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The Pit Chicken Keeping Thread

I don't know for sure...I suggest offering to return it for 2 reasons: 1)transparency is definitely a good thing in my book; 2) when my neighbors dog killed our hen, my wife and kids were really sad and wanted to bury her with a hand full of sunflower seeds next to where I buried my dog. We had the bird for 7 years though; the kids named it Hermione after the Harry Potter character and had grown quite attached to her over the years.
 
I don't know for sure...I suggest offering to return it for 2 reasons: 1)transparency is definitely a good thing in my book; 2) when my neighbors dog killed our hen, my wife and kids were really sad and wanted to bury her with a hand full of sunflower seeds next to where I buried my dog. We had the bird for 7 years though; the kids named it Hermione after the Harry Potter character and had grown quite attached to her over the years.

In this hypothetical scenario, the house from which the chick escaped has kids. Good thoughts, thanks.

I still don't know how it got out of the coop and into the hypothetical yard. The coop doesn't have a top but is surrounded by chicken wire, and then the fence itself is 5 feet tall. Can fledgling chicks fly for a bit?
 
In this hypothetical scenario, the house from which the chick escaped has kids. Good thoughts, thanks.

I still don't know how it got out of the coop and into the hypothetical yard. The coop doesn't have a top but is surrounded by chicken wire, and then the fence itself is 5 feet tall. Can fledgling chicks fly for a bit?

My chickens have cleared an 8 foot fence before.
 
Actually, and this is counter intuitive, the young birds are better fliers that the older egg laying ones. In my experience they are best at flying from about 2-5 months of age. Before 2 months they lack the strength to get sustained flight but can get a few feet off the ground in short bursts and once they start laying at about 5 months, they get heavy and flying gets harder.
 
Can fledgling chickens fly? Not for long I assume...

They can certainly fly. Chicks grow amazingly fast (fact: the chicken you buy in the store is harvested at nine weeks of age). We've lost nine birds in two weeks (about a 25% loss on our stock) due to predators, and loss is the constant companion of a chicken keeper. If they keep this hobby up, this won't be the last time. If they've been doing it for a while, it likely isn't the first. I still get attached to certain birds but veterans of the game know the story.

That said, I think you're doing the right thing if you approach the parents and tell them what happened. I think an important fact is where you found the carcass. If the carcass was in your yard, odds are that's on them. If not, your cost in replacing a bird is about $5.00 for a hatchling, and I'm sure you can find a juvenile bird for sale on Craig's magic list. If you live in Raleigh, I'll give you one of mine.
 
have any of you that do it taken a stab at your cost of eggs? i was thinking of meat chickens, and the cost seems to be a bit prohibitive.
 
have any of you that do it taken a stab at your cost of eggs? i was thinking of meat chickens, and the cost seems to be a bit prohibitive.

Assuming you're buying store brand white-shelled factory farmed eggs, you pay about 2.5x to raise a dozen eggs over the store price of $1.99 a dozen. I would never recommend raising chickens as a cost-saving measure. The real cost comes in downtime. My birds are dormant in the nest (but cru$hing feed throughout the winter) in the winter due to our lack of sunlight, and also I don't throw them into a woodchipper or sell them to dogfood companies like the factory farms do when they hit 18 months and cut back on their laying rate. My cold, conservative heart has a soft spot for God's creatures.

I sell my surplus eggs around the neighborhood (yes, there is a North Carolina Egg Law) for $3.50 a dozen just to cover my costs (note: I always sell out and have a waitlist). After selling my excess, I've invested a lot of time to break even at best. Meh.

Meat chickens will be closer to a breakeven deal on money (since you can harvest them before you have to feed them in their legacy years), but you're the one getting butchered when it comes to time. $1.99 a pound yardbird is a loss leader for the Teeter. They tried to go to $2.49 a pound and there was a suburban insurgency. I'm bros with our butcher and he told me that he had a lady cry on him when corporate raised the price. They're back to $1.99. So... no money saved there either.

I'm going to start raising meat chickens next season on a health-conscious basis and also because I like doing stuff myself. I've been in meat chicken barns and they aren't as bad as they're portrayed, but it doesn't feel natural, and that has to have downstream consequences.
 
Assuming you're buying store brand white-shelled factory farmed eggs, you pay about 2.5x to raise a dozen eggs over the store price of $1.99 a dozen. I would never recommend raising chickens as a cost-saving measure. The real cost comes in downtime. My birds are dormant in the nest (but cru$hing feed throughout the winter) in the winter due to our lack of sunlight, and also I don't throw them into a woodchipper or sell them to dogfood companies like the factory farms do when they hit 18 months and cut back on their laying rate. My cold, conservative heart has a soft spot for God's creatures.

I sell my surplus eggs around the neighborhood (yes, there is a North Carolina Egg Law) for $3.50 a dozen just to cover my costs (note: I always sell out and have a waitlist). After selling my excess, I've invested a lot of time to break even at best. Meh.

Meat chickens will be closer to a breakeven deal on money (since you can harvest them before you have to feed them in their legacy years), but you're the one getting butchered when it comes to time. $1.99 a pound yardbird is a loss leader for the Teeter. They tried to go to $2.49 a pound and there was a suburban insurgency. I'm bros with our butcher and he told me that he had a lady cry on him when corporate raised the price. They're back to $1.99. So... no money saved there either.

I'm going to start raising meat chickens next season on a health-conscious basis and also because I like doing stuff myself. I've been in meat chicken barns and they aren't as bad as they're portrayed, but it doesn't feel natural, and that has to have downstream consequences.

yeah, i mean i'm not trying to beat the prices of the teet's agrobusiness offerings. $3.50 a dozen is less than i pay at the farmer's market, and the cost of well sourced chicken is crazy. more just wondering than anything. i don't think i could work the logistics right now as much as i'd love it.
 
have any of you that do it taken a stab at your cost of eggs? i was thinking of meat chickens, and the cost seems to be a bit prohibitive.

I'd say you could probably recoup the cost of feeding the hens but the upfront investment of getting/building a coop can be pricey. I'll never be running a profit if I factor that into the cost of having a flock and getting eggs. Of course that's not why I got into backyard chickens in the first place...It's kind of like growing a garden, not super cost effective but fun and educational for me and my kids, etc.
 
Got to be honest I can't tell the difference between grocery store brand eggs and local farm raised eggs. Can we go ahead and add raising "urban" chickens to the pretentious shit thread?
 
Got to be honest I can't tell the difference between grocery store brand eggs and local farm raised eggs. Can we go ahead and add raising "urban" chickens to the pretentious shit thread?

My cholesterol can tell the difference.
 
Got to be honest I can't tell the difference between grocery store brand eggs and local farm raised eggs. Can we go ahead and add raising "urban" chickens to the pretentious shit thread?

...thin watery yokes.

...and yes my above statement confirms the pretentiousness of backyard chicken husbandry.
 
...thin watery yokes.

...and yes my above statement confirms the pretentiousness of backyard chicken husbandry.

on the real.

as far as the super chickens at teet vs pastured from my butcher, let me roast you a chicken sometime and tell me which you prefer.
 
on the real.

as far as the super chickens at teet vs pastured from my butcher, let me roast you a chicken sometime and tell me which you prefer.

Is this some kind of code?
 
We are in the process of redoing out coop so that we have a big enough coop and run to not have to free range all the time. With a 4 month old and a dog it is frustrating to not be able to just open the back door and let the dog out.
 
We are in the process of redoing out coop so that we have a big enough coop and run to not have to free range all the time. With a 4 month old and a dog it is frustrating to not be able to just open the back door and let the dog out.

Year #1 they ranged.

Year #2 I built a run.

Year #3 I expanded my run to the point where it might as well be ranging. If I'm working in the yard on a weekend, I will usually let three or four of them out into the yard and then put them up at night.
 
Anybody experiencing this yet? Fiancee works in food service and she got this from a supplier/distributor:

I just received an update from Pocono Pro Foods regarding the egg/ egg whites shortage and all the other products being effected by the Avian bird virus. I want to share the information so everyone is aware of why cafes are being shorted product and/or products are being substituted and the prices of certain goods are rising.

The Avian bird virus is fast becoming a crisis like we have never seen before. More and more companies are shorting orders on egg products and turkey. And these are very large companies…like Perdue, Butterball, and Michael eggs. The flu has devastated the bird flocks in the center of the country, in the Mississippi Valley. It has not hit the east coast yet, which is also a big poultry producing part of the country. The fear is that it could very soon. The flu has been sourced from Canadian geese, and when the southern migration starts in September/October, it could hit the east coast when they head south.

The prices of everything made with eggs such as all baked goods, mayonnaise, etc. will be rising very quickly in the near future. For the first time ever in this country’s history, we are looking at importing eggs. France and Denmark are applying for approval to do that. Turkey prices are climbing as well. And that is if we can even get it. Berks is out of sliced turkey. Sara Lee is shorting orders of sliced turkey. PPF placed an order from Perdue to come in next Tuesday, but there is no guarantee they will get it. Butterball has already warned that there may not be any whole turkeys for Thanksgiving. It will be a minimum of one year to turn this around, longer if it gets worse.

I will continue to look for solutions and keep everyone posted of new news and progress.
 
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