Honest Review of Owning BACKYARD CHICKENS

Backyard chickens have pros and cons. I am here to tell you all of the good and the bad we have experienced in this honest first year review of owning backyard chickens.

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Hello everyone,
Welcome to Acres of Adventure Homestead!
New Homesteaders
Family of 5
10 Chickens. 2 Dogs. 1 Cat
Building our Homestead Adventure
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#homestead #farming #chickens

[MajorImpactFarm]

We are Michigan also. Highly recommend heated dog dishes or a low stock tank with a tank heater for winter. I've had chickens for years and last winter was the first time I've used both. Total game changer! Also get a flex hose or other collapsible hose and a 5 gallon bucket to put it in for winter. Take it inside when not in use, no frozen hoses! Good luck this winter.

[joncue]

I live right on the Indiana/Michigan border and was wondering about raising them this far north. Good to see that it's not too bad and that they can survive without a lot of extra maintenance in the cold weather.

[monthegers]

Hi am from Scotland and I have 7 chickens I think I only have 1 boy and 6 girls but that are a bit Young yet to tell I had ducks and chickens before but my dad passed away a few months ago I am 16 so I got some chickens to keep me happy in life and I am saving up money to buy more and different animals.Also I subbed and liked and cant wait for more vids

[prettybirdthepetgoosefrien]

First, you have to decide if you're rooster is worth it. Then you need to learn to understand WHAT AND WHY he is doing what he does! This will help A LOT! Just like the rooster had to prove himself to the hens, to show that he is worth it and a valuable addition to the flock, the humans need to do the same with the rooster and help them understand that they are a valuable asset for the flock! Teach him that you are NOT trying to take HIS spot in the pecking order, but rather that you are helping and supporting his position. There are ways to do this, like for example, when you bring treats, give them to the roo to then announce and share with his hens! There is much more to it, but this strategy has worked best for me! Hope this helps someone out there!

[poisonfortheweak]

Chicken parenting is a process. Mostly a process of getting more chickens. To me, having chickens one of the few great joys in life.

But yes, it’s something you learn over time- how to make things more efficient, what they like, what the different breeds features are, which suits your homestead best, etc.

For me, I’ve found Golden Comets to be my favorite. They’re super friendly and have good personalities, they put out pretty much an egg a day and they really don’t ever go broody if that’s something you don’t want.

[ShutterUp]

This is our first year raising chickens. I appreciate your insight.

[ThatBritishHomestead]

I’m getting 6 more chickens 🐓 I can’t wait! We have back yard ducks and allotment chickens!! I just love them. Forget iPads chickens are the best play thing for kids

[tleereece]

I now have 36 chickens.😉. We even have 1 special needs rooster who stays in house at night or bad weather (he only weighs about a pound). Love it and we both enjoy our chickens.
You do a wonderful job talking and explaining in your videos.

[Thingys-Jill]

What many people don't know is chicken math. Chickens live 5-9 years but only lay eggs for 2-3 years. Many towns and cities only allow 6 hens and no roosters. You never want to raise just one chicken because they are very social animals. Start with 3 and then the next year add 2-3 new babies if you live in a town with restrictions. Use a radiant heat brooder plate instead of a heat lamp. Heat lamps can cause fires too easily. Build your coop big enough for 2-3x the number of chickens you are starting with or it'll be too small in a couple of years. Predator proof it. You want 2SF in the coop per bantam and 4SF per full-size chicken. Give at least 12" of roost space per chicken. Start with one roost but you can always add another if needed. They are very spendy, but you might want to get an automatic chicken door. You can easily make automatic feeders and waterers to make your chicken-keeping easy. Think about ease of cleaning and have a door big enough to clean the coop out with minimal effort. If your coop is raised off the ground, then make it so your wheelbarrow fits underneath and you can just rake the bedding into it. If you are making a chicken run, be able to stand up in it. Your back will thank you. Also, you won't want to be crawling on your hands and knees in there! Make the nesting box so you can collect eggs from the outside. Again, predator-proof it.

[NonnaMaryGrace]

I put diatomaceous in the nest boxes. 💕NonaGrace 🐓

[magnuman]

I use First Saturday Lime every time I change out the bedding or run. I just sprinkle it on the ground and in the coop to help prevent insects.

[xris]

Thank you for sharing. We got our first 6 chicks this month. Looking forward to the year ahead with them. I bet they will love Florida weather. Best wishes to you all.

[CDN-Edits]

It helps if they know you since babies, and acknowledge you as the top "rooster"

[matthewsmith]

If your chickens aren't laying eggs in the coop, they do not like the set up. As far as the Mites, it doesn't have to be. Set up a spot that they can dust bath. Dirt works fine, but I prefer wood ashes. Never had an issue with Mites yet.

[joconn]

The rooster issue will be the same pretty much for every rooster. He is hitting puberty and needs to show who is boss. Watch how they attach. Usually come up along side you wings out and wack you and peck. Keep an eye on him. When he starts, stop the process. it is usually around the time they turn 1 year old. Sometimes its a war but you can win and he will be a great pet. After mine finally got through it. he became the best rooster for his girls, protected them with everything he had. when I fed him he would call out and the girls would come running. If there was danger he had another call and they would all go where he told them too. I could even call him and he knew I had something for him. This is not guaranteed for every Rooster, it worked on 2 of mine.

[Cathy_MidwestHome_Hens]

There’s a video (probably several) on youtube showing how to teach the rooster whose boss. I actually tried the same tactic with a severely bossy hen and it worked. Our rooster was great with me after I put him in his place and he was like a dog to my husband. He ran to my hubby when he got home from work and sat in his lap and nuzzled his neck. SO CUTE. We’re in town though and they changed the ordinance to not allow roosters so we had to re home him 😢😢😢

[NonnaMaryGrace]

Gather the eggs daily. We pot our water on a chimney with a light. Works great in western New York.💕NonaGrace 🐓

[ironrose]

This is my first year with chickens and ducks. We didn’t get a rooster like we thought, they turned out to be all hens. We have adopted roosters who were free from people in our surrounding communities. One is a very tame bantam rooster named Nugget and a nearly all black rooster named Raven. Raven wasn’t very well accepted by the hens but our ducks think they are playground monitors and they break up fights before blood is involved. Our ducks are younger but are much bigger and the roosters are grateful for their protection. Nugget loves for me to personally take him off his perch and be held for a while.

Dust baths are extremely important. There are herbs from Amazon that you can add to the DE and ashes from the wood stove.

[walterpierce]

We had chickens when I was a child down in Kentucky years ago and some roosters are just mean!
But I love chickens and we enjoyed watching the hens sitting on their eggs and seeing the baby chicks.
They hatch in 21 days.
A mother hen can really peck you hard if you mess with the baby chicks.
We had Rhode Island reds and several others and some bantams that my grandmother called "banties".
The banty roosters were all really good natured but sometimes fought each other.
I live in the city and can't have them now.

[mohmmedouda]

I follow your wonderful channel, your friend from Iraq. Greetings to you