Chickens ? what do I need to know ?

[CharlieH]

Hi Guys,

 

Looking for some info and guidance about chickens please.

 

I know absolutely nothing so starting the research on this, the wife has expressed the idea of having chickens for eggs etc. We have plenty of ground so that's not an issue. Although I wouldnt want them free roaming as such (dogs would get them) I would fence off an area specifically for them. My concern is that it may smell  ? confined to an area do they create a lot of <deleted> ? what do you do about that ?

How many chickens would produce 10 eggs a day ? I am guessing 12 

Would ducks be better ?

 

What to do and how best to do it would be nice to know.

Is it worth it ?

 

Thanks for any input.

 

[MaiDong]

We had chickens, they used to chase the freckles on my legs, it bloody hurt, the chickens didn't last very long. 

 

They stink, they peck at their own eggs if you don't collect them quickly enough, they're noisy, eventually only half of our well fed & healthy chickens produced eggs. 

 

In the end it was better to just buy eggs. 

Edited April 11, 2020 by MaiDong

[MaiDong]

Others may have had better experiences, I expect mine could be considered worst-case scenario ????

[MaiDong]

Two other things you'll notice is that the yokes are more runny and once boiled the eggs are harder to peel, both of these are down to the eggs being fresh. 

You'll also belive that your eggs taste better than shop-bought... 

 

On a positive note though, at least your chickens will be happy and you'll know exactly what's being fed to them. 

 

Now, however, I've got no qualms eating chicken ????

Edited April 11, 2020 by MaiDong

[473geo]

Get a dozen point of lay pullets should get you 10 eggs a day when they start laying, if you have plenty of land put the hen house on wheels have light pen so they can go 'outside' clean out and move every week or so

 

Alternatively place well away away from the house - as they do tend <deleted> everywhere - they will roam free when let out in the morning, and then close them in at night, to lessen the risk of preditors as they roost, clean out once a week or so.

 

If going for free range be careful they do not lay away - usually spotted when one makes a run for some nearby cover as they are released in the morning

 

Should not be too much trouble if you are looking for a hobby and fresh eggs

 

 

[bkk6060]

https://www.thehappychickencoop.com/raising-chickens/

[colinneil]

Charlie, buy some point of lay pullets around 20 weeks old, cost you approx 200 baht each.

Better to keep them in an enclosed area, with nice nest boxes, plenty of straw, or similar, maybe even leave an egg or 2 in there encourage them to lay there.

Feed them 16% protein feed, cost around 430 baht per bag, 1 kg is sufficient to feed 8 hens per day.

Be sure to give them plenty of fresh clean water.

Forget people saying better buy eggs from  the shops, home produced eggs normally have  a more orange yolk than shop bought, and you know what your birds are being fed, and if you operate a system of keeping your eggs, same as we do, a 30 egg tray, always put the older eggs at the front, fresh eggs behind.

Another point, all your kitchen scraps thrown to the hens, they will devour them with gusto.

[Crossy]

They do actually make very good pets and can be handled easily if trained from a young age.

 

Kids love them, they're soft and cuddly (yes, my grand-daughter cuddles ours) and they're not going to to them much damage (our geese are a different matter altogether).

 

[Crossy]

I've found backyard chickens an invaluable resource.

 

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/

 

[johng]

9 minutes ago, Crossy said:

They do actually make very good pets

Yesterday on Thai News they had a piece about pets carrying the virus  Pigs,chickens and ducks are ok

cats and ferrets not so good..amazingly (according to the report) "fur-rets"   are the 3rd most popular Thai pet after cats and dogs !

 

[Enoon]

 

No, it's not worth it.

 

Just give her 35 baht a day and save both yourselves the trouble.

 

 

 

Edited April 11, 2020 by Enoon

[BritManToo]

Agree with Crossy, the kids love chickens and ducks, they become tame very quickly.

The chickens will try and sit on your lap when you're in the garden, failing that they will sit all around you.

Dogs get used to them very quickly.

Ducks do much bigger wetter poops, and always on your doorstep and driveway (cos they love you).

[Crossy]

Oh, and to dispel the myth, chooks do not need a rooster in order to lay eggs. Of course any eggs won't be fertilised and so would never hatch.

 

Our roo, "Bruiser" was a gift to my grand-daughter, he was one of three day-olds that had been dyed various colours and sold for a few Baht. I immediately said "they're all boys", only one survived and grew into the biggest white roo I've ever seen. He's getting a bit long in the tooth now, I'll miss him when he goes.

[ChaiyaTH]

Was thinking to do this as well if having land in the future but when I found the work it takes, as well still needing to spend on protein feed etc, better deal to just buy big trays. So if you are doing it to have an additional hobby + cleaning work + potentially rats etc. it is worth it only.

Not easy to beat the 3 baht per egg price or making it significant enough to be worth it.

Edited April 11, 2020 by ChaiyaTH

[Justgrazing]

26 minutes ago, johng said:

Yesterday on Thai News they had a piece about pets carrying the virus  Pigs,chickens and ducks are ok

cats and ferrets not so good..amazingly (according to the report) "fur-rets"   are the 3rd most popular Thai pet after cats and dogs !

 

Is that a farmyard 100 mtrs they are lining up for .. ( sorry sorry ) 

[worgeordie]

If you get Chickens, you are Inevitable  going to attract vermin,

Rats and mice,I hate Rats,that's the only reason stopping me getting some.

regards worgeordie

[finnsk]

A few chickens is easy to have.

 

You must find out if you want effective egg layers og the black natural chickens.

The black chickens can nearly take care of it self, and is very strong not to be sick, but they are not effective egglayers.

If you want effective eglayers you must get some hybride or Rhode Island chickens, here you can get around 0,8 egg per day, per chickken/hen if you take good care of them.

 

You must take care of nature sicknes and dogs/other predators.

 

The black chickens is most happy to walk around and here you can not be sure about dogs etc.

The hybride chicken you can keep inside a good house, then you are good safe for nature sicknes and predators.

You must have/build a good dry house around max 5 chickens pr square m. 

The chickens must have enough good fresh water 24 hours.

If you want to optimize the egg production you must give them light typical in the evening.

The food is the most important to have chickens, if you want to make eggs. Get a good ready mix. Beside that they like rest from the kitchen , but only fresh things, do only give them what you would like to eat.

 

I have 400 egg hens, started from zero 1 year ago, I have had good times with this, good way to use some af your time.

 

You are welcome to ask more specific.

 

 

[cyril sneer]

2 minutes ago, worgeordie said:

If you get Chickens, you are Inevitable  going to attract vermin,

Rats and mice,I hate Rats,that's the only reason stopping me getting some.

regards worgeordie

I don't like rats either but that's not the reason I don't want them

[finnsk]

1 hour ago, worgeordie said:

If you get Chickens, you are Inevitable  going to attract vermin,

Rats and mice,I hate Rats,that's the only reason stopping me getting some.

regards worgeordie

Yes if you do not do anything, they will surely arrive quickly.

 

There is several ways to keep them away, I prefer to do it in the natural way.

When we get the chickens, we also get 2 cats, we feed the cats beside the chicken food, so the cats learned to keep an eye around the chicken food. We have up 1000 kg chicken food in the house and we had never seen a rat or a mouse, well thats not right, I have seen the cats eat mouse and rat.

We also get a dog, trained it to take care of our land and keep other dogs away from our land a good way to protect the chickens against hungry wild street dogs.

 

So if you want chickens you maybe also must have other animals

[Puchaiyank]

Mites...snakes and other predators by land and air...poop everywhere...roosters crow before dawn...daily maintenance and cost of food...cleaning cages and eggs...gets old...

 

 

[BritManToo]

11 minutes ago, Puchaiyank said:

.roosters crow before dawn

No requirement to keep roosters, the chickens will still lay eggs without them.

[djayz]

In addition to all the positive comments posted above, two more points: the chicken droppings can be used as fertiliser and if you have a compost heap on your garden/land, they'll go into it and scratch around there, thus helping to break the material down into smaller pieces. 

 

[473geo]

Hens also require grit to help grind the food in the crop, they should find plenty if roaming, one cheap and easy way is to grind up your egg shells, and mix with the food,needless to say also helps them produce strong shells on the new eggs

[Bruce Aussie Chiang Mai]

Cheaper to buy eggs. You can have veggie garden unless you keep them in pen 24/7.

If not my dog have them.

[farmerjo]

Makes me laugh when people buy in food and say there chickens are ok.

[Grumpy John]

It's really simple really.  First you get geese.   Geese are necessary to deal with the mice,  rat and snake problem you will be having.  Then you get yourself ducks.   With enough ducks you can make enough money selling duck eggs to feed the geese,  feed the chickens....and of course the ducks.  Now that you have the vermin problem solved and the cost of food covered it time to buy the chickens.   The best choice would be the well known Chinese porcelain variety.   Not good layers but on the plus side they never poop whete it's not wanted. Second choice, and cheaper, would be the Pattaya chicken.  They can be a bit noisy but not offensive unless it's right next to you. 

[JacksRiVe]

Starting with chickens sounds like an exciting venture! Fencing off an area sounds like a good plan for their safety. As for the smell, proper coop maintenance can help keep things fresh. Regarding egg production, it can vary depending on factors like breed and age, but having around 12 chickens for 10 eggs a day sounds reasonable. Ducks could be an option too, depending on your preferences.

[chickenslegs]

30 minutes ago, JacksRiVe said:

Starting with chickens sounds like an exciting venture! Fencing off an area sounds like a good plan for their safety. As for the smell, proper coop maintenance can help keep things fresh. Regarding egg production, it can vary depending on factors like breed and age, but having around 12 chickens for 10 eggs a day sounds reasonable. Ducks could be an option too, depending on your preferences.

You are replying to a 4 year old topic.

 

However, @CharlieH it would be interesting to receive an update about your venture into chicken raising.

[JacksRiVe]

On 4/22/2024 at 7:45 PM, JacksRiVe said:

Starting with chickens sounds like an exciting venture! Fencing off an area sounds like a good plan for their safety. As for the smell, proper coop maintenance can help keep things fresh. Regarding egg production, it can vary depending on factors like breed and age, but having around 12 chickens for 10 eggs a day sounds reasonable. Ducks could be an option too, depending on your preferences.

If you're looking for more guidance, this FAQ page https://expertchicken.com/faq might have some helpful answers.

Edited Tuesday at 09:04 AM by JacksRiVe