I got hens purely for their eggs. But once I got them they have become the love of my life. They make me so happy and they make me laugh. I never knew how amazing they are, I’m so grateful to have them. I never watch tv now because I’m always hanging out with them 🥰
Chicken math is REAL y'all. I started about 13 years ago with three....now I'm up to about 100 LOL. I honestly can't imagine life without chickens, they really do bring so much joy every day, and the eggs are so much better than store bought. Got some new little babies due to hatch this weekend, and I'm just as excited as the first time! 😊
@@epichomesteading I had a few hens sneak off in to the woods last summer (they were free range at the time due to a sudden move), and they returned with quite the brood LOL. Thankfully we live on six acres with almost no predator pressure, and I absolutely love roosters, so everyone is happy! 😁
I started three years ago with no knowledge, a diy coop, six hens, and a rooster. Over the years I have had to learn hard lessons about protecting chickens from predators, the dangers of using a heat lamp (rooster melted all his tail feathers), and the struggle of frozen water in the winter. This past year I have upped my chicken game with a new (much bigger and well protected) coop/run with the intentions of many more chickens, hatched my own eggs (4 out of 6 were roosters...), and learned how to butcher (rip those 4 roosters). Chickens are such a joy to own, and chicken math is definitely a thing!
Thanks for adding what you added. I have been raising backyard chickens for 12 years and predators of all kinds are a real thing. Chickens are pray for many things!
Our chickens legit survived a category 4 almost category 5 hurricane. The storm intensified quickly and it was all we could do to get ourselves out. My husband shut them in the coop with a lot of food and water and when we were able to come home a few days later they were a little shaken up but all alive. Their entire coop had shifted a couple feet over but luckily no trees fell on them and no animals were able to scavenge them.
In addition to the other benefits mentioned: - Great at starting compost - Can help divert a lot of your food scraps - Lower insect pressure - Can be used to help flip beds
@@fer6904 garden beds. After you harvest from a garden bed, they will happily scratch through the dirt for any larva, worms, or tasty debris which might be lingering. After they're done, you just tidy it up, and proceed with your management.
In the UK we have a fantastic charity called the British Hen Welfare Trust. They resuce ex-commercial hens destined for slaughter and re-home them. We got 3 of them at 18 months old and they are laying regularly, still 2 years later. Some of the hens have never seen the light of day so it's a feel good factor too knowing you have provided them with a second chance at life.
Its important to remember that the start-up cost for anything is going to be semi-expensive at first. But once those elements are in place, they aren't a yearly expense. You pay for a coop and run once vs. feed. I would also take into account the amount of compost and fertilizer they will produce. With the cost of fertilizer skyrocketing, I'd make several bins for them to break down and then use throughout the gardening season.
@@epichomesteading can you do a video about compost and chicken compost? How to make, when to use? So hard in SoCal to get the ratios right! I think my compost had a fungus that killed all my plants last year! Now afraid to try again but store soil is to expensive.
I think it's worth remembering that, well, these are little dinosaurs. Sometimes people get shocked if they see something like some of their chickens kill a lizard, or that they'll readily eat scrambled eggs, etc, if offered. It's not like they're vicious or anything, but they aren't always dainty, so go in being realistic about that.
It's pretty impressive imo that this guy can give solid reliable advice for anyone whether they're looking to harvest poultry meat, eggs, or just keep them as pets. Describing the best method of care without bias or preaching because it seems like he loves his hens. Most people Ive met out here in the country tend to take sides based on your intentions or needs for them. 10/10
Love that coop! We've raised chickens for about 16 years. Always used a heat lamp and haven't lost a hen yet. Fun fact about egg color... you can tell the egg color by the color of the ear lobes.
If in some places you aren't allowed to have chickens due to regulations, it is possible to double check to see if they will allow you to have quail because quail are smaller and also have edible eggs.
Raised quail for this very reason, I’m finally in a place I can raise chickens but I loved everything about raising quail, eggs are delicious and they are really easy
Been raising quail for years. The eggs taste great but are very heavy for me. I eat 3 and am not hungry till dinner. Something cool is their eggs don’t carry salmonella and make great dog treats cooked or raw. Shell and all. Also you’ll need something called quail egg scissors to cut the tops off of the eggs. They don’t crack like chicken eggs. They’re eggs shells and membrane is thicker that chickens.
A very thorough breakdown on Chicken keeping Kevin! We’ve had chickens for 10 years now here in Australia and they are so rewarding to have as garden buddies. We built our coop completely from scratch using a huge wooden potato box. It looks like a mini house with it’s white paint, red trimmed windows and pitched roof 😃 Our longest living hen died recently at age 9, she was fantastic and really taught our newest flock members the ropes before she passed. We currently have two Wyandotte (a silver laced and a gold laced) , 3 Cream Crested Legbars (yeah they are skinny and strange looking 😂 ) and one Maran x Orpington who looks a little like your Lavender. Previously we purchased Pullets but our newest 4 we raised from chicks. Yes, the difference is real in regards to relationship building and handling. The newbies (who are now Pullets themselves) are the friendliest, sweetest, easy to handle girls we’ve had to date. They are personable, sit on my lap, and generally very confident around humans. So I have to agree that *if you can* raising from chicks is the better option. Anyhoooo Chicken Daddy, thanks for an enjoyable episode!
What's a potato box? Like, how big is that and where do you get one? I've never heard of that. I'm just now researching so I can start raising chickens. I've been going from video to video for weeks now. Lol
@@melaniec463 here in Australia they were/are used to ship potatoes around in these huge 1.2 metre square boxes/bins made of wood. The wood is similar to pallet wood, usually kiln treated, and the boxes are made to last. The box came with the property when we bought the place. The previous owner used it for storage in the shed. It was an easy conversion, I used a reciprocating saw (sawzall) and cut out windows and a front door. We added a pitched roof, insulation (as it gets very cold here in winter), and a nesting box on the back that we can lift the lid of to collect eggs. Good luck on your chicken journey. Since my original reply a year ago we’ve added two more rescues to our flock, bringing us up to 8 chickens 😊
I made a 10ft by 20ft run from chain link dog pens my boss was getting rid of for $200. Used 2x4s and $30 greenhouse plastic to make a roof on it. And I made a coup out of an old table, a cattle panel, a cut up dresser, scrap wood, a kiddy pool, and a couple of storage bins. Super ghetto. But works great.
It depends on the breed, but old chickens don’t stop laying. They slow down, but will still lay. I’m still getting eggs from my 8yo hens. If you’re limited on the number of chickens, I recommend adding 2-3 chicks every 2-3 years to maintain levels of production (again, depending on the breeds you get).
Hello! I know this was one year ago but, I’m currently so excited!! We have been looking at coops, and all that we went to go look at chicks today at Rural king! And we were looking at the top ten breeding hens on Google. And they were selling one of the top tens, So my Grammy told my dad, “Well, what if I just get two or three and raise them and you should have the coop by then.” And whenever I say I was so happy!! EEK! And then we were asking the worker about what are good feeding starters and what to put em in. He told us everything. And then he said, if you were wanting to get 2-3 I’m so sorry because we only sell 6 at a time. My Grammy asked why? And he said they have terrible anxiety and they can get very lonely. So we got em! And I get too see them tomorrow and see how there doing on day 2!!❤ THERE SO CUTE!!!
With regards to the bloom of the egg and washing them, one of the big concerns people have with eggs is about salmonella. Although many cases of salmonella does come from egg contamination by bacteria getting through damage in the bloom - especially in unhygienic conditions - washing the egg actually increases the risk of bacteria getting past the shell into the egg, which is why eggs that have had the bloom removed should be refrigerated immediately. What no one likes to mention is that chicken eggs can have salmonella inside them before they're even laid. Industry in most countries counteracts this nowadays by vaccinating their chickens, but a lot of home breeders don't due to the expense, but vaccinations do exist - talk to a veterinarian. If the cost is too prohibitive where you live, just make sure you put the eggs in the fridge as soon as you collect them to stop any bacteria that is inside the egg from increasing to dangerous quantities, and don't consume the eggs raw, make sure to cook them in some way (either as a cooked egg or by cooking whatever the egg goes into in a timely manner such as in a cake). Keeping the chicken house clean and mouse-proof will help mitigate any disease problems, but won't always completely stop it. As for space, sadly many parts of the world consider 1 sq foot per chicken sufficient for "free range" so long as the chickens aren't caged, other places require a lot more space per chicken, so it's worth checking for local regulations regarding space requirements and check your own morals about animal welfare. The good thing about having your own chickens is that you don't have to ponder whether the eggs your using labelled as "free range" are from a mass-produced farm where the chickens can "move freely" but are crammed together in a large shed - you get to choose how much space and comfort your chickens get. Keep in mind, breed makes a difference as well, large breeds are going to need more space than little bantam breeds. If you're space limited, look into keeping bantam hens, they lay smaller eggs, but need half the space of a large breed like leghorns. If you don't eat a lot of eggs or only have a small family, two or three little young bantam hens will still give you a dozen or so small eggs per week during peak laying season.
i just got my second flock today!! last year i raised barred rock, they were great! i was surprised at actually how much work i didn’t have to do. i primarily free-ranged them, and by the fall i didn’t even really bother to shut the coop door. i only lost 1, but she was really not a “coop gal”. she would just venture further into the trees and roost until she just didn’t come back at all. that didn’t really bother me at all. i bought probably 2 bags of feed ever since they were all big enough to free range. mine only ever really snacked on their feed. they were/are great, dark orange yolks, and i cant wait to see my chicks grow up and move out
I'm just getting ready to get into raising chickens and have watched a bunch of videos so far. To date, this is the best, and most informative video that I've seen. Thanks for the education, and knowledge!
I still have 5 of my original 9 hens. I avoided the chicken math situation because we would like to travel for a couple weeks at a time after they have lived out their spoiled lives. My husband ( aka Chicken Daddy)fell in love with them so I’m sure we will get more in a few years.
It wasn't until this last day or so I've heard the term chicken math repeatedly. It is a thing. We started two years ago with five girls and now that they survived two winters I was like we can get a couple more. I accidentally got 35 standard high egg layers (can't remember which kind) , 5 black sexlinks (I liked their spunkiness), 2 white turkeys in case they are scarce come the holidays, two geese, and a brown turkey. I didn't know how it happened until my wife informed me what I had done. I've been working on the Hilton of coupes for them this last two weeks. Idk what we will do with the eggs.
i don't no if you a speaker for like a company or something but how you were explaining this is great because your voice was clam through out the whole video and you exactly explain how you would spend time with your hens and do your chores at the same time
I grew up around over 100+ chickens and had many different breeds. We would beg people to take eggs lol. It’s so interesting to see each breeds personality. I wish I could have chickens but I now live in an apartment, so I miss having chickens.
Most of the wood for my henhouse and coop was reclaimed wood so we had very little start up cost. This spring we are planning to rebuild our old shed into a new home for the girls and expand the run to a larger space and then fence in the area I am planting an orchard in to let them free range and forage all day. I'm so excited for the spring and all the upgrades we are going to be doing (many were inspired by things I saw y'all doing and decided to go a little bit beyond with)!
I'm glad you were up front about the total cost of the eggs relative to grocery store eggs. I have been kinda thinking about getting chickens, and a good chunk of that was for financial reasons. However, now I'm thinking about raising chicks with my kids who are 2 and 4. They would love that!
This year I tried a Seed Starting mat for my new hatchlings. Worked Awesome and no worry of pastie butt or fire. Put my wood shavings directly on the matt. Eggs are $5.32 a dozen where I live and that is beyond belief!
The two I got were mature hens from a local hobby farm. One was being bullied by the other hens, and they just couldn't get the flock to accept her even though they were all the same age and came together as chicks. she was very unhappy and ruffed up. The other hen was the next lowest hen in rank. They are pretty happy here, very cuddly too ☺️
In just a week from now, my adorable little hens will be one year old. I purchased them at approximately 1 1/2 to 2 weeks of age. With the inclusion of my adorable little Crossbeak/special-needs Chicken, ( who has over a short period of time, not only turned into my bff and permanent house pet, complete with her very own 12’ x 12,’ hardwood floored bedroom, built-in accessories, dust bathing facilities, jungle gym and nesting box, etc ), I have a total of eight little fluffy butts. Although I’ve watched countless informative and educational videos regarding chickens, hens, roosters, etc. yours is by far the most educational, enjoyable and informative videos I have watched to date. Thank you so much for every effort you’ve put into this video as well as the many other videos you’ve shared. The financial aspects, the physical, personal and emotional commitment, as well as the dedication to these adorable, amazing and utterly entertaining little creatures could not be more perfectly portrayed or explained than in the personal accounts, experiences and videos you’ve shared!!!
My chickens are NOT quiet. Except when they’re sleeping or if I have the time to let them out to free range. Some breeds are louder, some quieter. *** One add to daily or at least weekly maintenance is picking up each hen and checking feet, vent, weight, and especially the crop. Daily wellness checks can head off many illnesses and problems.
I like the noises they make. They sound cute. It's the roosters that drive me crazy. At one point when I lived in Bklyn NY, a block away from our apartment was an empty parking lot that had chickens and a rooster. The rooster would crow at all hours of the day and drive me bonkers.
Ours was $600 to build both coop & run. I change their water everyday & give more food. We went full grown hens. When it got hot, one died from heat stroke so we went with getting a pullet to replace the one. We love keeping them around for their personalities & eggs! We did the maths & it comes out to $2.50 per dozen over their lives for eggs. Not cheap, but well worth it for the independence from the suppy chain & animal welfare!
I go with sand (general purpose sand from Home Depot, not play sand) for the bedding in coops and for chicks. For chicks, it holds heat well, give them a little grit, easy to clean, and watching a chick fling itself around dust bathing is about the cutest ting ever. For the coop, it is again very easy to clean, and it seems to prevent mites. I've never had a mite issue in the 8 years I've been raising hens.
I live in the USA. My next door neighbors are going to start raising chickens for the eggs. I am going to help them build a chicken coop soon. Thank you for this information- I am learning something new - how to raise chickens! 😊
Lol amature builder here and we only had to buy some screws and visit the recycler for the metal roofing panels, everything else was on the free craigslist pages for our region...our overall cost was 24 for screws and 7 for the metal panels for a coop that is 3x4 and 6 feet tall, keep your eyes open for good stuff. This is a great video :) love the names of your chickens
Great video .. i just bought my first farm fresh eggs in downstate Illinois, farmer gave me a quick tour but i wanted to learn a bit more, your care for the chickens is outstanding. Looking forward to b’fast tomorrow .! Thanks.
I came into chicken keeping naturally, my grandparents were chicken farmers and as far back as I remember we raised a few chicks to add to the flock as kids, letting them grow out in our bathtub before bringing them out to the farm.
I'd love to have a flock of tiny dinosaurs in my yard! You're right, we don't wash eggs in New Zealand, so we don't have to keep them in the fridge. It's just an extra step that's not needed. We also don't feed them antibiotics or hormones, in either egg or meat birds. None of our livestock is treated that way. No feedlots, no hormones, no battery chooks. We eat animals, lots of them, but we try to give them a natural life as it's seen as cruel to do otherwise.
I'm in coastal GA and put up a large green house and put a large tarp over it with both sides open for ventilation. and large bricks on top of the tarp around it on the ground for storms/hurricanes. I fenced around it, my three have over a 100 ft to themselves but a door in which they are free-ranged all day into the yard. I close one side of it during the winter which is pretty mild here. It's inexpensive. I have a new feral off the ground cat bed in there made of wood hoping they would hop inside because I didn't need it anymore and nope, they lay eggs under it now. Not the most beautiful but it works A large thick round stick that lays across inside for roosting. Granted this isn't a good idea for the midwest but it does a great job here in GA. The tarp should be the highest grade for rain..
Thank you bro! You’ve summed it all up for me in such an amazingly helpful, kind way. My neighbour has an excess of chooks and I have som much room for them to be free and happy. Much love from Sth Australia
I had a similar experience in China. I was living at the edge of Hangzhou, bordering local farms. My corner grocery store had eggs just sitting out in a crate next to the door. I didn't dare buy them. When I got home, I asked about this at my local farmers market and, yeah, this was fine. As long as you don't refrigerate them after they're laid, you don't need to refrigerate them! 😀
This was great! I got hooked on the beautiful & delicious eggs from my neighbor’s hens, but then she had to give them away. I’ve been wanting more and more to keep some chickens of my own, but cost, effort, lack of knowledge, and my cats all make me hesitant. Thanks for breaking it down so clearly and transparently!
Wow, this came at the perfect time! I'm renting a new house here in a few weeks, and it's coming with a couple of chickens that are already there. I have no clue how to take care of them, so this is super helpful!!
Yay! Thanks, Kevin and crew for another outstanding how-to video. I'm slowly migrating north to Lake County, California and I'm looking to raise some chicks! Your video gave me some beneficial hints. hugs to all!
It looks like you have Orpingtons and Wyandottes. In my experience, those breeds generally get along well together. The more aggressive hens, like Astralorps, will not mix in well with your happy little family. I had to separate my aggressive hens from my gentle girls to prevent injuries. Something to consider when you add to your existing flock.
This is so helpful! I’m moving off grid and I’m so excited to buy a coop and a few chickens! Just learned so much in this video. It’s going to be amazing to implement into my homeschool curriculum for my child 🙌🏻
Spent grain is how a lot of folks go here in VT, the land of crafted beer! Also, for me chickens are a wonderful 'bug zapper', and that includes ticks, which we have here in the past 10 years especially. Let them loose on your lawn, and they'll decimate the bugs, then draw them back in their yard with a lovely chickie treat. They are very funny little animals, bring a lot of joy to my farm.
Aw. So cute. You really cracked me up and I’m not eggsaguratng. I want some so bad and it’s not just because of the price of eggs. My grandma used to have them and I have fond memories of that. Thanks for all your info! 💜
Lots of truth there, especially the work part : you have to clean the coop, food can easily be stack for near automated distribution (I check it once a month). I dont have an automated water dispensor si water is the main focus along with oppening the door since mine aint automated. Aside from the morning/evening routine (10 min total) and cleaning and adding food once a month Chickens basically keep themselves ! Of course I like to spend time with them so it amounts to more than that but its not required. Edit, what surprised me most was just how much personnality chickens have ! They are also super expressive, you can definitely catch their communications pretty fast ! Lastly, I was really impressed by their ability to prepare a bed in early spring ! Here in eastern quebec, when the snow melts right before grass come out, the soil is really soft and easy to work. Right at that time : let the hens in the garden (unless you have perenials, they may eat plants you like, they can be train since they are eat so much, but I hadnt) they will rake and eat everything from unwanted seeds, to bugs and even freaking QUACKGRASS rizhomes ! They do such an amazing job.
We're thinking about getting chickens to help control ticks in the yard. Ticks are so bad in this area and we don't spray because we have pets and kids and like to attract butterflies and bees and birds to the yard, but also...I've already got one tick born illness so we're looking for some way to get the tick population in the yard under control.
Hmmm enjoyed this however this is apparently mainly for town... we've raised chickens for well over 50 years, and have built every coop we've ever had, rarely every spent more than $100 on materials. Easy to fix or mix your own feed and it's a lot less expensive and doesn't have all the additives in it. Then there's the chicken therapy 😅😂😂... saves you sooo much money!! Blessings
If you don't mind, may I ask what you feed your chickens? We're planning on buying 2 or 3 chickens this spring, so I'm looking for ways to save on expenses. Thank you and God bless 🙏.
@@gb9276 we mix our own food... lots of the brands of food only have a minimum of 16% Protein and we go for around 25%... we get better eggs and we rarely have a big drop in egg production... we use whole oats / black oil sunflower seeds /split peas / hard wheat- red or white / [whole corn in winter]/ Flax seeds... now I don't have the ratios here... Acres of Adventure Homes has a fantastic video - How to make your own diy healthy homemade chicken feed... with ratios. I keep my recipe in the barn so I don't have it with me. We had used a good quality non gmo laying cubes, however it was $22 per bag, this now costs us about $11.50 per 50lbs of feed. Also our chickens are free range on about 1/2 acre and get grubs for a treat... so with that and scraps, they get plenty of protein. Hope this helps Blessings
@@epichomesteading absolutely time and space make a huge difference... I'm a country girl, raised in a barn 😉🙃😉 and loved it... married a military brat city boy and boy has he gotten an education 🙂... he absolutely love it too. I grew up on a dairy so we mixed all our foods. Absolutely loved it. Love watching your channel and learning new ways to grow difference crops.
I grew up next door to my aunt who kept between five and ten chickens for years. I wasn’t solely responsible for them at any point, but I’d take care of them when they went on vacation and they are seriously so low maintenance. My aunt usually had at least one rooster running around, but the one or two loud hens she had were much noisier lol. I’m really hoping I can keep my own sometime
We might buy some chickens off of my parents later this year. We can only have up to 5 with our city ordinances, but hopefully that will be enough for our family of 5. A fun thing, we dyed my parents chicken eggs this year for Easter. I washed the eggs pretty thoroughly with soap and water before hard boiling them, but when we dyed the eggs we realized the bloom was still completely in tact! The vinegar from the dye started peeling the bloom and it was awesome watching it happen
We raised our chicks for the first couple weeks in our bathtub. We were personally limited 😂 to the shower but we could close the door and they couldn’t get out and for cleaning we just pulled out the shavings every day, rinsed the tub and started again and in a couple weeks they were ready for the pen. They lived and laid for many years though in later years they laid less frequently. Each one had its own personality so much so that one was named friendly.😊 When they would molt we go to Whole Foods and ask for pet scraps (lots of produce trimmings like greens) which brought them right out of it. Thanks for the info.
So I don't think it was mentioned in the video or maybe I just didn't pay enough attention, but chickens can easily reach between 10 to 15 years depending on the breed. I had one pet chicken that made it to 13 years, if you're only keeping them for eggs they do as stated in the video slow down and eventually stop laying eggs at around 7 to 10 years of age in my experience, so be prepared to keep them around for another 5 or so years when that happens if you don't use them for meat.
Great video! People thinking about getting chickens should know: There are NO FREE EGGS. The cost of coop, feed, bedding, security, man-hours labor will likely not be 'recooped' by eggs of small batch flocks. The biggest danger to chickens raised in suburbs is neglect. The 'new chicken smell' simply wears off and it's down to work and maintenance nobody wants to do if there are video games to be had. Some of us like the zen of coop responsibility, and it grieves me to see people neglect their chickens (mostly with no water since it's sloppy and inconvenient to keep them supplied even with a dispenser in winter) and they die of dehydration which many new chicken owners think is a minor need if there's plenty of food. A coop of 15 hens will easily drink 2-3 gallons in a day to balance dry food, and if the dispenser is 2 gallons, that's a DAILY chore, not monthly. I have a neighbor who uses a dispenser to FORGET THEY HAVE CHICKENS. As a result, I've found the girls pushing their skulls thru chicken wire to lap up a morsel of snow, but all the snow already taken the width of a chicken's neck all along the run. I bring them hot tap water in a small tote bucket and they literally climb on top of each other to lap up the water in two tier access! What's worse is these owners shrug and sweep away the bodies of starved and dehydrated chickens, cannibalized for moisture in their blood, in excited anticipation of chicken math to buy MORE varieties in Spring! They've easily gone thru 40 hens with chicken math, just thru being too lazy to bring water because the dispenser still has water in it (frozen solid)! New coop keepers should know there are seven international animal anti-cruelty 'freedoms'. Look them up and meet those basic requirements ... yes even with farm animals destined for harvesting.
I was researching my upcoming chicken endeavors and saw you. I was like "I watch that guy, I listen to him." So I viewed this vid. 👍 Good Job on building an audience 😊
Awesome video, Kevin. Was super informative and answered several questions I did not even know I had. I wish I could have a few chickens in my area, but unfortunately our yard is a little too small for chickens.
Showing the personality's of your little Chicky babies were so much fun and amusing. The information you provided was so very helpful as well. Thanks😊🐣🐓🐥
Great video. We don’t have chickens yet but we are thinking about getting about 4 to 6 hens. We live on an acre of land outside city limits. We are in the Arizona desert so heat (keeping the hens cool in the summer) will be a factor for us.
Apart from the advantages already listed, it's worth noting the following benefits of having chickens: They excel at kickstarting the composting process and they can assist in diverting a significant portion of your food scraps, reducing waste. By having chickens around, you can experience reduced insects in the area. Love your content, thanks for sharing this.❤
I would say our coop and run cost about 150-200$. We used our old shed that had a big room and built the run right next to it. We also covered the holes in the wall.
I'm over 50. Grew up in the UK, now live in Germany. NEVER refrigerated eggs, even the bought kind. Nobody ever did when I was young. I read to turn them daily to keep the inside of the shell evenly moist.. Dunno if that's truly needed, but never had a bad egg and I usually keep mine weeks to a month on the shelf.
Yeah, I've heard that Europeans don't refrigerate their eggs. Here in the US we have to refrigerate the store bought kind because of how they process them.
@@SuperReznative well maybe eggs get washed with something extra strong in the USA, so the advice is right for there? Also I think UK eggs (at least) are pasteurised now (but we never refrigerated them before that either!)
Thanks so much for sharing this one - we got chicks at Tractor Supply ("Hey can I interest you in some chicks...") It's been interesting since we didn't know much but they really are fun to have. The tips in this video are great - we are in the process of making are run bigger so they have more space and hearing all the math is helpful!
A channel called Fy Nyth, likes to ferment the chicken feed esp. in winter (WY). She has two quart containers going in a shop that they keep warm. She does various grains. She just did a vid on the mix she makes.
The hens like to use the same laying box.. so when a hen goes broody they're taking up the box that everyone uses. Some hens are less flexible about that than others. I would say, especially if you're not going to slaughter your hens when they quit laying, you should stagger your hens so they don't all dry up at once and you have a full coop and no eggs.
Thanks for the great video. Very informative. I've always wanted to raise chickens, but after seeing the initial investment to do it right, and knowing that the eggs are still $2.50 dozen.... it doesn't seem worth the yard space and time investment. I think Id be better to use that space for gardening.
I'm getting my first flock this year! I'm still in the planning and designing of my coop stage (I'm that brand of picky, and my boyfriend is thankfully very handy also). I took LOTS of notes.
In Belgium, chicken eggs are not in the refrigerated part of the store. They are just in an isle. Also my family keeps them out of the fridge. That is only necessary if they get placed in a fridge. They actually don't advise putting your eggs in the fridge doors as they go through quite some temperature fluctuations during the day.
keep trying to go out there, feed them treats, sit down with them. Our chickens won't let just anyone pick them up. But when the chicken gets to know you, some love to be held, and maybe it's a learned behavior in my flock haha But when i feed them, i can go to one of them, they've all been picked up dozens of times, so now they just do this little squat dance, knowing they're about to be picked up, and it's the most adorable thing in the world.
Love this, thank you! I am just starting my chicken coop based on previous videos and I look forward to the adventure. I did buy a really unique chicken called a Ayam Ceman, which is all black including feet, including several of the breeds you have at the Homestead.
I just about bought a couple of those but for $200, I decided to pass for now. They don't lay too much and quality (in US) isn't great, lots get white leakage. Hopefully some day!
My original flock, "the dirty dozen" are now 6 years old. Last year I added 17, the year before that 5, plus a "stray" who happens to be the wildest yet broodiest. This year I'm getting a few more (okay, 25) ...and 4 ducks. Chicken math is REAL, y'all!
This is such a useful site - awaiting my cage rescue hens to arrive (3) and I cannot wait. I live in Cornwall UK so there are many breweries so thank you for that. I have a coop but it is quite small so the hens will have freedom to roam around my reasonable sized garden.
If you can't have roosters, then I recommend Meyer Hatchery. You can get day old chicks that are sexed from them for a reasonable cost. Also, spend the $45 and get a radiant heater for the brooder box. It's safer. Those red bulb heat lamps can start a fire in 2 minutes or broil your babies. Carolina Coops (American Coops) are beautiful but definitely VERY expensive ($6,000-25,000). I'm not so good at building, but I made a great coop for a few hundred dollars. Then I built the run. Predator protection is the most important aspect of buidling the coop & run, but you also want it to be convenient. Have exterior access for collecting your eggs, add some space for storage so you don't have to haul food and bedding, make the run tall enough for you to walk in it because at some point it'll need cleaning. Have a coop door that opens so you can just rake out the soiled bedding. Ventilation is very important as is cover to keep wild bird poop out of the chicken area because of avian flu. Give your chickens plain Greek yogurt mixed with grains or leftovers at least in the spring and fall to keep them from intestinal parasites. Give them a dust bath (dirt, sand, food grade diatomaceous earth, and wood ash all mixed together) to keep mites/lice away. Spray the coop down with Orange Guard every spring so you don't every get fowl ticks. Epic video and you really have given great information. I know we've both had our chickens for about the same amount of time and for newbies, it can be overwhelming. You can be very creative and use an old shed, large dog house, playhouse, etc and modify them for your coop (they need a window for light, an exit, ventilation, and a roost bar). Chickens are so wonderful with great little personalities. It sounds like work, but they are so easy. I clean the coop every 6 months. I have an automatic door so they can get out every morning. Auto feeders/waterers let me go away for 4-5 days at a time. Get some chickens!
![LIVE Tour: Joe's Farm [Pastured Poultry]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/M8x1_-zQG1w/mqdefault.jpg)
![LIVE Tour: Joe's Farm [Pastured Poultry]](/img/tr.png)
I got hens purely for their eggs.
But once I got them they have become the love of my life. They make me so happy and they make me laugh. I never knew how amazing they are, I’m so grateful to have them. I never watch tv now because I’m always hanging out with them 🥰
Chicken math is REAL y'all. I started about 13 years ago with three....now I'm up to about 100 LOL. I honestly can't imagine life without chickens, they really do bring so much joy every day, and the eggs are so much better than store bought. Got some new little babies due to hatch this weekend, and I'm just as excited as the first time! 😊
100?!!??!!? LOL
@@epichomesteading I had a few hens sneak off in to the woods last summer (they were free range at the time due to a sudden move), and they returned with quite the brood LOL. Thankfully we live on six acres with almost no predator pressure, and I absolutely love roosters, so everyone is happy! 😁
Math being the eggs hatch or just adding more when hens don’t produce anymore
❤❤❤❤
8:26
I started three years ago with no knowledge, a diy coop, six hens, and a rooster. Over the years I have had to learn hard lessons about protecting chickens from predators, the dangers of using a heat lamp (rooster melted all his tail feathers), and the struggle of frozen water in the winter. This past year I have upped my chicken game with a new (much bigger and well protected) coop/run with the intentions of many more chickens, hatched my own eggs (4 out of 6 were roosters...), and learned how to butcher (rip those 4 roosters). Chickens are such a joy to own, and chicken math is definitely a thing!
So much to learn in the chicken game!
I learned from your comment. Thank you
We don't have any predators but I'm afraid they're going to show up once I get chickens. I'm stalling.
Thanks for adding what you added. I have been raising backyard chickens for 12 years and predators of all kinds are a real thing. Chickens are pray for many things!
+q
Our chickens legit survived a category 4 almost category 5 hurricane. The storm intensified quickly and it was all we could do to get ourselves out. My husband shut them in the coop with a lot of food and water and when we were able to come home a few days later they were a little shaken up but all alive. Their entire coop had shifted a couple feet over but luckily no trees fell on them and no animals were able to scavenge them.
dang what kind of coop do you have lol! they need to make people houses like it.
Ahhh! Another Florida resident! Very nice info neighbor!
In addition to the other benefits mentioned:
- Great at starting compost
- Can help divert a lot of your food scraps
- Lower insect pressure
- Can be used to help flip beds
Fantastic additions
beds???
@@fer6904 garden beds. After you harvest from a garden bed, they will happily scratch through the dirt for any larva, worms, or tasty debris which might be lingering. After they're done, you just tidy it up, and proceed with your management.
What's the best compost to use in your Chicken pin?
@@simplywicklessscents For a run, I would just put some carbon heavy material (e.g. wood chips) and let the chickens eventually turn it into compost.
In the UK we have a fantastic charity called the British Hen Welfare Trust. They resuce ex-commercial hens destined for slaughter and re-home them. We got 3 of them at 18 months old and they are laying regularly, still 2 years later. Some of the hens have never seen the light of day so it's a feel good factor too knowing you have provided them with a second chance at life.
That's wonderful! ❤️
Its important to remember that the start-up cost for anything is going to be semi-expensive at first. But once those elements are in place, they aren't a yearly expense. You pay for a coop and run once vs. feed. I would also take into account the amount of compost and fertilizer they will produce. With the cost of fertilizer skyrocketing, I'd make several bins for them to break down and then use throughout the gardening season.
Fixed vs. variable costs!
@@epichomesteading can you do a video about compost and chicken compost? How to make, when to use? So hard in SoCal to get the ratios right! I think my compost had a fungus that killed all my plants last year! Now afraid to try again but store soil is to expensive.
I think it's worth remembering that, well, these are little dinosaurs. Sometimes people get shocked if they see something like some of their chickens kill a lizard, or that they'll readily eat scrambled eggs, etc, if offered. It's not like they're vicious or anything, but they aren't always dainty, so go in being realistic about that.
19 days ago I sold 12 chickens and used the proceeds to buy an incubator. So in a few days I'll have 15 new faces on the farm.
Putting me at 60ish
Dude, amazing!
@@epichomesteading I love selling eggs but im in it for that precomposted gold 💯
It's pretty impressive imo that this guy can give solid reliable advice for anyone whether they're looking to harvest poultry meat, eggs, or just keep them as pets. Describing the best method of care without bias or preaching because it seems like he loves his hens. Most people Ive met out here in the country tend to take sides based on your intentions or needs for them. 10/10
Love that coop! We've raised chickens for about 16 years. Always used a heat lamp and haven't lost a hen yet. Fun fact about egg color... you can tell the egg color by the color of the ear lobes.
Glad to hear on the heat lamp!!
If in some places you aren't allowed to have chickens due to regulations, it is possible to double check to see if they will allow you to have quail because quail are smaller and also have edible eggs.
Raised quail for this very reason, I’m finally in a place I can raise chickens but I loved everything about raising quail, eggs are delicious and they are really easy
@@bigdaddy2636 I don't know much about chickens but I know Quails are great pets too.
If you want to crack ten eggs for a half omelette 😂
Been raising quail for years. The eggs taste great but are very heavy for me. I eat 3 and am not hungry till dinner.
Something cool is their eggs don’t carry salmonella and make great dog treats cooked or raw. Shell and all.
Also you’ll need something called quail egg scissors to cut the tops off of the eggs. They don’t crack like chicken eggs. They’re eggs shells and membrane is thicker that chickens.
Don’t let the government tell you that you “aren’t allowed” !!
A very thorough breakdown on Chicken keeping Kevin!
We’ve had chickens for 10 years now here in Australia and they are so rewarding to have as garden buddies.
We built our coop completely from scratch using a huge wooden potato box. It looks like a mini house with it’s white paint, red trimmed windows and pitched roof 😃
Our longest living hen died recently at age 9, she was fantastic and really taught our newest flock members the ropes before she passed. We currently have two Wyandotte (a silver laced and a gold laced) , 3 Cream Crested Legbars (yeah they are skinny and strange looking 😂 ) and one Maran x Orpington who looks a little like your Lavender.
Previously we purchased Pullets but our newest 4 we raised from chicks. Yes, the difference is real in regards to relationship building and handling. The newbies (who are now Pullets themselves) are the friendliest, sweetest, easy to handle girls we’ve had to date. They are personable, sit on my lap, and generally very confident around humans. So I have to agree that *if you can* raising from chicks is the better option.
Anyhoooo Chicken Daddy, thanks for an enjoyable episode!
Love your flock breakdown!!!
Your coop sounds adorable.
@@thehangmansdaughter1120 thanks, it was a fun build 😀
What's a potato box? Like, how big is that and where do you get one? I've never heard of that. I'm just now researching so I can start raising chickens. I've been going from video to video for weeks now. Lol
@@melaniec463 here in Australia they were/are used to ship potatoes around in these huge 1.2 metre square boxes/bins made of wood. The wood is similar to pallet wood, usually kiln treated, and the boxes are made to last.
The box came with the property when we bought the place. The previous owner used it for storage in the shed.
It was an easy conversion, I used a reciprocating saw (sawzall) and cut out windows and a front door.
We added a pitched roof, insulation (as it gets very cold here in winter), and a nesting box on the back that we can lift the lid of to collect eggs.
Good luck on your chicken journey.
Since my original reply a year ago we’ve added two more rescues to our flock, bringing us up to 8 chickens 😊
I made a 10ft by 20ft run from chain link dog pens my boss was getting rid of for $200. Used 2x4s and $30 greenhouse plastic to make a roof on it.
And I made a coup out of an old table, a cattle panel, a cut up dresser, scrap wood, a kiddy pool, and a couple of storage bins. Super ghetto. But works great.
It depends on the breed, but old chickens don’t stop laying. They slow down, but will still lay. I’m still getting eggs from my 8yo hens. If you’re limited on the number of chickens, I recommend adding 2-3 chicks every 2-3 years to maintain levels of production (again, depending on the breeds you get).
Hello! I know this was one year ago but, I’m currently so excited!! We have been looking at coops, and all that we went to go look at chicks today at Rural king! And we were looking at the top ten breeding hens on Google. And they were selling one of the top tens, So my Grammy told my dad, “Well, what if I just get two or three and raise them and you should have the coop by then.” And whenever I say I was so happy!! EEK! And then we were asking the worker about what are good feeding starters and what to put em in. He told us everything. And then he said, if you were wanting to get 2-3 I’m so sorry because we only sell 6 at a time. My Grammy asked why? And he said they have terrible anxiety and they can get very lonely. So we got em! And I get too see them tomorrow and see how there doing on day 2!!❤ THERE SO CUTE!!!
With regards to the bloom of the egg and washing them, one of the big concerns people have with eggs is about salmonella. Although many cases of salmonella does come from egg contamination by bacteria getting through damage in the bloom - especially in unhygienic conditions - washing the egg actually increases the risk of bacteria getting past the shell into the egg, which is why eggs that have had the bloom removed should be refrigerated immediately. What no one likes to mention is that chicken eggs can have salmonella inside them before they're even laid. Industry in most countries counteracts this nowadays by vaccinating their chickens, but a lot of home breeders don't due to the expense, but vaccinations do exist - talk to a veterinarian. If the cost is too prohibitive where you live, just make sure you put the eggs in the fridge as soon as you collect them to stop any bacteria that is inside the egg from increasing to dangerous quantities, and don't consume the eggs raw, make sure to cook them in some way (either as a cooked egg or by cooking whatever the egg goes into in a timely manner such as in a cake). Keeping the chicken house clean and mouse-proof will help mitigate any disease problems, but won't always completely stop it.
As for space, sadly many parts of the world consider 1 sq foot per chicken sufficient for "free range" so long as the chickens aren't caged, other places require a lot more space per chicken, so it's worth checking for local regulations regarding space requirements and check your own morals about animal welfare. The good thing about having your own chickens is that you don't have to ponder whether the eggs your using labelled as "free range" are from a mass-produced farm where the chickens can "move freely" but are crammed together in a large shed - you get to choose how much space and comfort your chickens get. Keep in mind, breed makes a difference as well, large breeds are going to need more space than little bantam breeds. If you're space limited, look into keeping bantam hens, they lay smaller eggs, but need half the space of a large breed like leghorns. If you don't eat a lot of eggs or only have a small family, two or three little young bantam hens will still give you a dozen or so small eggs per week during peak laying season.
Wet your feed so it ferments.they need less and eat less
Great info!!! Thanks
They often get diseases That's why there are vaccinations for 6 or more chicken s
New Castle disease
Marek disease
Andn20nmore.
Avian influenza
I wish this video existed when I was getting into chickens. This is probably the best chicken 101 video I’ve ever seen!
So glad to hear!
i just got my second flock today!! last year i raised barred rock, they were great! i was surprised at actually how much work i didn’t have to do. i primarily free-ranged them, and by the fall i didn’t even really bother to shut the coop door. i only lost 1, but she was really not a “coop gal”. she would just venture further into the trees and roost until she just didn’t come back at all. that didn’t really bother me at all. i bought probably 2 bags of feed ever since they were all big enough to free range. mine only ever really snacked on their feed. they were/are great, dark orange yolks, and i cant wait to see my chicks grow up and move out
I'm just getting ready to get into raising chickens and have watched a bunch of videos so far. To date, this is the best, and most informative video that I've seen. Thanks for the education, and knowledge!
I still have 5 of my original 9 hens. I avoided the chicken math situation because we would like to travel for a couple weeks at a time after they have lived out their spoiled lives. My husband ( aka Chicken Daddy)fell in love with them so I’m sure we will get more in a few years.
🐣🐥🐤
That's amazing to hear, Tammy!
It wasn't until this last day or so I've heard the term chicken math repeatedly. It is a thing. We started two years ago with five girls and now that they survived two winters I was like we can get a couple more. I accidentally got 35 standard high egg layers (can't remember which kind) , 5 black sexlinks (I liked their spunkiness), 2 white turkeys in case they are scarce come the holidays, two geese, and a brown turkey. I didn't know how it happened until my wife informed me what I had done. I've been working on the Hilton of coupes for them this last two weeks. Idk what we will do with the eggs.
My mother used to keep a ton of hens. They were so lovely ❤
My husband and I are raising chickens this year. I’m glad I saw this video and we’re thankful that you shared this.
Your video was exactly what I needed! The segment at [1:52] on choosing the right breed for the farm is excellent
i don't no if you a speaker for like a company or something but how you were explaining this is great because your voice was clam through out the whole video and you exactly explain how you would spend time with your hens and do your chores at the same time
I grew up around over 100+ chickens and had many different breeds. We would beg people to take eggs lol.
It’s so interesting to see each breeds personality. I wish I could have chickens but I now live in an apartment, so I miss having chickens.
Most of the wood for my henhouse and coop was reclaimed wood so we had very little start up cost. This spring we are planning to rebuild our old shed into a new home for the girls and expand the run to a larger space and then fence in the area I am planting an orchard in to let them free range and forage all day. I'm so excited for the spring and all the upgrades we are going to be doing (many were inspired by things I saw y'all doing and decided to go a little bit beyond with)!
I'm glad you were up front about the total cost of the eggs relative to grocery store eggs. I have been kinda thinking about getting chickens, and a good chunk of that was for financial reasons. However, now I'm thinking about raising chicks with my kids who are 2 and 4. They would love that!
This year I tried a Seed Starting mat for my new hatchlings. Worked Awesome and no worry of pastie butt or fire. Put my wood shavings directly on the matt.
Eggs are $5.32 a dozen where I live and that is beyond belief!
I can’t have chickens where I live right now, but I would in a heartbeat. Every year I’ll watch a video like this just for enjoyment haha.
The two I got were mature hens from a local hobby farm. One was being bullied by the other hens, and they just couldn't get the flock to accept her even though they were all the same age and came together as chicks. she was very unhappy and ruffed up. The other hen was the next lowest hen in rank.
They are pretty happy here, very cuddly too ☺️
In just a week from now, my adorable little hens will be one year old.
I purchased them at approximately 1 1/2 to 2 weeks of age.
With the inclusion of my adorable little Crossbeak/special-needs Chicken, ( who has over a short period of time, not only turned into my bff and permanent house pet, complete with her very own 12’ x 12,’ hardwood floored bedroom, built-in accessories, dust bathing facilities, jungle gym and nesting box, etc ), I have a total of eight little fluffy butts.
Although I’ve watched countless informative and educational videos regarding chickens, hens, roosters, etc. yours is by far the most educational, enjoyable and informative videos I have watched to date. Thank you so much for every effort you’ve put into this video as well as the many other videos you’ve shared.
The financial aspects, the physical, personal and emotional commitment, as well as the dedication to these adorable, amazing and utterly entertaining little creatures could not be more perfectly portrayed or explained than in the personal accounts, experiences and videos you’ve shared!!!
Love seeing the chicken keeping and henhouse and coop evolution on the channel
My chickens are NOT quiet. Except when they’re sleeping or if I have the time to let them out to free range. Some breeds are louder, some quieter.
*** One add to daily or at least weekly maintenance is picking up each hen and checking feet, vent, weight, and especially the crop. Daily wellness checks can head off many illnesses and problems.
Totally agree...some breeds are WAY louder than others!
I like the noises they make. They sound cute. It's the roosters that drive me crazy. At one point when I lived in Bklyn NY, a block away from our apartment was an empty parking lot that had chickens and a rooster. The rooster would crow at all hours of the day and drive me bonkers.
Ours was $600 to build both coop & run. I change their water everyday & give more food. We went full grown hens. When it got hot, one died from heat stroke so we went with getting a pullet to replace the one. We love keeping them around for their personalities & eggs! We did the maths & it comes out to $2.50 per dozen over their lives for eggs. Not cheap, but well worth it for the independence from the suppy chain & animal welfare!
Your hens look so lovely. It's been so fun watching them grow and they are doing so well.
I go with sand (general purpose sand from Home Depot, not play sand) for the bedding in coops and for chicks. For chicks, it holds heat well, give them a little grit, easy to clean, and watching a chick fling itself around dust bathing is about the cutest ting ever. For the coop, it is again very easy to clean, and it seems to prevent mites. I've never had a mite issue in the 8 years I've been raising hens.
What about when theyr older and poop? Doesnt it make a paste that's hard to clean?
I live in the USA. My next door neighbors are going to start raising chickens for the eggs. I am going to help them build a chicken coop soon. Thank you for this information- I am learning something new - how to raise chickens! 😊
Lol amature builder here and we only had to buy some screws and visit the recycler for the metal roofing panels, everything else was on the free craigslist pages for our region...our overall cost was 24 for screws and 7 for the metal panels for a coop that is 3x4 and 6 feet tall, keep your eyes open for good stuff. This is a great video :) love the names of your chickens
Great video .. i just bought my first farm fresh eggs in downstate Illinois, farmer gave me a quick tour but i wanted to learn a bit more, your care for the chickens is outstanding. Looking forward to b’fast tomorrow .! Thanks.
I came into chicken keeping naturally, my grandparents were chicken farmers and as far back as I remember we raised a few chicks to add to the flock as kids, letting them grow out in our bathtub before bringing them out to the farm.
I'd love to have a flock of tiny dinosaurs in my yard! You're right, we don't wash eggs in New Zealand, so we don't have to keep them in the fridge. It's just an extra step that's not needed. We also don't feed them antibiotics or hormones, in either egg or meat birds. None of our livestock is treated that way. No feedlots, no hormones, no battery chooks. We eat animals, lots of them, but we try to give them a natural life as it's seen as cruel to do otherwise.
I'm in coastal GA and put up a large green house and put a large tarp over it with both sides open for ventilation. and large bricks on top of the tarp around it on the ground for storms/hurricanes. I fenced around it, my three have over a 100 ft to themselves but a door in which they are free-ranged all day into the yard. I close one side of it during the winter which is pretty mild here. It's inexpensive. I have a new feral off the ground cat bed in there made of wood hoping they would hop inside because I didn't need it anymore and nope, they lay eggs under it now. Not the most beautiful but it works A large thick round stick that lays across inside for roosting. Granted this isn't a good idea for the midwest but it does a great job here in GA. The tarp should be the highest grade for rain..
Thank you bro! You’ve summed it all up for me in such an amazingly helpful, kind way.
My neighbour has an excess of chooks and I have som much room for them to be free and happy.
Much love from Sth Australia
Thank you. I’m raising my chicks. They are about 4 weeks. I love the feeder you have.
I had a similar experience in China. I was living at the edge of Hangzhou, bordering local farms. My corner grocery store had eggs just sitting out in a crate next to the door. I didn't dare buy them. When I got home, I asked about this at my local farmers market and, yeah, this was fine. As long as you don't refrigerate them after they're laid, you don't need to refrigerate them! 😀
This was great! I got hooked on the beautiful & delicious eggs from my neighbor’s hens, but then she had to give them away. I’ve been wanting more and more to keep some chickens of my own, but cost, effort, lack of knowledge, and my cats all make me hesitant. Thanks for breaking it down so clearly and transparently!
Wow, this came at the perfect time! I'm renting a new house here in a few weeks, and it's coming with a couple of chickens that are already there. I have no clue how to take care of them, so this is super helpful!!
Yay! Thanks, Kevin and crew for another outstanding how-to video. I'm slowly migrating north to Lake County, California and I'm looking to raise some chicks! Your video gave me some beneficial hints. hugs to all!
This was very helpful. I want to raise some chickens and didn’t know where to start. This was great. Thank you!
It looks like you have Orpingtons and Wyandottes. In my experience, those breeds generally get along well together. The more aggressive hens, like Astralorps, will not mix in well with your happy little family. I had to separate my aggressive hens from my gentle girls to prevent injuries. Something to consider when you add to your existing flock.
This is so helpful! I’m moving off grid and I’m so excited to buy a coop and a few chickens! Just learned so much in this video. It’s going to be amazing to implement into my homeschool curriculum for my child 🙌🏻
Spent grain is how a lot of folks go here in VT, the land of crafted beer! Also, for me chickens are a wonderful 'bug zapper', and that includes ticks, which we have here in the past 10 years especially. Let them loose on your lawn, and they'll decimate the bugs, then draw them back in their yard with a lovely chickie treat. They are very funny little animals, bring a lot of joy to my farm.
Aw. So cute. You really cracked me up and I’m not eggsaguratng.
I want some so bad and it’s not just because of the price of eggs. My grandma used to have them and I have fond memories of that.
Thanks for all your info! 💜
They're so fun :)
Thanks!
Lots of truth there, especially the work part : you have to clean the coop, food can easily be stack for near automated distribution (I check it once a month). I dont have an automated water dispensor si water is the main focus along with oppening the door since mine aint automated. Aside from the morning/evening routine (10 min total) and cleaning and adding food once a month Chickens basically keep themselves ! Of course I like to spend time with them so it amounts to more than that but its not required.
Edit, what surprised me most was just how much personnality chickens have ! They are also super expressive, you can definitely catch their communications pretty fast !
Lastly, I was really impressed by their ability to prepare a bed in early spring ! Here in eastern quebec, when the snow melts right before grass come out, the soil is really soft and easy to work. Right at that time : let the hens in the garden (unless you have perenials, they may eat plants you like, they can be train since they are eat so much, but I hadnt) they will rake and eat everything from unwanted seeds, to bugs and even freaking QUACKGRASS rizhomes ! They do such an amazing job.
We're thinking about getting chickens to help control ticks in the yard. Ticks are so bad in this area and we don't spray because we have pets and kids and like to attract butterflies and bees and birds to the yard, but also...I've already got one tick born illness so we're looking for some way to get the tick population in the yard under control.
Hmmm enjoyed this however this is apparently mainly for town... we've raised chickens for well over 50 years, and have built every coop we've ever had, rarely every spent more than $100 on materials.
Easy to fix or mix your own feed and it's a lot less expensive and doesn't have all the additives in it.
Then there's the chicken therapy 😅😂😂... saves you sooo much money!!
Blessings
If you don't mind, may I ask what you feed your chickens? We're planning on buying 2 or 3 chickens this spring, so I'm looking for ways to save on expenses. Thank you and God bless 🙏.
@@gb9276 we mix our own food... lots of the brands of food only have a minimum of 16% Protein and we go for around 25%... we get better eggs and we rarely have a big drop in egg production... we use whole oats / black oil sunflower seeds /split peas / hard wheat- red or white / [whole corn in winter]/ Flax seeds... now I don't have the ratios here... Acres of Adventure Homes has a fantastic video - How to make your own diy healthy homemade chicken feed... with ratios.
I keep my recipe in the barn so I don't have it with me.
We had used a good quality non gmo laying cubes, however it was $22 per bag, this now costs us about $11.50 per 50lbs of feed.
Also our chickens are free range on about 1/2 acre and get grubs for a treat... so with that and scraps, they get plenty of protein. Hope this helps
Blessings
I highly respect this...something I'd like to do in the future with more space and time!
@@epichomesteading absolutely time and space make a huge difference... I'm a country girl, raised in a barn 😉🙃😉 and loved it... married a military brat city boy and boy has he gotten an education 🙂... he absolutely love it too. I grew up on a dairy so we mixed all our foods.
Absolutely loved it.
Love watching your channel and learning new ways to grow difference crops.
@@amsohn1 thank you for your kind response. Appreciate it. God bless🙏💕❤
"Wow, the information at [5;01] was exactly what I needed! Thanks for sharing such valuable tips!"
I grew up next door to my aunt who kept between five and ten chickens for years. I wasn’t solely responsible for them at any point, but I’d take care of them when they went on vacation and they are seriously so low maintenance. My aunt usually had at least one rooster running around, but the one or two loud hens she had were much noisier lol. I’m really hoping I can keep my own sometime
We might buy some chickens off of my parents later this year. We can only have up to 5 with our city ordinances, but hopefully that will be enough for our family of 5.
A fun thing, we dyed my parents chicken eggs this year for Easter. I washed the eggs pretty thoroughly with soap and water before hard boiling them, but when we dyed the eggs we realized the bloom was still completely in tact! The vinegar from the dye started peeling the bloom and it was awesome watching it happen
We raised our chicks for the first couple weeks in our bathtub. We were personally limited 😂 to the shower but we could close the door and they couldn’t get out and for cleaning we just pulled out the shavings every day, rinsed the tub and started again and in a couple weeks they were ready for the pen. They lived and laid for many years though in later years they laid less frequently. Each one had its own personality so much so that one was named friendly.😊
When they would molt we go to Whole Foods and ask for pet scraps (lots of produce trimmings like greens) which brought them right out of it.
Thanks for the info.
So I don't think it was mentioned in the video or maybe I just didn't pay enough attention, but chickens can easily reach between 10 to 15 years depending on the breed. I had one pet chicken that made it to 13 years, if you're only keeping them for eggs they do as stated in the video slow down and eventually stop laying eggs at around 7 to 10 years of age in my experience, so be prepared to keep them around for another 5 or so years when that happens if you don't use them for meat.
Thank you for the information. I just got some chicks and excited to give them a good life and have fun.
very informative. thank you. something i would add is to learn how to be assertive when socializing with the gang. they will follow if you lead.
Great video!
People thinking about getting chickens should know: There are NO FREE EGGS. The cost of coop, feed, bedding, security, man-hours labor will likely not be 'recooped' by eggs of small batch flocks. The biggest danger to chickens raised in suburbs is neglect. The 'new chicken smell' simply wears off and it's down to work and maintenance nobody wants to do if there are video games to be had. Some of us like the zen of coop responsibility, and it grieves me to see people neglect their chickens (mostly with no water since it's sloppy and inconvenient to keep them supplied even with a dispenser in winter) and they die of dehydration which many new chicken owners think is a minor need if there's plenty of food. A coop of 15 hens will easily drink 2-3 gallons in a day to balance dry food, and if the dispenser is 2 gallons, that's a DAILY chore, not monthly. I have a neighbor who uses a dispenser to FORGET THEY HAVE CHICKENS. As a result, I've found the girls pushing their skulls thru chicken wire to lap up a morsel of snow, but all the snow already taken the width of a chicken's neck all along the run. I bring them hot tap water in a small tote bucket and they literally climb on top of each other to lap up the water in two tier access! What's worse is these owners shrug and sweep away the bodies of starved and dehydrated chickens, cannibalized for moisture in their blood, in excited anticipation of chicken math to buy MORE varieties in Spring! They've easily gone thru 40 hens with chicken math, just thru being too lazy to bring water because the dispenser still has water in it (frozen solid)!
New coop keepers should know there are seven international animal anti-cruelty 'freedoms'. Look them up and meet those basic requirements ... yes even with farm animals destined for harvesting.
I was researching my upcoming chicken endeavors and saw you. I was like "I watch that guy, I listen to him." So I viewed this vid. 👍 Good Job on building an audience 😊
Awesome video, Kevin. Was super informative and answered several questions I did not even know I had.
I wish I could have a few chickens in my area, but unfortunately our yard is a little too small for chickens.
Thank you for all this 🙏🏽 so valuable
MusivC
Glad you enjoyed Natalie!
Showing the personality's of your little Chicky babies were so much fun and amusing. The information you provided was so very helpful as well. Thanks😊🐣🐓🐥
Great video. We don’t have chickens yet but we are thinking about getting about 4 to 6 hens. We live on an acre of land outside city limits. We are in the Arizona desert so heat (keeping the hens cool in the summer) will be a factor for us.
Apart from the advantages already listed, it's worth noting the following benefits of having chickens: They excel at kickstarting the composting process and they can assist in diverting a significant portion of your food scraps, reducing waste. By having chickens around, you can experience reduced insects in the area. Love your content, thanks for sharing this.❤
I would say our coop and run cost about 150-200$. We used our old shed that had a big room and built the run right next to it. We also covered the holes in the wall.
I'm over 50. Grew up in the UK, now live in Germany. NEVER refrigerated eggs, even the bought kind. Nobody ever did when I was young. I read to turn them daily to keep the inside of the shell evenly moist.. Dunno if that's truly needed, but never had a bad egg and I usually keep mine weeks to a month on the shelf.
Yeah, I've heard that Europeans don't refrigerate their eggs. Here in the US we have to refrigerate the store bought kind because of how they process them.
I never will again!
wow, have we ever been dumbed down in, North America.
@@SuperReznative well maybe eggs get washed with something extra strong in the USA, so the advice is right for there? Also I think UK eggs (at least) are pasteurised now (but we never refrigerated them before that either!)
Would love to have you do a deep dive into the benefits or rasing Heritage chickens. Great vid!
Love the longer videos. And seeing the chicks
Your delivery is fun informative and just a pleasure to listen to TY
I don't even have a house, but I love watching the chickens! They are so gorgeous 😍 and funny. Lobster taking over the camera for a bit was so cute! 😄
I totally agree!
Would you consider taking advantage of a broody hen to incubate fertilized eggs???
Yes
Thanks so much for sharing this one - we got chicks at Tractor Supply ("Hey can I interest you in some chicks...") It's been interesting since we didn't know much but they really are fun to have. The tips in this video are great - we are in the process of making are run bigger so they have more space and hearing all the math is helpful!
A channel called Fy Nyth, likes to ferment the chicken feed esp. in winter (WY). She has two quart containers going in a shop that they keep warm. She does various grains. She just did a vid on the mix she makes.
The hens like to use the same laying box.. so when a hen goes broody they're taking up the box that everyone uses. Some hens are less flexible about that than others. I would say, especially if you're not going to slaughter your hens when they quit laying, you should stagger your hens so they don't all dry up at once and you have a full coop and no eggs.
Thanks for the great video. Very informative. I've always wanted to raise chickens, but after seeing the initial investment to do it right, and knowing that the eggs are still $2.50 dozen.... it doesn't seem worth the yard space and time investment. I think Id be better to use that space for gardening.
It sounds like a good hobby in retirement
Great tip: Occasionally give your chickens sunflower seeds to help boost egg production. I did this and we were getting around 50-100 eggs a week
I'm getting my first flock this year! I'm still in the planning and designing of my coop stage (I'm that brand of picky, and my boyfriend is thankfully very handy also). I took LOTS of notes.
Love to hear this, Trish! Have fun w/ it!
This was such a LOVELY video to watch - really informative, but clear you love them all so much.
One more thing: How long is the shelf life for the eggs, do you mark the date on them as to when they were laid?
2 weeks or so unrefrigerated on counter, I usually just gamble to be honest
In Belgium, chicken eggs are not in the refrigerated part of the store. They are just in an isle. Also my family keeps them out of the fridge. That is only necessary if they get placed in a fridge. They actually don't advise putting your eggs in the fridge doors as they go through quite some temperature fluctuations during the day.
I love the editing on this video 😂, and thank you for the tips. I hope we see more of your hens
More to come!
Such a fantastic video, thank you epic team! Love the close up of Lobsta!
Awe. They were just the cutest little babies. Seems like yesterday! When you get new ones, will the older ones be maternal or weary of newbies?
Wary - I will show how we introduce them!
keep trying to go out there, feed them treats, sit down with them.
Our chickens won't let just anyone pick them up.
But when the chicken gets to know you, some love to be held, and maybe it's a learned behavior in my flock haha
But when i feed them, i can go to one of them, they've all been picked up dozens of times, so now they just do this little squat dance, knowing they're about to be picked up, and it's the most adorable thing in the world.
Hi Kevin, can you let us know when is the ideal time of year to get a cutting off a dragon fruit plant and pot it?
Spring
@@epichomesteading thank you.
Love this, thank you! I am just starting my chicken coop based on previous videos and I look forward to the adventure. I did buy a really unique chicken called a Ayam Ceman, which is all black including feet, including several of the breeds you have at the Homestead.
I've been looking for one of those!!!
I just about bought a couple of those but for $200, I decided to pass for now. They don't lay too much and quality (in US) isn't great, lots get white leakage. Hopefully some day!
beautiful timing, we have been wanting chickens for years and we're taking the plunge this year. Thanks!
Super helpful! I've been so intimidated to take this step
My original flock, "the dirty dozen" are now 6 years old. Last year I added 17, the year before that 5, plus a "stray" who happens to be the wildest yet broodiest. This year I'm getting a few more (okay, 25) ...and 4 ducks. Chicken math is REAL, y'all!
This is such a useful site - awaiting my cage rescue hens to arrive (3) and I cannot wait. I live in Cornwall UK so there are many breweries so thank you for that. I have a coop but it is quite small so the hens will have freedom to roam around my reasonable sized garden.
If you can't have roosters, then I recommend Meyer Hatchery. You can get day old chicks that are sexed from them for a reasonable cost. Also, spend the $45 and get a radiant heater for the brooder box. It's safer. Those red bulb heat lamps can start a fire in 2 minutes or broil your babies. Carolina Coops (American Coops) are beautiful but definitely VERY expensive ($6,000-25,000). I'm not so good at building, but I made a great coop for a few hundred dollars. Then I built the run. Predator protection is the most important aspect of buidling the coop & run, but you also want it to be convenient. Have exterior access for collecting your eggs, add some space for storage so you don't have to haul food and bedding, make the run tall enough for you to walk in it because at some point it'll need cleaning. Have a coop door that opens so you can just rake out the soiled bedding. Ventilation is very important as is cover to keep wild bird poop out of the chicken area because of avian flu. Give your chickens plain Greek yogurt mixed with grains or leftovers at least in the spring and fall to keep them from intestinal parasites. Give them a dust bath (dirt, sand, food grade diatomaceous earth, and wood ash all mixed together) to keep mites/lice away. Spray the coop down with Orange Guard every spring so you don't every get fowl ticks. Epic video and you really have given great information. I know we've both had our chickens for about the same amount of time and for newbies, it can be overwhelming. You can be very creative and use an old shed, large dog house, playhouse, etc and modify them for your coop (they need a window for light, an exit, ventilation, and a roost bar). Chickens are so wonderful with great little personalities. It sounds like work, but they are so easy. I clean the coop every 6 months. I have an automatic door so they can get out every morning. Auto feeders/waterers let me go away for 4-5 days at a time. Get some chickens!