Recent content by rockin5t

Thanks! Right now half is a breeding pen and the other is for the egg layers. I'm using an empty honeybee super box as a nesting box in the transition side and I think they like it. We opened it in September which was in the 90s for a while. We are thinking about making "screened" front...

Thanks! Originally I wanted bigger birds but did not want to order twenty. All they had locally were these blue slates and they were a month old. That meant they were more out of the danger zone -- that first month for turkeys has more mortality than chicks. I'm happy we tried it and the eggs...

Thanks for the info. The turkeys are interesting animals but much different from the chickens. Surprising how much they defer to us as soon as we go in the pen, how they are how they are not always at the top of the pecking order. I'm still undecided about getting more.

No, the eves do not provide ventilation. The four vents and chicken doors seem to work well even when it's too cold for them to go in the run.

Hi, I have two blue slates that are approximately ten months old. Originally, they were purchased for Christmas and Thanksgiving, but they never weighed in very large. At nine months, they were about 11 pounds each. They have started laying eggs, sometimes doubles. Does anyone know at what...

That's a good idea. I have been looking for something that is cat proof because the totes with mesh screen are not. The chickens were here before the cat so we don't have any experience keeping him out!

I have tried both the trough style and round feeders. Both get litter in them. I boosted it up with a 1x2 and then a brick as the chicks get bigger and that helps keep the litter out. We do the same for water, even in the big coop for the adults. They are super messy though for a couple of...

Our egg layers and meat birds all talk if the white light is on at night. It does seem to help them with egg production in the dark days of winter, but we don't leave them on all night long. When the light is out, or if we will turn on a hanging red lamp (only for super cold nights) will the...

It depends on the situation. For our covered coop, I only close the doors every night during the winter. For our coop with open runs, I close it every night and keep food and water inside and out. In snow storms, there is no point to opening the doors--the girls won't go out. We have...

That's along the lines we were thinking. I thought we could be assured by day 4 that we would have fertile eggs, but three makes sense. Thanks!

Here is what we are thinking of using. http://www.amazon.com/Green-Single-Bottom-Fence-Slat/dp/B00ZDRG75C/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1452896893&sr=8-15&keywords=Chain+link+inserts We have chain link runs, and we live where the wind blows a lot! The snow tends to drift inside if we don't put tarps...

After starting out with six pullets in a small coop, we quickly ran out of room when we decided we needed more and wanted to raise meat birds. At the current time, we have a dozen egg layers, two "temporary" turkeys, and raise between 30-50 Cornish Crosses for meat each year. We sell the eggs...

Thank you for the Link and for your suggestions. We are also new to this and have golden laced wyandottes hens and a rooster. They normally do not live together, but they are a trio that we want to get offspring from. Right now, they are getting reacquainted through a fence, but they will be...

Delawares! They produce reliably. They have been easy to maintain and (aside from muddy days), their white feathers really let them stand out. I wish I had more, because the eggs are larger than my average barred rock or Wyandotte eggs. On top of all that, they are really friendly, which is...

Thank you for this information. I am having the same problem. I have posted a couple of times now, but maybe not frequently enough.