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How to Build a PC or Upgrade a ComputerRichard McGinnis (4,782)   How to Build a Computer Free Chicken Coop Plans!Posted Friday, February 13, 2009 (140 days 9 hours ago.) Viewed 1,035 times. A very common question is why would you want to raise chickens when it is so easy to just buy eggs at the market? There is a variety of reasons for raising chickens. For some owners it is simply enjoyable and eggs are a wonderful benefit, others find chickens keep the bugs down around their home. Each reason is unique to every owner. The next question I always hear is how do I get free chicken coop plans? Or, the very similar question... how can I find free chicken coop blueprints? Either way, we all want to get something for nothing, right? Well, I hate to be the one to break it to you, but my experience tells me that you get what you pay for. In other words, there are free plans out there, but they are not high quality, and they rarely come with easy to follow assembly instructions. So, what good are free plans, if you can't figure out how to put them together? The reason you want the coop is either because the idea of a pet chicken excites you, or maybe you (like I) would prefer simply to know where your food is coming form. The health benefits of an egg a day as a part of a healthy balanced diet has encouraged major growth in home chicken ownership. Eggs are a nutrient rich edible loaded with Vitamin A, Vitamin D, six grams of protein and good cholesterol. Eggs taste great, and face it, they taste even better when you know they came from your backyard. Other benefits of owning chickens includes; natural soil aeration, bug control and organic fertilizer. As free range chickens forage for food they implement a strategy called scratching stir up soil and ultimately spot buts scurrying away. Aeration is good for your soil because it keeps the top layer loose to accept water and fertilizers. During this process of scratching chickens consume larger numbers of bugs ranging from worms and flies to grasshoppers, crickets, beetles and moths. Finally, chicken droppings are very nitrogen rich and make a potent organic fertilizer. Mixing chicken droppings into your compost pile with other bio-degradable items like grasses and leaves creates a nutrient dense that replenishes natural plant food while enhancing nitrogen contents. So, I'm sure you are convinced now to raise chickens and harvest their eggs, but you must still be wondering where to find chicken coop plans. As I said, feel free to search out the free chicken coop plans on the Internet, but I can promise you will have the same experience I did. You'll find a whole lot of nothing! :) I'd recommend going to a site like free chicken coop blueprints or free chicken coop plans to see what you can find, but you'll probably have more luck going to a site where you pay for plans. That's what I ended up doing in the end! 
Permalink Comments (0) How to Buy Live ChickensPosted Friday, December 19, 2008 (195 days 19 hours ago.) Viewed 522 times. When looking to purchase chickens there are a couple of things to think about; are my chickens for eggs or are they for meet? There are 15 or so typical breeds of chickens in the United States and range in size from 6-8 pounds. Each breed of chicken can yield large fresh eggs each day however if we are seeking out birds for meat, considering a large breed will put more in your freezer for less. While your average 6 pound chicken will consume around 4-6 ounces of food per day and 8 pound bird may eat slightly more 5-8 ounces per day. For ten chickens this would increase our feed use from one bag every 13 days to one bag every 10 days. But let's look at the math for a moment. Raising larger birds does require slightly more food during the same time period but the benefit is very high. Looking at it in whole ten chickens at 8 pounds would yield 80 pounds of meat, while at 6 pounds just 60lbs of meat. In retrospect, it would take 14 birds to equal just over 80 pounds. This would take the life of our feed from 10 days to 9.5 days per bag. With less birds there is less clean up, less overcrowding and you reduce the possibility for disease by making it easier to maintain and clean their coop. It is also important to understand a straight run will include both hens and roosters. Roosters can way sometimes two pounds more than a hen of the same breed making them more valuable for the freezer. However if we are seeking egg lying birds, roosters are not the way to go. Roosters do not lay eggs and also will breed with hens at will. If you would like to raise chicks this ok but when a rooster breeds a hen, the hen will store the roosters seaman for up to three days. Then, each time a hen ovulates the egg could be fertilized with the potential to yield a chick. This is not normally a problem if you are collecting eggs regularly as recommended. But in the event you don't collect for even few days and a hen begins to incubate her eggs, embryos will form and 21 days later chicks will be born. Buying chickens is as simple as going to your local feed store but as we just discussed there are some things to consider. To help you figure out what will work best for your flock let's get some more information on what kind of chickens are on the market, the right combination of hens and roosters and also get a grasp on what you can expect to pay. Roosters and Hens There are three different scenarios to consider when buying our chickens; meat, eggs and chicks. If you are raising your chickens strictly for meat the larger your birds are, the more meat in pounds you will yield for your freezer. Roosters can weigh up to two pounds more than their counterparts within the same breed. As we have explored, over a similar time frame fewer large birds will bring more meat at less expense than more smaller birds, basic economics. But it is also important to understand that over the first 4-6 weeks of your chickens life, feed consumption will be identical for both hens and roosters. Each week there after you will start to get a gradual separation with larger birds until 20-22 weeks when they will be ready for processing. Why is this important? Because until chickens reach maturity it cost nearly the same to raise roosters and hens until about 14 weeks. This means your feed increase is really only effected half of the chickens growth period before being ready for butchering. The benefit is simple, more pounds for the same price means good business. We will explore cost more in a moment but when you buy chickens in a straight run, you can typically get them for nearly half the price of sexed chicks. This allows us to focus more on our pen capacity than dollars and cents required to feed them. Farm fresh eggs in your back yard has been the focal point for chicken owners as its popularity has increased in the last 10 years. When raising chickens for eggs we want to focus on good lying birds. For good lying hens, there is no room for roosters in this hen house. Roosters don't lay eggs and depending on your egg collecting habits, can complicate or ruin edible eggs by fertilization. With so many breeds of chickens on the market noting that larger birds usually lay larger eggs is important. But larger eggs do not always mean considerably more egg. The average medium sized egg sole commercially and typically what you could expect from younger laying hens is about 1.75 ounces as compared to the average large egg weighing 2 ounces. As humans we normally eat eggs one, two or three at a time for healthy eaters, not in ounces. Where egg weight comes in handy is companies like Egg Beaters who sell eggs in ounces not by the dozen. To feed larger birds more for an equal output of eggs is highly individual and an interesting point of reference when seeking your laying hens. If you have enough space on your property and you are raising chickens for both meat and eggs, having a combination of roosters and hens is important. One rooster to every 7-8 hens is a great ratio for fertilizing eggs. But more roosters does not always mean more fertilization. Roosters are always seeking to be the dominate bird in the flock, fighting aside, most male species of any kind want their seed to prevail in a heard or flock. To accomplish this means breeding. But hens can become stressed if too many males are seeking to spread their seed. This may cause less ovulation, which means less eggs and a lower likelihood of producing enough eggs to incubate. Buying Chickens Because not every feed store carries chicks and ones who do may have a limited selection of breeds, there are some alternate places to purchase there breed you desire. Across the United States there are several hatcheries with online options. Buying chicks directly from a hatchery does two things. Large hatcheries have a great selection birds that include several species of chickens but other poultry like ducks and turkeys. Once you have a designated space for raising your flocks, the option to purchase other poultry species is wonderful. You can now keep your freezer stocked with multiple kinds of birds to the appropriate occasions, raising a flock of chickens, then a couple turkeys, a flock of ducks and so on. The transition is easy with the accessibility of the correct types of feed and good cleaning of your coop before ordering your next brood. Hatcheries typically ship in 25 chick flocks and is always good to order a few more than you may need. The possibility of a few dying during shipping or when very young is possible, however if 25 is to many to raise as adults you do have some options. First, if you have friends or acquaintances who also raise chickens you can partner up to share the expense. If you are alone in your chicken raising venture, advertising extra chicks in the classifieds is a sure fire way thin your flock to the desired number. You can buy chicks either as a straight run, both roosters and hens. A straight run in theory is a mixture of 50% males and females. Looking at large volume this is theoretically possible but the reality is you will end up with a few more of one or the other. You can also buy chicks that have been vent sexed which is 90-95% accurate depending on individual hatchery statistics. For owners looking to buy laying hens, buying sexed chicks is crucial when hens are the desired target. Chicken farms are spread across the country and not limited to one area or region. This makes buying your chicks from a more localized hatchery more desirable. The closer to home you purchase your chicks the greater condition they will be in once they reach you. For your connivance to get familiar with the mail order process, DIY has put together a list of some hatcheries that may suit your needs. It is always recommended that you do a little research on regional hatcheries so you can find what fits your need best. Breeds Rhode Island Reds All purpose breed great for both laying and meat uses. Known for laying large brown eggs averaging 255 eggs per year. They get their name because they are red in color and sturdy birds with roosters weighing 8.5lbs and hens 6.5 lbs. New Hampshire Reds Started through selective breeding of Rhode Island Reds in new Hampshire. Good egg laying birds averaging 255 eggs per year. They get their name because region and rich chestnut in color. Roosters weighing 7.5lbs and hens 5.5 lbs. Black Sex-Link Outstanding egg laying birds known for large brown eggs averaging 300+ eggs per year. The Sex-Link chickens are a hybrid bird that differ in color for males and females. Black Sex-Link females hatch solid black while males are black and white speckled and are a cross between either the Rhode Island or New Hampshire Reds male and Barred Rock hen. Also known as Black Rocks when Barred Rock male is crossed with either the Rhode Island or New Hampshire Reds female. When Roosters weighing 7.5lbs and hens 6lbs. Red Sex-Link Excellent egg laying birds known for large brown eggs averaging 300+ eggs per year. The Sex-Link chickens are a hybrid bird that differ in color for males and females. Red Sex-Link females hatch solid red while males are black and red speckled and are a cross between either the Rhode Island or New Hampshire Reds male and White Rock, Silver Laced Wyandotte, Rhode Island White or Delaware hen. Roosters weighing 7.5lbs and hens 6 lbs. White Leghorn Best egg laying bird for with regards to feed consumption, known for large white eggs averaging 300 eggs per year. Most common bird in commercial use and are solid white. Roosters weighing 6.5lbs and hens 5 lbs. Plymouth Rock or Barred Rock Good egg laying bird but are great for meat, durable to colder weather conditions. Known for large breasts making great meat birds and are speckled black and white in color. Rocks lay large eggs varying color from light to medium brown averaging 200 eggs per year. Rocks are also some of the largest domestic chickens with roosters weighing 9.5lbs and hens 7.5lbs. Araucana - Sometimes known as the Easter Egger because of its blue eggs. Good medium sized egg layer averaging 250 per year. The Araucana is a multi-colored bird with not particular pattern. Roosters weighing 6lbs and hens 5lbs. Black Australorp Good egg laying bird and excellent for meat known for large, medium brown eggs averaging 250 per year. Known for its single comb with 5 distinct points, black feathers with a green tint. Roosters weighing 8.5lbs. and hens 6.5lbs. Buff Orpington Great meat birds only laying 130 eggs per year on average. Orpington birds are very large and vary on color from black, white, blue and buff (golden). Big breasted birds great for the freezer with roosters weighing 10lbs and hens 8lbs. Cornish Cross Excellent for meat and most popular for commercial use. Cornish Cross grow extremely fast reaching 6-7lbs in just 5 weeks. Cornish Cross is similar in color to the White Leghorn which incidentally is most common for commercial egg laying. Large bodied birds with roosters weighing 12lbs and hens 10lbs. Jersey Giant Best when used as meat birds and they grow rather quickly. However, Giants take time to fill out into mature birds taking 7-9 months to gain full weight. Because they take so long to finish the are not seen as viable commercial birds, BUT for the patient owners Giants can roosters can reach 13.5lbs and hens 10.5lbs. Brahma Excellent meat birds great in colder climates. Brahma very in color from white, dark gray and buff (golden) with black speckles and larger black speckles on the neck, tail and wing tips. Roosters weighing 12lbs and hens 9lbs. Expected Costs Cost of your chicks will vary by hatchery, region, number of chicks purchased, species and shipping. Sexed chicks will normally range from $2.45-$4.00 per chick for the first 25 and gradually reduce the more you buy. If you are not seeking a specific sex, you can buy straight run chicks from $1.30-$3.00 per chick. Shipping normally takes just 24 hours if shipped locally and 2-3 days reaching each coast. Standard shipping rates apply but when buying large quantities of chicks, hatcheries will normally ship free of charge. We are launching a new webiste on DIY Chicken Coops. Please check it out for more great information!
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