So we have 5 hens, 2 Black Australorps, 2 Rhode Island Reds, and 1 Buff Orpington . They are about 7 months old now and all has been fine, but now we are noticing that 1 of the Rhode Island Reds has been pecking at the other, mostly whenever there is food around. But the one that gets pecked at...
I've seen a few sites say that until your hens are old enough to lay that you should not allow access to the nesting boxes by blocking them off. Has anyone else practiced this? I will be getting my pullets at 12 weeks of age. 3 Heritage breeds Buff Orpington, Rhode Island Red and Black...
Ok time pick out a feeder!
My plan for our soon to arrive 5 hens is to have water obviously 24hrs but pull their feed out at night after they are in the coop for the night and then put it back out in the morning when I open the coop! My idea behind this is because we have a lot of critters day...
Ok so I have ordered 4 pullets, but the more I read the more I think I should get more birds. We have the space for about 8-10 birds but I thought I'd get 4 to start. Now that I've researched I wonder if I should just get 6 to start. Is adding birds to the flock later on that difficult? Would I...
Hey folks,
Just wanted to share some progress photos of my first coop build. This will be our first time having chickens and I've designed what I think should be an ideal coop for our hens. This is not completed as I still need to attach a few finishing touches, plus in the process of designing...
I'm currently designing my outside enclosure that will be all 1/2 inch hardware cloth. However we do have a large fenced yard we would like them to possibly free range in when we are home. The bottom fence boards are elevated about 6-8 inches off the ground, is this something I should cover with...
Hey there,
So my neighbour has a wood shop and supplies bags of wood shavings to a few other folks in our community and their chickens. Mostly pine, some maple, poplar, spruce. All raw lumber not treated. Small shavings from the planer and other equipment. Just wondering if anyone else uses...
Building a coop for 4 hens. I've attached a photo of the inside. I've got one roost installed at 30", and I will be installing another one under the window at a lower level. Just wondering if 30" is too high ? Any thoughts?
Hey all!
We're very excited that we ordered our first chickens! We will have 4 pullets arriving in June! 1 Buff Orpington, 2 Rhode Island Reds and 1 Black Australorp, they will be 12 weeks old when we get them. I'm reading a lot of different things about leaving them in the coop when they...
Anyone have suggestions on the best water system for my birds. I see a lot of people using the water cups or nipples on a bucket or pipe, but I worry with our high winds in the winter months they may freeze up. Is it best to just use a standard water/feeder hanging in the coop or run?
What do...
Hey all,
Just building our first coop! It's 4'x6' and will house 4 hens. I'm currently designing the outdoor run area that will be 12'x6' and 4' tall. I'm just trying to decide on whether or not to cover it. The sides will have 1/2 wire Hardware cloth. We live in a rural setting on the coast...