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Post by gardendmpls on Jan 31, 2022 18:39:23 GMT -5
the cute little sparrows that fly in to feast on your chicken feed. My chicken run is screened in all around, including on top. No sparrows or other birds can get in. We don't leave any seed or feeders near the coop, so wild birds don't hang out there. Even if Avian flu may not easily spread to humans, it can be deadly to domestic birds. Wild waterbirds may have it without symptoms and upon migrating, spread it to other wild birds and from there to domestic flocks. I wouldn't want to lose any of my hens to disease and try to maintain some level of biosecurity.
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Post by raphanus on Feb 5, 2022 11:18:28 GMT -5
I got six chickens around October of last year from a friend’s organic farm, they were all about a year old, a couple were almost two years old. My friend said they were laying, but he had about 60 so he didn’t know exactly which birds were laying how many eggs, he didn’t have boxes or a coop, just let them roam. I built a really nice wooden barn style coop with eight nesting boxes and it’s connected to a screened in 10x10x6 run area with grapes under oak trees. I was getting 1-2 eggs per day until around Thanksgiving, we think an owl got it through some loose wire where the wire connects to the wooden roof, the owl beheaded two of the chickens. Haven’t gotten a single egg since that happened and it’s been over two months now. The chickens get really nice organic soy free food and lots of garden scraps. When will they start laying again?
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Post by breezygardener on Feb 5, 2022 13:31:09 GMT -5
Chickens don't normally lay well, or at all, during the winter months. Think about it - how many birds normally lay eggs during the winter? None. So chickens who lay at least a few eggs during the winter are superstars - lol!
Your egg production should increase as Spring approaches, but also do keep in mind that depending on the breed(s) of your chickens, production will decrease as the chickens age. This never bothered me at all since my chickens were more of pets for me, with their eggs being more of a bonus, but some folks take a different view. Chickens can actually live to ripe old ages (I had two that lived to be 12), but are usually culled by commercial producers at no later than two, which is very sad.
I have no idea how you feel about your birds, but hope you don't get rid of them because they're not producing enough for you. They're actually very fun & amusing birds to keep.
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Post by gardendmpls on Feb 5, 2022 23:12:07 GMT -5
Chickens need around 14 hours of light to a day to start laying. Since the days started lengthening I was only getting two or three eggs a day. The last few days its been up to seven (my flock has about 37 hens). I expect to get fewer eggs this year as 14 of the hens are over 3 years old and another 13 are 3.
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Post by raphanus on Feb 6, 2022 8:32:08 GMT -5
gardendmpls, wow, you can have chickens in NYC?! That’s so surprising and cool. I’m in a rural locality and we’re not even allowed to have chickens lol because our mayor wants us to become a progressive big city. Are there certain breeds that can lay with less daylight hours? Like in tropical countries and Hawaii where it’s pretty much just twelve hours of daylight every day of the year, they still lay ? I bought chickens from a neighbor when I lived in WA even in the winter, maybe he had lights or something in the coop. I live in a warm area and I think most people here get at least some eggs even in the winter which is why I assumed the lack of laying was from the owl trauma. breezygardener, I definitely need egg production, I’m trying to be self sufficient in terms of food and because I have to have a small flock due to having to hide them since they aren’t legal, I will probably eventually have to rehome ones that completely stop laying, give them to other friends who have large farms. I don’t think I could hide more than 8 or so. I’d love to have dozens for steady fertilizer production, but I only have an 8x6 coop with a 10x10 run area. By the way, how do y’all compost your chicken manure so it’s safe to use on all crops including salad greens? I haven’t started trying to use it in my veggies gardens yet, I’ve just dumped the raw manure at the base of some fruit trees so far.
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Post by breezygardener on Feb 6, 2022 13:12:00 GMT -5
Ugh. I don't envy you your plans to "hide" your chickens. Unfortunately that most likely will backfire on you quickly. Even though they don't "crow", even hens make noise, & unless ALL of your neighbors are fine with you keeping birds, it only takes one bad apple to end up with you not only having to immediately rehome all your chickens, but also possibly having to pay hefty fines.
While all chickens egg-laying is dependent on daylight hours, there are certain breeds that are better at laying year-round than others. If you do some research, those traits should be mentioned under breed characteristics. If you just want the eggs for yourself, keep in mind that during the laying seasons, good birds can produce an egg a day or every other day, which can mount up quickly. Be prepared for that.
As far as the chicken manure, you definitely need to completely compost it before using it on your garden plants. It's not only a very "hot" manure when fresh (that will burn roots/kill plants), but can also spread pathogens. In your situation you're going to have to be extra careful with the composting to be sure it doesn't produce any odors that will attract vermin or be obnoxious to your neighbors.
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Post by ecsoehng on Feb 7, 2022 12:58:02 GMT -5
At my old house, I had illegal chickens for several years. The neighbors were fine with it and knew it was part of me dealing with grief. I made sure to be zoned agricultural at this house. So it just depends.
The chickens are all on lockdown anyway right now because of a fox. So they can stay that way for a while. Generally they free range a couple of acres. But I usually lock them up in spring so they don't get the new plants. They can be a pain going over fences and the like. Unfortunately, the geese can not be locked up except at night, they need to graze in the day.
My one remaining silkie hen lays regardless of the season. Even though she is elderly. I just lost a 9-year-old hen to old age. Other than that, first-year birds generally lay through the winter.
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Post by breezygardener on Feb 7, 2022 14:25:46 GMT -5
The neighbors were fine with it But you see, that is KEY. Many, many years ago when I was a sprout back in NY, I so wanted chickens, but we weren't zoned for them back then. So what I did was send a letter with stamped self-addressed return envelopes, to all of our immediate neighbors describing my plan in full & asking them to yay or nay. I told them to please not identify themselves, as I didn't want this to cause bad feelings. They all responded with "yays", which of course I loved, & they also of course all benefited from all the eggs I gifted them with.
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Post by gardendmpls on Feb 8, 2022 9:50:50 GMT -5
In NYC you can keep hens, but not roosters-$1000 fine for that. Most chicken operations use artificial lights, but I would rather give my hens a break in the winter. That may be why they lay a year or two longer than usual. As the days get longer, the production increases. Had no eggs for a few days on either side of the shortest day of the year. Now am up to around 4-6 a day.
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Post by gardendmpls on Feb 8, 2022 9:59:46 GMT -5
how do y’all compost your chicken manure so it’s safe to use on all crops In the spring I clean out the coop where it has been composting in place over the winter. I pull back the hay mulch on the beds and spread out buckets of dry, soil like sweepings an inch thick, then recover with the mulch. By planting time it is fine. Also dig out their pen and put that on the general compost pile to use as needed.
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Post by centralilrookie on Mar 7, 2022 20:58:19 GMT -5
A little bit of spring type weather and the girls have kicked up their egg production. Now getting 4 to 6 eggs a day. Good job ladies……
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Post by centralilrookie on Mar 11, 2022 7:47:37 GMT -5
Mr. Rooster must not be to impressed with the 5” of snow that fell over night as he is crowing from inside the chicken coop! 😂
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Post by gardendmpls on Mar 11, 2022 8:08:34 GMT -5
They don't like to walk on snow. If you sprinkle a little straw or some woodchips on top, they will venture out.
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Post by Mumsey on Mar 12, 2022 5:59:33 GMT -5
Another bird flu case in Iowa, makes 3 now. This time it's in an egg laying flock of 919,000.
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Post by centralilrookie on Mar 12, 2022 11:49:05 GMT -5
The girls out did themselves yesterday, 7 eggs from 8 hens. For now they are the winners as there’ll be no chicken dinners!
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