A few not-yet-chicken-owner questions!

[Mrs. K]

I havw had several times that I lost all or most to predators. I now have fort Knox and have not lost one since October. Predators such as a minks or weasel can kill the whole works, lost 16 in one night. Racoons are bad too, but they tend to pick them off one by one. Good fencing, totally enclosed.

I now have a flock of 8 girls, and it is about perfect for a family of 3-4. I get between 4-7 eggs a day. I have a mixed flock, and rather like it best, cause then it is easier to tell them apart and recognize personalities. I have Stars, and a barred rock, something black, and 2 buff o. Mine are very compatiable with each other.

I have a house, that a neighbor gave me, it is 4 x 6 with a slanted roof, 5 feet tall on the door side. Just big enough for a roost, and eight nesting boxes, however, they only use 3 of the nest boxes.

Get some, they are a great deal of fun! mk

 

[Tala]

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[chickcribs]

You should do it.

We got our chicks in April '09. We were newbies and didn't know what to expect.

We started out with 6 rhode island reds, built our own coop and almost a year later we now have 16 birds; 10 Rhode Island Reds, 2 Leghorns, 2 Guineas, 1 White Rock and 1 bantam rooster.

You will find out that they are a lot of fun as pets plus you'll enjoy the reaction you get from friends and family, they'll think your nuts.

Also, you will enjoy the eggs.

Use this site often, you will learn a lot, like I have.

Good luck.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=29113

Our Coop

 

[Revelle]

Wow! So many replies, thank you. Also thank you for the pictures! I need to get money for building a whole new coop, I didn't realize it would be so expensive. Right now I have a small coop made for bantams for right outside when I can hatch them.

And thank you also for advice.

I think I'll end up starting with medicated so I won't end with a sick flock, like Barred's story. :x

Reina / Thank you for the welcome.

Pandora / Wow! Minks? I don't think those are near where I live, but that seems like an interesting catch, even though it was trying to eat your chickens.

Ford Mommy / That's really sad! I hope the dog's owner paid at least small reparations.

Barred Buff / Poor lil one, didn't have a chance to heal itself up.

And wow about your cousin, were the Shepard's stray, or were they someone's? :x Either way, I hope she was able to restart her flock.

Mrs. K / Fort Knox coops sound like they take months to master, but that could be the name!

Do you have livetraps like Pandora now to catch weasels/minks? They still seem like interesting things, but that could be because around here we only have raccoons! (To my knowledge anyway. :x)

Tala / Wow, that was close. Is your rooster like a guard dog? I think I've heard stories in my last town (small farm town) about someone's roo being tougher than the wildlife.

Sorry I don't have a special reply to everyone, but I did read all! I would add more, but I added a bunch already plus it's tid late.

 

[Tala]

Quote:
A good rooster guards the flock. That is his job.
They all try to, which is why some become "mean" because they are guarding the ladies from YOU. The trick is to find a roo with a level head that you can impress upon him that YOU are his boss.
The mean roo that I spoke of was NOT level-headed or over-protective-mean, he would walk up and bite me unprovoked!!

A rooster will sound the alarm call if a hawk flies over and all the hens will run for the hills! If one of the hens squalks he will come running over to try to protect her. It's actually nice to watch.

A good roo will also call the hens over to eat treats before he does. They can be really sweet!

 

[Revelle]

Quote:

A good rooster guards the flock. That is his job.
They all try to, which is why some become "mean" because they are guarding the ladies from YOU. The trick is to find a roo with a level head that you can impress upon him that YOU are his boss.
The mean roo that I spoke of was NOT level-headed or over-protective-mean, he would walk up and bite me unprovoked!!

A rooster will sound the alarm call if a hawk flies over and all the hens will run for the hills! If one of the hens squalks he will come running over to try to protect her. It's actually nice to watch.

A good roo will also call the hens over to eat treats before he does. They can be really sweet!

Oh! Do you still keep him? I thought super mean ones got culled or taken away somehow. And I hope any roos I get will be a sweety.

 

[Tala]

Quote:

A good rooster guards the flock. That is his job.
They all try to, which is why some become "mean" because they are guarding the ladies from YOU. The trick is to find a roo with a level head that you can impress upon him that YOU are his boss.
The mean roo that I spoke of was NOT level-headed or over-protective-mean, he would walk up and bite me unprovoked!!

A rooster will sound the alarm call if a hawk flies over and all the hens will run for the hills! If one of the hens squalks he will come running over to try to protect her. It's actually nice to watch.

A good roo will also call the hens over to eat treats before he does. They can be really sweet!

Oh! Do you still keep him? I thought super mean ones got culled or taken away somehow. And I hope any roos I get will be a sweety.

It's up to you whether or not you want to put up with Mr Meanness.
I ate the mean one.

I sold 2 extra cockerels today to another BYC-er who wanted them for roosters (not eating) they were NICE, just "extra" in my flock since you only need 1 rooster per upto 10 hens. People are always giving away or selling extra roosters, and of course some people eat them.
There is NO reason to keep an especially mean rooster because there is an abundance of roosters - you can try to get a nicer one.

 

[rittert3]

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[Revelle]

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It's probably because I haven't any chickens yet, but, 'I ate the mean one' made me giggle.

Would getting rid of extra roos be hard because of the surplus? Or are mean ones common enough to be needing replacing?

Rittert / Thank you! Poor kitten, though. Even though I'm super worried about what my cats will do with the lil chicks, since all of them act like they're fresh kittens. @_@ And, turkey starter on chicks? Just to plump them up ?

 

[Eggs-Actly]

Hello! I've been reading a lot of the threads on here, and am waiting for paypal to buy some hatching eggs. But, I have a few questions! Well, more than a few. Mostly on everyone's own experiences.

1) What was the size of your first flock?

The most I have had is eleven. It is more than we needed or our coop could handle so we waited until we could sex them and we've downsized to 9 now.

2) Do you recommend any chicken that catches fancy, like... well, any from mixes to ornamental, or sticking with a goal? Like all egg-layers, or fryers, or purebred with no mixes?

It's completely up to you. Some people determine which chickens to have based on egg color while others are more breed specific. I researched the breeds and determined which breed was more heat tolerant and less broody. They're going to be your pets - you do what you want and laugh all day long!

3) What was your first coop? Did you build it yourself, or bought it? And, how much?

My first coop I made. It's 4 x 8 and is built off the ground and it attached to the run which is 8 x 12. They free range a few hours a day, whenever possible. I can't remember the cost because I search Craigslist for about 3 months and got a lot of the wood free or for pennies. The hardware cloth and the screws and washers were by far the most money I spent on it. The paint I had left over from other projects.

4) What was your first feed for them, and did you end up changing it later? Is medicated better than not-medicated?

The first feed was unmedicated crumbles. I'll never do that again. Developed cocci and lost 3 in 24 hours before I was able to get them all medicated. Everyone is now on layer pellets.

5) What would/did you do if a predator got through the coop? Can they cause enough trouble where the entire investment is lost?

We predator proofed the coop and run. The coop is in the back corner of our property and is less than 10 feet away from an abandoned outbuilding on my neighbor's property - which is now just a possum nursery anymore. So far so good. If something got into the coop or run I don't think it would take much time to go through 9 hens so I've done all I can think of doing.


Here's a few pics you may enjoy.