Raising Yard/Pen Chickens for Eggs

[TeamAmerica]

Cheaper to buy the eggs, but i do believe they taste better and may be slightly healthier.

They basically need to be in the coop 100% or else they will be critter food. Don't think "oh i'll let them roam during the day and eat grasshoppers". then they will still become food even in the daylight hours (the hawks will find them in no time even in the city).

[chief262]

Our pens, box underneath roost with PDZ makes for easy cleaning with deep frying screened tool. Nipple water system underneath hooked up to a 50 gallon barrel gravity flow. Nest boxes are from an old laying facility I modified. Floor is limestone millings. (Between sand and pea gravel size).

[Stan R]

I'll post a picture of my chicken set up when I get home. We have about 16 chickens and get about 7-10 eggs a day.

[sharkhunter]

All my chicken have been lost to stray dogs. If your going to have chickens get ready to kill varmits and snakes almost weekly. I run two box traps and keep a shotgun by the back door. Everything loves to eat chickens.

[karson22]

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[Lawhunter]

If you get six Cinnamon Queens or production reds you will be giving eggs away. I had 12 at one time. Usally got 9-10 a day. I couldn't give away enough eggs. The neighors dogs left them alone for a year and then decided to start eating them. I have 6 left and they are all past producing. Pretty much feeding em till they die or I accidentally leave the gate open.

Thanks! I imagine that could be a reasonable sized coop without a lot of room necessary

[glen]

Shark. Killed 2 snakes in 4 years with chickens. I have barn cats and a yard dog. Stay dogs do t come around and snakes don’t get around since I got barn cats

[flywise]

I ended up with 2 birds when my sons class hatched some eggs
Turns out I have 1 black chicken and 1 really nice rooster. The pen is about 10x10. I get probably 4 eggs a week and turns out that's plenty.

[glen]

I had Barred Rocks and Easter Eggers. Both kicked an egg a day. When they stopped they got replaced

[dpatterson1976]

Im assuming there is a difference between egg layers and meat birds. Once the egg layers are done laying they are pretty much not good for anything else?

[glen]

If anyone wants to come get this coop come on. Georgetown. Right size to add auto door and you don’t even have to open or close

[M.E.B.]

I live in a neighborhood with an average sized yard. I had chickens for 2 yrs. I built a pen 4’x8’. It had a nesting area 4x4 on top.

I got about 8-10 eggs a week. I had a top over it. Good thing because the hawks in the area even in a neighborhood kept an eye on it.

Doves would occasionally find their way in and the chickens would kill and eat them. REALLY.

I had mine on wheels and would move it each day.

My problem was that even with 3 roosting bars and 4 nesting boxes the chickens would make football sized holes in my San Augustine grass each day to sit in.

In the summer they would fill in with grass and you would twist your ankle in the hole. In the winter the grass would not grow back until spring.