keeping chickens

[SiWolKe]

The small chicks I will get to be my first chicken hatched some days ago ( at a friend`s) and now learn from their mother the hard life

I bought a used chicken house to restore and ordered a fence ,which comes in 3 weeks.

So today I constructed a Worm Breeder to feed the chicken with worms in winter ( the worms are fed from my kitchen). An insulated worm Breeder!
I read you can feed the worms everything chicken won´t digest but with the help of worms they are never poisoned, eating the worms.

Second I mowed some grass on my property to make hay for nice nests for them. They will need some time to develop to lay ,but that´s ok with me.
I love chicken, I look forward to have them. I don´t believe I will ever eat one. Rather I eat the worms...

[GregV]

The small chicks I will get to be my first chicken hatched some days ago ( at a friend`s) and now learn from their mother the hard life

I bought a used chicken house to restore and ordered a fence ,which comes in 3 weeks.

So today I constructed a Worm Breeder to feed the chicken with worms in winter ( the worms are fed from my kitchen). An insulated worm Breeder!
I read you can feed the worms everything chicken won´t digest but with the help of worms they are never poisoned, eating the worms.

Second I mowed some grass on my property to make hay for nice nests for them. They will need some time to develop to lay ,but that´s ok with me.
I love chicken, I look forward to have them. I don´t believe I will ever eat one. Rather I eat the worms...

Chickens are cool and easy to keep.
I would love to have the real eggs (not mass-produced stuff).
My kids would love to have them, but I don't know what to do with them when they out of their egg-laying prime (I don't want to be called a butcher).


Just bees for now.

[Ferdi]

Very good idea, which I would love to do one day (I would definitely eat mine ). By the way; if you let your chickens enter your apiary they will eat the dead bees, so there will be kind of natural recycling.

[Nordak]

Very good idea, which I would love to do one day (I would definitely eat mine ). By the way; if you let your chickens enter your apiary they will eat the dead bees, so there will be kind of natural recycling.

My neighbor has free roaming chickens, they are always scratching around the hives looking for a free meal. It always tickles me when one or two hang around too close to the entrance when the bees have tired of their presence. Chickens squawking and running around. Quite the spectacle.

[GregV]

Very good idea, which I would love to do one day (I would definitely eat mine ). By the way; if you let your chickens enter your apiary they will eat the dead bees, so there will be kind of natural recycling.

My neighbor has free roaming chickens, they are always scratching around the hives looking for a free meal. It always tickles me when one or two hang around too close to the entrance when the bees have tired of their presence. Chickens squawking and running around. Quite the spectacle.

From the childhood I remember vividly - chickens following us to the hives once we get dressed up.
They knew what was coming - delicious drone brood!

[SiWolKe]

Very good idea, which I would love to do one day (I would definitely eat mine ). By the way; if you let your chickens enter your apiary they will eat the dead bees, so there will be kind of natural recycling.

My neighbor has free roaming chickens, they are always scratching around the hives looking for a free meal. It always tickles me when one or two hang around too close to the entrance when the bees have tired of their presence. Chickens squawking and running around. Quite the spectacle.

Where I live I will have them behind a fence, my garden is too civilized, but when I´m in the outyards I will take them with me in a dog transportation box.

We will construct a chicken tractor, this is a mobile voliere you can push from one place to another.
There are too many predators to let them go free and without shelter.

[SiWolKe]

I got them.

First day one escaped already and one flew over the fence (1.80m).

They keep me occupied!

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[Michael Bush]

>I read you can feed the worms everything chicken won´t digest

Well, I suppose a chicken won't eat dirt... and can't eat bones unless you grind them up, but other than that they will eat anything...

[Kwalt]

Chickens are better than television

[Michael Bush]

A mouse running through the chicken yard is good entertainment for both the chickens and the humans watching...

[SiWolKe]

New sport is chasing sparrows.

I invited our local veterinary to look at them, I´m obliged to vaccinate them.
Since one little flask of serum is for 3000 chicken she needs a group to order this.

She gave me much advice, it was nice talking to her.

[Kwalt]

As a US citizen, I'm constantly amazed at the things you're "obliged " to do. As our population density increases and our society grows older I suppose we'll be obliged to do more things.

Kevin

[Dustymunky]

I believe Siwolke is In Germany. I think we have it better than Europe. Seems like everything is controlled over there more. I feel lucky where I'm at in Oregon. No regulations regarding bees in my city. We do have to pay a small yearly fee now to the state to subsidize bee research. Not thrilled about that. The only regulations regarding chickens I'm aware of is that u can't have roosters in town and a limit on the number u can keep.


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[SiWolKe]

Yes germany likes to regulate everything, but sometimes there is an advantage.

If you registrate you don´t have to pay any fees or tax being a hobbyist.
But you get informed and compensated if there is a pest outbreak, as we often have AFB (bees) and Newcastle virus ( chicken).
Being informed you can act immediately, you are able to protect the livestock ( by not migrating, for example).

Up to two years before, the state paid for all your beekeeping equipment if you were new. They wanted to propagate beekeeping, since we have not enough bees for pollination.
They cancelled this now.

You can have roosters in a suburban environment but there is a limit to the numbers of chicken.
With bees you have to pay tax when your numbers are 25 colonies. You are limited to a number of beehives in your garden and need to place them 5 m from the borders.

Blush...my chicken have names now: the leading hen is "Kleopatra", the one looking feral is "Katharina" ( the great), the small black is "Helena"( troja) and the white one is called "Marie Antoinette" since she loves cake but not bread.

[SiWolKe]

I started to train them.
It´s much easier than training bees

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[GregV]

....With bees you have to pay tax when your numbers are 25 colonies. You are limited to a number of beehives in your garden and need to place them 5 m from the borders.

So much for the "unregulated" USA - I am NOT to have more than ONE hive in my suburban yard (I own 9000 sq feet/900 sq meter).
How about that for lack of regulation?
Should I add that some villages/towns in my area intentionally ban beekeeping entirely (so to protect the residents from those bees)?
Oh yes...
Mount Horeb is the village name not far from here.

11.19 Keeping of Bees.
(1) With the exception of A-1 Agricultural District zoning, it shall be unlawful for any person to establish or maintain any hive, stand, or box where bees are kept or keep any bees in or upon any premises within the corporate limits of the Village.

https://www.biofortified.org/2012/06/keeping-bees-city/

PS: I made a proposal to my own City Council to improve the current anti-beekeeping regulation; hope for the best.

Sorry for the non-chicken off-topic.

[SiWolKe]

I changed my mind about regulations after the Grenfell disaster in London.

Without regulations unscrupulousness reigns our free market society. IMO

[Michael Bush]

I've been around the world a bit and everywhere I went there were chickens running loose everywhere. I live just outside of a town of 200 people and you can't have chickens there... I am glad for whatever regulations we DON'T have, but we have way too many...

[SiWolKe]

Not everyone is able to live his life without some regulations.
People who can´t defend themselves and are poor need regulations of protection.

Or maybe I should say ethics and rules. I would not want any regulations to choosing my religion as long as I´m not forcing anyone to join, but I would want some to facilitate a democratic and free live without the fear of poverty.
There are always people who use freedom to oppress others as there are always people who limit freedom of others.

There are regulations people fought for: the right to vote, the health system everybody can use even without income.

Well, germany is known for having regulations for everything , but I still feel very free and secure in my country and not overly limited.

Back to chicken: I can touch them now and they come when I call them. A good start to let them run free. It´s not a problem here, people only want no roosters calling at night.

You can´t have chicken in such a small town, Michael? Why not?

[Michael Bush]

>You can´t have chicken in such a small town, Michael? Why not?

It's the law. You can have them in the bigger cities around here if you don't have roosters. Omaha and Lincoln allow chickens, but Nehawka does not. Luckily I'm not IN town, I'm just outside the village limits.

[GregV]

In my city I could have up to 4 chickens right now. So that is good news.

I really want them - for real eggs that I have been missing since I was a kid (I can provide tons of good, natural forage).
The issue is - after 2-3 years when they cut down the egg production what to do with them?
I know my way to deal with that...
But kids will give them names and make pets out of them - my way is a NO-GO.

[SiWolKe]

>You can´t have chicken in such a small town, Michael? Why not?

It's the law. You can have them in the bigger cities around here if you don't have roosters. Omaha and Lincoln allow chickens, but Nehawka does not. Luckily I'm not IN town, I'm just outside the village limits.

Yeah luck for you. Well, must be a real chicken hater or vegan eater to promote such a stupid law.

Greg, I fear I will have a retirement place for old chicken, myself .
Maybe we could use them as amusement in human retirement homes in their old age, like with dogs!
I´m the attraction in my hometown already, too many people don´t know how the animal looks which produces their breakfast eggs.

[Michael Bush]

>when they cut down the egg production what to do with them?

Tell the kids you found a nice home for them. Don't tell them that home is your stomach...

[GregV]

>when they cut down the egg production what to do with them?

Tell the kids you found a nice home for them. Don't tell them that home is your stomach...

Well, them kids are too smart for this trick. Won't work.
Talking middle-school/upper elementary school.
Even my pre-college kid will give me an ear full about humane animal treatment.
Anyways, just the bees for now on the animal homestead side, I guess.

Too bad though - chickens make for a perfect small backyard livestock.

[GregV]

Greg, I fear I will have a retirement place for old chicken, myself .

Someone on our local bee-forum offered free roosters to a good home.
I offered someone could actually take them as food item as what they really are (not me; I would not take them).

Well, I was "schooled" on ethics about animal treatment, and such...
You had to see the clash of philosophies of pro-chicken-eaters and anti-chicken-eaters...

[SiWolKe]

I have my bees at a wildlife park.
The falconer uses small male chicks as feed. They are frozen just after hatching. I think it´s more natural than killing them and throwing them away as waste just after hatching. When he makes his show he compares the feed to chicken nuggets at MD. Very good learning for the kids!

Everyone who eats meat should know the animals give their life for us. I don´t know yet how to slaughter my animals but I think I will learn.

I come from an academic family. When I was a teeny I worked at a farm to be allowed to ride their horses. I loved the work and to keep chickens was a teenage dream I now fulfill.
I eat meat but I eat it with respect. The problem of todays nourishment is that we are not grateful of our food.
An animal having a good and natural life is good to eat.
An animal which is tormented is not. The feeling of fear and having had a terrible life is in our food and we take this into our bodies.

[Michael Bush]

>Even my pre-college kid will give me an ear full about humane animal treatment.

When I first heard of PETA (People for the ethical treatment of animals) I thought, "I'm for the ethical treatment of animals". I thought they were trying to have humane conditions for animals. But that wasn't it at all. They wanted me to not eat them. I think not eating them is as unethical as crowding them and treating them like factories... There is nothing un-humane about a quick respectful death and being eaten. In nature they usually get a longer crueler death and then get eaten.

[GregV]

Right; I am on board with you, guys.
A young rooster who roamed a raspberry patch and scratched at the kitchen leftovers - best chicken ever you will eat. Delicious.
Well, maybe once I get to shoo the kids out (long time from today), I will get to keep my own chickens.

[Kwalt]

When I grew up,raising and slaughtering animals for food is just what we did. The chicken we did ourselves and the beef and pork we took to the locker plant for processing. All three of us children helped raise the animals and process the chickens (catching and plucking).

I admit there was always some sentiment when the beef and pork went to town. It's difficult not to become attached to animals you care for every day. We all ate it and it always tasted good.

I don't remember how it was explained to us as children, but we knew where our food came from and it was just another fact of life.

[SiWolKe]

The family who bred my chicks are using the roosters as food and they have small children who know this.
They are not farmers just hobbyists.

If you are PETA you can´t use medicine ( egg white used in pills or serums) cosmetics ( tested with animals).
Show me one person defending PETA doing this consequently.

Chicken are prey to all kinds of animals in nature which are not so gentle with them as we are.

In former times people knew about where their food came from.
Today it´s convenience food nobody recognizes as coming from animals. Or do you recognize toasties as being chicken meat?
Some even think cocoa comes from brown cows or chocolate from pink ones.

But for now I have my fun with living chicken.
Today it´s raining and they walk like with stilettos!

We had to remove a wasps nest in our shack and they got the larva yesterday. Went for it like crazy!

[SiWolKe]

My ladies eating an ant´s nest I found under one of my hives.
Sorry ants!

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[SiWolKe]

Big surprise, the small white one became a proud ( and loud) rooster.
I can´t bring myself to make meat of him he is a very good one so far except that he wakes the whole neighborhood at six in the morn.
But as my husband claims: who´s not awake at six is a lazybones.

I tell people: no problem, kill him and we make a party, but nobody volunteers.

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[moebees]

I don't remember how it was explained to us as children, but we knew where our food came from and it was just another fact of life.

But it doesn't have to be.

[SiWolKe]

I don't remember how it was explained to us as children, but we knew where our food came from and it was just another fact of life.

But it doesn't have to be.

I opened a chicken thread because I don´t want to eat eggs or meat from chicken who are suffering while being kept and want to talk about my experience, hear some opinions on how to keep chicken.

This is not to talk about philosophies.

If you can´t stand this please ignore the posts.

There are people who don´t want philosophies forced on them and they don´t want to force any philosophies on anybody.