Backyard Chicken raising snusers?

[justintempler]

http://www.chickencoopdesigns.com.au/

[WickedKitchen]

Wow, I would have thought that thing would have been bigger. Much bigger.

[NonServiam]

Wow, I would have thought that thing would have been bigger. Much bigger.

That's what she said! LOL!

Coops come in so many different styles these days. Some coops look nicer than my own house! My father-in-law made mine out of cedar. It's just your basic country style coop. He also builds outhouses (for decoration/novelty) but they are fully functional!

[snusgetter]

That's what she said! LOL!

Coops come in so many different styles these days. Some coops look nicer than my own house! My father-in-law made mine out of cedar. It's just your basic country style coop. He also builds outhouses (for decoration/novelty) but they are fully functional!

Look anything like this beauty?

[NonServiam]

Look anything like this beauty?

Yes, actually, though with a little higher level of craftsmanship and the words "City Hall" painted on the door. A functional outhouse requires two things to earn the title "functional". A door which opens and closes, and a cut out hole not so small you would have to be a marksman, but not so big that you fall through it. lol

[snusgetter]

Yes, actually, though with a little higher level of craftsmanship and the words "City Hall" painted on the door. A functional outhouse requires two things to earn the title "functional". A door which opens and closes, and a cut out hole not so small you would have to be a marksman, but not so big that you fall through it. lol

"City Hall" .......... kinda says it all!!

The "Congress" would probably be a triple-decker.
The shit would really be flying then!
I'll drink to that..

[NonServiam]

"City Hall" .......... kinda says it all!!

The "Congress" would probably be a triple-decker.
The shit would really be flying then!
I'll drink to that..

I believe the triple-decker congress suite uses something they call trickle down economics!

[Mr. Snuffleupagus]

I'm going to throw a curve ball in here, instead of raising backyard chickens, I find backyard fish more interesting.

I've been researching hydroponics trying to figure out how to grow tobacco hydroponically and stumbled on aquaponics. Aquaponics is basically the marraige of aquaculture (the raising of fish) with hydroponics. The plants get all their fertilizer needs from the fish and in return the plants act as a biofilter and clean the water for the fish.

I'm a long way from doing anything with aquaponics but I'm going to start with hydroponics and at some point in the next five years I might grow into an aquaponic system.

http://www.backyardaquaponics.com/

Thanks very much for throwing that curve ball JT! I've been geeking out on aquaponics lately thanks to you. Now I'm planning for chickens and fish. Also looking forward to not having to mess around with soil for my plants.

[justintempler]

Thanks very much for throwing that curve ball JT! I've been geeking out on aquaponics lately thanks to you. Now I'm planning for chickens and fish. Also looking forward to not having to mess around with soil for my plants.

You're welcome.

Don't geek out too much though. In order for aquaponics to work you have to balance the system which means you have to have a lot of plants growing to process the waste products from the fish and the chickens. The more fish and chickens you want to raise, the more plants you will need to be growing. Just so you can picture it let's use a bathtub as an example. 1 bathtub of fish = 3-4 bathtubs of plants in order to balance the system. If you don't have enough plants to filter the water the fish will die off and your whole mini eco system will collapse.

You started out with thinking a chicken coop would look cute in the backyard. Now all of a sudden your backyard has a chicken coop and 5 bathtubs. If that's what you want great, just realize what you're getting yourself into before you commit yourself to it.

If you want to do aquaponics it could be 2 years before your system is big enough to handle the chicken waste. If your interest is chickens start with your chickens now and compost the chicken waste for the time being.

[LaZeR]

One word. Get ready for many:

[Mr. Snuffleupagus]

You're welcome.

Don't geek out too much though. In order for aquaponics to work you have to balance the system which means you have to have a lot of plants growing to process the waste products from the fish and the chickens. The more fish and chickens you want to raise, the more plants you will need to be growing. Just so you can picture it let's use a bathtub as an example. 1 bathtub of fish = 3-4 bathtubs of plants in order to balance the system. If you don't have enough plants to filter the water the fish will die off and your whole mini eco system will collapse.

You started out with thinking a chicken coop would look cute in the backyard. Now all of a sudden your backyard has a chicken coop and 5 bathtubs. If that's what you want great, just realize what you're getting yourself into before you commit yourself to it.

If you want to do aquaponics it could be 2 years before your system is big enough to handle the chicken waste. If your interest is chickens start with your chickens now and compost the chicken waste for the time being.

I was planning on just composting the chicken waste and keeping the fish garden as a separate project. My backyard is already filled with plants growing in containers and there's plenty of room for the tubs and a bunch more beds. I'm kind of a utilitarian so "cuteness" isn't what any of this is about. I work ornamental gardens for a living, so at home I'm more into growing things I can use. Right now it's fruits, vegetables, and tobacco mostly. There's room for more and some chickens and some fish. Thanks for looking out for me though

[snusgetter]

More in MA raising their own fowl

~
Bringing the barnyard to the backyard

Egg safety worries, taste preference driving more in Mass. to raise chickens

They lose sleep to crack-of-dawn cackles. They catch grief from neighbors who assumed the block was a chicken-free zone.

But with a large recall of potentially tainted eggs raising concerns about food-borne illness, the growing number of people who raise their own chickens believe they are sitting pretty, with a steady supply of homegrown eggs they contend are safer, tastier, and more natural than their factory-farm counterparts.
...

Boston does not allow residents to own chickens. But nearby communities — including Brookline, Belmont, Lexington, and Newton — permit them with strict guidelines, and residents in other towns have lobbied officials to lift restrictions against chickens.
...

Debates over safety aside, hen owners say farm-raised eggs are fresher and more flavorful. They are also firmer, making them stand up on the plate.

“Our hens are free range, on a natural diet,’’ said Kathleen Geary, a shareholder at Many Hands Organic Farm in Barre. “So these eggs are just a different food.’’



THE COMPLETE WRITE-UP

[WickedKitchen]

Fresh eggs rock

[snusgetter]

A "try before you buy" in Massachusetts..

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Rent-a-coops put ‘farm fresh’ in suburban yards

WESTON — Raising chickens is not just for poultry farmers anymore. As suburban consumers strive to learn where the food they eat comes from, some of them are also keeping birds in backyard coops.

In addition to getting flavorful eggs with vivid yellow yolks, owning chickens has its advantages. The chicks produce great lawn fertilizer and can be fun. But becoming a suburban chicken farmer takes a pretty serious commitment.

Enter Land’s Sake Farm, which offers a chicken rental program — sort of a “risk-free trial,’’ says education director Douglas Cook. Now in its second year, the program runs from spring through mid-November (depending on the weather). Rentals come with two chickens, a portable coop, and organic feed. For $100 you can be a farmer for two weeks and call for help when you need it.
...

Land’s Sake sends out 10 Light Brahma chickens, which take turns on rental rotation. This hearty breed, perfect for New England’s climate, was selected by the farm because the gentle birds are easy to manage. The small flock is friendly and well trained.

After setting up the coop, delivering basic instructions and a printed sheet of information, and answering Jackson’s questions, Cook drives to the next stop, a pickup. It looks like no one is home, so he and his assistant go to the backyard, pick up the coop, and carry it to the truck.
...

In Wayland, Edie Hotchkiss, her 7-year-old daughter Jenny, cousin Emily Leventhal, and Jenny’s friend Sophia Blair-Goldin form an excited welcoming committee for two birds, whom they name Ginger and Maryanne. The Hotchkisses are Land’s Sake CSA members. While settling the chickens in their coop, Cook answers questions: Fresh eggs can remain at room temperature for up to one month; eggs have a bloom, a protein-like mucus coating that keeps bacteria from penetrating the shell. Don’t wash eggs until just before cooking to keep the bloom on.

A little over a week into her rental, Hotchkiss says that the eggs are delicious, but the yield is low. “I wouldn’t do it solely for the eggs,’’ she says. Ginger and Maryanne lay about an egg a day between them. But, says Hotchkiss, “The kids are having a ball.’’ And the birds are “doing a good job on our lawn.’’

The Jacksons in Lexington had an overwhelmingly positive experience. Gabriella has been their primary caretaker, while 8-year-old Julian “is along for the ride and the enjoyment,’’ says mom. The chickens laid about an egg a day, which the family enjoyed with their neighbors.

In blind taste tests with supermarket eggs, Jackson reports, everybody preferred the backyard variety. “The color is richer, thicker. Definitely better.’’

She’s not running out to buy a flock just yet. “All pets turn into mother’s pets,’’ she says.

MORE


If local zoning allows, this is a great way to see if raising chickens
is right for you. You get high-nitrogen fertilizer, fresh eggs, and a
chicken for the pot (although you'd have to also learn the art of
killing and dressing the birds).

All-in-all, could be a win-win situation ........ or not!!

[WickedKitchen]

So, did you do it Snuffy? or waiting until spring?