Who knows about chickens?

mudpie

Explorer
Dec 4, 2011
100
18
Bullock
Tell me about raising chickens. I hear having eggs is great and they eat ticks!

How do you care for them/protect them and where do you get them?

Thanks, Mud Pie
 

turtle

Explorer
Feb 4, 2009
653
213
a village...in the pines
Tell me about raising chickens. I hear having eggs is great and they eat ticks!

How do you care for them/protect them and where do you get them?

Thanks, Mud Pie

Try this link..... believe it or not, there is mail order for chicks. You'll need to pen them and offer nesting boxes for protection until they are familiar with their roosting spot.
http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/index.html
Some of my neighbors have used this company and been real happy with their services. Lately, some of my neighbors have had their chickens come up missing - piles of feathers witness their demise. Fowl play ? ? ? :p
Good luck with your project. There is no substitute for fresh eggs.
 

Buck

Scout
Jan 23, 2007
47
1
Whiting
I have ordered from McMurray and have always been happy. Dig around on backyardchickens.com and you will learn everything you need, and more, though many of the people on there go WAY overboard. Just make sure you house them where protected. I have lost dozens over the years to hawks, foxes, raccoons, possums, and who-know-what.
 
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bushwacker

Scout
May 18, 2009
80
6
port republic
Butterhof's suppy in Egg Harbor City has chicks in the spring and everything you will need.

As others have said, all kinds of critters will eat them so build a pen that is covered on top and the side buried a bit to prevent things from digging in
 
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Hewey

Piney
Mar 10, 2005
1,042
110
Pinewald, NJ
We had chickes on our farm back when I was a kid. We bought all of ours at a farmers market. As far as I can remember they were pretty low maintenace. They lived in a coop and had a fenced in area outside of the coop and they could go in and out at anytime. We gave them shelter, food, and water and collected the eggs every morning and that was about it. As far as free range chickens I have no clue. One thing I do know is depending on where they live the mortality rate can be high. I hunt on a farm up in Howell, they have free range chickens as does the neighbor. About a month ago they lost 20 chickes in one night. The culprit was most likely a coyote. We put game cameras around the area a few days later and let them soak for a week and we never did get any shots of any predators. Good luck if you go forth on the chickens.

Chris
 
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mudpie

Explorer
Dec 4, 2011
100
18
Bullock
Try this link..... believe it or not, there is mail order for chicks. You'll need to pen them and offer nesting boxes for protection until they are familiar with their roosting spot.
http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/index.html
Some of my neighbors have used this company and been real happy with their services. Lately, some of my neighbors have had their chickens come up missing - piles of feathers witness their demise. Fowl play ? ? ? :p
Good luck with your project. There is no substitute for fresh eggs.
Thank You!
 

manumuskin

Piney
Jul 20, 2003
8,555
2,469
59
millville nj
www.youtube.com
Guineas are well noted for taking out ticks and chiggers as amf has stated. My Sparks kinfolk lived back in the woods when i was a kid.Chigger/tick infested woods.If you stayed withing 50 yards of the house where the Guineas spent most of their time you hardly ever got a chigger or tick. I don't know if guineas are good eatin thmselves though.
 

mudpie

Explorer
Dec 4, 2011
100
18
Bullock
The reason I am asking about chickens is because a friend had guinea hens and she said they were more difficult and too noisy. She traded them for chickens and she said the chickens handle 11 1/2 acres of ticks and they re much less vocal.
 

manumuskin

Piney
Jul 20, 2003
8,555
2,469
59
millville nj
www.youtube.com
Guineas are loud and they cackle constantly.I kind of like the farm yard sound though.It is preferable to the trash music my neighbors blast all weekend every weekend.The guineas are near my daughters house and are owned by mexicans at the end of the block.They roam the area at will.
 

ecampbell

Piney
Jan 2, 2003
2,844
967
To summerize Guineas are very effective for ticks but they are noisey and dirty. My neighbor had them and when I drove down his driveway he shouted " It's OK to run over them!". When they died he did not replace them.
 

mudpie

Explorer
Dec 4, 2011
100
18
Bullock
To summerize Guineas are very effective for ticks but they are noisey and dirty. My neighbor had them and when I drove down his driveway he shouted " It's OK to run over them!". When they died he did not replace them.

I think well try some chickens!
 
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