I'm in the UK and have an allotment, hens are companion gardeners. They eat the pests, fertilize and then turn the ground over. Best pet with benefits, especially now egg prices are through the roof
I love it! You aren’t wrong, they do SO many things beyond producing eggs and the eggs are honestly a bonus. Anyone with a garden should have chickens if they can!
We do too!! We kind of stumbled into them in the beginning, we bought a house that came with them. Now we can’t imagine not having them! I appreciate that very much, thank you!
That was possibly the best video you have created to date! Well thought out, with so many positive and important points in encouraging self sufficiency, synergistic & health benefits as well as a rewarding and entertaining lifestyle! 🙂👍♥️👏
I really appreciate that, a lot! I only begun taking TH-cam seriously a little over a year ago and I’m definitely still working on how to create good videos and I am trying to get just a little better with every one! I appreciate your comment!
I stepped up my timeline to get chickens. I plan on getting them next month. I am modifying a brand new dog house into a chicken coop. And to save space, I'm doing outdoor nesting boxes like you have. Also, I'm learning to make apple cider vinegar using the scraps from my granddaughter's apple waste. She loves apples and they're the most expensive item I buy right now. So that will help eliminate waste. And eggs are $12 in my area. I have two eggs left so I'm looking at Vegan recipes to make food from scratch without using eggs.
Not only do they taste better but eggs from your own chickens are easier to digest as well ! I always grew up with chickens at my parents house and now at 25 I finally got my own chickens and I absolutely adore them. We build our coop ourselves with reused pallets and didn’t have to buy chicken either, they were born at my grandpa’s homestead and he gave them to us ! Even my dog loves them, he’s a border collie and loves spending the day watching after them, he takes his job as a livestock guardian very seriously. 😂
Hey thanks! So do we! Well technically we don’t have roosters because of our city. Our next door neighbors are allowed but we are not 😡. But we love our girls! Thank you, I appreciate it!
@@WhitepepperFarmshomestead I also live in what is considered "the city" here in Milledgeville GA and I had no idea that I wasn't allowed to have chickens or roosters. The Karens of my neighborhood literally got a rooster hate group together and called animal control on me multiple times as well as the code of the enforcement office. I was so pissed 😡! Luckily the head of animal control is a chicken lover so she let me keep my flock and now I have to keep my roosters inside my garage at night until the afternoon. I wonder why your neighbors are allowed to have roosters? 🤔
@@WhitepepperFarmshomestead there so much more work but so worth it they act like in my opinion puppies if you raise them up nothing like the ones at the park ! And I got the big white ones lol
In August 2022 I got my first chicks and trained my boxer (who was originally a pest control dog for rodents and pigeons her whole life) to respect and leave the chickens be. All positive training and I managed to do so. She has turned her prey drive towards the hawks and pigeons that land in our yard and I don't worry abt predation because in her head the chickens and guineas distress calls means there is an animal for her to confront or kill. Boxers aren't meant to be livestock dogs but here she is watching over my hens from 1 month to 10 months old and counting. And the most expensive thing that adds up after getting the chick supplies and the coop would maybe be the food but I guess that depends on the chickens u have and the price of feed around you.
I believe in gut health gained by fermented food. So I ferment my chook feed with milk kefir and water. So my chooks don’t eat too much. No wastage as my feeds are not flying up in the air when they peck. 2/ my chooks droppings are not wet. I have two wins!🎉🎉🎉
@@kellysoo I've heard abt fermented feed benefits and I've yet to try it, and heelers in general are so badass! Just make sure u get one farm born or farm raised if you can, because these herding/working breeds for livestock in the city haven't been the best choices for most people I know
@@CorpseXotics rightly so. We are homesteading and there is a someone breeding blue heeler on his acreage. So with fingers crossed we may find a red heeler one day. In all honestly I do not see myself needing a dog if my dog does not know how to protect my land and everything on my land that belongs to me. 🤣🤣🤣which ever dog that is coming my way, will not be a walk in the park for it.
Hello from NE Nevada not far from the Utah border. In the winter, we use a small stock tank heater in our chickens water bucket. It keeps it from freezing. Might be an option for you so you don't have to keep dumping buckets and tubs. I just found your channel and subbed. Great content. I'm keeping my eyes open for a shed like yours to upgrade our chicken area as we plan to expand our flock this year. I really like your set up. Currently we only have 5 hens but definitely want more. Looking forward to watching your videos and picking up some ideas you've shared. Thanks so much and many blessings to you.
@@WhitepepperFarmshomestead i came back to correct myself. We're using a multi use utility de-icer. It's small enough to fit small animal buckets and safe for plastic.
I'm on track to get 6 pullets in late March (2 Ameraucanas 2 Blk Australorps 1 Buff Orp and a Silver Laced Wyandotte) I purchased them a week ago and they were hatched on 1/11. Already putting up the coop and have the run materials on order. So excited! I will be ready
It is definitely something in the back of my head, that’s for sure. My plan is putting a quick roof over the run but that’s the extent I’m going. I’m not going to make myself sick worrying about it, that’s for sure!
Would like to add that you don’t get eggs from nothing…chicken feed prices keep going up dramatically. Some that have done the math are calculating that the feed is costing as much as the now pricey eggs do. So you can’t plan on saving money, unless you can grow your own 16 percent protein laying mash. Also, please be sure you are ready to be devoted to caring for your chickens. They do require care and attention and protection…
I have not. We got our chicks from IFA over in Ogden! We started with chicks. This year we are getting a couple of chicks but we are also putting two other neighbors chicks into our brooder. The plan is to do a series of videos to show people the process from before getting the chicks all the way until they are an adult!
@@WhitepepperFarmshomestead that is close to me! Awesome. I look forward to your videos. I'm hoping to get pullets or laying hens to skip the chick phase for the first go around. I just want some eggs already!
Hey, I don’t blame you 😂😂😂. Technically when we bought our house it came with chickens and then the following year we got our first chicks! You could order chickens online but a good place to start is also KSL. A lot of people on there will post chickens! If you go that route, just make sure you’re asking how old they are and I wouldn’t buy any older than a year or two. KSL is my go to for a lot of stuff!
Hey! Are chickens too loud? Me and my mom are deciding to get some, but we have an elderly couple next door with some animals. Would it really bother them and our other neighbors or would it be fine? (we are going to get around 2-4 hens)
Hi! New subscriber here. Great videos for research. I hope to get a coup and my first flock going by March. Just curious, what kind are the black chickens you have? I’m considering Buff Orpington, Golden Comets and Barred Rocks. Thank for your time!
We use the deep bedding method! Our coop it set up pretty well for it. We put layer new bedding over old bedding and build it up. We don’t have any videos on deep bedding but definitely search “chicken coop deep bedding method” here on TH-cam and you should find some good information on it!
Chickens are much smarter than most people think and anyone that refers to someone as a chicken obviously hasn't watched a chicken kickin' azz. They're very sweet and I never get ticks in my yard now, even with all the deer and cows coming up to the yard. My opinion is don't get them unless you can free range them. They desperately need to get out and do chicken stuff and they just aren't happy in a pen all day.
They really do enjoy free ranging. Here at our place it’s technically illegal to free range, but what most people do is have the run and let them run around during the day and then into the run and coop in the evening. We try to get ours out as much as possible. They really are so intelligent and tough as nails 😂
Chickens will stop laying eggs in 4 years. How many backyard chicken people can chop their chickens head off, pluck them, cut off the legs, and finish butchering them, then put them in a pot? I really want to know who has thought through the entire process of having chicken.
We have had hens laying over 5 years. Although that is how a lot of people keep chickens, a lot of people don’t. You don’t have to kill your birds if you get chickens. That isn’t just “part of the process” for everyone. Plenty of people keep them as pets without ever butchering.
I just saw another comment of yours and I can tell you’re serious 😂. So here at our place we keep them their whole life. Anytime one dies we will get another chick the next spring. When they die one of the easiest and best options for us is to bury them in the garden! If you don’t have a garden the yard would also be great! As far as egg laying, their first year will be the best year and it goes down from there but technically if they are cared for well enough they can lay 10 years. I can’t post pictures in the comments but here is a website that has a laying chart by how many years old the chickens are! You have to scroll down a bit but it’s the white chart with blue bars! cs-tf.com/chickens-stop-laying-eggs/
@@WhitepepperFarmshomestead Thanks! We had to put our beagle down 3 years ago. Just hard to lose a pet. We have a 30 foot x 40 foot garden, 15 blueberry and 2 raspberry bushes. We grow potatoes (3 types), strawberries, cabbage (red and green), broccoli, and all the regular veggies. So adding chickens would be cool. Thanks again! Have a great week!
A few months back we just had to put our lab down after 17 years, it was tough. Sounds like you’re set up! Chickens will give you great fertilizer as well!
New chicken getters remember that they are a living animals. They do need to be taken care of. They dont give you eggs unless you take care of them right.
@@pamelak7924 meat birds are not very good for eggs. Best to get a heritage breed if you want the best of both worlds. Meat birds are designed to grow at an ungodly rate and do not typically survive beyond time to process them due to numerous health complications related to their rapid groth.
I'm in the UK and have an allotment, hens are companion gardeners. They eat the pests, fertilize and then turn the ground over. Best pet with benefits, especially now egg prices are through the roof
I love it!
You aren’t wrong, they do SO many things beyond producing eggs and the eggs are honestly a bonus. Anyone with a garden should have chickens if they can!
As a friend of mine say, all you need to survive are chickens and potatos. Great video!.
I don’t disagree with your friend! Thank you, I appreciate you watching!
And onions! 😉
Left egg is farmed. Love that dark color!
Right?!
@@WhitepepperFarmshomestead we just ordered some wyandottes
We've been keeping chickens for years now, I LOVE HAVING THEM!! You're doing a great job covering all the bases!! Thanks for all your videos.
We do too!! We kind of stumbled into them in the beginning, we bought a house that came with them. Now we can’t imagine not having them!
I appreciate that very much, thank you!
What do you do when chickens stop laying. Do you butcher them? I want to get 6 chickens, but I don't think I can butcher a live chicken.
That was possibly the best video you have created to date! Well thought out, with so many positive and important points in encouraging self sufficiency, synergistic & health benefits as well as a rewarding and entertaining lifestyle! 🙂👍♥️👏
I really appreciate that, a lot! I only begun taking TH-cam seriously a little over a year ago and I’m definitely still working on how to create good videos and I am trying to get just a little better with every one! I appreciate your comment!
I stepped up my timeline to get chickens. I plan on getting them next month. I am modifying a brand new dog house into a chicken coop. And to save space, I'm doing outdoor nesting boxes like you have. Also, I'm learning to make apple cider vinegar using the scraps from my granddaughter's apple waste. She loves apples and they're the most expensive item I buy right now. So that will help eliminate waste. And eggs are $12 in my area. I have two eggs left so I'm looking at Vegan recipes to make food from scratch without using eggs.
I love this so much!
The flax egg recipes work really well. Just some ground flax and water. Don't recall the portions but it's easily searchable.
Not only do they taste better but eggs from your own chickens are easier to digest as well ! I always grew up with chickens at my parents house and now at 25 I finally got my own chickens and I absolutely adore them. We build our coop ourselves with reused pallets and didn’t have to buy chicken either, they were born at my grandpa’s homestead and he gave them to us ! Even my dog loves them, he’s a border collie and loves spending the day watching after them, he takes his job as a livestock guardian very seriously. 😂
I love it!!!
Awwwwww your dog is beautiful !!!
Right?! We just love her!
Our plan is to get chickens by the Spring time, once we have time to fix up the old coops the prior homeowners owners left behind.
I’m excited for you!! The same thing happened with us, but there were chickens in the old run down coop 😂
I absolutely adore my chickens and roosters! You just got a new sub!!!
Hey thanks! So do we! Well technically we don’t have roosters because of our city. Our next door neighbors are allowed but we are not 😡. But we love our girls!
Thank you, I appreciate it!
@@WhitepepperFarmshomestead I also live in what is considered "the city" here in Milledgeville GA and I had no idea that I wasn't allowed to have chickens or roosters. The Karens of my neighborhood literally got a rooster hate group together and called animal control on me multiple times as well as the code of the enforcement office. I was so pissed 😡! Luckily the head of animal control is a chicken lover so she let me keep my flock and now I have to keep my roosters inside my garage at night until the afternoon. I wonder why your neighbors are allowed to have roosters? 🤔
I got my first chickens and geese boy there fun ! And just got my first goose egg!!
We have never had geese, my wife is terrified of them 😂. How much work are they compared to chickens?
So much more work but so worth it !! They act like in my opinion puppies
@@WhitepepperFarmshomestead there so much more work but so worth it they act like in my opinion puppies if you raise them up nothing like the ones at the park ! And I got the big white ones lol
In August 2022 I got my first chicks and trained my boxer (who was originally a pest control dog for rodents and pigeons her whole life) to respect and leave the chickens be. All positive training and I managed to do so. She has turned her prey drive towards the hawks and pigeons that land in our yard and I don't worry abt predation because in her head the chickens and guineas distress calls means there is an animal for her to confront or kill. Boxers aren't meant to be livestock dogs but here she is watching over my hens from 1 month to 10 months old and counting. And the most expensive thing that adds up after getting the chick supplies and the coop would maybe be the food but I guess that depends on the chickens u have and the price of feed around you.
Our Cane Corso is like that as well!
I believe in gut health gained by fermented food. So I ferment my chook feed with milk kefir and water. So my chooks don’t eat too much. No wastage as my feeds are not flying up in the air when they peck. 2/ my chooks droppings are not wet.
I have two wins!🎉🎉🎉
I am planning to get a red heeler. So I am stoked at your training. I hope to get a good one.
@@kellysoo I've heard abt fermented feed benefits and I've yet to try it, and heelers in general are so badass! Just make sure u get one farm born or farm raised if you can, because these herding/working breeds for livestock in the city haven't been the best choices for most people I know
@@CorpseXotics rightly so. We are homesteading and there is a someone breeding blue heeler on his acreage. So with fingers crossed we may find a red heeler one day. In all honestly I do not see myself needing a dog if my dog does not know how to protect my land and everything on my land that belongs to me. 🤣🤣🤣which ever dog that is coming my way, will not be a walk in the park for it.
Love your videos!! And love chickens! 🐥💖
Hey thanks! I appreciate you watching them!
Hello from NE Nevada not far from the Utah border. In the winter, we use a small stock tank heater in our chickens water bucket. It keeps it from freezing. Might be an option for you so you don't have to keep dumping buckets and tubs.
I just found your channel and subbed. Great content. I'm keeping my eyes open for a shed like yours to upgrade our chicken area as we plan to expand our flock this year. I really like your set up.
Currently we only have 5 hens but definitely want more. Looking forward to watching your videos and picking up some ideas you've shared. Thanks so much and many blessings to you.
That’s the number one idea we have right now for keeping our water from freezing!
Thank you, I appreciate that!
@@WhitepepperFarmshomestead i came back to correct myself. We're using a multi use utility de-icer. It's small enough to fit small animal buckets and safe for plastic.
I'm on track to get 6 pullets in late March (2 Ameraucanas 2 Blk Australorps 1 Buff Orp and a Silver Laced Wyandotte) I purchased them a week ago and they were hatched on 1/11. Already putting up the coop and have the run materials on order. So excited! I will be ready
Look at you! Sounds like you’re ready!
@@WhitepepperFarmshomestead Are you at all concerned about wild birds spreading avian flu? I am somewhat but I refuse to live in fear
It is definitely something in the back of my head, that’s for sure. My plan is putting a quick roof over the run but that’s the extent I’m going. I’m not going to make myself sick worrying about it, that’s for sure!
Left is farm fresh. We like our chickens
I absolutely enjoyed this video. I’m currently working on creating a more self sufficient lifestyle New subbie here 😊
Hey thanks! I really appreciate the kind comment and you subscribing!
Great video bro!
Thanks man, I appreciate it!
I love your videos 🤩 and I love my hens.
Thank you, I appreciate it! We love ours too!
Would like to add that you don’t get eggs from nothing…chicken feed prices keep going up dramatically. Some that have done the math are calculating that the feed is costing as much as the now pricey eggs do. So you can’t plan on saving money, unless you can grow your own 16 percent protein laying mash.
Also, please be sure you are ready to be devoted to caring for your chickens. They do require care and attention and protection…
I can't wait to get some chickens in the next month or 2. I also live in Utah so I appreciate your insight and videos
Well hey neighbor! We are getting a couple in the next couple of months as well!
@WhitepepperFarms have you done a video on where you got your chickens and if you started with chick's or chicken?
I have not. We got our chicks from IFA over in Ogden! We started with chicks. This year we are getting a couple of chicks but we are also putting two other neighbors chicks into our brooder. The plan is to do a series of videos to show people the process from before getting the chicks all the way until they are an adult!
@@WhitepepperFarmshomestead that is close to me! Awesome. I look forward to your videos. I'm hoping to get pullets or laying hens to skip the chick phase for the first go around. I just want some eggs already!
Hey, I don’t blame you 😂😂😂.
Technically when we bought our house it came with chickens and then the following year we got our first chicks!
You could order chickens online but a good place to start is also KSL. A lot of people on there will post chickens! If you go that route, just make sure you’re asking how old they are and I wouldn’t buy any older than a year or two. KSL is my go to for a lot of stuff!
Left is yours, one on the right store bought
Chook poops are the greatest compost fire-upperer. It makes my hot compost real hot real quick!
You aren’t wrong 😂
Hey! Are chickens too loud? Me and my mom are deciding to get some, but we have an elderly couple next door with some animals. Would it really bother them and our other neighbors or would it be fine? (we are going to get around 2-4 hens)
Would you consider switching orange bucket to one that's food grade?
where are the nesting boxes from?
Walmart! Here is a video about those!
th-cam.com/video/zjCY5aiRbxU/w-d-xo.html
Left farm fresh
Hi! New subscriber here. Great videos for research. I hope to get a coup and my first flock going by March. Just curious, what kind are the black chickens you have? I’m considering Buff Orpington, Golden Comets and Barred Rocks. Thank for your time!
Our big black one is a Jersey giant! Big bird with beautiful blues and greens that shine through the black! We also have some barred rocks as well!
my buff orpington is my only broody hen; this translates to no eggs while she is PMSy.
Fresh egg is the one on the left the yolk is a bit more of an orangish and the right one looks like a dull store bought one am i right??😬
Yep! You sure are!
Left is farm fresh egg
Fresh one is on the left
You mentioned in the video how you only clean them out twice a year, how do you manage this please
We use the deep bedding method! Our coop it set up pretty well for it. We put layer new bedding over old bedding and build it up. We don’t have any videos on deep bedding but definitely search “chicken coop deep bedding method” here on TH-cam and you should find some good information on it!
@@WhitepepperFarmshomestead thank you for the speedy response, videos watch and something I'm looking to start :)
You’re very welcome!
Left is the fresh egg
Chickens are much smarter than most people think and anyone that refers to someone as a chicken obviously hasn't watched a chicken kickin' azz. They're very sweet and I never get ticks in my yard now, even with all the deer and cows coming up to the yard. My opinion is don't get them unless you can free range them. They desperately need to get out and do chicken stuff and they just aren't happy in a pen all day.
They really do enjoy free ranging. Here at our place it’s technically illegal to free range, but what most people do is have the run and let them run around during the day and then into the run and coop in the evening. We try to get ours out as much as possible. They really are so intelligent and tough as nails 😂
You should move your run every few days so they have fresh ground to pick over
We can’t move the run, but we do let them out to graze out in the yard!
@@WhitepepperFarmshomestead that's a good option
Some people just make a tractor and move it around
Farm fresh, left side. Farm fresh eggs are way better than store bought.
Your boy looks like Gavin McHugh from the TV show 911.
I had to google it.. and I can’t say I disagree 😂. What’s funny is someone has said one of our other kids looks like another character from that show!
After talking to my wife.. it’s the same character 😂
The fresh laid egg from your girls: the orange one of course.
Yep!!
Chickens will stop laying eggs in 4 years. How many backyard chicken people can chop their chickens head off, pluck them, cut off the legs, and finish butchering them, then put them in a pot? I really want to know who has thought through the entire process of having chicken.
We have had hens laying over 5 years.
Although that is how a lot of people keep chickens, a lot of people don’t.
You don’t have to kill your birds if you get chickens. That isn’t just “part of the process” for everyone. Plenty of people keep them as pets without ever butchering.
@@WhitepepperFarmshomestead Thanks! You keep them until they die then? Just bury them in the yard? I am serious about this.
I just saw another comment of yours and I can tell you’re serious 😂.
So here at our place we keep them their whole life. Anytime one dies we will get another chick the next spring. When they die one of the easiest and best options for us is to bury them in the garden! If you don’t have a garden the yard would also be great!
As far as egg laying, their first year will be the best year and it goes down from there but technically if they are cared for well enough they can lay 10 years.
I can’t post pictures in the comments but here is a website that has a laying chart by how many years old the chickens are!
You have to scroll down a bit but it’s the white chart with blue bars!
cs-tf.com/chickens-stop-laying-eggs/
@@WhitepepperFarmshomestead Thanks! We had to put our beagle down 3 years ago. Just hard to lose a pet. We have a 30 foot x 40 foot garden, 15 blueberry and 2 raspberry bushes. We grow potatoes (3 types), strawberries, cabbage (red and green), broccoli, and all the regular veggies. So adding chickens would be cool. Thanks again! Have a great week!
A few months back we just had to put our lab down after 17 years, it was tough.
Sounds like you’re set up! Chickens will give you great fertilizer as well!
New chicken getters remember that they are a living animals. They do need to be taken care of. They dont give you eggs unless you take care of them right.
Am guessing you don’t eat your chickens lol
We don’t 😂.
@@WhitepepperFarmshomestead lol ok. I want mines for both eggs and to eat. Which chicken would you recommend?
Nothing wrong with that! I love our buff Orpingtons and jersey giants! Right now those are my favorite!
@@domingofernandez4359 look for meat birds
@@pamelak7924 meat birds are not very good for eggs. Best to get a heritage breed if you want the best of both worlds. Meat birds are designed to grow at an ungodly rate and do not typically survive beyond time to process them due to numerous health complications related to their rapid groth.