Raising chickens

I'm all about new experiences, so I decided I'm going to build a chicken coop and buy a few 8 week old chicks from Craigslist for $3 each. I will be using scrap lumber I have around the house to build a chicken coop and I hope to keep the cost at or under $100.
I've been reading online stories but I trust you all on here, any advice would be great.

Btw: I read the chicken shortage thread on here but Tyson chicken is still $2.40/lbs on base, I am not looking to save cash, just get a new experience/skill.

At that age don't expect any eggs till next year. Give them room to roam (free range) unless there's a lot of cats in the hood. Regarding the shortage, it hasn't caught up with the supply chain. If you think those cluckers in the store are "fresh" think again. Milk is usually 2 weeks from processing before it hits the store.

If you can get on Craigslist and find a free dog house to use as a hen house. Dont forget roosting poles and a door to collect eggs. Heat lamp. Start em at 95 degrees and decrease 5 degrees a week. I double up with a radiant heater or a second bulb

When thwy start laying incorporate Oyster shells into their diet to keep the egg shells from getting thin

Look up a chicken tractor if you haven't. You may not go that way, but good knowledge either way. Also, you can have my doghouse.

Made my chicken tractor out of an old table found next to the dumpster.

Check out Backyardchickens.com, you'll find articles devoted to just this. If your birds are 8 weeks as of now, expect eggs around early September. They start laying around 18-20 weeks. Only add oyster shell if the eggs are actually getting thin, otherwise it can cause other problems. You'll want to feed them starter / grower feed until they start laying, then switch over to layer feed. Give your birds at minimum 2sq ft in the coop and the run size depends on how you plan to raise them, if they're getting out in the yard everyday to free range, then their run can be around 3-4sq ft per bird, if not go bigger on the run size. I have 4 birds, the coop is 3x4', and the run is 4x8'. I let them in the yard to eat weeds, bugs, and stuff about 1-2 times / week for a few hours, while I'm drinking my morning coffee on the patio. Supervision is important, for hawks, cats, and dogs..

They're pretty easy to raise and care for honestly. If you plan on raising them for meat when they stop making eggs (~3 yrs), try not to get too attached. lol

Since you're building your coop , check out the "deep litter method", and there's pics out there of feeders and waterers using 5 gal buckets, that are pretty slick.

Hope this helps, good luck!

Thanks for all the help! I'll post photos by the weekending my setup. Out family was able to make a tractor coop with three bird for under $100. We are stoked and the little guy is having a ton of fun.

Do some thinking about your coop construction. The common thought is to build it from scrap because ... it is just a coop, right? A slapdash coop gets to be a pain to maintain, unless you are out in the county and a stinky coop is a non-issue. I built my first coop from scrap, recycled building materials and such. It was on wheels and the run was PVC and chicken wire so we could roll it around the yard. That proved to be a huge pain as if left in one spot for more than a day, the chickens would strip the grass to the nubs and once the house was moved all the chicken crap had to be cleaned up or the dogs would chow down on it. Needless to say, it got parked in the corner of the yard and stayed there. Daily maintenance beyond collecting eggs proved to be cumbersome. I installed a water system with a 5 gallon bucket which will last about a week with 5 chickens and a big enough food system to last a week also. I then added a heater on a thermostat for winter and a timer with coop/run lights to extend the day and keep them laying. I use one of the weather station type thermometer with the remote, put the remote in the chicken coop and during winter you can keep tabs on the inside temp. I target about 50 deg, but really you only need it above freezing. 50 deg seems to keep the coop drier, keeps the condensation down.

Bottom line.... the coop was pretty clever in design but by the time I kept tacking on more things to make my life easier and solve problems, the coop ended up being difficult and had several features that really aggravated me. Scrapped the whole thing and started over. Building the new coop as a permanent structure with a roofed over run. Fully arranged HVAC system with heat, exhaust fan, separate timers on run lights and coop lights, automatic coop door, control panel box and more. I learned a lot from the first coop and when beginning design for the next one, started with a list of what most annoyed me from the first one, added what is critical, then added would be nice features, and went from there.

If you are expecting to just keep a busy lifestyle with job/kids/etc. and that adding chickens are no big deal, plan to invest a bit in the coop to make your life easier.

Subscribing... my wife wants to do this at her dad's place.

As far as scraps you have an odd view. Your design wasn't good. Your source of materials has little to do with that.

Spending thousands on a coop to get $2-6 worth of eggs a week makes little sense.

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Originally Posted by Wulf202

As far as scraps you have an odd view. Your design wasn't good. Your source of materials has little to do with that.

Spending thousands on a coop to get $2-6 worth of eggs a week makes little sense.

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Seriously? Do the math. Keeping chickens at all is not worth the cost if you see no difference to the eggs in the store.


However, you may have misunderstood my point. I have no issues with recycled products. I am using them in the new coop. My point was to think it through. Slapping together some old pallet boards, not considering winter conditions and time investment on chore maintenance is a recipe to quit chickens and never go back. Put some research into it before you jump in with both feet and avoid headaches later on. I have spent enough time crawling around in a pooped up chicken coop trying to fix a problem or add a feature I had wished I though of initially. Seems like things only go wrong with it is 10 below or bucketing rain, which sucks for fixing stuff. I enjoy the convenience of the eggs, the wife likes the "pet" aspect, and it is good chore training for my sons. If I can make it convenient at a reasonable cost, then why not? Keep in mind, I live in town in a normal residential subdivision, it impacts some of the decisions I have made.

I don't know many people who have gotten into keeping chickens and didn't quit the crappy first coop and spend more later. Maybe save yourself a step if you intend to make this long term.

Raising chickens is a hobby. It will not save money, but there are many returns from doing it.

Hobbies don't save money. They are an excuse to spend some coin because you have an interest in it. Motorcycles? Boats? Jeeps?........... firearms? None of those things are necessary and none are cheap. And none stay low cost if you enjoy participating in it. Chickens are no different.

Sorry about the bad images but $108 and it's still a work in progress!
Attachment 59428 Attachment 59429

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Originally Posted by RonMexico

Sorry about the bad images but $108 and it's still a work in progress!
Attachment 59428 Attachment 59429

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What is the plan for winter?

I'm in a rental out here in NC, so I'll have to get creative but I won't have to deal with the "real" winters Colorado has to offer( just a few cold months but not many days below 20degree). The shed next to the coop only stores my kayaks, so maybe I'll incorporate it into my winter plan but idk.

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Originally Posted by RonMexico

I'm in a rental out here in NC, so I'll have to get creative but I won't have to deal with the "real" winters Colorado has to offer( just a few cold months but not many days below 20degree). The shed next to the coop only stores my kayaks, so maybe I'll incorporate it into my winter plan but idk.

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Oh just wait. The rain starts slowly, temp drops within an hour or so. You're stuck 1/2 mi from the house, 2 hours later back home, because EVERYONE can't drive on anything but dry pavement.

Now tornado season gets interesting, with the potential for a good hurricane to work it's way inland. Yeppers, those CO winters are a bitch.

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Originally Posted by Great-Kazoo

Oh just wait. The rain starts slowly, temp drops within an hour or so. You're stuck 1/2 mi from the house, 2 hours later back home, because EVERYONE can't drive on anything but dry pavement.
Now tornado season gets interesting, with the potential for a good hurricane to work it's way inland. Yeppers, those CO winters are a bitch.

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In Feb everyone lost their minds durning a small ice storm but I stayed home bc you're right, NC drivers weren't prepared.


I am rolling the dice with $108... I want to see how cheap and efficiently I can raise a few birds. If they produce 1k plus eggs, Awesome; if I only get 50 eggs and cook three chickens, it's not a huge waste either. I'm not looking to spend a lot of money and I don't need a new hobby but a $100 experience is well with it to me as I would rather have a trail and error period now then when SHTF.

Always thought I'd like to have a few yardbirds, wife doesn't want a DAMN thing to do with it! Not really feasible where we live anyway. Maybe someday.

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Originally Posted by RonMexico

In Feb everyone lost their minds durning a small ice storm but I stayed home bc you're right, NC drivers weren't prepared.


I am rolling the dice with $108... I want to see how cheap and efficiently I can raise a few birds. If they produce 1k plus eggs, Awesome; if I only get 50 eggs and cook three chickens, it's not a huge waste either. I'm not looking to spend a lot of money and I don't need a new hobby but a $100 experience is well with it to me as I would rather have a trail and error period now then when SHTF.

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The satisfaction of knowing one can do it makes it all worth the time. Our daughter has a full house between cluckers & goats. Shes adding 2 cows and possibly 1 or 2 hogs.
These are the layers. The feeders, those they already processed and in the freezer. She said home grown birds are a big improvement (as always) over store purchased ones, both for eggs and eating.

Attachment 59456
They came home after processing their feeders and found these sitting on the steps. I told her they knew what happend and were there for retribution.
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I don't see much difference in the eggs. My wife says otherwise, so I keep in mind "happy wife, happy life". Meat chickens are much better than store bought. We haven't done meat birds but friends have. Quick turn around. My son keeps suggesting we start doing meat birds, so we will see. Gotta butcher 4 old layers this weekend, got the next batch of layers already getting big.

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Originally Posted by clodhopper

I don't see much difference in the eggs. My wife says otherwise, so I keep in mind "happy wife, happy life". Meat chickens are much better than store bought. We haven't done meat birds but friends have. Quick turn around. My son keeps suggesting we start doing meat birds, so we will see. Gotta butcher 4 old layers this weekend, got the next batch of layers already getting big.

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If you're not doing it at home. There's a place in berthoud that does it every few weeks. almost set up like an assembly line. We can "taste" a difference. Theen again, when my hot rods were washed , they always went faster.

Not allowed to butcher in town. Course it only matters if the neighbors object. We are scheduled in Berthoud on Sunday.

I haven't much experience with hotrods, but I can say for offroad vehicles that cleanliness seems to impair and stickers add horsepower.

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Originally Posted by clodhopper

Not allowed to butcher in town. Course it only matters if the neighbors object. We are scheduled in Berthoud on Sunday.

I haven't much experience with hotrods, but I can say for offroad vehicles that cleanliness seems to impair and stickers add horsepower.

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Leave some feed back / AAR on that berthoud place. A kid and his GF went there last month. It being their first time having to put an animal down was interesting as they put it. She said once she got in to it, slitting their throats was "just another day"

How do you defeather a bird?

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Originally Posted by Roger Ronas

How do you defeather a bird?

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Few drinks, low lights and location, location, location.

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Originally Posted by Roger Ronas

How do you defeather a bird?

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Either scolding hot water then hand pluck or shoes polisher (thats what I call it anyway)... Watch below videos. When I butcher a chicken, I just put them in an old butter can (old #10 can with a smaller hold cut on the bottom) and hack the head off

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoqP0YOkG3c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lxm3Y0j_NI

Pull their heads off, scald em and pluck em, dress em out. Wash em clean and give em to the wife for freezing/canning.

Nope, converted city girl won't touch it til fur, feathers, claws and guts are gone. But she does bring me beer while I do it.

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Originally Posted by buffalobo

Nope, converted city girl won't touch it til fur, feathers, claws and guts are gone. But she does bring me beer while I do it.

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Hopefully it's open.

He cranks the cap off by squeezing it in his armpit. You know, to keep it clean.

When we had feeders my dad used a bent metal coat hanger to hold the chicken upside down. He used a fillet knife and his cut was inside the back of the mouth severing arteries and brain stem in one cut. No fuss.

The comments for those humane chicken processing videos were classic. Vegans trying to explain we were never meant to eat meat. Good for a laugh.

Can't wait for the opportunity as well. Some day i'll get my country life in Green Acres.

Our first egg

Attachment 59493

1 month down and here is a few things we have learned

1) 3 layers require 5/15mins of maintenance a day
2) the crap a lot and stink
3) they constantly dirty their water, we now have dual watering systems
4) if I don't move the tractor coop every 3/5days, they kill the grass
5) they love worms more than laying feed and scratch
We now get 1/2eggs a day, but they took a few weeks to settle in and our dog didn't help.

Unless NC has changed drastically since I lived there, watch out for raccoons: raccoons love chickens in a tear-it-apart-and-eat-it-manner.

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Originally Posted by RonMexico

1 month down and here is a few things we have learned

1) 3 layers require 5/15mins of maintenance a day
2) the crap a lot and stink
3) they constantly dirty their water, we now have dual watering systems
4) if I don't move the tractor coop every 3/5days, they kill the grass
5) they love worms more than laying feed and scratch
We now get 1/2eggs a day, but they took a few weeks to settle in and our dog didn't help.

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Try hanging the food and waterer from the ceiling so it's a few inches off the ground- they won't be able to kick bedding and such into the feeders.

Have you tried mealworms? Maybe they need more protein and oystershell?

Raccoons will kill things just because. When raccoons get into my neighbor's fish ponds, they pull the fish out, bite their heads, and just leave them in the grass.

Raccoons are vile. They may be cute, but they are NOT to be trusted or tolerated.

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Originally Posted by Irving

Raccoons will kill things just because. When raccoons get into my neighbor's fish ponds, they pull the fish out, bite their heads, and just leave them in the grass.

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That's a warning visit. next time, ...................

So I had a close call the other day. The dumb dog ripped off the 1/2" hardware cloth off the framing for the chicken run. He got in there, ate some chicken food and the watermelon rinds I threw in there for the birds. I thought the worst, but all the chickens were there. I guess it really was a good idea to include the dogs from the day I got the baby chicks... I fixed it with about half a ton of those 5/8" staples. Hopefully the dog will leave the run alone from now on. He didn't really dig under, he somehow peeled it all away from the framing... no idea...

So, I let the chickens roam the backyard this weekend, and the dogs don't give a crap about them anymore. I've got a bloodhound (Arlo - birdy), and a coonhound (Daisy - could stay sleeping if a chicken walked across her face). Arlo follows the chickens around the yard trying with all his might to find out what the heck they're eating. It's pretty entertaining, especially when the chickens start chasing him..