Thinking about getting chickens - advice needed

I'm interested in getting chickens to use as pest control around my fruit orchard. My wife and kids seem to be interested in getting them as well.

I was going to build a coop over the winter and get some early next spring.

How many do you typically get per acre to keep the bugs to a minimum?

Do you still need to feed them regularly and how much?

What do you do when they're chicks? Special feeding, shelter (warmth) etc.?

What month should you get chicks considering temperatures outside or does it even matter?

Can I still spray Malathion and fungicide on the trees as long as they aren't nearby?

What do you do with them when it's in the single digits at night in the winter?

Thanks for any advice.

 

Thanks!

 

In the freezer ???

 

My biggest hesitation in getting chickens is keeping EVERYBODY else from eating them! One critter gets in overnight and they can clean things out in a hurry!

 

We free ranged for a bit. First gripe, they chit everywhere! One day my family had the pleasure of watching a coyote come out of the woods and eat a couple chickens then the animal get a lead headache. Predators aren’t easy to keep out of a coop let alone free range. I’d like to let them out for pest mitigation but it just ain’t worth it here. If you don’t mind about loosing a few birds here and there then game on!

 

Had chickens for many years, primarily for the eggs. One tip I can give on that, do not wash eggs. Keep their nesting boxes clean with sawdust or something. I got a terrible infection that lasted over a year that was attributed to improper handling as we started out washing em.
Hawks are a definite concern if they will be free range, as will be fox, rats, etc… Deep cold spells were never an issue here, they had a coup to stay in and they’d huddle together when needed.

 

Just go ahead and buy a fox and get your headaches over with. Lol. Lots of 'em around here.

 

We and our neighbors had chickens. It took the foxes maybe 2 years to eliminate all of them. Fox was the top killer. They kill chickens for sport. They earned their reputation. At night the coons and possums worked on the coops. Bloodbath if a coon gets in. Good luck!
My wife and daughter named the birds and shed some tears.

 

Anyone use those chiken tractor/traiker things. Where you have a nesting, roosting, and outdoor area in one building/enclosure, that can be moved every day or two.

 

So what's the danger with washing eggs...never heard of this before?

 

If you wash with water or float eggs, the bacteria can get into the egg via pores in the shell.


I suffered with symptoms I’d rather not describe for over a year before it was properly diagnosed, then the treatment was not clear cut. One try was called wormwood tea. One of thee most horrible things I’ve ever ingested. After many unsuccessful attempts to rid myself, one suggestion was to fully flush my system, then add um… a close family members #2 into my lower intestines to repopulate with good bacteria. H E double L no… all around it was not pleasant. And no, I don’t eat raw egg or 1/2 cooked for that matter. Not exactly how it got into my system but it did. As Dennis said, brush off dirty eggs. We had a fine sponge sanding block for a minute but in the end it was just keeping the nesting box clean. I kept a 55 gal drum of sawdust and noodles and just kept adding a cup or two where they laid.


There is also a protective layer on the eggs (can’t recall what it’s called) and washed off, shortens shelf life and opens pores more.

 

A freind who runs around 80 birds has shot 3 fox already. He put himself in a position to have to do that. Occasional hawk problems.

 

I just recently heard of that...sounds weird, but it can be a life saving procedure for people that really need it. "Donors" with high quality bacteria can be compensated pretty well (yes there are people that do this for income)
Fecal Transplant

 

Kinda puts new meaning to that old saying " Go pound salt up you A$$ " eh??

If you go through that process does it qualify you as a "Fudge Packer" ??????

 

Well, uh, yeah...kinda.
I guess there is 2 different ways they do it (at least) one is a capsule (that's known as "eat chit, but don't die" ) the second is a long needle right into the lower intestine through your abdomen