nuts) and a few rides to work in exchange for eggs. Mmmmmm… FRESH eggs!
Have noticed that the shells seem more fragile than commercially bought eggs - wonder if the commercial varieties have been bred for thicker shells?
Anyhow, they’re yummy. If she keeps the chickens I’ll probably be trading more vegetables for eggs next spring-summer-fall.
A friend of mine has chickens. Last year they contracted some type of disease, and he had to buy some (rather expensive) medicine for them. And then he couldn’t eat any eggs for something like two months. It bummed him out so much that he was thinking of getting rid of the chickens.
I sometimes buy eggs from a neighbor who has backyard chickens - I’ve noticed the opposite: the shells seem harder. I guess that can depend on a lot of factors, such as breed of hen, diet, etc. I wonder if they are not getting enough calcium?
Anyway my family had chickens (mainly for eggs, but the older layers were killed for meat) for years, and for a few years as an adult my then-SO and I had a free-range flock. I recall giving them a feed supplement that was basically crushed seashells.
I have the room for a chicken coop now and it’s legal - but the cost of keeping them safe, happy and secure, not to mention warm during the winter, would make it really inefficient.
Shells are probably a function of calcium in their diet. If they only eat commercial feed they probably get enough calcium. Our chickens have replaced the composter and garbage disposal. They will eat just about anything (including your garden). However, eggs require calcium. I buy ground oyster shells and toss it in most days.