CUTE STORY: MY MOM HAD TWIN BANTAMS , AND SHE WOULD COOK CORNBREAD FOR THEM EVERY DAY. THEY EACH WOULD GET ON HER ARM AND EAT THE CORNBREAD FROM HER HAND. IT WAS THE SWEETEST THING.
You really made me laugh at your descriptions of your hens. I'm 66 years old and have raised chickens since I was old enough to carry buckets of feed and water. I've settled on Buff Orpingtons as my favorite breed. They are a calm, friendly breed that are good layers, good meat and will hatch their own replacements and mine run free range. No problems yet with predators, but I am outside most of the day and my German Shepherd keeps an eye out for them. I did hatch out 40 chicks in the incubator this year, which will be used for meat and replacements. I live on a ranch and pretty much live on chicken eggs and chickens I butchered, beef and my garden. Keep up the good videos and sense of humor. I use peat moss for bedding as my garden soil benefits from the low PH and use pine chips for nesting material.
wow, love the peat moss for bedding tip. i was trying to figure out what to use for ducks outdoor pens as well. it should be perfect for them as well. Thank you!
Christa, chickens and honey bees (coming and going from their hive) can be so calming. On stressful days, it is just nice to pull up a lawn chair, and enjoy the simple sounds they make. And, to save you some cleaning, suspend your chicken waterer about six inches above the ground with light rope.
Beautiful coop set-up. You're right chickens aren't hard, but the easy, simple chores come up pretty often. Also, if the goal is to eat them, don't name them or cuddle them. They become your babies. Wishing you joy!!
I'm a young widowed Baptist Pastors wife from Georgia.. we had 5 Bantam s. And 3 were just like your Little girl. We had one that was fethered all the way to her feet.. she was big britches... I miss them so much. We also had comets.. love yours..
When our kids were little ones, they were in 4H competition with chickens. The eggs we harvested daily were rich and so much better tasting than store bought. They were great egg layers. Thank you, for sharing.
You can feed hen's potato peels you must boil them first, I did it for half my childhood and had fine laying hens too, my grandmother did so also along with small spuds. The "hens Pot" wasn't the nicest smelling on the stove but it kept them fed with kitchen scraps.
I remember feeding our chickens boiled potato peelings…… dad had a big ol enamel bowl which was kept for that purpose. The smell was not exactly ‘appetising’ but the chickens fairly loved them.
Another tip when you first bring home your chicks: if one of the dies within the first 24 hours. Don’t be so hard on yourself. Sometimes a chick is just not right inside or dies for some other reason. You can also contact the store and they will replace the chick (free of charge in most cases). One thing to help your chicks is to check for “Pasty butt”. This is when their poop accumulates on their cloaca and dries. This prevents them from pooping and peeing and can cause death. If this happens, take a warm cloth and gently hold it on the dried poop to loosen it and gently wipe it off. Do not pull on it roughly because you can tear the tender skin. Don’t be afraid just be gentle.
It's SO good to see you. I made vinegar for the first time in March-April of 2020, when I discovered your Prepsteader videos. Your chickens video is educationally very well organized, and it's funny you said you gave away your rooster. My friend's neighbor had a rooster, IN THE CITY, whose untimely crowing caused quite a stir. He's gone! I enjoy the comments from your viewers. Feels a little like family. God bless you.
I have 4 buffs haven’t started laying yet . I really really love them I just hope my neighbors won’t get upset with me if they get very loud I have no idea what to expect. So far so good . I live pretty close to people ,we are allowed to have them . I just hope it all works out
I love those orps too. Mine would come up on the porch with me n find a perch right under the kitchen window that wasn't but table high n look in on me n just cry. I would go out to visit n when I pet her she would go do her thing come back to the porch n do her egg song. I would hear her go out n get it n thank her. I no longer have them. I have moved n city back but I do have happy memories n a couple of times had to chase off a fox. But, I miss their chatter.
My mom has chickens. She loves them. I have quail. They are so cute. They like to stay put in their hutch. But they have similar dietary needs as chickens. I love your channel. God is using you in my life so much. God bless you sister 🙏💖🤗
Here’s a tip on buying chicks: Sometimes they will sell the chicks for 50 cent a piece (I just added to my flock for this cost a piece. All the praise is to Jesus. That was such a blessing). They were getting a new shipment in and had some that were getting to that week old stage or so. So ask when they might be discounted or when the next shipment is in and stop by beforehand. This is great because you save money and your chicks are already close to a week old instead of a day old! 😊
My hens are the opposite, they will eat the layer crumbs but don't care for the pellets! I have a ground feed that is almost a powder that is commercially ground with the layer feed, corn, oats, and it also has ground oyster shell all ground together in it. My hens will eat it, but I use that as a base and mix some whole or cracked grains, like corn and millet, oats and I also add a small scoop of black oil sunflower seeds to it which they really like. They REALLY like the crumbs or pellets when you put a little water in with it! They like the fermented feed and its good for them. Just do small batches at a time. If I need to gather them in quicker at night, when I allow them to free range, I keep a sack of meal worms or shelled sunflower kernals, which I buy in the BIRD seed section of the store. Nearly every store I go to, the chicken feed, which is exactly the same thing, is about twice the price as the same thing in bird seed.-- When my flock sees me with a sack of mealworms or kernals, they come running. -- Actually, if they see me walk anywhere in my yard they come on the run from all directions. My husband calls me the Pied Piper because I will have a string of cats, chickens, and used to have a dog or two all following me in a line when walking around my yard. I guess they like me!? Chickens will eat pretty much every scrap, but what I do, especially in winter when they have no greens, is take my cores of cabbage, potato peelings and the cores of lettuce or those harder vegetables that are pretty firm, and I cut them in chunks and then put them in my food processor or a blender with some water in it. I drain off the water from the blender and pour the finely chopped up veggies in the scrap bucket... they will eat every single piece! Otherwise, you will have a core or some of the larger items laying around in the yard.
BTW: If you like to fish, your chickens will love the fish backbones after you fillet your fish. I don't give them the heads but they will pick all of the meat off the bones pretty quick. I usually toss the backbones out one day and collect the clean bones the next.
Love your video’s! This Grandmama has a big backyard homestead on out skirts of city in drought stricken West Texas. I have had Bantam Cochins, but switching to Bielefedder, a dual purpose breed, and 3 easter eggers Also have quail and meat rabbits. A garden that failed this summer, but I’m trying again with fall garden!
Love this! Take some of those eggs to your neighbors, before you sit out to watch the lightening bugs! I’m so glad I found your channel, and I found it on Rory’s page, when you interviewed him! That was an awesome interview! Thanks so much for sharing! Canning tomatoes today! God Bless you all!
This is so helpful! We live in the suburbs as well and have been thinking about getting chickens. Our county just increased our allowance from 4 to 10 chickens, and we can now have a rooster! But with the wise of our lot - and I still need some room for my gardens! - I don’t think we would get that many! This video is a great help in my research. Love your channel! Thank you!
Great set up! What I do with mine is feed cracked corn sparingly in the warm months, and much more in the cold months. Grains, like corn, raise their body temps, so they will only eat a little or none (here), especially when they get other pellets or crumbles. Be blessed!
This is our first year raising egg laying chickens (Buff Orhpingtons). We set up a coop and built a run for them for the times that they can’t free range due to predators and a lack of a chicken sitter in their free range area. Based on my research we should start getting eggs in September. They are considered our pets and my family won’t eat them. Regarding your comment at the end of the video about it getting dark out there, last night while in the vehicle I sensed a darkness that was beyond the typical night time darkness. The darkness was literally many shades deeper. God bless you and those around you. ❤️
We're in middle Tennessee, halfway between Nashville and Clarksville! We're in an urban subdivision with 7 hens. Got them April 19th at TS. GOD BLESS!🙏✝️💖
We have bantams. We are up to 21. We have a couple roosters and let the hens go broody in late winter, so we will have new chicks each spring. We built a coop out of a cheap metal shed. We reworked the door and put in windows. We used hardware cloth on the coop and the run. Our run is 30 ft x 30 ft. We also dug a trench under the run and coop that was a foot deep and a foot wide. We filled trench with cement. Finally, we put aviary net over the top of the run. We live in the woods and have kept chickens for 7 years and never lost a single chicken to a predator. It was a lot of work and a decent investment in the beginning, but it is well worth it.
Hello sister Christa and thank-you for this episode. I listened to it while driving home from looking at a possible homestead property. ❤ I giggled three or four times as you described your girls and their personalities. 😅 We have chickens on our (very) little piece of land inside the village. When we discovered which ones are roosters, we already have country friends who will barter with us to give those guys a home. 🐔 Interesting side note regarding the little yard berries…come to think of it, I have never seen those where we now reside in Ohio but they were everywhere as I grew up and lived in Marshall and then Rutherford Counties, TN. It’s no wonder animals much prefer foraging as God intended it, eh? 🐛 I am grateful for your content and faith-sharing. Per your requests at the video’s end, I of course am subbed, will be sharing this video and I pray I can be a blessing to someone each day. We (I) need to remember that being a blessing to folks right under our (my) own roof/s is such a beautiful and vital thing. I often forget that and was reminded of it when you shared today. Thank-you for your perseverance. ❤katie
we live in a small town we have 3 Isa Browns, a Turkin, Crested Polish, and 2 silkies, we got our coop with a small run from TS. then we built a 8x8x6high run and connected to the small run, in the small run we have a feeder and water, then in the big run we have a feeder and water, we have a big log for them to get on plus a swing my girls love grapes and strawberries, got my first egg, they are so great to watch, I go out and sit and watch them and talk to them, we also give them treats that we get from TS, plus I give them oat meal
Christa, Hello! Wow, u speaking of ur hens brought back fond and fun memories of my 4 hens, I had two Rhode Island Reds, one black one (forgot the breed, and a silver laced Wyandotte, the latter was extremely noisy and loud. One day I n front yard, heard a scream, ran to back yard, low and behold, the silver lace (penguin) was not happy to share the nest, sure, there were two other nest boxes, but hey, just like people, some share, others r selfish Lol. Though penguin was loud, she was the most precious, she’d lay down next to my dog and me, but if I paid her any attention, my big dog, (Chico, a collie mix) would stand between us, jealous, he was here when I brought the chicks home, and yep, he wanted to eat them, but one day, after being fully feathered, I went outside and one was out, Chico was just laying there, he passed, 4/5 months later, needing another dog, went to pound and got a lab/healer mix, it took about a month/an half to train her to where they could all run the yard together. Once, eating a burger, one hen jumps on arm of chair and snatches the tomato from my burger, ha, I could go on, not only do they provide food, but also provide much entertainment, plus loads of enjoyment! Thank u
Yes, it would be very helpful to have building plans for your chicken coop. That would be the first step in preparing for anyone getting their own chickens. You are so sweet and seem to have such a loving spirit! Thank you for sharing with us!
Chickens have the coolest personalities. We live in the country but only have an acre and a half. We also have bears, fox, cougar, bob cat, eagles, etc. But we have done pretty well keeping them protected from the predators. Living in a harsh winter area we raise Black Australorp, Barred Rock, and Copper Marans, and we tried Cinnamon Queens and they have really done well.
We have 5 beautifil LAVENDERS, 4 CHOCOLATES, and 1 BUFF Orpingtons. They are so sweet and patient with each other. They take turns eating a special snack and never peck on each other. They're also very intelligent and social creatures. We've owned other breeds in the past, but these are my favorite. They're COLD 🥶hardy as well.
Thank you for the video and the scripture .I love having chickens.they are so calming and at times comical.they love a good handful of grass out of the yard and a box of dirt to dust bath in .When fall comes and people are finished with their jack-o'-lantern..put them in the freezer for winter food ..very nutritional for the chickens.Have fun and God bless.
Good to see you again Christa. We have chickens here in Texas. First time chicken owners for the past year and we have 11. We love them and it's been so much fun having them!
I had a cross between buff orpingtons and Rhode Island Red chickens and I just love them even the little kitty cat next door left them and they played a lot together and now he said that they're gone Predators finally got all of them but I hope someday to have more enjoy your chickens I'm so glad to see that you have them and God bless you so much for this very special video
Oh my! I am so glad to get your post. I used to listen to you all the time. Making apple cider vinegar, making butter and much more. For some reason I havent been getting your post. Today yours popped up and I am estatic as well as yiur post on the subject of chickens. We are so planning to ha e our own chickens just as soon as we are moved. Husband has retired we plan to explore more of the real world of having our own homestead. Only have about an acre and a half but with our big ideas chickens is definately in our plans. So good to see you again. Excited for more. THANK YOU!!!!
That's pretty cool- I hope you're cleaning the coop regularly. I have a couple of neighbors who don't and you can smell chicken poop from half a block away, especially in the summer. That said, I think being able to have chickens in the suburbs is awesome! Thanks for posting this!
Hi there Prepsteader! Great video! I like how your friend built your coop and run. I noticed the large heavy PVC pipe that you are using for one of their feeding stations. I might give that a try. In my past experience, I've raised chickens and then had a five-year break, however before the great pandemic of 2020, I began raising chickens again, but this time in an urban setting. I built a chicken coop and enclosed it and the bottom ground area with regular "chicken wire," for (the ground area I used Hard cloth wire). I had to stretch dollars, however, due to my health and leg weakness, I built it (the coop) near the end of the house so that I could safely enjoy the journey. I hope to purchase a new prefab coop this Spring and move the girls away from the house to "the back" of the back yard. I heard you mention Tractor Supply Co., I like those folks in my area Tractor Supply Co. They have been very kind and helpful over the years. Well, I guess that's enough from me! I thank you for the great video, it has been very informative with loads of ideas! Thanks, and God bless!
Also as Governments around the world restrict petroleum based fertilizers ; composted chicken manure can be a good replacement. They truly are a great sustainable agricultural animal.
PUT SOME GRAVEL IN THE WATERING TROUGH WHICH KEEPS THEM FROM GETTING INTO WITH DEBRIS. LOVED WATCHING THIS, I'VE BEEN LEARNING, BUT HAVEN'T GOTTEN ANY CHICKENS OUT. THIS WAS EDUCATIONAL, THANKS. TC
Great video....,You could hang your watering unit high enouph that they can't reach it to stand in it plus that unit they have a heater that works with it for winters
For somebody that doesn't have any space that's an awful huge chicken coop what I did to combine it's kind of like the same theory as your food forest where you have one growing underneath another underneath another I was given a small 6x8 greenhouse I have no property to be able to grow anything and it's actually way too hot in the summer for the greenhouse but in the winter I can use it anyways what I did was I put the bench little higher than waist high up on around the edges of my greenhouse so you've got 8 ft on one side then 6 ft at the end and then come round the corner and eight feet on the other side I only have four chickens so what I did was that bench is used for the plants and then I screened in from the bench down to the floor and I put a mats carpet protector strips along the screened-in area so I can take it out and wash it and clean it just by sliding it out and so we have a wonderful little chicken coop to keep warm in the winter time and plenty of room for four chickens 22 ft of run for them and I put a little coop area where they can nest and sleep at night at the end. Also I don't use shavings because it ends up in their water I fixed that though by getting the little nipple adapter for my pail and there's also the adapter you can put into a pail for your feeder so you're not feeding them everyday it holds 5 gallons and that way it stays clean and dry and your water stays clean. And by having those adapters on buckets you can go away for a month depending on how many chickens you have of course and not have to worry about them they'll be watered and fed And if I go out in the morning before the time they got used to being fed earlier at 9:00 in the morning and talk to them then my rooster doesn't cackle but if I wait and don't go out and say hi to them then he cackles
That sounds wonderful and like an inventive solution, Valerie! I wish I could see a picture to visualize it better. If you are a part of our PREPSTEADERS facebook group, will share one with us over there. It sounds like something everyone would appreciate seeing!
@@PREPSTEADERS I'm afraid I don't do fb. If you think of another way for me to show u let me know. I was praying an got the idea from the Lord he's such a good carpenter he is taking me thru it step by step I can build a little bit lost when it comes to social media stuff
Had a lovely black chicken once. We called her Chicken. Or Miss Chicken because she was the best one. Laid the most eggs. Was the most friendly. Just a good hen
They are the gate way to other homesteading animals. In 2019 we started with chickens now we have chickens, turkeys, geese, ducks and just a month ago added meat rabbits. Hoping to add pigs, goats, and dairy and beef cows in the near future.
Thank you for sharing your new chicken adventure. I love your videos and content. Food for thought. You are what you eat. Switch to only organic pellets and scratch. We have had 30 plus chickens for over 10 yrs now and raised meat birds according to Joel. Please switch for your families health and give them greens daily if they can not forage. Dandelions, comfrey, sunflowers, broom corn, lambs ear and plantain. Chickens can be free range, 2 hours before dark and they do not run away and they put themselves to bed.
I was planning on getting a couple of chickens around September this year but a stray cat brought her kittens into my backyard in May and now they've become mostly permanent residents on my veranda, along with a few visiting adult male cats who come looking for food! Not a safe place for any chickens because I would like them to free range for a part of the day at least but with cats around I will have to be out there and watching over them :(
I also give my chickens daily grain or rather the pellet size that you're giving them. I give them the exact same thing from Tractor Supply. Tractor Supply also has a six grain cracked corn feed that I give my chickens and they love both of them. I started with 24 Bitties and I've got 22 full grown chickens now they've been laying for about 4 weeks. And I'm up to 19 eggs a day. Oh by the way you should give them some Pebble type pea gravel for their gizzard to be able to process properly and it also comes from Tractor Supply. Oh by the way I love your coop. You can also use some wire to hang that water about 6 in off the ground or more if necessary.
Slaughter tip I recommend getting your chickens used to their front neck being pet firmly and get used to figuring out where the main arteries are. Cutting off blood flow to the brain without crushing the windpipe just feels like going to sleep (Speaking from first hand experience)
I love how I feel when I listen to you. The Spirit of the Lord is strong with you. The end of your video was a wonderful end to my day. Thank you. Bless you and all that you love.
Also you can put corn kernels in ice trays filled with water and freeze then toss some out fir them to peck around on to get cooled and eat the prize in side...
I AGREE WITH THE OTHER POSTER HERE, YOU ARE A WEALTH OF KNOWLEDGE. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS. I AM THINKING ABOUT GETTING CHICKENS NEXT YEAR, BUT AM NOT REALLY SURE WITH THE COST OF FEED, THE SPACE AND OTHER CRITTERS TRYING TO GET MY CHICKEN. I HAVE THE ROOM , JUST NOT SURE HOW TO GO ABOUT IT. I COULD NEVER KILL MY CHICKENS CUZ THEY WILL BECOME MY PETS.
The cost of feed isn’t expensive relatively speaking. In my area located in PA a 50 lb bag of feed cost about $20. That has lasted our hens about 3 months but our girls also free range and eat table scraps. For us the most expensive part of the process was building the coop and run. I’ve probably got $2K invested in their housing. You can set them up less expensive and buy prefabricated housing but they don’t seem as durable to me.
Great! Have you tried feeding chicken with stale bread mixed with compost? Dry the stale bread in the sun and then grind into bread crumbs. There are reports of heavy metals getting into chicken & eggs. How to keep the chicken free from heavy metals? Thank you for your helpful videos!
Very helpful. I live in a small village and there are ordinance about it but if I read right we can have 5 as long as there are no roosters. . I have been wavering if it was worth the cost of building the enclosure and the ongoing feed costs. I eat keto and between me and my family we eat a tremendous amount of eggs. Thanks so much for the video.
Your Beauty aside. You have a great gentleness that is truly God given . TY for your contributions to the RUclips community . Can't wait for the next video . God Bless You ALL in Jesus Name Amen 🙏
I get pine pellets from Walmart. 30 lbs for $5.88. You add water and it puffs up into a thick’s sort of sawdust. Much less mess than shavings and cheap!
My chickens didn't like the pine shavings.. So I read up on it and found out that pine & cedar shavings although great for bug deterrent , the shavings off gas fumes that could bother the chickens ... so I change to mulched hay and they love it.
Glad to see you're back! Thank you for sharing your chickens. I'm also in the suburbs. Our coop is predator proof, however I woke up 1 night, 2 yrs ago to watch a bear trying to get into coop. I started yelling to point woke everyone up, bear ran off. Two days later the bear destroyed neighbors coop and killed all her chickens. We ended up getting an electric fence wrapped in barbed wire at the suggestion of our DEP. We also have coyotes, weasels, fox, skunks, opossum, raccoons, hawks, and Fisher cat. Please don't get into false sense of security of thinking any coop is 100% secure. My chickens are my girls, they love to tell stories when I go out to coop, they're too funny. Chicken math is also a real thing!! 🙂
This is one of my new favorite channels, fun and helpful. thank you for your inviting endings to be godly, spread the word of God and Jesus and bless someone. :)
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CUTE STORY: MY MOM HAD TWIN BANTAMS , AND SHE WOULD COOK CORNBREAD FOR THEM EVERY DAY. THEY EACH WOULD GET ON HER ARM AND EAT THE CORNBREAD FROM HER HAND. IT WAS THE SWEETEST THING.
Just to reiterate: PINE shavings not Cedar. Cedar can give respiratory issues
You really made me laugh at your descriptions of your hens. I'm 66 years old and have raised chickens since I was old enough to carry buckets of feed and water. I've settled on Buff Orpingtons as my favorite breed. They are a calm, friendly breed that are good layers, good meat and will hatch their own replacements and mine run free range. No problems yet with predators, but I am outside most of the day and my German Shepherd keeps an eye out for them. I did hatch out 40 chicks in the incubator this year, which will be used for meat and replacements. I live on a ranch and pretty much live on chicken eggs and chickens I butchered, beef and my garden. Keep up the good videos and sense of humor. I use peat moss for bedding as my garden soil benefits from the low PH and use pine chips for nesting material.
Thanks for the tips. I'm a beginner...
Thanks for all these tips. We haven't started yet, but hope to this year.
wow, love the peat moss for bedding tip. i was trying to figure out what to use for ducks outdoor pens as well. it should be perfect for them as well. Thank you!
Christa, chickens and honey bees (coming and going from their hive) can be so calming. On stressful days, it is just nice to pull up a lawn chair, and enjoy the simple sounds they make. And, to save you some cleaning, suspend your chicken waterer about six inches above the ground with light rope.
Beautiful coop set-up. You're right chickens aren't hard, but the easy, simple chores come up pretty often. Also, if the goal is to eat them, don't name them or cuddle them. They become your babies. Wishing you joy!!
I'm a young widowed Baptist Pastors wife from Georgia.. we had 5 Bantam s. And 3 were just like your Little girl. We had one that was fethered all the way to her feet.. she was big britches... I miss them so much. We also had comets.. love yours..
When our kids were little ones, they were in 4H competition with chickens. The eggs we harvested daily were rich and so much better tasting than store bought. They were great egg layers. Thank you, for sharing.
Me too . I now buy them for 4$ a dozen.
You can feed hen's potato peels you must boil them first, I did it for half my childhood and had fine laying hens too, my grandmother did so also along with small spuds. The "hens Pot" wasn't the nicest smelling on the stove but it kept them fed with kitchen scraps.
I remember feeding our chickens boiled potato peelings…… dad had a big ol enamel bowl which was kept for that purpose. The smell was not exactly ‘appetising’ but the chickens fairly loved them.
Another tip when you first bring home your chicks: if one of the dies within the first 24 hours. Don’t be so hard on yourself. Sometimes a chick is just not right inside or dies for some other reason. You can also contact the store and they will replace the chick (free of charge in most cases). One thing to help your chicks is to check for “Pasty butt”. This is when their poop accumulates on their cloaca and dries. This prevents them from pooping and peeing and can cause death. If this happens, take a warm cloth and gently hold it on the dried poop to loosen it and gently wipe it off. Do not pull on it roughly because you can tear the tender skin. Don’t be afraid just be gentle.
It's SO good to see you.
I made vinegar for the first time in March-April of 2020, when I discovered your Prepsteader videos. Your chickens video is educationally very well organized, and it's funny you said you gave away your rooster.
My friend's neighbor had a rooster, IN THE CITY, whose untimely crowing caused quite a stir. He's gone!
I enjoy the comments from your viewers. Feels a little like family. God bless you.
I have 4 buffs haven’t started laying yet . I really really love them I just hope my neighbors won’t get upset with me if they get very loud I have no idea what to expect. So far so good . I live pretty close to people ,we are allowed to have them . I just hope it all works out
Give your neighbors eggs every now and then and they won't mind. 🙂
Hens really aren’t too loud. Sometimes they’ll holler when laying an egg (called an egg song) or when they find a bug. But it’s not super frequent. 💕
I love those orps too.
Mine would come up on the porch with me n find a perch right under the kitchen window that wasn't but table high n look in on me n just cry. I would go out to visit n when I pet her she would go do her thing come back to the porch n do her egg song.
I would hear her go out n get it n thank her. I no longer have them. I have moved n city back but I do have happy memories n a couple of times had to chase off a fox. But, I miss their chatter.
My mom has chickens. She loves them. I have quail. They are so cute. They like to stay put in their hutch. But they have similar dietary needs as chickens. I love your channel. God is using you in my life so much. God bless you sister 🙏💖🤗
Here’s a tip on buying chicks: Sometimes they will sell the chicks for 50 cent a piece (I just added to my flock for this cost a piece. All the praise is to Jesus. That was such a blessing). They were getting a new shipment in and had some that were getting to that week old stage or so. So ask when they might be discounted or when the next shipment is in and stop by beforehand. This is great because you save money and your chicks are already close to a week old instead of a day old! 😊
My hens are the opposite, they will eat the layer crumbs but don't care for the pellets!
I have a ground feed that is almost a powder that is commercially ground with the layer feed, corn, oats, and it also has ground oyster shell all ground together in it. My hens will eat it, but I use that as a base and mix some whole or cracked grains, like corn and millet, oats and I also add a small scoop of black oil sunflower seeds to it which they really like. They REALLY like the crumbs or pellets when you put a little water in with it! They like the fermented feed and its good for them. Just do small batches at a time.
If I need to gather them in quicker at night, when I allow them to free range, I keep a sack of meal worms or shelled sunflower kernals, which I buy in the BIRD seed section of the store. Nearly every store I go to, the chicken feed, which is exactly the same thing, is about twice the price as the same thing in bird seed.-- When my flock sees me with a sack of mealworms or kernals, they come running. -- Actually, if they see me walk anywhere in my yard they come on the run from all directions. My husband calls me the Pied Piper because I will have a string of cats, chickens, and used to have a dog or two all following me in a line when walking around my yard. I guess they like me!?
Chickens will eat pretty much every scrap, but what I do, especially in winter when they have no greens, is take my cores of cabbage, potato peelings and the cores of lettuce or those harder vegetables that are pretty firm, and I cut them in chunks and then put them in my food processor or a blender with some water in it. I drain off the water from the blender and pour the finely chopped up veggies in the scrap bucket... they will eat every single piece! Otherwise, you will have a core or some of the larger items laying around in the yard.
BTW: If you like to fish, your chickens will love the fish backbones after you fillet your fish. I don't give them the heads but they will pick all of the meat off the bones pretty quick. I usually toss the backbones out one day and collect the clean bones the next.
Love your video’s! This Grandmama has a big backyard homestead on out skirts of city in drought stricken West Texas. I have had Bantam Cochins, but switching to Bielefedder, a dual purpose breed, and 3 easter eggers Also have quail and meat rabbits. A garden that failed this summer, but I’m trying again with fall garden!
Love this! Take some of those eggs to your neighbors, before you sit out to watch the lightening bugs! I’m so glad I found your channel, and I found it on Rory’s page, when you interviewed him! That was an awesome interview! Thanks so much for sharing! Canning tomatoes today! God Bless you all!
This is so helpful! We live in the suburbs as well and have been thinking about getting chickens. Our county just increased our allowance from 4 to 10 chickens, and we can now have a rooster! But with the wise of our lot - and I still need some room for my gardens! - I don’t think we would get that many! This video is a great help in my research. Love your channel! Thank you!
Great video! - Thanks!
I have had four Rhode Island Reds for a year - They are great pets and friends.
I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
Great set up! What I do with mine is feed cracked corn sparingly in the warm months, and much more in the cold months. Grains, like corn, raise their body temps, so they will only eat a little or none (here), especially when they get other pellets or crumbles. Be blessed!
This is our first year raising egg laying chickens (Buff Orhpingtons). We set up a coop and built a run for them for the times that they can’t free range due to predators and a lack of a chicken sitter in their free range area. Based on my research we should start getting eggs in September. They are considered our pets and my family won’t eat them. Regarding your comment at the end of the video about it getting dark out there, last night while in the vehicle I sensed a darkness that was beyond the typical night time darkness. The darkness was literally many shades deeper. God bless you and those around you. ❤️
We're in middle Tennessee, halfway between Nashville and Clarksville! We're in an urban subdivision with 7 hens. Got them April 19th at TS.
GOD BLESS!🙏✝️💖
Sweet! It’s sounds like you will have eggs within the next month or 2!
@@andreacremeans1055 well, 2 ended up being roosters that we had 2 rehome. We do get 4 to 5 eggs daily now. 🐔💖
We have bantams. We are up to 21. We have a couple roosters and let the hens go broody in late winter, so we will have new chicks each spring. We built a coop out of a cheap metal shed. We reworked the door and put in windows. We used hardware cloth on the coop and the run. Our run is 30 ft x 30 ft. We also dug a trench under the run and coop that was a foot deep and a foot wide. We filled trench with cement. Finally, we put aviary net over the top of the run. We live in the woods and have kept chickens for 7 years and never lost a single chicken to a predator. It was a lot of work and a decent investment in the beginning, but it is well worth it.
Hello sister Christa and thank-you for this episode. I listened to it while driving home from looking at a possible homestead property. ❤ I giggled three or four times as you described your girls and their personalities. 😅 We have chickens on our (very) little piece of land inside the village. When we discovered which ones are roosters, we already have country friends who will barter with us to give those guys a home. 🐔 Interesting side note regarding the little yard berries…come to think of it, I have never seen those where we now reside in Ohio but they were everywhere as I grew up and lived in Marshall and then Rutherford Counties, TN. It’s no wonder animals much prefer foraging as God intended it, eh? 🐛
I am grateful for your content and faith-sharing. Per your requests at the video’s end, I of course am subbed, will be sharing this video and I pray I can be a blessing to someone each day. We (I) need to remember that being a blessing to folks right under our (my) own roof/s is such a beautiful and vital thing. I often forget that and was reminded of it when you shared today. Thank-you for your perseverance. ❤katie
I'm so glad to see you again! I have learned so much from your videos, and I love the scripture you add in. Thank you!
We just got 13 new chick's week ago. They are so fun and have so much personality. God Bless!
You've inspired me Miss Christa.. I had to give up my last group of chickens. It's time to get some more...! Thank you and keep up the good work..!
we live in a small town we have 3 Isa Browns, a Turkin, Crested Polish, and 2 silkies, we got our coop with a small run from TS. then we built a 8x8x6high run and connected to the small run, in the small run we have a feeder and water, then in the big run we have a feeder and water, we have a big log for them to get on plus a swing my girls love grapes and strawberries, got my first egg, they are so great to watch, I go out and sit and watch them and talk to them, we also give them treats that we get from TS, plus I give them oat meal
Our chickens just started laying eggs. Thanks and God bless you and your family 💖
Christa, Hello! Wow, u speaking of ur hens brought back fond and fun memories of my 4 hens, I had two Rhode Island Reds, one black one (forgot the breed, and a silver laced Wyandotte, the latter was extremely noisy and loud. One day I n front yard, heard a scream, ran to back yard, low and behold, the silver lace (penguin) was not happy to share the nest, sure, there were two other nest boxes, but hey, just like people, some share, others r selfish Lol. Though penguin was loud, she was the most precious, she’d lay down next to my dog and me, but if I paid her any attention, my big dog, (Chico, a collie mix) would stand between us, jealous, he was here when I brought the chicks home, and yep, he wanted to eat them, but one day, after being fully feathered, I went outside and one was out, Chico was just laying there, he passed, 4/5 months later, needing another dog, went to pound and got a lab/healer mix, it took about a month/an half to train her to where they could all run the yard together. Once, eating a burger, one hen jumps on arm of chair and snatches the tomato from my burger, ha, I could go on, not only do they provide food, but also provide much entertainment, plus loads of enjoyment! Thank u
I would love to see a suggestion for coop plans similar to what you have.
Yes, it would be very helpful to have building plans for your chicken coop. That would be the first step in preparing for anyone getting their own chickens. You are so sweet and seem to have such a loving spirit! Thank you for sharing with us!
Chickens have the coolest personalities. We live in the country but only have an acre and a half. We also have bears, fox, cougar, bob cat, eagles, etc. But we have done pretty well keeping them protected from the predators. Living in a harsh winter area we raise Black Australorp, Barred Rock, and Copper Marans, and we tried Cinnamon Queens and they have really done well.
You are such a wealth of knowledge
Thank you!
We have 5 beautifil LAVENDERS, 4 CHOCOLATES, and 1 BUFF Orpingtons. They are so sweet and patient with each other. They take turns eating a special snack and never peck on each other. They're also very intelligent and social creatures. We've owned other breeds in the past, but these are my favorite. They're COLD 🥶hardy as well.
Thank you for the video and the scripture .I love having chickens.they are so calming and at times comical.they love a good handful of grass out of the yard and a box of dirt to dust bath in .When fall comes and people are finished with their jack-o'-lantern..put them in the freezer for winter food ..very nutritional for the chickens.Have fun and God bless.
Minimal space, your yard is huge. Beautiful chickens, Thank you.
Good to see you again Christa. We have chickens here in Texas. First time chicken owners for the past year and we have 11. We love them and it's been so much fun having them!
I had a cross between buff orpingtons and Rhode Island Red chickens and I just love them even the little kitty cat next door left them and they played a lot together and now he said that they're gone Predators finally got all of them but I hope someday to have more enjoy your chickens I'm so glad to see that you have them and God bless you so much for this very special video
Had a chicken female as a pet for 10 years ... she was beautiful and smart!!
Oh my! I am so glad to get your post. I used to listen to you all the time. Making apple cider vinegar, making butter and much more. For some reason I havent been getting your post. Today yours popped up and I am estatic as well as yiur post on the subject of chickens. We are so planning to ha e our own chickens just as soon as we are moved. Husband has retired we plan to explore more of the real world of having our own homestead. Only have about an acre and a half but with our big ideas chickens is definately in our plans. So good to see you again. Excited for more. THANK YOU!!!!
You are letting your LIGHT Shine! Love the chickens & their eggs! May God bless you always…🫶✝️🙏🏻🕊👏🏻
your talk about it is just wonderful and inspiring
fresh eggs are amazing. many people don't realize that you don't need a rooster in order for your hands to lay.
That's pretty cool- I hope you're cleaning the coop regularly. I have a couple of neighbors who don't and you can smell chicken poop from half a block away, especially in the summer. That said, I think being able to have chickens in the suburbs is awesome! Thanks for posting this!
My chickens absolutely love Nutrena country feeds scratch grains I buy at tractor supply. Not the main feed but they love them.
Thank you for sharing that, Ryan!
I could listen to you all day. 🤗
Eggs are the greatest super food! Our four hens lay just enough for the two of us.
Hi there Prepsteader! Great video! I like how your friend built your coop and run. I noticed the large heavy PVC pipe that you are using for one of their feeding stations. I might give that a try. In my past experience, I've raised chickens and then had a five-year break, however before the great pandemic of 2020, I began raising chickens again, but this time in an urban setting. I built a chicken coop and enclosed it and the bottom ground area with regular "chicken wire," for (the ground area I used Hard cloth wire). I had to stretch dollars, however, due to my health and leg weakness, I built it (the coop) near the end of the house so that I could safely enjoy the journey. I hope to purchase a new prefab coop this Spring and move the girls away from the house to "the back" of the back yard. I heard you mention Tractor Supply Co., I like those folks in my area Tractor Supply Co. They have been very kind and helpful over the years. Well, I guess that's enough from me! I thank you for the great video, it has been very informative with loads of ideas! Thanks, and God bless!
When my daughter was a little girl we had Buffs. The one just love her, and she called her fluffy. Love Buffy’s
Also as Governments around the world restrict petroleum based fertilizers ; composted chicken manure can be a good replacement. They truly are a great sustainable agricultural animal.
I live in M'boro, TN and dream of a small homestead. My chicken story will start this spring.
We are growing food security and raising about 15 chickens we do share eggs with neighbors if they want them!
PUT SOME GRAVEL IN THE WATERING TROUGH WHICH KEEPS THEM FROM GETTING INTO WITH DEBRIS. LOVED WATCHING THIS, I'VE BEEN LEARNING, BUT HAVEN'T GOTTEN ANY CHICKENS OUT. THIS WAS EDUCATIONAL, THANKS. TC
Great video....,You could hang your watering unit high enouph that they can't reach it to stand in it plus that unit they have a heater that works with it for winters
For somebody that doesn't have any space that's an awful huge chicken coop what I did to combine it's kind of like the same theory as your food forest where you have one growing underneath another underneath another I was given a small 6x8 greenhouse I have no property to be able to grow anything and it's actually way too hot in the summer for the greenhouse but in the winter I can use it anyways what I did was I put the bench little higher than waist high up on around the edges of my greenhouse so you've got 8 ft on one side then 6 ft at the end and then come round the corner and eight feet on the other side I only have four chickens so what I did was that bench is used for the plants and then I screened in from the bench down to the floor and I put a mats carpet protector strips along the screened-in area so I can take it out and wash it and clean it just by sliding it out and so we have a wonderful little chicken coop to keep warm in the winter time and plenty of room for four chickens 22 ft of run for them and I put a little coop area where they can nest and sleep at night at the end. Also I don't use shavings because it ends up in their water I fixed that though by getting the little nipple adapter for my pail and there's also the adapter you can put into a pail for your feeder so you're not feeding them everyday it holds 5 gallons and that way it stays clean and dry and your water stays clean. And by having those adapters on buckets you can go away for a month depending on how many chickens you have of course and not have to worry about them they'll be watered and fed And if I go out in the morning before the time they got used to being fed earlier at 9:00 in the morning and talk to them then my rooster doesn't cackle but if I wait and don't go out and say hi to them then he cackles
That sounds wonderful and like an inventive solution, Valerie! I wish I could see a picture to visualize it better. If you are a part of our PREPSTEADERS facebook group, will share one with us over there. It sounds like something everyone would appreciate seeing!
@@PREPSTEADERS I'm afraid I don't do fb. If you think of another way for me to show u let me know. I was praying an got the idea from the Lord he's such a good carpenter he is taking me thru it step by step I can build a little bit lost when it comes to social media stuff
Had a lovely black chicken once. We called her Chicken. Or Miss Chicken because she was the best one. Laid the most eggs. Was the most friendly. Just a good hen
You seem sweet and kind 😊
Love you shared scripture at the end. 💙🙏
They are the gate way to other homesteading animals. In 2019 we started with chickens now we have chickens, turkeys, geese, ducks and just a month ago added meat rabbits. Hoping to add pigs, goats, and dairy and beef cows in the near future.
I have been thinking about getting chickens now for last 6 months. I am in the suburbs but our city does allow chickens. Thk you
Thank you for sharing your new chicken adventure. I love your videos and content. Food for thought. You are what you eat. Switch to only organic pellets and scratch. We have had 30 plus chickens for over 10 yrs now and raised meat birds according to Joel. Please switch for your families health and give them greens daily if they can not forage. Dandelions, comfrey, sunflowers, broom corn, lambs ear and plantain. Chickens can be free range, 2 hours before dark and they do not run away and they put themselves to bed.
Nice place. Good information , thank you.
I was planning on getting a couple of chickens around September this year but a stray cat brought her kittens into my backyard in May and now they've become mostly permanent residents on my veranda, along with a few visiting adult male cats who come looking for food! Not a safe place for any chickens because I would like them to free range for a part of the day at least but with cats around I will have to be out there and watching over them :(
Thank you for all your information.
I also give my chickens daily grain or rather the pellet size that you're giving them. I give them the exact same thing from Tractor Supply. Tractor Supply also has a six grain cracked corn feed that I give my chickens and they love both of them. I started with 24 Bitties and I've got 22 full grown chickens now they've been laying for about 4 weeks. And I'm up to 19 eggs a day. Oh by the way you should give them some Pebble type pea gravel for their gizzard to be able to process properly and it also comes from Tractor Supply. Oh by the way I love your coop. You can also use some wire to hang that water about 6 in off the ground or more if necessary.
I like the red and white heated waterer, stays clean and works for cold weather in Minnesota. and use the D.E. for mites I seen some on your eggs..
Love listening to you. Its like listening to a best seller novel
Thank you I live in Tennessee also and am thinking of getting 4-5 chickens. Just starting to get information to make the right decisions.
go out and glow! Thank you so much for this thought.
I love the Astro turf! Great idea. Thanks for sharing❤️
I would like to see what you are freeze drying!
Slaughter tip
I recommend getting your chickens used to their front neck being pet firmly and get used to figuring out where the main arteries are.
Cutting off blood flow to the brain without crushing the windpipe just feels like going to sleep (Speaking from first hand experience)
Good Bible verse, thank you for sharing it.
Great video. The story about the large hen is funny!
My first time to watch you !! How lovely thank you.From Pa.
Thanks for the details....I need to take the plunge to get chickens.
Thanks for the Scripture! I always want to hear that part of your RUclipss!
Chicken wire? Chicken wire is not usually as secure as hardware cloth which is what this looks like. Thank you for the video though.
You are absolutely right, Valorie. This is actually stronger than the typical "chicken wire".
I hatched 13 who will be going outside tomorrow!
One thing I learned is have your older hens teach your younger ones how to be chickens.
Wow. We thought you'd passed away. Glad to see you back
I've been on the fence for getting chickens. Your chicken's are so cute. Thank you so much.
The chicken coup is amazing 🕊️
I love how I feel when I listen to you. The Spirit of the Lord is strong with you. The end of your video was a wonderful end to my day. Thank you. Bless you and all that you love.
We just started building our own this last weekend. Hopefully they won't die in the heat.
Give them plenty of shade and water. Maybe hang some wet towels for them.
Old cold watermelon or old cold head of lettuce or cabbage, hung up or on the ground to peck and eat.
It helps keep them cooler.
BLESSINGS
Also you can put corn kernels in ice trays filled with water and freeze then toss some out fir them to peck around on to get cooled and eat the prize in side...
I AGREE WITH THE OTHER POSTER HERE, YOU ARE A WEALTH OF KNOWLEDGE. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS. I AM THINKING ABOUT GETTING CHICKENS NEXT YEAR, BUT AM NOT REALLY SURE WITH THE COST OF FEED, THE SPACE AND OTHER CRITTERS TRYING TO GET MY CHICKEN. I HAVE THE ROOM , JUST NOT SURE HOW TO GO ABOUT IT. I COULD NEVER KILL MY CHICKENS CUZ THEY WILL BECOME MY PETS.
I am so glad you are thinking about getting some. I think you wont regret it for a minute! :)
We don't eat our hens they lay the eggs for us which is fine🙂
The cost of feed isn’t expensive relatively speaking. In my area located in PA a 50 lb bag of feed cost about $20. That has lasted our hens about 3 months but our girls also free range and eat table scraps. For us the most expensive part of the process was building the coop and run. I’ve probably got $2K invested in their housing. You can set them up less expensive and buy prefabricated housing but they don’t seem as durable to me.
What a nice chicken coop! ❤
So glad to see you back! Xoxooxx!
Great!
Have you tried feeding chicken with stale bread mixed with compost?
Dry the stale bread in the sun and then grind into bread crumbs.
There are reports of heavy metals getting into chicken & eggs. How to keep the chicken free from heavy metals?
Thank you for your helpful videos!
Very helpful. I live in a small village and there are ordinance about it but if I read right we can have 5 as long as there are no roosters. . I have been wavering if it was worth the cost of building the enclosure and the ongoing feed costs. I eat keto and between me and my family we eat a tremendous amount of eggs. Thanks so much for the video.
Good basic video. Thank you. BTW - the wire is machine cloth, not chicken wire.
Your Beauty aside. You have a great gentleness that is truly God given . TY for your contributions to the RUclips community . Can't wait for the next video . God Bless You ALL in Jesus Name Amen 🙏
I get pine pellets from Walmart. 30 lbs for $5.88. You add water and it puffs up into a thick’s sort of sawdust. Much less mess than shavings and cheap!
My chickens didn't like the pine shavings.. So I read up on it and found out that pine & cedar shavings although great for bug deterrent , the shavings off gas fumes that could bother the chickens ... so I change to mulched hay and they love it.
As always, the very best on the web
Glad to see you're back! Thank you for sharing your chickens. I'm also in the suburbs. Our coop is predator proof, however I woke up 1 night, 2 yrs ago to watch a bear trying to get into coop. I started yelling to point woke everyone up, bear ran off. Two days later the bear destroyed neighbors coop and killed all her chickens. We ended up getting an electric fence wrapped in barbed wire at the suggestion of our DEP. We also have coyotes, weasels, fox, skunks, opossum, raccoons, hawks, and Fisher cat. Please don't get into false sense of security of thinking any coop is 100% secure. My chickens are my girls, they love to tell stories when I go out to coop, they're too funny. Chicken math is also a real thing!! 🙂
Thank you
im always happy when i see your videos on my feed Bak Bak
This is one of my new favorite channels, fun and helpful. thank you for your inviting endings to be godly, spread the word of God and Jesus and bless someone. :)
My mom always cooked the potato peelings first then fed them to her chicken especially in the winter.
That was very helpful information. Getting chickens is a good goal.💕🙏