The Urban Fisherman Posted April 8, 2011 Report Share Posted April 8, 2011 I thought some of you guys might enjoy our new family project.....Averie got the idea that she'd like to try raising chickens (from her grandpa) but I figured it might be fun, we'd get some free eggs....or an organically grown thanksgiving dinner! Also, I figured since I do everything for the dogs maybe the kids could learn a little responsibility and help with taking care of them.... So anyways, we picked up 7 chicks a couple of weeks ago - the damn things grow like weeds and already had to be moved out of their plastic bin. Ginny wasn't to excited to see the giant makeshift brooder taking up a good portion of her laundry room! setting up food and water Luke with a day old Golden Phoenix Averie with a baby chick Luke trying to kiss the chicken haha The chicken guard dog! Our black lab was a Duck dog before we got her so she tries to eat them! Their new brooder in Ginny's laundry room! ;o) The group of them at a few weeks old.. Barred Rock, Buff Rocks, Partridge Rocks and 2 Golden Phoenix chicks This guy is my buddy - we think he might be a rooster This is Luke's favourite... which has taken a liking to flying..it got out of the brooder today Anyways, so far so good.... my black lab just about ate one of them so she's got to be kept at a distance, but aside from that they're pretty easy to take care of. Just make sure they have clean water and food and that they have enough heat from the lamp and they're good to go. We're building a coop in the coming weeks and as soon as it's warm enough - outside they go. If it doesn't work out - I'll be selling top quality chicken feathers for you fly tying guys! haha Cheers, Ryan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisherpete Posted April 8, 2011 Report Share Posted April 8, 2011 I'll take 4 please, in firetiger! They would probably work, have you seen the Youtube video of the big musky attacking the chicken carcass that a guy casts out just goofing around? All kidding aside, cute kids and chicks... looks like a fun project. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Urban Fisherman Posted April 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 8, 2011 I'll take 4 please, in firetiger! They would probably work, have you seen the Youtube video of the big musky attacking the chicken carcass that a guy casts out just goofing around? All kidding aside, cute kids and chicks... looks like a fun project. Lol Don't kid yourself... I saw a largemouth bass take down a jevenile duck last summer! Haha imagine what a big ski could eat.... Thanks Pete and have a good one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercman Posted April 8, 2011 Report Share Posted April 8, 2011 The kids are far cuter than the chics, but the chics are a close second Thanks for a cheerful little story Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irishfield Posted April 8, 2011 Report Share Posted April 8, 2011 You won't want them inside much longer... so I hope you have a plan. Nothing stinks worse than chickens! I use to move them, for an old GF's sister, from raising barn to egg pens as a teen and my mother would hose me down at the back door when I came home! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emanuel Posted April 8, 2011 Report Share Posted April 8, 2011 i say used them as musky bait....lol come on guys weres you sence of adventure.. please post how tasty they where .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nipfisher Posted April 8, 2011 Report Share Posted April 8, 2011 Ryan...your black lab looks yellow? Cute kids but chickens belong on a farm or on a plate (bun is o.k. too). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhickey Posted April 8, 2011 Report Share Posted April 8, 2011 sounds like a fun project for the kids. just a word of caution. make shure when you move them outside the coop is coyote proof. they took my rabbits when i was a kid! wasnt a good day! double wrapped chicken wire didnt stand up. im shure the kids will have fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Urban Fisherman Posted April 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 8, 2011 The kids are far cuter than the chics, but the chics are a close second Thanks for a cheerful little story Paul Thanks dude! You won't want them inside much longer... so I hope you have a plan. Nothing stinks worse than chickens! I use to move them, for an old GF's sister, from raising barn to egg pens as a teen and my mother would hose me down at the back door when I came home! haha the kids love bein' hosed down anyways! So far it hasn't been bad Irish, but they're little and we change the litter daily or every second day.... We're building a coop for the back-yard similar to this... i say used them as musky bait....lol come on guys weres you sence of adventure.. please post how tasty they where .. I can get one of those senko rings and loop it around their ankles - hopefully they can swim! Ryan...your black lab looks yellow? Cute kids but chickens belong on a farm or on a plate (bun is o.k. too). ha sorry Nipfisher - we have two labs... Mom is the black one and her daughter is our golden lab cross... we don't live ON a farm, but are pretty close to it... this is our back-yard.... sounds like a fun project for the kids. just a word of caution. make shure when you move them outside the coop is coyote proof. they took my rabbits when i was a kid! wasnt a good day! double wrapped chicken wire didnt stand up. im shure the kids will have fun. we're building a coop similar to the one in the above photo - most of the yote's in the area are down towards longpoint - but we have wild dogs (stray groups) and lots of racoons! Hopefully our dogs will help keep the predators at bay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy Bob Posted April 8, 2011 Report Share Posted April 8, 2011 Human or muskie will probably tell you the same thing...."they taste like chicken" Nice looking chicken coop....is that box hanging off the far right wall where they come out all cleaned and plucked ready for the dinner table... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roy Posted April 8, 2011 Report Share Posted April 8, 2011 Nice looking chicken coop....is that box hanging off the far right wall where they come out all cleaned and plucked ready for the dinner table... It's the mailbox, Bob. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy Bob Posted April 8, 2011 Report Share Posted April 8, 2011 It's the mailbox, Bob. NICE....so they are going to do mail order chicken wings....Good Idea... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OhioFisherman Posted April 8, 2011 Report Share Posted April 8, 2011 That brings back memories, when my kids were young my neighbors on one side also had young kids. Every spring they would go out and buy 50 chicks and raise them for food, it only took like 6-8 weeks for them to be eating size? All the kids had a strange fascination with slaughter day. My kids would be up at dawn to attend the "event". Maybe it was because of the chicken dinner after it? Talk about smell? They had the chickens, goats, sheep, horses, dogs and cats, all on only 4 acres of land. They would dump the manure-waste from all of them on one pile in their yard and roto-till it into the ground, for like a week after being outside could gag you. My first ex got my dad six baby geese one Easter as a joke, they also grow very fast. He couldn`t walk around the yard with out his herd following him, but they made good watch dogs. They would kick up a fuss any time some one that didn`t live there came over. Kids have a lot of fun with animals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joey Posted April 8, 2011 Report Share Posted April 8, 2011 Looks like a really cool project We had a roomate one time who brought home two adult chickens (the reason why now escapes me, but it was stupid I do remember that ). Anyhow, after keeping them in the crawlspace for about 2 weeks and not being able to bear the smell, we had them "taken care of" and boy were they delicious So I can attest to the smell thing, good thing you are making a coop. Joey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishindevil Posted April 8, 2011 Report Share Posted April 8, 2011 i had a pet chicken when i was a kid at my grandparents house near emily creek,and the chicken walked right up to a huge snapping turtle that was about 50ft from the creek, in the yard....and well you can imagine what happened to the chicken....he was killed instantly. ...oh the memories...lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
12footspringbok Posted April 8, 2011 Report Share Posted April 8, 2011 Pretty cool and I'm sure the kids will benefit from the experience. Raising chickens something I've always wanted to do.... one day... Keep us updated on how they do, and thanks for sharing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highdrifter Posted April 9, 2011 Report Share Posted April 9, 2011 Hah really cool brother!! I hope the kids don't become too attached come next Thanks Giving lol. cheers HD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave524 Posted April 9, 2011 Report Share Posted April 9, 2011 Nice coop, just make sure you use the finest mesh you can get. In my childhood we had chickens and rabbits, not many yotes back then and everything was fine for years but then we got weasels, nasty little buggers, not any bigger than a red squirrel but they kill for fun they'll kill most of a whole hutch or coop and very little eaten. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy Bob Posted April 10, 2011 Report Share Posted April 10, 2011 i had a pet chicken when i was a kid at my grandparents house near emily creek,and the chicken walked right up to a huge snapping turtle that was about 50ft from the creek, in the yard....and well you can imagine what happened to the chicken....he was killed instantly. ...oh the memories...lol Winner, winner CHICKEN DINNER... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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