Oh, and I forgot to say: we now have basically zero food waste from our household for the past 10 years because of the chickens. All plate scraps are even put into the chicken run. Everything that's not a bone goes out there. If the birds don't eat it outright they will scratch and peck until it's ground into the dirt in thier enclosure. I rake it out twice or three times a year and compost what I get. It's mainly chicken shit. They usually have free range in half the yard but if they aren't processing the scraps fast enough I'll leave them locked in the run for a day or two
this post was submitted on 13 Apr 2025
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The weather in Denver is so nice and they seemed like they were so bored in the garage that I put them out earlier than I planned. I can always put them in the garage if we get a freeze. They are fully feathered so even freezing temps shouldn't harm them now. I'm out here at dusk because they don't know to go in their kennel at night and I'll have to pick them up and put them in, like I did last night.
The little garden fencing is to keep them separate from the 3 year old hens I already have, if you keep the different flocks apart so they can see each other everything is better when you want to bring them all together. The old hens were big mad when I brought the new pullets outside yesterday, making all kinds of noise and puffing up near the fence to show dominance. They will get along eventually and I'll keep the pullets segregated until they get closer to the same size. The garden fence is going to go around our raised beds this year because we have a lot of rabbits now, Mr Fox seems to have moved out of the neighborhood or died.
If anyone wants to be more self sufficient I highly recommend raising hens (fuck roosters). Each hen will lay about 250 eggs a year for four years, then they fall off on production. Just keep them well fed and they keep producing.
The eggs sit on the counter in our temperate house and they will last for a couple months like that. I preserve eggs for the winter by taking butt-fresh eggs and "water glassing" them. Plenty of info on the web about water glassing but you basically just make an oversaturated solution of food-grade lime and water (oversaturated means there's more lime in the water than it can hold, so it precipitates out as solid) and keep the eggs in that solution. A half gallon mason jar, 1/4 cup lime and about a quart of water will preserve 13 eggs. The preserved eggs are just fine 4 months later, 8 months later and they are only good for baking. "For science!" I ate three eggs sunny side up that had been preserved for over a year and although they were a little unappealing they were fine to eat.
Original Post, 27 days ago: https://sh.itjust.works/post/34573375
They had the right idea when I went inside to get a broom (chicken wrangler) but once they saw me they just came back out and made the "MAMA!" cry so I had to pick them up.
Hand for scale.
Everychicken inside for the night.
That one on the left is MAD
No, that's just resting bitch face. They always have an expression halfway between angry and confused as pullets
bit south of you, we have foxes in the open space. my doggo LOVES to chase them up and down the fence.
much terror, very scare, nasty foxxos :P
smh, images plz
Mr Fox knows that fence is the only thing keeping him safe
nah, she's a herder so the most she'd do is chase him and his mate(?) around and corral them into a small space lma
it'd make for some absolutely amazing entertainment though, lmao