I actually went for the chicken raising this past spring. I purchased them as chicks and raised them on my garden vegetables. They were thriving and ultra healthy. I let them free range by day and they went into their kennel (lol) at night. They just started laying in November.
Once it got cold I could not get them to eat feed, they only wanted to free range and became skinny. I tried all sorts of different chicken food, even exotic bird feed with mostly nuts and dried fruit. They were having none of it. They wouldn't touch store bought vegetables or bread, I must have gotten some odd chickens. They were Rhode Island Reds.
Anyhow I fed the remaining birds (the ones my house dog hadn't helped herself to) to the dogs. My dogs never got used to them either, at all. I had to keep them coop'd more and more otherwise with the cooler temperature and wet weather the yard would be a mess. So I'll just get my eggs from the fella down the road.
Sorry for rambling off topic...
S_B





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