GMO Labelling Intiative Failing in Washington State

[basswood]

I went "All In" today...


My new chicken coop

Way to go! What kind of birds are you going to get? I've been keeping them for years now, it's quite a quiet "subculture" of backyard owners.

[area51drone]

LOL, whatever ones we can get!  There's a farm close by that sells them.  I can't remember the name of the breed, but they're black and white, kind of zebra pattern, but with very tight stripes.  Might be Plymouth Rock?   We don't have a lot of space right now (until we move to our new property), so we'll probably just eat the eggs from a couple hens and kill the chickens for stew meat when they're done producing.  But I told my wife we might get a few just to eat straight up when they're ready.

[basswood]

LOL, whatever ones we can get!  There's a farm close by that sells them.  I can't remember the name of the breed, but they're black and white, kind of zebra pattern, but with very tight stripes.  Might be Plymouth Rock?   We don't have a lot of space right now (until we move to our new property), so we'll probably just eat the eggs from a couple hens and kill the chickens for stew meat when they're done producing.  But I told my wife we might get a few just to eat straight up when they're ready.

Sweet! Sounds like Rocks. Signing off for tonight but am happy for you, let me know if you have any "starter" questions. When we went "all in" we definitely went ALL IN here lol 

[basswood]

I went "All In" today...


My new chicken coop

Careful, it gets addictive. We started small too, expanded to the point where my daughters were selling the eggs for their own allowance, and then finally contracted to this:

[attachimg=1]

[area51drone]

Wow, that's cool.  I like the cow paintjob!  You must make a lot of eggs - after doing some more research last night, we're thinking 3 hens might give us almost enough eggs to feed our family.   Certainly not enough to sell.

Do you recommend any other breed than the rock type?   Do you have any recommendations on where to buy them online?

[ACE of CLUBS]

Ever hear of:
FDA- Food and Drug Adminstration
USDA - U.S. Department of Agriculture
FSIS - Food Safety and Inspection Service

I am not saying that GMO labelling is either good or bad, but the above Government agencies are already near your food. It doesn't matter where you shop, unless you buy all your food direct from farmers, or grow it yourself.

In British Columbia here ..... I use the local farm markets all year and try to avoid imported produce.  Less choices in the off-season though .....
Dropped all flour, rice, and high carb foods from my diet. Just use cream and sugar in my coffee, otherwise no sweets or dairy.
Moose/deer venison for protein .....

Dropped weight, energy level went waaaay up, not sleepy in the middle of the day, no acid in digestion ...... win, win, win ....
I'm 66 years old, regularly pass for a mid 50 man ......
Now, how to get my hair back?

Bottom line ....... if you're able, clean up your diet.  Try to eat foods with no ingredients ....... and feel younger and better.

[basswood]

Wow, that's cool.  I like the cow paintjob!  You must make a lot of eggs - after doing some more research last night, we're thinking 3 hens might give us almost enough eggs to feed our family.   Certainly not enough to sell.

Do you recommend any other breed than the rock type?   Do you have any recommendations on where to buy them online?

Oops, I just saw this, soooo many posts at Bellgab lately. Three birds is a good minimum to start with if one person wants to eat eggs every day. Depending on the breeds, their ages, and the climate, typical chickens will lay anywhere between 200 and 300 eggs per year. Most cease laying when the days become short in the winter. Most cease laying when they molt, and every 2 or 3 years, they go into a crazy full molt that may last for months. There are a lot factors in egg production so here would be a few question for you:

Where do you live?
How many mouths to feed?
How much room do you have?

Also, you might want to check into local laws regarding keeping poultry, I will PM you a link later to some good info when I can sit down at my PC. I love helping people get started with backyard chickens, the best pets you'll ever own: They make you breakfast.

[area51drone]

Where do you live?
How many mouths to feed?
How much room do you have?

Western Washington, with myself, my wife and two kids.   We eat an average of four eggs a day.  Turns out the coop we bought is supposedly suitable for just 2 hens, so we're going with that instead unless I can convince my wife we need to run a commercial chicken farm!  LOL just kidding.   It's about 5'x2' overall square feet, plus it has the upper area and we bought a little separate roost room that attaches to it.   So I'm hoping 2 hens will produce maybe 1/3 of the eggs we buy in a year.     

Thank you to everyone who responded with help..