Hello from MS

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JTCKNS

In the Brooder
Apr 29, 2023
6
34
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We had talked about getting chickens, but hadn't yet when we heard about some chickens that were in need of a home. The coop they were in was horrible, unmovable, cramped, and very muddy from the recent rains. So, we rescued a flock of 3 hens and 2 roosters at the end of January. We went to a feed store and got a coop with a small run area to put together after we saw the condition of the place they were in. And went back to move them that afternoon after we got the new coop ready. I had to crawl into the old coop on my hands and knees to catch the birds and pass them out one at a time to my husband who put them in several empty bee hive boxes and one dog kennel to transport home. We had to stop at Sam's to pick up some bird seed to feed them, because the feed store was closed. One of the roosters is a Silkie, and I've read they are a Bantam variety, but if so, he is the biggest Banty I've ever seen and the lead rooster. I've had a couple of "discussions" with Mr. Silkie that he is not to attack the people who are taking care of him. Our other rooster is definitely a Banty and looks like the rooster on the old cornflakes box (so he became Corny), and we have 1 black hen that looks like a big Raven (and that is what I named her), and 2 smaller hens, one with whitish/gray feathers on her body with black trim on her neck feathers and a black tail, Lacey, and the other one black with a top knot (think teased hair style, hence the name Madge) and a beard and some feathers on her feet but not like the Silkie. We built a 10' x 20' run out of PVC pipe and chicken fencing, with a top of green plastic fencing to protect the flock from overhead attack. We put it over the coop. The lead hen, Lacey, started sitting on some eggs in March, and the other two hens, Raven - green eggs, and Madge - tan like Lacey"s snuck some eggs in when she went down to eat. So when the chicks started hatching, it was one at a time. We have a coop with 4 nest boxes on each side, and the first chick had wandered out of the nest box and fallen into the shavings on the middle floor of the coop with Lacey corralling it from going out the door and down the ramp. We'd heard that we should separate the chicks from the rest of the chickens, so we took out the dividers on one side and put up a screen so Lacey and the chicks were separate, but everyone could still see them. In fact, Raven and Lacey, have abandoned the nest boxes even though there are 4 very nice ones on the other side and have started laying their eggs on the floor in front of Lacey. We bought and put together a smaller coop and will move Lacey and the chicks over to it when the last eggs hatch, which according to my calculations should be anytime in the next 4 days. After reading some of the posts, it looks like night time is the best time for the move. So that is our experience so far.
 
JTCKNS said:
We had talked about getting chickens, but hadn't yet when we heard about some chickens that were in need of a home. The coop they were in was horrible, unmovable, cramped, and very muddy from the recent rains. So, we rescued a flock of 3 hens and 2 roosters at the end of January. We went to a feed store and got a coop with a small run area to put together after we saw the condition of the place they were in. And went back to move them that afternoon after we got the new coop ready. I had to crawl into the old coop on my hands and knees to catch the birds and pass them out one at a time to my husband who put them in several empty bee hive boxes and one dog kennel to transport home. We had to stop at Sam's to pick up some bird seed to feed them, because the feed store was closed. One of the roosters is a Silkie, and I've read they are a Bantam variety, but if so, he is the biggest Banty I've ever seen and the lead rooster. I've had a couple of "discussions" with Mr. Silkie that he is not to attack the people who are taking care of him. Our other rooster is definitely a Banty and looks like the rooster on the old cornflakes box (so he became Corny), and we have 1 black hen that looks like a big Raven (and that is what I named her), and 2 smaller hens, one with whitish/gray feathers on her body with black trim on her neck feathers and a black tail, Lacey, and the other one black with a top knot (think teased hair style, hence the name Madge) and a beard and some feathers on her feet but not like the Silkie. We built a 10' x 20' run out of PVC pipe and chicken fencing, with a top of green plastic fencing to protect the flock from overhead attack. We put it over the coop. The lead hen, Lacey, started sitting on some eggs in March, and the other two hens, Raven - green eggs, and Madge - tan like Lacey"s snuck some eggs in when she went down to eat. So when the chicks started hatching, it was one at a time. We have a coop with 4 nest boxes on each side, and the first chick had wandered out of the nest box and fallen into the shavings on the middle floor of the coop with Lacey corralling it from going out the door and down the ramp. We'd heard that we should separate the chicks from the rest of the chickens, so we took out the dividers on one side and put up a screen so Lacey and the chicks were separate, but everyone could still see them. In fact, Raven and Lacey, have abandoned the nest boxes even though there are 4 very nice ones on the other side and have started laying their eggs on the floor in front of Lacey. We bought and put together a smaller coop and will move Lacey and the chicks over to it when the last eggs hatch, which according to my calculations should be anytime in the next 4 days. After reading some of the posts, it looks like night time is the best time for the move. So that is our experience so far.
Click to expand...
Welcome to BYC!!
 
JTCKNS said:
We had talked about getting chickens, but hadn't yet when we heard about some chickens that were in need of a home. The coop they were in was horrible, unmovable, cramped, and very muddy from the recent rains. So, we rescued a flock of 3 hens and 2 roosters at the end of January. We went to a feed store and got a coop with a small run area to put together after we saw the condition of the place they were in. And went back to move them that afternoon after we got the new coop ready. I had to crawl into the old coop on my hands and knees to catch the birds and pass them out one at a time to my husband who put them in several empty bee hive boxes and one dog kennel to transport home. We had to stop at Sam's to pick up some bird seed to feed them, because the feed store was closed. One of the roosters is a Silkie, and I've read they are a Bantam variety, but if so, he is the biggest Banty I've ever seen and the lead rooster. I've had a couple of "discussions" with Mr. Silkie that he is not to attack the people who are taking care of him. Our other rooster is definitely a Banty and looks like the rooster on the old cornflakes box (so he became Corny), and we have 1 black hen that looks like a big Raven (and that is what I named her), and 2 smaller hens, one with whitish/gray feathers on her body with black trim on her neck feathers and a black tail, Lacey, and the other one black with a top knot (think teased hair style, hence the name Madge) and a beard and some feathers on her feet but not like the Silkie. We built a 10' x 20' run out of PVC pipe and chicken fencing, with a top of green plastic fencing to protect the flock from overhead attack. We put it over the coop. The lead hen, Lacey, started sitting on some eggs in March, and the other two hens, Raven - green eggs, and Madge - tan like Lacey"s snuck some eggs in when she went down to eat. So when the chicks started hatching, it was one at a time. We have a coop with 4 nest boxes on each side, and the first chick had wandered out of the nest box and fallen into the shavings on the middle floor of the coop with Lacey corralling it from going out the door and down the ramp. We'd heard that we should separate the chicks from the rest of the chickens, so we took out the dividers on one side and put up a screen so Lacey and the chicks were separate, but everyone could still see them. In fact, Raven and Lacey, have abandoned the nest boxes even though there are 4 very nice ones on the other side and have started laying their eggs on the floor in front of Lacey. We bought and put together a smaller coop and will move Lacey and the chicks over to it when the last eggs hatch, which according to my calculations should be anytime in the next 4 days. After reading some of the posts, it looks like night time is the best time for the move. So that is our experience so far.
Click to expand...
wow what an adventure. thank you for rescuing them!! welcome to BYC!
 

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