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Why I Would Raise Chickens

gatesnotes.com

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Re: Why I Would Raise Chickens

#131

Post by ischnura »

jakeogh wrote: post #103

I started raising chickens 2 years ago. A few things I have learned: If you have a yard that they can run free in, they don't need a coop. Chickens will happily roost in the trees. I live in southern Arizona, so the winters are mild, but I know of people that do the same thing in much colder climates. Chickens are tough. An added benefit is they are actually safer, if they are locked in a coop, and a predator gets in…

I have seen a similar setting in Brazil with small Bantam chickens.

Some breeds are more self-sufficient l than others. What chicken breed do you raise?

Re: Why I Would Raise Chickens

#132

Post by thevardanian »

Houshalter wrote: post #127
thevardanian wrote: post #125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I highly doubt that Beef is a more efficient if source of meat than Chicken. I think Chicken meat is a lot more efficient. A little quick googling and I found: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feed_conversion_ratio

Why would you think that? Larger animals are usually much more energy efficient for various reasons - less surface area to radiate heat, and economies of scale with larger organs.

Not really. There's a basic thermodynamic inefficiency as organisms get larger, and consume farther away from the energy source, in this that being the sun.

Re: Why I Would Raise Chickens

#133

Post by paganel »

Houshalter wrote: post #117
paganel wrote: post #69

My parents live in a village in Eastern Europe with less than $2 a day (I also chip in to financially help them), and they do indeed raise chickens, they've being doing that for the last 15 years or so, since they moved out to the countryside. Bill Gates is correct in his assessment, it's way more profitable to raise chickens than, say, cows. You need to have a bigger barn for cows, you need to do all the hay thing,…

> it's way more profitable to raise chickens than, say, cows. You need to have a bigger barn for cows, you need to do all the hay thing, which is very time consuming and demands a lot of extra work just for feeding said cows, you need to pay someone to take care of the cows when they go out to eat in the summer on the communal field. This is surprising to me. Of course a cow should be more work to raise than a chicke…

> They might be easier to grow, but in terms of calories they seem much less efficient than, say, potatoes

I agree about potatoes, but that only works for relatively cooler climates, i.e. places like Poland or Ireland. It can easily get to 35-37 degrees Celsius in the summer at the place where my parents live (not to mention places like the Indian subcontinent or Africa), at which point storing potatoes becomes a challenge.

> But it has so many times more meat on it than a chicken, and is more energy efficient per calorie consumed too.

It's all about the return on investment. Raising cows only becomes financially viable once you pass a certain number threshold (meaning big farms), otherwise you're pretty much doing voluntary work. It's a lot of work in order to feed a cow, I mean, lots and lots of work, and said work is pretty effective in burning calories. A lot of farmers in the European Union who are in the cow-raising business (I'd say most) wouldn't make it without financial help from the EU and from their governments.

I'd say that goats are a lot better option if you really need meat. They feed practically on everything (cows are a lot more picky) and they're smaller, so they're easier to "store" and protect at night. This is why I think they're so widespread in the poorer regions of the world.

Re: Why I Would Raise Chickens

#134

Post by thevardanian »

tmerc wrote: post #129
thevardanian wrote: post #125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I highly doubt that Beef is a more efficient if source of meat than Chicken. I think Chicken meat is a lot more efficient. A little quick googling and I found: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feed_conversion_ratio

Chicken, being leaner, may be a more efficient protein source. For raw calories, I think beef would be more efficient. Plus fat is a better calorie source than protein.

I edited my comment, but I think there are other factors, however in general Beef is very inefficient, even if per pound it is more efficient in providing energy, it's inefficient in producing that energy.

That is while Beef, pound for pound, might be more efficient for humans to consume, it isn't as efficient in producing that amount of amount in the first place, and requires more energy input than chicken meat.

Re: Why I Would Raise Chickens

#135

Post by Houshalter »

thevardanian wrote: post #132
Houshalter wrote: post #127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why would you think that? Larger animals are usually much more energy efficient for various reasons - less surface area to radiate heat, and economies of scale with larger organs.

Not really. There's a basic thermodynamic inefficiency as organisms get larger, and consume farther away from the energy source, in this that being the sun.

How are cattle consuming farther away from the energy source than chickens?

Re: Why I Would Raise Chickens

#136

Post by jakeogh »

ischnura wrote: post #131
jakeogh wrote: post #103

I started raising chickens 2 years ago. A few things I have learned: If you have a yard that they can run free in, they don't need a coop. Chickens will happily roost in the trees. I live in southern Arizona, so the winters are mild, but I know of people that do the same thing in much colder climates. Chickens are tough. An added benefit is they are actually safer, if they are locked in a coop, and a predator gets in…

I have seen a similar setting in Brazil with small Bantam chickens. Some breeds are more self-sufficient l than others. What chicken breed do you raise?

I have 2 Yellow Brahma (big bids, very nice temperament, cant fly far so they need a way to get to their perch, one is still too young to lay), 1 New Hampshire Red (she's the alpha, pretty good at flying too), 2 Leghorn (well one might be a Blue Maran), one grey/blue one white (smaller, really fast, great flyers, practically impossible to catch), 1 New Hampshire (still growing and not laying yet, super sweet temperament) and 1 Belgian Bantam (also not laying yet). They hang out in groups by age.

The Bantam/Leghorn/Maran hens have a celebration every time they lay an egg which can be a bit annoying if it's 7am, but usually it's mid morning.

Other random tips, to pick them up, especially fast chicks, place your hand under their belly and let the legs hang down, don't come at them from behind or above or too fast. Laying chickens often will assume a mating pose if you go to pick them up which makes it easier and you can just grab them with 2 hands around the folded wings. They like being pet under their chins, but generally not on top of the head. Be sure to wash your hands even though they look perfectly clean.

They are all pretty spoiled, if it was a harsher situation I would stick to the small fast breeds.

Also, I give them the eggshells back, they love em and need the calcium anyway. Some folks say that encourages them to eat the eggs but I have never seen that. It's only when one gets broken by accident.

Re: Why I Would Raise Chickens

#137

Post by [deleted] »

thevardanian wrote: post #132
Houshalter wrote: post #127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why would you think that? Larger animals are usually much more energy efficient for various reasons - less surface area to radiate heat, and economies of scale with larger organs.

Not really. There's a basic thermodynamic inefficiency as organisms get larger, and consume farther away from the energy source, in this that being the sun.

[deleted]

Re: Why I Would Raise Chickens

#139

Post by gfo »

This sounds like a fantastic idea.

However, if he really gives a flock of chickens to a bunch of families in need, won't that reduce their monetary value over time?

If every family has chickens, the monetary incentive isn't there for others to purchase them, or the higher supply will squash demand and drive the price down.

There's still the health benefit and it's obviously a great initiative.

Re: Why I Would Raise Chickens

#140

Post by ensignavenger »

mooreds wrote: post #48
ensignavenger wrote: post #21

I know a older couple that have spent the last year or so traveling around Africa doing 'chicken projects' where they help build chicken coops and teach poor families how to raise chickens (pretty simple to do, actually, but there are little strategies one can use to increase profits- hardest part is keeping predators from eating them!) Cool stuff, glad to see Bill Gates onboard!

Sounds cool! Do they have a webpage/fb page where they are sharing their journey?

The wife posts on her personal facebook page periodically, but nothing generally public :(
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