Life in Southeast Alaska

Chickens?

We will be taking another step toward grocery-store independence this year...we are getting chickens!  We have alot of preparation to do first and I thought I would ask everyone for a little advice.  What kinds of chickens do well in colder climates?  What things can you share with me about raising chickens for eggs?  What things have you found that worked?  Things that didn't work?  Do your chickens have a fenced run?  How big?  I'm thinking that I will have to keep them in an enclosed area to keep them safe from the dogs and bears that frequent our area, maybe 20' x 20'?  Did you build your own nesting boxes and what did you use? 

Best of all, do you have pictures of your chickens and their setup that you would like to share???

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5:11 AM, Friday, February 15, 2008 .. Posted by stitchnchick

Oh, chickens are my favorite thing to raise! You'll love having them. We built a "house" with nesting boxes and a fenced run for ours. We're planning to increase our flock this year, so we're making chicken tractors so we can move them around our property. I have raised several breeds over the years, but my favorite for jumbo brown eggs is Buff Orpingtons. They fare well in cold weather and have a gentle temperament. I really like this website:

www.backyardchickens.com

As I think of things, I'll be back to share.
Best of luck to you!

Amy

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5:23 AM, Friday, February 15, 2008 .. Posted by haflinger

I've got lots to add but don't have the time this AM I will get back to you on this..
BLessings Sister Brenda

chickens

4:03 AM, Friday, February 22, 2008 .. Posted by Mama

I love my chickens! I have been raising them for 3 years now. I can tell you what my experiences are. We have 35 now . They are in two coops. One is an 8x10 wooden storage shed we cut windows into. Pput your windows south facing to get any winter sun you can into to coop for warmth and light. The other is a metal storage building, we cut windows into. Don't use metal unless you are going to put interior plywood walls in ( which we are going to do this year) as it is very cold and drafty in there and I've had all kinds of problems with leaking. I built some nesting boxes haphardly and they fell apart when I moved them to do the through spring cleaning. SO I just put some boards tall enough to give them a screen of privacy and they like it as well. Easy to move for cleaning too. I live in nroth central Pa almost on the NY border so we get osme fairly cold winters, some of my favorite breeds that are cold hardy are Buff Orpingtons,Black Giants,Silver Laced Wyndottes,Americanas, Rhode Island Reds. You want the large breeds they tend to be most hardy. Check out Murray Mcmurray's website it has good descriptions This is where I got my first flock they are veery healthy birds. Don't put a light on htem to extend winter laying. It effects their health very badly. God made them to have a break in the winter . I learned this the hard way. It puched my flock so much I lost about 6 or 7 to egg laying complications from pushing them. They need to rest. I got 6 new chicks last year and they being pullets laid us 3 eggs a day all winter so we couldn't sell our eggs through the winter but we had eggs for ourselves. I plan to add new chhicks every year so we always have some winter production that way. YOu should supplement them with oyster shell for extra calcuim and be ssure they access to appropriate sized grit all the time. In the winter get them scratch grain which is wheat berries and cracked corn mixed togehter. The cracked corn helps them to produce more body heat to keep warm and the protein from the wheat berries helps them to lay more and be healthier in the cold weather. Make sssure they always have fresh water, the kids and I carry in the two gallon water containers when it is cold and thaw them in the bath tub then refill them with gallon jugs of warm water we carry out. They really apprectate the warm water when it is cold. www.backyardchickens.com is where I learned alot when I first started. If you have any more questions just ask. I ahve learned alot about chickens and ducks , turkeys and this year we will be learning about geese, goats and sheep! I am fascinated with ALaska. I will add you to my friends list stop over and see what I am up to at Stillmeadow Farm.
Mama