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A story about backyard eggs. A friend who has chickens made a big batch of scrambled eggs for the community breakfast. A woman asked if he had put food coloring in the eggs because they had so much color to them.
Your eggs won't be expensive for too long.
When we got chickens 2 years ago (got some new ones this summer), we ordered from a poultry company. Because we only ordered 14, they threw in 17 Brama chicks as body warmers. We have one hen from that batch since most were roosters and we ate those. So we actually 'made' money on that deal.
We live very remotely in a high predator zone and found that a covered run made of chicken wire, surrounded (6" away) by a fence of 1x2 hardware cloth/wire mesh that's buried 12-18" around the perimeter, and a strand of electric wire at the bottom, middle and top has kept out all the aerial predators, all the small ground & burying predators, and nearly all the large ground predators. The only critter that ever got into that coop was a brown bear because the electric zap didn't penetrate his fur and he was really hungry... now we have an electrified strand of barbed wire on the top just for bears.
Most wildlife won't mess with a fenced area if there is easier food elsewhere. But if you live somewhere where domesticated animals are a smorgasbord for wild animals, we've found that multiple layers of fences spaced 6" from each other work the best. A containment fence surrounded by a barrier fence surrounded a deterrent/electric fence means they have to get through several fences before they can get your animals and the animals inside are out of arms reach for all but the largest predators on the outside (we've seen raccoons kill and pull a chicken right through a chainlink fence because they could get their hands through).
I raised 150 big meat birds every year and also had quite a few big egg laying hens, In addition to that I always raised a few turkeys, ducks and geese and hundreds of bantams that multiplied like crazy. Now, where I lived at the time, there was a lot of predators, fox, coyote, mink, weasel, racoon and others. I had an old chicken coop and a barn that I just left the door open all the time. I lost very few birds because the bantys would kick up an incredible fuss if anything came around and then my livestock guarding dog would kill whatever bad guy was around. A good dog is the answer for sure.
A pair of Kuvasz or Pyrs would be my choice. There is not one predator that will mess with these dogs. Bears or big cats avoid them like the plague. I have a friend who's camp was plagued with bears until he got himself a single Pyr. He has not seen a bear on his property for 5 years now and they used to be there daily.
Another aspect to consider is that if you get a pair of really top bloodline LGD you will have maybe 10 pups a year to sell at $1000 a piece.
Bears and wild cats generally avoid large dogs if they can get an easier meal elsewhere. If a bear or large cat is hungry though, a dog is ultimately not much of a deterrent unless you have several. Of course, unless you've built Fort Knox out of thick steel and concrete, a fence or barn isn't much of a deterrent for a hungry bear or large cat either. A bear ripped the entire corner off a neighbor's barn a couple winters ago.
But for chickens and poultry in most places, some fences and a few LGD's should do the trick as long as the run is either covered or there are plenty of hidey spots to deal with any aerial predators (ravens, hawks, falcons & eagles ignore our dogs).
My family has recently moved to a rural area in Washington, and we're trying our hand at raising chickens for eggs. We have 4 chicks that are almost 3 weeks old. They are currently doing great in a large tub with a heat lamp. I've tried to be thorough in my research, and I get the basics of what the chickens need, but I'm concerned for their safety.
We're on a large property, bordered by national forest. We have been told there are wildcats, coyotes, raccoons, eagles, hawks, and the occasional bear. The only fencing on the property is for cows, so it won't contain/protect the chickens at all. I'm thinking a chicken coop, inside a large dog kennel, with a top, would work to keep predators out. Is it necessary to go with a coop that has an attached run, or would the chain link of the kennel be sufficient? Is the kennel necessary if there is an attached run? I'm not sure if the standard chicken wire used in coops and runs is strong enough to keep critters out. Is it generally safe to let chickens wander throughout the day, and put them away in the evening, or is it better to keep them somewhat contained? It may sound silly, but I feel bad keeping them any more restricted than necessary. I also don't want them to end up snacks for the local wildlife.
Can someone help me out with some real life tips on how to proceed?
Lol. I'm probably the last person who should comment here. I dislike ckickens. Particularly ...chronological roosters. I wuould like to cocka doodle doooo my neighbors rooster with an invitation to a coyote convention. Ha! But, he's just a rooster after all. I agree with another post I saw. Let them run. At night, they will generally return to a coop to roost, and you can close it up. Predators will still get in. You have chickens in the wild places, be prepared to get up at 2AMthe to a ruckus, and keep a 12ga handy.
Letting them roam, however, is great pest control. Scorpions, Vinegaroons and such are on the menu for chickens. So, enjoy your fresh eggs, deal with losses to critters craving ckicken ala king, (you will lose one here and there) and be ready to get up when the rooster says so. Good luck...and what times breakfast?
If you let your laying hens roam, make sure that you keep them shut inside the coop for a couple hours after sunrise or else the majority of the eggs you're keeping them for will be lain in hidey-holes all over your property instead of in the coop nestboxes where you can collect them (and know how old they are!).
Most chickens that are being disturbed by night prowlers won't lay well because they're stressed, even if the prowler can't get at them (yet). So at least make sure that they have a secure coop to sleep in at night.
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