Maybe the chicken tractors would work here, but I have my doubts. In fact I think a chicken on the loose would stand a better chance of escaping feral hogs than one in one of those coops would. Same with coyotes, which are very clever and determined. And if raccoons can get into a completely enclosed chicken coop, I don’t think one of those tractors would prove insurmountable. But maybe so.
Silly or not, I have been in them, and they’re cleaner than most peoples’ hobby chicken houses; perhaps not yours. They completely remove the bedding about every 30 days and wash and disinfect every component and surface. Maybe you do it more often than that, but I don’t think many people do.
My chicken coop was a second-hand wood storage shed with a door. It has three windows screened in. I can open and close/lock the windows. The person who had it before me used it as a get-away room for his mother in law so it was quite nice. It had a linoleum floor that came apart over the years (with me using it as a henhouse). The chicken yard is three attached dog kennels (I attached them long-ways and made the pen three dog pens long, all the same width) that I bought second hand as well. It’s very sturdy, made out of chainlink, and if I’m not mistaken it’s 8 feet high. If you have a problem with raccoons you might have to lock such a setup because they can open locks with their fingers. The pen is covered overhead with a net to protect them from such things as hawks and owls. I’ve never had an animal break into my set up. Over time, my dogs left their scent all over the farm. It’s very rare that I actually see a predator. When I was new to having chickens/guineas, I used to lock the henhouse at night and the pen was always closed. Soon, I opened the house and pen during the day to let the chickens range with the dogs. Not too soon after the first year, I used to leave the henhouse open but leave the chicken pen locked. Soon after that, I just left it all open. I’m sure if we didn’t have all the dogs, the predator load would be as high as the neighbors seem to have.
Try to find more sturdy supplies on craigs list, yard sales and local sales network.I do not. But my chickens are only in their house when it’s dark out. They spend all their time outside.
It depends on your predator load. Some have to work harder than others to protect their chickens.
No, we have neighbor’s dogs, raccoons, fox, skunks (like to steal eggs), and coyotes - and possums, I hate possums. I hear there are bears east of us
Or, worse yet, actually have to live in New York City.
I think my dad kept cows when we were growing up for two reasons. One is so that my brothers would be prepared to be worth something to somebody if they were to make their living at hard manual labor. The other was to convince them that if they weren’t interested in doing hard manual labor for a living, they’d better be serious about their education! As it was, they did both…that is, they went to college and they chose jobs that keep them working with their hands, and not always behind a desk. At least one of my other relatives chose a flock of chickens as his “manual labor husbandry” project for his sons.If have time to milk my cow and work full timeIt’s not about division of labor, it’s about doing what you like to do and not worrying about what others do. If you (not you, just any you) want to pick up your milk from the store, that’s fine with me. I’d rather have farm fresh and luckily, I can do just that
As it turns out, a good number of the American homesteaders of the late 1800s found this out the hard way. About 60% of claimants under the Homestead Act of 1862 did not “prove up” their claims.All you guys who keep making fun of my sore back comment I bet have never cut enough wood on their own to get through the winter! I’m not saying its hard so don’t do it I’m just saying its hard.
I don’t think its right to get rid of every animal on this earth other than those which benefit us directly whether for food, companionship or entertainment.
I agree.I agree that everyone should learn these skills, and I am working on learning vegetable gardening and planning to raise chickens soon. I even like the idea of Catholics relying upon each other more than we do now. But a separated community does not appeal to me. Those types of things have a tendency to quickly become cultish or very restrictive of its members. Just across the river from where I live is a Charismatic community. There are a lot of good things to say about it, but there have been a lot of people who had to move away because they were ostracized or excluded because of personality conflicts or holier-than-thou attitudes. I would hate to invest my time, my money, and my self into the building up of such a community, only to have it become cliquish and exclusive. I think it is far better for Christians to work and live right alongside non-Christians, with a good support network amongst the Christians to keep the Christian community cohesive and thriving. Just my thoughts!
What research have you done to give you the knowledge about how clean “most people’s hobby chicken houses”? Also, do you have any proof that all or even most factory chicken farms do the extensive cleaning that you claim? And beyond that, where is the proof that such disinfecting is even beneficial? There is a lot of science today on the harms of over-sanitizing. If chicken houses are doing what you describe on the regular, this is more evidence that there is something very disgusting going on as the research I have done has shown.
Ha! My sister that quite her high paying/secure corporate job to apprentice on an organic farm for two years has since moved to NYC. Now she is active in the urban farming scene. You’d be surprised how much of this homesteading talk is actually relevant there, for those that are interested.Or, worse yet, actually have to live in New York City.
The fact is, it’s working all over the US. Where do you live? I can link you to some farms in your area that are doing it already. Predators will always be a concern for any farmer, including factory farms…however it’s not that hard to overcome predator issues. I’ve seen it. We don’t have to talk in these vague terms. I can name some farms…I already have. What factory farms are you talking about? In 2013 we don’t have to make unfounded claims…this is the information age and we have access to the proof, at our fingertips.
I for one would love this, I don’t understand why as Catholics or Christians we have not already taken a note from the Amish and set up a community as they have done as you have suggested.
No one is suggesting that.
I have had a rancher and a logger tell me they would rather be dropped into the middle of an unknown wilderness than to be dropped into the middle of a large metropolitan area, let alone NYC. Even Portland, OR, gives them the willies. I grew up near one of them, but I was astonished. I remember being nervous the first time I drove in a big city, but I’ve been used to it so long it seems like forever ago!
My other sister lives in Portland but she’s closer to the farm lands, near the hills. Many of the kids in her neighborhood school live in the mountains on farms and get bussed in. But yeah, I hear you! I am definitely not a big city girl.I have had a rancher and a logger tell me they would rather be dropped into the middle of an unknown wilderness than to be dropped into the middle of a large metropolitan area, let alone NYC. Even Portland, OR, gives them the willies. I grew up near one of them, but I was astonished. I remember being nervous the first time I drove in a big city, but I’ve been used to it so long it seems like forever ago!
You can take the boy out of the country,* but for the love of Heaven, don’t drop him into NYC!*
BTW, those who were not raised on a farm need to be careful about transplanting yourself into a farming community. It takes about 20 years to become one of the locals…kind of. (OK, maybe never, but if your children marry locals, your grandchildren will be locals some day.) Until then, you’re going to have to prove you know which end of a cow to milk.
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