My wife asked to get baby chicks about 2 months ago. I said, "No." Well, they're almost adults now & I bought a chicken coop today....we'll have enough room for them to free range.. This video is very helpful now that I've taken over every aspect of this project that I emphatically opposed. Thanks!
Congratulations !! I love chickens & I can't wait to get more when I get home to FL. Don't make the mistake of getting a duck or two unless the ducks are guaranteed to be girls!! I love ducks too & got a baby duck with my buddies. WIPS grew up to be a gorgeous drake. He thought the ladies were his own harem!! Not good & I had to find him a new home. It will be such fun when you collect your first eggs!! Crickets are a treat for them!!
This might sound crazy, but I wish I had grown up on a farm. When we buy our first home, I am going to have chickens and a garden! Going to binge your videos today! Honey, get the popcorn! 🥳
I just got my first chickens at age 74. I keep moving so don't have some of the physical problems others in their 70s have. I have 4 chicks and am loving every minute of raising them. It's pretty warm here already but no smell. I'm afraid to let them free range but did add a larger penned space under the trees where their coop is. After watching this I may start letting them out. Follow your dreams no matter how long it takes!!
I always wanted to live on a farm too! I have had a garden for several years, but this year I got 7 chickens! My husband built me a beautiful enclosure and I have never been happier! Lol! My 4 grown children are all thrilled for me..living the dream!
I love that you make compost in the coop using the deep litter method. Not only does the good bacteria keep smells in check the composting also adds a layer of insulation and heat during the winter.
@@xozeluiz6301well .... i have those birds that appreciate 'sleeping in'. They are also accustomed to late nites - when i finally have the time to clean, etc. It's been their ability to adjust and adapt. They're quite accommodating!
I’ve wanted to raise chickens since I was raising kids in the early 1990s, but I was too chicken to try😂! Then I found out a million friends were all keeping chickens and decided it’s time. I pick up my three little chicks tomorrow. I’ve watched and rewatched your videos and am so grateful for the information. Thank you!
Something I learned in doing hydroponics is to remove light source from the water container and then algae can’t grow. I used foil tape (hvac) to wrap my containers. Hope that helps!
me too and i love them becazz they r very cute attractive funny and useful mostly for eggs in a nonharming way i love these cuties the only problem i have with mine is poop trouble
My dad and I just convinced my mom to let us get chickens. We have quite a few acres of land and I’m so excited to get some 🐓🐓 back there! I can’t wait to use their poop as fertilizer for my garden!!
Agree, another tip is to hang the drinker enough for them to reach up to thier neck. A sturdy little pole with 2 post in both sides to hang the drinker , it wont get dirty easily.
Love your hands off approach Seem whenever we interfere with “natures way” (complicating things) we introduce more problems. Now I’ll surely get chickens !!
I’ve wanted to get a small flock going for a while, and am about to adopt a flock from someone who definitely fell into the “overcomplicated care routine” and just burned out. Love that this was broken down thoroughly but efficiently for newbies! I feel WAY more confident in what we’re jumping into.
I am a photographer and I traded a lens for 10 chickens and a pen. I am so excited and this made me even more excited! Thank you for all your helpful info! I do live in the middle of the country on 8 acres with no trees except for ones we planted ...we live in a hay field, and literally saw a hock this morning catch a mouse or rabbit. So I am worrying about letting them out free. I will have to figure all that out as I go.
We have hawk issues also. (And coyotes, wolves, a mountain cat, and owls) We are making a big run for them to free range in. (Well as free range as we can get). We have 160 acres but so many predators that we have to be able to protect them.
For the daily pen . You can consider making a "flight pen " . One tall enough sides for you to walk in when you can't supervise.free range Hardware cloth 4feet above ground minimum bury minimum 1ft below ground. chicken wire on top.mayve some shade cloth in summer
Until you get some trees and bushes going, to hide in, you could put some home made places for them to hide in. Old dog crate, or half of a really big crate , card table or old trampoline. Gives shade and safe places to hide.
Great info! I was especially interested in the deep litter method. I have been cleaning out our coop once a month. I am going to try this out and see how it works for us. I love our 7 chickens. Two of them have started to lay and we get so excited to find them in the nesting box.
hey just a tip from a veteran chicken lover, I put a piece of wood or flat cinderblock the waterer. It keeps all the gross stuff out of the waterer and if its big enough they shouldn’t be able to knock it over! Love your videos! 🤍🤍
Listening to your advices and I feel like I’m an expert in raising chickens already without even having one. I love your style as you’re a natural teacher. Great job!!
I am in love with your backyard homestead! I am getting my first ever pair of laying Hens tomorrow for our backyard!This was amazing, definitely keep it up girlfriend! Sending good vibes and blessings your way 🙏
It's nice that you get free wood shavings - I use a deep litter method as well, but sort of different than yours. I use some wood chips too. But I will sometimes dump my lawn mower bag on some concrete and spread it out some to dry, then I'll store a few buckets of dried grass in the shop. I have several pines, I'll rake up a few buckets of dry pine needles from time to time. I use store bought wood chips too, and some saw dust collects under my table saw and chop saw. I also keep a few trash bags of dried tree leaves in the garage. I don't know which is best, I just try to use something different than I did the last time. It's all free to me except for the store bought wood chips. I have also used hay and straw, but don't anymore unless it's been ground - the unground hay and straw was great in the chicken coop, the only problem that I had with it is that I use a rototiller in the garden each Spring (usually right after I clean the henhouse) and long straw and hay likes to ball up in the rototiller. If you're not going to be using a rototiller though, there is nothing wrong with hay or straw. There is a straw that is sold for pet care that is cut up to about 4" lengths - that works for me, but is not free either. Also if you use dry grass clippings, use your own, or at least, use some that you know hasn't had insecticide, herbicide, or chemical fertilizers applied. I'll usually scatter a handful of Sweet Stall and/or a cup or two of DE when I add litter also. I see absolutely nothing wrong with what you are doing, I just have a larger coop, and don't get free wood chips. It would take me a pallet or more of bags of wood chips to get through a year. The last I knew they were around $15 per bag, or more than feed. I've just figured a way to stretch them out and use about a 1/4 as many. I still use them though just more so in the Winter when snow is on the ground and my free stuff is getting low.
This is so helpful! This is exactly what I was looking for. A lot of people over complicate everything and it seems like it was something that could be done so simply and organically and this is what you showed me today, so thank you so much!
We feed our broilers hard boiled eggs. They go nuts over the yolk. In the near future we're planning on starting some egg layers. Need a quiet breed that tolerates the Texas sun. Lived this. Thx!
Cannot thank you enough for your videos - they have been a staple in caring for my new backyard chickens. Thank you SO much for your tips and transparency with what works and what doesn't in your experience!
Yes same here. We are in the process of building a chook run and setting it up, we will be picking up a chicken coop and 4 chickens in approx a weeks time. Have been watching heaps of videos on owning chickens and almost changed my mind. This video has definitely put my mind at ease. Looking forward to getting the girls. New subscriber here, I have lots to learn!
Awesome! I had chickens as a child and now at almost 50 I'm wanting some and trying to refresh my memory. Found this video and some of it reminded me of things I had forgotten, some of it I knew and some of it told me things I didn't know. Awesome video! Thank you!
Going to try the deep litter method based on your video. So nice to see what it actually looks like without lots of video prepping. Thanks for the final vote is confidence for doing it!
As a new backyard chicken owner, this video was so refreshing to watch! A lot of people can make chicken keeping seem complicated but this was quite the the opposite. Subscribed! 💛
Thank you so much for posting this video. My family is starting our very first flock. While we have had horses and other livestock before, chickens are very new to us. You answered a ton of questions for me. I was especially glad to hear that we can still go on short camping trips and they will be able to sustain while we are gone. Also thrilled to hear that my overzealous pups can learn to accept the feathered friends as family. Thank you, thank you!
So I happened to have 6 birds show up in my backyard today. We had a wildfire recently, so we think they might be refugees. We plan on taking care of them until someone claims them, but it gives us a great start on getting our yard set up for the birds we were thinking of getting. They took shelter under our porch, and enjoy digging around where the previous owners had their coop. We're working with a local farmer who will provide us feed until we can afford some ourselves and help locate the owner. They are sweet birds. I'm glad for the tips! Our little visitors are thankful, too, I'm sure!
Hi. We have 3 dogs; 95# pitbull, golden doodle, and a pug. They are all trained to be nice to the chickens. When the chicks were small we would expose the dogs to the chicks in a controlled setting; they could see the chicks in their cage, for example. We continued this day after day......now they are very calm around the chicks now.
Thank You for your excellent, informative presentation. You are a very personable and charismatic source of real world, practical info that will help me move forward with my 1st backyard chicken/egg project. Bravo !
I just bought my first house that came with a chicken coop. I have always wanted my own chickens but I’ve been a little overwhelmed at the thought of keeping our two labs in the same area as them. You’re video was so informative of what to actually expect and I feel a lot better now about diving into this new adventure, thank you.
Been raising chickens in a few locations over the years and your attitude with raising them is spot on. Right now I have 3 on a .17 acre back yard away from the house in a corner. I started with a 10X13 metal framed wire covered 1/2 dome I got from ebay for $180. Added a 14X13 covered area to it. Nesting box from a big wooden box that held aluminium rolls on craigslist.. Just recently built a 4X4 elevated roosting area inside the dome with a heat lamp from scrap 1X6 wood. It took awhile to get them to not roost on the ground any longer. For almost a year they roosted on the ground without any problems. I added wood chips every few days to keep them dry and build up the area off the ground for the deep composting method you use. Only recently let them out into the BY daily. Only have a waist high chain link fence. As you know they like high places and find them everywhere but no issues flying out of the yard, YET! They find areas to dig in and dust themselves. They are fun and funny. Just the like the movie Chicken Run.. ONE DRAWBACK IS THE DROPPINGS ON THE BACK CEMENT PATIO. It ends up in the garden. KEEP THE VIDEOS COMING.
I love how you don’t complicate the process. I have done so much research I totally confused myself. Finally I just built a me a coop with a run and became a new chicken mamma. I have 6 lovely ladies about 3 months old. I live in a duplex with a very tiny yard. My question is if I let the girls out to free range how do they know to comeback? Also my neighbor has cats that are outside?
Thanks so much for this! We got baby chicks back in April 2020, and it’s been such a joy to watch them grow! And you are right, not near as much work and smell as people say! Very impressed with your dogs around the chickens! Still working on mine, need to spend more time training her I guess! 😊
We're adopting my friend's flock tomorrow! I just got back inside from putting aviary netting over the run as we live in a weird area of country surrounded by city. Thanks for the encouragement!
Thank you for the wonderful videos. I am learning so much from you. I just took over the care of 44 animals, 17 of whom are chickens. I know dogs and horses but totally new to chicken care. I'm trying to binge-learn and manage everything accordingly. You channel gave me that boost I needed for confidence about them. Thank you so much. Wishing a great day. Off to my chicks now :)))
From personal experience… Egg shells that have been washed, dried, and quickly run through a coffee grinder works extremely well if your flock requires more calcium.
You explain everything perfectly. Love your videos. New to this I have 16 chicks. 4-5 weeks. Last night put out in coop still have heat lamp. 80 degrees in coop. Out side temp 48 last night. Central NJ. They were all scattered out so guess temp is good. 3 under lamp this morning they seem happy. They cherped for hour guess was because of changed environment. Ate and drank normal amount
I had just started watching your videos and getting excited and my groomer today said one of her friends had moved and was selling 11 chickens and a huge coop. Literally the first time I mentioned it to anyone but family. I told her that I had just started learning and I was afraid I would kill them with incompetence and she has agreed to let me come over and "train" for a few weeks. Between your videos and her OJT, this might be a great fit. I have a large, fenced yard with a giant oak tree to provide some hawk cover for a couple of times a week at first until we can build a run/chicken yard. She said the chickens are 18 months old and lay enough eggs to keep her 5 person family plenty covered with egg consumption. I had a friend I got them from at church, but they were free range and a fox or coyote killed her entire flock of hens and ducks. I have a very soft-mouthed, old lab that won't even squeak a toy. My 3 year old Doberman squeaks them for her. But, she is well trained and has a back-up e-collar, so I think in time, she would be semi-trustworthy. She got used to kuttens really fast and didn't bother them once she realized "we don't bite our friends." I would not have had any confidence to even ponder it without you, so thank you! Diesel is getting high and sustainable back yard homesteading is looking really good. I never travel except in an emergency, I am a full-time caregiver for my 90 year old mom, and she's in great health.
Me and my family are building our chicken ,,house,,! I am so exited i think we will get chickens in about 2-3 months so i have enough time to do my research :3 Update: we got our chickens a week ago! They are super cute and love eating grass :3
Hello I just watched your video on chickens for beginners!!!! You are a total doll on your truly blessed, my heart and day with your truth and honesty I can’t wait to get started with my new chicken coop and chickens. God bless you keep the info coming.
I just found you a couple of weeks ago! This is a great video and is helping me stay calm about having our new baby chicks! Practical info and advice and easy to follow. Heading over to the blog now! ❤️🐣 🐓 ❤️
Great information about The Coop and the bedding I've been completely cleaning my poop for about 6 months LOL but I had noticed since I got my new Coupe and I had a lot more bedding it did it smell as bad I also have a garden and wasn't sure how to introduce the compost from the chicken coop to the Garden but it was definitely the plan. I also want to concur for anyone that might be reading my comments what you said about dogs is absolutely true I have a golden lab in a two year old Cane Corso and from the beginning I trained them both not to mess with the chickens. They both lay out in the yard where the chickens are free-ranging and actually encourage them to stay in our yard without hurting them. I look forward to seeing more videos in learning more about what's best for my chickens thank you
Great video! I just got my first egg from my Leghorn two days ago! So exciting and fun! I do the deep litter method as well in the hen house and run so it just makes everything easier. If you can, I would definitely reccomend keeping chickens!!
Love your setup and your overall approach of keeping it as close to nature as much as possible! We built a coop last year and are over wintering our hens through a pretty crazy winter! An insulated coop and small coop heater seem to be doing the trick for our Canadian climate.
Thank you! Waiting for neighbor to return to try incubating and then giving me some of her chicks. Have watched a ton of RUclips videos, took pictures of the mess in my shed I'm going to have to clean out, hopefully will start today. Last night started having misgivings about how much work it's going to be so watching your video today eliminated most of my trepidation! I do do permaculture with trees. Never heard of permacultured chickens! Love it!
This was such a great video!! Thanks for sharing! My husband and our 4 kiddos are planning to get chickens soon. In the research and plan process now! I’ve been looking for videos specifically for backyard chickens and composting and with 4 kiddos you bet I need something “hands-off” so this approach will be great to try out! Thanks again for your great video!
Homestead living on any level is fantastic! I'm loving this content! So eager to get my own situation going properly. Ty. :) please stay passionate and share
I love golden laced wyandottes, they're just so pretty. The goal for me is to get a nice place where I can have some chickens and a vegetable garden. Having a "barn cat" would be cute, but I'm a firm believer that cats should remain indoors, especially if they aren't spayed or neutered
These are great videos. Nearly forgot important stuff, leaving the farm 40 years ago. Been caring for 14 hens at " still waters" melbourne, florida. Its a lot of fun for bird lovers. Easy to see how much the young lady loves animals. We need to be connected to the natural world to be healthy, body, mind and soul. Thanks for the channel.
Very informative.. especially for someone like myself that doesnt know alot about raisin chickens... and also loves to keep it as simple as possible when it comes to anything. Thankypu!
This was entertaining, informative, and encouraging. A friend built a really nice coop and small run for me in the backyard just before Thanksgiving, and I acquired two adult rescue hens and three youngsters in December. The two older gals came pre-trained and are very docile, letting me pick them up without a fight. But the young ones are now 3-4 months old and are a handful. Any advice about how to train them would be hugely helpful! (Meanwhile, I was so relieved to learn from your video that I'm basically doing everything else right. Settling into the new routine has been a challenge, but I expect things will be much easier when it gets warmer and I can sit outside to supervise my little flock as they free range.)
Egg shells are a great source of calcium for them too, if they start feeling malnourished some chickens eat their eggs. Some people keep a goose or two to protect their chickens from hawks. Also if you have big predators, use cattle panel with your fencing.
I'd love to see more information about deep litter coop composting. I'll watch a couple more of your videos to see if you have addressed this, but if you're still doing it on your new homestead then I'd love to see a video about it. New sub as I'm beginning a homestead journey of my own and sharing it from beginning on. ❤️💛💜
This is the first video I've watched, very useful and honest, I'll be checking out the rest of the series shortly, thank you so much! Ps love your Collie, when you were having a pat he/she would look up at you with such love - so sweet!
Hi from Italy. After having seen a lot of Italian and British videos on how to raise chickens ( started this spring with some ornamental chickens) I moved on to the US ones. The basic notions and the passionate comments by hens fans are almost the same everywhere in Europe and America, but I found some new interesting suggestions in US videos. I am amazed by the wide choice of predators you have in the different States. I only have a fox cruising near my house in the Monferrato hills in northern Italy, but she really is a danger as she does surprise visits at every hour and the dog ignores her, so that my girls can free range only if I am around. They have a very large coop but nothing is good as the lawn! It is a pleasure to hear your enthusiasm, even If sometimes you really speak fast, and I am not a native speaker, but is also a good exercise in comprehension! Best wishes for the new year to you and your family and of corse your coop.
I have been living out in the country for 2 and a half years and we have and live on our own animal farm. All of our farm animals (donkey, pony, sheep, goats, pigs, chickens, & ducks) LOVE to eat the eggs! I throw a whole egg into one of the pens, and I don’t know if anyone eats the yolk, but they all love the shells. They will even fight others away from an egg shell that they had claimed. I love all of my animals and they all love me, I think because I feed and water them, but none of the chickens or ducks will let me pick them up like yours do! I’m so jealous but so happy for you that’s yours let you do that
How did you train your dog to be so calm around the chickens? I have a German Shepard and we tried to train him but he just started hating them more and even once broke into the chicken garden and bit one at the neck fortunately we got there on time and she lived but it’s hard keeping them separate.
Hey brother. The best way is to put a dog mask or bite mask on the gemanshepard . Then you walk in the coop with a leash. In 3 weeks take off mask and just correct German shepherd if it tries to play with the chickensm
With our dog we introduced her to the chickens when they were chicks. We would watch her and any time she got rough we would scold her and be firm. With larger dogs I would do what others said and get a mask to socialize.
My wife asked to get baby chicks about 2 months ago. I said, "No." Well, they're almost adults now & I bought a chicken coop today....we'll have enough room for them to free range.. This video is very helpful now that I've taken over every aspect of this project that I emphatically opposed. Thanks!
Congratulations !! I love chickens & I can't wait to get more when I get home to FL. Don't make the mistake of getting a duck or two unless the ducks are guaranteed to be girls!! I love ducks too & got a baby duck with my buddies. WIPS grew up to be a gorgeous drake. He thought the ladies were his own harem!! Not good & I had to find him a new home.
It will be such fun when you collect your first eggs!!
Crickets are a treat for them!!
😂
🤣
And that is a good husband and a happy wife. 👍
u said '' No. '' Huh . . . One does not simply say '' No '' to baby chicks. xD
This might sound crazy, but I wish I had grown up on a farm. When we buy our first home, I am going to have chickens and a garden! Going to binge your videos today! Honey, get the popcorn! 🥳
I wish I grew up on a farm too. I really want chickens, horses, cows, and more! When i’m older i’ll get a place to have all of them hopefully :)
Me too man...😪
You're not the only one! I'm 42 & moving to our first farm next week. Although we didn't grow up on a farm, at least my kids will !!!
I just got my first chickens at age 74. I keep moving so don't have some of the physical problems others in their 70s have. I have 4 chicks and am loving every minute of raising them. It's pretty warm here already but no smell. I'm afraid to let them free range but did add a larger penned space under the trees where their coop is. After watching this I may start letting them out. Follow your dreams no matter how long it takes!!
I always wanted to live on a farm too! I have had a garden for several years, but this year I got 7 chickens! My husband built me a beautiful enclosure and I have never been happier! Lol! My 4 grown children are all thrilled for me..living the dream!
I feel like not enough attention is paid to the fact that one of the chickens is named “Reptar” 🐓❤️
I take care of my chickens and they take care of me.
That’s just how it is
True dat
wonderful !
THAT'S HOW IT SHOULD BE.🇺🇲🌞✌️👍
I agree, and also when they are scratching around they can't kick stuff into the water!
You made the idea of keeping chickens so much less scary! Thank you so much xx
Never head of serial killer hens?!
I own 1 baby chick and it’s quite pleasing
I think everyone should have backyard chickens.
I love that you make compost in the coop using the deep litter method. Not only does the good bacteria keep smells in check the composting also adds a layer of insulation and heat during the winter.
I do that with horses too during winter
love your video , lm convinced but dont know if waking up early will work , need to get the breed that is a sleepy bird breed like me.
@@xozeluiz6301well .... i have those birds that appreciate 'sleeping in'. They are also accustomed to late nites - when i finally have the time to clean, etc. It's been their ability to adjust and adapt. They're quite accommodating!
I’ve wanted to raise chickens since I was raising kids in the early 1990s, but I was too chicken to try😂! Then I found out a million friends were all keeping chickens and decided it’s time. I pick up my three little chicks tomorrow. I’ve watched and rewatched your videos and am so grateful for the information. Thank you!
How are your chicks doing?
Something I learned in doing hydroponics is to remove light source from the water container and then algae can’t grow. I used foil tape (hvac) to wrap my containers. Hope that helps!
That’s a good idea. Could even just paint them black?
I put an old penny in the water. The copper is the algae deterrent.
I’m crying literal tears. Idk where this love of chickens came from but I love chickens so much 😭😭😭
i feel you, i'm in love with DUCKSS.
me too and i love them becazz they r very cute attractive funny and useful mostly for eggs in a nonharming way i love these cuties the only problem i have with mine is poop trouble
NO ME TOO I WANT TO HOMESTEAD SO BADLY
My dad and I just convinced my mom to let us get chickens. We have quite a few acres of land and I’m so excited to get some 🐓🐓 back there! I can’t wait to use their poop as fertilizer for my garden!!
i just got male chickens they are so cute!💕 do you have them now?
@@Verynerdyguitarnerd I do!! We have six. They’re fully grown now. We also got three Pekin ducks :)
Just a tip: put the water on a plastic box, so they can jump on it and drink water, this way it's not gonna be dirty so easily :)
Excellent, thank you for the Tip👍
That's what I did
Agree, another tip is to hang the drinker enough for them to reach up to thier neck. A sturdy little pole with 2 post in both sides to hang the drinker , it wont get dirty easily.
I put my water on a block up off the ground that way it keeps dirt and stuff out. Good video.
Me too! Works great!
I have it setting up on a biggg rock and it’s always worked oerfect
Me too! Makes a huge difference.
This is the most inspirational chicken video I've seen yet. So encouraging . So much information.
I give your post 2 thumbs up!!! This video is AWESOME!!!
Love your hands off approach
Seem whenever we interfere with “natures way” (complicating things) we introduce more problems.
Now I’ll surely get chickens !!
Wait, you have a chicken named Reptar??? Like, the Reptar from Rugrats? That is the best. You just made me the happiest 90’s kid ever 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Thank you, I’m about to get chickens in a few months and I am so excited!
They like meal worms, watermelon, and if a hen is broody and you don't have a rooster, get her off the eggs.
@@wither9382 they also like pellet we got pellet and mixed it up with they're normal food
Did you get them? 😀
@@wither9382 why
I’ve wanted to get a small flock going for a while, and am about to adopt a flock from someone who definitely fell into the “overcomplicated care routine” and just burned out. Love that this was broken down thoroughly but efficiently for newbies! I feel WAY more confident in what we’re jumping into.
I am a photographer and I traded a lens for 10 chickens and a pen. I am so excited and this made me even more excited! Thank you for all your helpful info! I do live in the middle of the country on 8 acres with no trees except for ones we planted ...we live in a hay field, and literally saw a hock this morning catch a mouse or rabbit. So I am worrying about letting them out free. I will have to figure all that out as I go.
We have hawk issues also. (And coyotes, wolves, a mountain cat, and owls) We are making a big run for them to free range in. (Well as free range as we can get). We have 160 acres but so many predators that we have to be able to protect them.
For the daily pen . You can consider making a "flight pen " . One tall enough sides for you to walk in when you can't supervise.free range Hardware cloth 4feet above ground minimum bury minimum 1ft below ground. chicken wire on top.mayve some shade cloth in summer
Until you get some trees and bushes going, to hide in, you could put some home made places for them to hide in. Old dog crate, or half of a really big crate , card table or old trampoline. Gives shade and safe places to hide.
Raised around 24 chickens 8 years ago, and now doing it again with 12. Oak Abode seems like a good source of information.
Great info! I was especially interested in the deep litter method. I have been cleaning out our coop once a month. I am going to try this out and see how it works for us. I love our 7 chickens. Two of them have started to lay and we get so excited to find them in the nesting box.
Did you try it? If so, how did it go?
hey just a tip from a veteran chicken lover, I put a piece of wood or flat cinderblock the waterer. It keeps all the gross stuff out of the waterer and if its big enough they shouldn’t be able to knock it over! Love your videos! 🤍🤍
Great tip!
Perfect video. No fluff, optimistic and informative. Thanks!
Listening to your advices and I feel like I’m an expert in raising chickens already without even having one. I love your style as you’re a natural teacher. Great job!!
You are a really great speaker/teacher !! Enjoyed watching and learning!!
I am in love with your backyard homestead! I am getting my first ever pair of laying Hens tomorrow for our backyard!This was amazing, definitely keep it up girlfriend! Sending good vibes and blessings your way 🙏
How has it gone? I'm getting 5 chicks tomorrow
It's nice that you get free wood shavings - I use a deep litter method as well, but sort of different than yours. I use some wood chips too. But I will sometimes dump my lawn mower bag on some concrete and spread it out some to dry, then I'll store a few buckets of dried grass in the shop. I have several pines, I'll rake up a few buckets of dry pine needles from time to time. I use store bought wood chips too, and some saw dust collects under my table saw and chop saw. I also keep a few trash bags of dried tree leaves in the garage. I don't know which is best, I just try to use something different than I did the last time. It's all free to me except for the store bought wood chips. I have also used hay and straw, but don't anymore unless it's been ground - the unground hay and straw was great in the chicken coop, the only problem that I had with it is that I use a rototiller in the garden each Spring (usually right after I clean the henhouse) and long straw and hay likes to ball up in the rototiller. If you're not going to be using a rototiller though, there is nothing wrong with hay or straw. There is a straw that is sold for pet care that is cut up to about 4" lengths - that works for me, but is not free either. Also if you use dry grass clippings, use your own, or at least, use some that you know hasn't had insecticide, herbicide, or chemical fertilizers applied. I'll usually scatter a handful of Sweet Stall and/or a cup or two of DE when I add litter also. I see absolutely nothing wrong with what you are doing, I just have a larger coop, and don't get free wood chips. It would take me a pallet or more of bags of wood chips to get through a year. The last I knew they were around $15 per bag, or more than feed. I've just figured a way to stretch them out and use about a 1/4 as many. I still use them though just more so in the Winter when snow is on the ground and my free stuff is getting low.
YES these videos are awesome - we’re about to get our first backyard chickens and your videos have been so helpful!
I totally agree with you about feeding the hens their egg shells, they love it and they never harm their eggs.
This was one of the most informative and clear videos I have watched on chicken care.
This is so helpful! This is exactly what I was looking for. A lot of people over complicate everything and it seems like it was something that could be done so simply and organically and this is what you showed me today, so thank you so much!
We feed our broilers hard boiled eggs. They go nuts over the yolk. In the near future we're planning on starting some egg layers. Need a quiet breed that tolerates the Texas sun. Lived this. Thx!
Our rhode island reds are great layers and not very noisy at all. The only time I've really heard them was when the dog came to say hi.
Cannot thank you enough for your videos - they have been a staple in caring for my new backyard chickens. Thank you SO much for your tips and transparency with what works and what doesn't in your experience!
I just love and enjoy your videos, i am so excited i'm getting my chicks tomorrow, i can't wait. Thanks again for the information.
So glad I watched this. Was starting to think chickens were more complicated than I thought because of what everyone is saying. Thank you.
Yes same here. We are in the process of building a chook run and setting it up, we will be picking up a chicken coop and 4 chickens in approx a weeks time. Have been watching heaps of videos on owning chickens and almost changed my mind. This video has definitely put my mind at ease. Looking forward to getting the girls. New subscriber here, I have lots to learn!
Awesome! I had chickens as a child and now at almost 50 I'm wanting some and trying to refresh my memory. Found this video and some of it reminded me of things I had forgotten, some of it I knew and some of it told me things I didn't know. Awesome video! Thank you!
Going to try the deep litter method based on your video. So nice to see what it actually looks like without lots of video prepping. Thanks for the final vote is confidence for doing it!
As a new backyard chicken owner, this video was so refreshing to watch! A lot of people can make chicken keeping seem complicated but this was quite the the opposite. Subscribed! 💛
This was the best video I’ve seen about raising backyard hens. (And I have watched a LOT!) Thanks!
Thank you so much for posting this video. My family is starting our very first flock. While we have had horses and other livestock before, chickens are very new to us. You answered a ton of questions for me. I was especially glad to hear that we can still go on short camping trips and they will be able to sustain while we are gone. Also thrilled to hear that my overzealous pups can learn to accept the feathered friends as family. Thank you, thank you!
My neighbor has 2 Chihuahuas that watch the chickens and a cat that thinks it's a dog and protects the chickens
So I happened to have 6 birds show up in my backyard today. We had a wildfire recently, so we think they might be refugees. We plan on taking care of them until someone claims them, but it gives us a great start on getting our yard set up for the birds we were thinking of getting.
They took shelter under our porch, and enjoy digging around where the previous owners had their coop. We're working with a local farmer who will provide us feed until we can afford some ourselves and help locate the owner. They are sweet birds.
I'm glad for the tips! Our little visitors are thankful, too, I'm sure!
Your chickens look so happy your doing a great job 👍
This video is going to help SO MANY people get started with chickens, good work!
Can you do a video on how you trained the dogs to love the chickens?? This is my biggest concern when getting chicks
Same
Yes please!!!
Hi. We have 3 dogs; 95# pitbull, golden doodle, and a pug. They are all trained to be nice to the chickens. When the chicks were small we would expose the dogs to the chicks in a controlled setting; they could see the chicks in their cage, for example. We continued this day after day......now they are very calm around the chicks now.
The same way you would introduce a new pup or baby.
Thank You for your excellent, informative presentation. You are a very personable and charismatic source of real world, practical info that will help me move forward with my 1st backyard chicken/egg project. Bravo !
I just bought my first house that came with a chicken coop. I have always wanted my own chickens but I’ve been a little overwhelmed at the thought of keeping our two labs in the same area as them. You’re video was so informative of what to actually expect and I feel a lot better now about diving into this new adventure, thank you.
Been raising chickens in a few locations over the years and your attitude with raising them is spot on. Right now I have 3 on a .17 acre back yard away from the house in a corner. I started with a 10X13 metal framed wire covered 1/2 dome I got from ebay for $180. Added a 14X13 covered area to it. Nesting box from a big wooden box that held aluminium rolls on craigslist.. Just recently built a 4X4 elevated roosting area inside the dome with a heat lamp from scrap 1X6 wood. It took awhile to get them to not roost on the ground any longer. For almost a year they roosted on the ground without any problems. I added wood chips every few days to keep them dry and build up the area off the ground for the deep composting method you use. Only recently let them out into the BY daily. Only have a waist high chain link fence. As you know they like high places and find them everywhere but no issues flying out of the yard, YET! They find areas to dig in and dust themselves. They are fun and funny. Just the like the movie Chicken Run.. ONE DRAWBACK IS THE DROPPINGS ON THE BACK CEMENT PATIO. It ends up in the garden. KEEP THE VIDEOS COMING.
I love how you don’t complicate the process. I have done so much research I totally confused myself.
Finally I just built a me a coop with a run and became a new chicken mamma. I have 6 lovely ladies about 3 months old.
I live in a duplex with a very tiny yard. My question is if I let the girls out to free range how do they know to comeback? Also my neighbor has cats that are outside?
Love your chicken set up and I don’t see them complaining..
That chicken coop was built with love 🏚🐔🥚 🥚 💕
Thanks so much for this! We got baby chicks back in April 2020, and it’s been such a joy to watch them grow! And you are right, not near as much work and smell as people say! Very impressed with your dogs around the chickens! Still working on mine, need to spend more time training her I guess! 😊
I have watched loads of videos on keeping chickens. Yours is without any doubt one of the best. Well done.
We're adopting my friend's flock tomorrow! I just got back inside from putting aviary netting over the run as we live in a weird area of country surrounded by city. Thanks for the encouragement!
You may need to get owl deterrent measures. Had owls get tangled up in netting before.
Thank you for the wonderful videos. I am learning so much from you. I just took over the care of 44 animals, 17 of whom are chickens. I know dogs and horses but totally new to chicken care. I'm trying to binge-learn and manage everything accordingly. You channel gave me that boost I needed for confidence about them. Thank you so much. Wishing a great day. Off to my chicks now :)))
From personal experience… Egg shells that have been washed, dried, and quickly run through a coffee grinder works extremely well if your flock requires more calcium.
But could that possibly spark cannibalism in the flock
Great for your garden too. I usually put a scoop into scrambled eggs as a snack for the chickens.
@@kays_nook she actually mentions in her video that she didn’t find that to be the case. I wonder what others have found?
@@kays_nook no it does not, if it's a powder they won't go after each other or eggs
@@kays_nook Chickens are cannibals anyway...I've seen it and it threw me off until I did some research.
I love you hair in this video! Such a natural working vibe. Beautiful, just beautiful.
Thanks for the videos. We only have 4 chickens and they just started laying eggs two days ago. These videos help alot thank you!
You explain everything perfectly. Love your videos. New to this I have 16 chicks. 4-5 weeks. Last night put out in coop still have heat lamp. 80 degrees in coop. Out side temp 48 last night. Central NJ. They were all scattered out so guess temp is good. 3 under lamp this morning they seem happy. They cherped for hour guess was because of changed environment. Ate and drank normal amount
Thanks , easily the
best starter video I've seen
I had just started watching your videos and getting excited and my groomer today said one of her friends had moved and was selling 11 chickens and a huge coop. Literally the first time I mentioned it to anyone but family. I told her that I had just started learning and I was afraid I would kill them with incompetence and she has agreed to let me come over and "train" for a few weeks. Between your videos and her OJT, this might be a great fit. I have a large, fenced yard with a giant oak tree to provide some hawk cover for a couple of times a week at first until we can build a run/chicken yard. She said the chickens are 18 months old and lay enough eggs to keep her 5 person family plenty covered with egg consumption. I had a friend I got them from at church, but they were free range and a fox or coyote killed her entire flock of hens and ducks. I have a very soft-mouthed, old lab that won't even squeak a toy. My 3 year old Doberman squeaks them for her. But, she is well trained and has a back-up e-collar, so I think in time, she would be semi-trustworthy. She got used to kuttens really fast and didn't bother them once she realized "we don't bite our friends." I would not have had any confidence to even ponder it without you, so thank you! Diesel is getting high and sustainable back yard homesteading is looking really good. I never travel except in an emergency, I am a full-time caregiver for my 90 year old mom, and she's in great health.
I'm moving to the country in a month and I want chickens! Thanks so much for posting these videos!
Country Girl Grit watching from Myrtle Beach S.C. I love how you are so sweet to your chickens and talk to them. :) Great videos.
Me and my family are building our chicken ,,house,,! I am so exited i think we will get chickens in about 2-3 months so i have enough time to do my research :3
Update: we got our chickens a week ago! They are super cute and love eating grass :3
Hello I just watched your video on chickens for beginners!!!! You are a total doll on your truly blessed, my heart and day with your truth and honesty I can’t wait to get started with my new chicken coop and chickens. God bless you keep the info coming.
I just found you a couple of weeks ago! This is a great video and is helping me stay calm about having our new baby chicks! Practical info and advice and easy to follow. Heading over to the blog now! ❤️🐣 🐓 ❤️
Great information about The Coop and the bedding I've been completely cleaning my poop for about 6 months LOL but I had noticed since I got my new Coupe and I had a lot more bedding it did it smell as bad I also have a garden and wasn't sure how to introduce the compost from the chicken coop to the Garden but it was definitely the plan. I also want to concur for anyone that might be reading my comments what you said about dogs is absolutely true I have a golden lab in a two year old Cane Corso and from the beginning I trained them both not to mess with the chickens. They both lay out in the yard where the chickens are free-ranging and actually encourage them to stay in our yard without hurting them. I look forward to seeing more videos in learning more about what's best for my chickens thank you
How did you train your dogs to not attack the chickens, especially if they’re small chickens? Would LOVE ❤️ to see a video on that!👍❣️
New chicken mom here n we do things almost exactly how you talked about and I have some very happy, healthy, girls 🥰
I LOVE this video!!! Totally love your idea on composting! Thank you!!!
so fun lol I just watched your video from three years ago and now I get to watch a totally updated version! exciting!
im a ding bat! it was def your vid from 3 MONTHS ago, not 3 years ago lol but still, perfect timing!
Oh this is so cool! Thank you for joining us and following along!
Great video! I just got my first egg from my Leghorn two days ago! So exciting and fun! I do the deep litter method as well in the hen house and run so it just makes everything easier. If you can, I would definitely reccomend keeping chickens!!
Great tips! This video is so helpful for backyard chicken beginners. I’m so grateful for your videos.
Love your setup and your overall approach of keeping it as close to nature as much as possible! We built a coop last year and are over wintering our hens through a pretty crazy winter! An insulated coop and small coop heater seem to be doing the trick for our Canadian climate.
I wish we could post pics in the YT feeds, I would love to see it.
So is it a heat lamp? I don't want them to freeze. My horse had a heater for defrosting her water that was great
Thank you! Waiting for neighbor to return to try incubating and then giving me some of her chicks. Have watched a ton of RUclips videos, took pictures of the mess in my shed I'm going to have to clean out, hopefully will start today. Last night started having misgivings about how much work it's going to be so watching your video today eliminated most of my trepidation! I do do permaculture with trees. Never heard of permacultured chickens! Love it!
This was such a great video!! Thanks for sharing! My husband and our 4 kiddos are planning to get chickens soon. In the research and plan process now! I’ve been looking for videos specifically for backyard chickens and composting and with 4 kiddos you bet I need something “hands-off” so this approach will be great to try out! Thanks again for your great video!
I just inherited some chickens - this was suoer helpful, thank you! So looking forward to getting to know these chickens.
Thank you so much. Im getting chickens for the first time and this was really helpful!
Homestead living on any level is fantastic! I'm loving this content! So eager to get my own situation going properly. Ty. :) please stay passionate and share
I love golden laced wyandottes, they're just so pretty. The goal for me is to get a nice place where I can have some chickens and a vegetable garden. Having a "barn cat" would be cute, but I'm a firm believer that cats should remain indoors, especially if they aren't spayed or neutered
Love the comments about the dogs I totally agree , thank you !
This video was so helpful! Thank you so much for taking your time and energy to share!!
These are great videos. Nearly forgot important stuff, leaving the farm 40 years ago.
Been caring for 14 hens at " still waters" melbourne, florida. Its a lot of fun for bird lovers. Easy to see how much the young lady loves animals. We need to be connected to the natural world to be healthy, body, mind and soul. Thanks for the channel.
You're a very personable young lady and confident in front of the camera. Maybe there's a career op there for you. Cheers.
She’s doing it now....... Lol
Very informative.. especially for someone like myself that doesnt know alot about raisin chickens... and also loves to keep it as simple as possible when it comes to anything. Thankypu!
This was entertaining, informative, and encouraging. A friend built a really nice coop and small run for me in the backyard just before Thanksgiving, and I acquired two adult rescue hens and three youngsters in December. The two older gals came pre-trained and are very docile, letting me pick them up without a fight. But the young ones are now 3-4 months old and are a handful. Any advice about how to train them would be hugely helpful!
(Meanwhile, I was so relieved to learn from your video that I'm basically doing everything else right. Settling into the new routine has been a challenge, but I expect things will be much easier when it gets warmer and I can sit outside to supervise my little flock as they free range.)
Chickens LOVE watermelon rinds too! They peck it completely clean.
This is a great video! Glad I found you! Thank you!
Thank you so much for this video! It was so helpful, and I now feel much more comfortable and excited to get me some chickens!
Egg shells are a great source of calcium for them too, if they start feeling malnourished some chickens eat their eggs.
Some people keep a goose or two to protect their chickens from hawks.
Also if you have big predators, use cattle panel with your fencing.
This is beautiful. This is the philosophy I use in my own ranch. Less is more. The Tao way. Action through inaction.
Great breakdown!! Y’all’s setup is awesome. 🙂
Wow! They LOVE the grass and other greens when free ranging! Pumpkins are my chickens favorites, well....along with watermelon.
I'd love to see more information about deep litter coop composting. I'll watch a couple more of your videos to see if you have addressed this, but if you're still doing it on your new homestead then I'd love to see a video about it. New sub as I'm beginning a homestead journey of my own and sharing it from beginning on. ❤️💛💜
Dido was looking for the video about this.
This is the first video I've watched, very useful and honest, I'll be checking out the rest of the series shortly, thank you so much! Ps love your Collie, when you were having a pat he/she would look up at you with such love - so sweet!
Great information! Thank you! I am feeling better (and less anxious) about getting a few chickens next year.
I like your way of caring for chickens. Take care.
Thank you so much, I'm about to get little chicks in a few days ❤️
Hi from Italy. After having seen a lot of Italian and British videos on how to raise chickens ( started this spring with some ornamental chickens) I moved on to the US ones. The basic notions and the passionate comments by hens fans are almost the same everywhere in Europe and America, but I found some new interesting suggestions in US videos. I am amazed by the wide choice of predators you have in the different States. I only have a fox cruising near my house in the Monferrato hills in northern Italy, but she really is a danger as she does surprise visits at every hour and the dog ignores her, so that my girls can free range only if I am around. They have a very large coop but nothing is good as the lawn! It is a pleasure to hear your enthusiasm, even If sometimes you really speak fast, and I am not a native speaker, but is also a good exercise in comprehension!
Best wishes for the new year to you and your family and of corse your coop.
I love your energy!! I want to be your friend :) thank you for these tips, I’m getting my first chickens tomorrow, I’m so excited!
Ava, how is it going with those chickens?? I'm getting my first chickens today!! Excited, nervous, but this video helped!
I have been living out in the country for 2 and a half years and we have and live on our own animal farm. All of our farm animals (donkey, pony, sheep, goats, pigs, chickens, & ducks) LOVE to eat the eggs! I throw a whole egg into one of the pens, and I don’t know if anyone eats the yolk, but they all love the shells. They will even fight others away from an egg shell that they had claimed. I love all of my animals and they all love me, I think because I feed and water them, but none of the chickens or ducks will let me pick them up like yours do! I’m so jealous but so happy for you that’s yours let you do that
How did you train your dog to be so calm around the chickens? I have a German Shepard and we tried to train him but he just started hating them more and even once broke into the chicken garden and bit one at the neck fortunately we got there on time and she lived but it’s hard keeping them separate.
I have a boxer who is bananas! I am
Not confident I can train him to be around them, Nevermind actually be helpful or protective. Lol
Is you dog fixed?
Hey brother. The best way is to put a dog mask or bite mask on the gemanshepard . Then you walk in the coop with a leash. In 3 weeks take off mask and just correct German shepherd if it tries to play with the chickensm
With our dog we introduced her to the chickens when they were chicks. We would watch her and any time she got rough we would scold her and be firm. With larger dogs I would do what others said and get a mask to socialize.
Excellent video. You should get an Oscar for explaining so good.