Minnesota!

[Scott16475]

Dear, God, I'm NEGATIVE 7. I'll be purchasing a condo in downtown Minneapolis very soon.

 

[Coffee 1st]

I am thinking about that coffee, but not for the reasons you think.

Camp Day is the term I use, processing day is too sterile and direct. Camp Day is a sad day, There will be tears this year I am sure, my Grandkids' other Grandma will be here helping as they want some chickens. She scores around a -34 on the redneck test.

I am sure she will be crying. Crying I can handle, I ignore it, I have my own feelings to deal with. Even though I eat them, I do love my little chubbies. It just has to be done. I am a firm believer in knowing where your food comes from. When you go to KFC or the store and buy a chicken you hired someone to murder that bird for you, same with beef and pork. I do not like having others do my dirty work, but I am always willing to have help with the dirty work.

My DW will be too busy controlling her own emotions, I am afraid to deal with yours, and she will be busy working. The best way to get over it is to throw yourself into the mindless work of cleaning the birds. My DIL or DD will be watching grandkids that day so there would be someone to talk with. My DIL has seen my son and I clean "game" before and she is not attached to the chickens like my DW and I. My daughter is not attached to the birds but she has seen Camp Day before. When she was 6-7 We had rabbits she loved her rabbits, we ate her rabbits. She was there for the deed, she petted and hugged one she must have really like good by. I know it sounds cold, but I wanted my kids to know where meat comes from. To be thankful for every mouthful and know something gave the ultimate sacrifice for them to be able to eat and live.

Here are the things we need to think about. Camp Day is messy, there is blood, dander and feathers everywhere. If I have a pathogen in my flock that they are immune to because of something in the soil here or the flock itself, you would be bringing it home to your girls. Your girls are city girls and live in a cleaner more sterile environment than my birds. They may not have the antibodies to survive a full on attack by whatever mine might/could have.

I know it is a slim chance but is it worth it?

Maybe I am over worried about this, Mistah got Ole and Lena from me with no side effects to her birds, Lala got poop and feathers from me and not side effects that I know of. I sold a couple dozen chicks this spring some went into existing flocks, with no side effects that I know of. I gave Cookie away and have not heard of any problems there. (Sure could use some pictures of Cookie, Ole and Lena). So maybe I am over thinking this. I am not sure.

I think we should see what others here have to say about the flock health aspect. I am sure not against you coming or seeing my flock as long as we take precautions. I don't want a disease yours might have either. BUT normal safety precautions usually solve that problem.

I do have a question though, Why would you ever invite your girls to dinner?

I know you are really new to chickens so I hope this does not seem to basic and you already knew this. Your chickens appear to be layers not dual purpose and definitely not meat types. I am trying to remember what you have. Even if your girls are dual purpose, I only eat the boys. The girls just never get big enough. By the time they get to the end of their laying careers, they can live in peace. They would be so old and tough they would have to be pressure cooked or stewed for a week.

I sent some EE and other layer breed roosters to camp last year ( at about 18-19 weeks) they were scrawny. They make a good meal, just not much of one. Most of them I sell to a Asian woman my wife works with. They cook differently and really like the scrawny birds.

Anyways, things to think about, it is not a no, just want you to be sure you want too.

Wow very good read.. There is allot for me to learn. I didn't even think about the safety factor between chickens but i could always shower before i go there and I'm sure i would want to shower when i get home before i even see my girls. it would be nice to see what other have to think about this also... My girls are supposed to be dual birds but hope they lay for a long time. SO most people don't eat layers? what do they usually do with them once they stop laying?

 

[duluthralphie]

Wow very good read.. There is allot for me to learn. I didn't even think about the safety factor between chickens but i could always shower before i go there and I'm sure i would want to shower when i get home before i even see my girls. it would be nice to see what other have to think about this also... My girls are supposed to be dual birds but hope they lay for a long time. SO most people don't eat layers? what do they usually do with them once they stop laying?

Mine will live out their life as pampered pets.

I do not consider an EE a dual purpose breed. Maybe others do, but then they are just Mutts.

 

[Coffee 1st]

Dear, God, I'm NEGATIVE 7. I'll be purchasing a condo in downtown Minneapolis very soon.

Someone with a lower score then me...Sorry...

 

[Coffee 1st]

OK back to work,,, this is what ive done so far today... already tired but oh well....

 

[duluthralphie]

Pictures:


The new hospital beds one with OSB backing to cut air flow and light the other with screen.




The new nest box, as you can see one hen likes new areas..





A close up of the first to use the nests.




And this is a strange little bird I hatched. I am not sure what the mixes are, it looks more like a hawk than a chicken.
It hated to have it's picture taken.









Yea, it lives with Keets. The head is so wide! Tell me what you think for mixes. I had EE, Creamette , BA and Partridge Chanticler roosters and mix of hens. I am hoping it is a she, but afraid it is a he.

 

[lalaland]

Ralphie, no idea on the chick but she is pretty! (or he). nice hopsital ward.


Coffee, wow on the work you are doing. You are going to love having the smaller enclosed run opening to the bigger run. Nothing is 100% safe, but....I would feel very good about leaving the chickens out in the day unsupervised in the big run, and if I was going to be gone at dusk, or if something was making me nervous (say migrating hawks), I might leave them locked in the smaller run.

That is a long way of saying, I hope you plan to make it so you can still lock them in the smaller run - and not take down the dividing barrier between the old run and the new one.

Keep those pics coming!

 

[duluthralphie]

I have my coop all done and birds will move tonight, if I do not get another asthma attack.

Here are the pictures.

It may take a couple edits to get this right.

I have an old single car garage I have rednecked into a chicken coop. The building is 16x24. I have divided it roughly in half giving me two coop areas of 12x16.

I took the garage door off. I replaced it with the screens. I plan to leave it open all winter so I get enough ventilation. I prefer cold to moisture.



The human door opened.


And both doors open. I use this for running the birds into the coop when they do not want to go in. it is easier to get them through a big door than a little one. You can see the divider. It is designed to come out with just 2 screws so I can drive my bobcat in for cleaning. The front coop is for roosters and Turkeys. They have their own feeder so I can fatten them for Camp Day. I will start feeding them all game bird feed to give them the extra spurt now.

This shows the nest box and the human door to the enclosed run. I can use the human door to put birds into the run If I want. I have nest boxes in the front coop for deep winter. I will open the entire coop up then for all birds.

I am just showing the door open the edge of the run and my water tank, the blue barrel.

This give you and idea where the hospital in in relationship to the doors and the front coop.


I use rafter roosts, these are 2x3's Cheaper at Menards than 2x4s for the birds to roost on, for some reason most like the rafters.



This is in the back my layer area. This shows their nests , The "stair" things are my trainer roost for babies that live here in summer. They will come out for winter.

This shows the divider and the feed hanger for layer feed. It also shows the removable divider.

These are some roost I have in the corner for the birds that can not get into the rafters, my heavy layers and dual purpose ones.

Just another picture of the "ladder type" roosts and a table/work bench that was in the garage. I left it because some of the heavies like to roost on it. Which is why it has chips on it. Ant the chicken door to the outside. It is turkey size now. I close it down to hen size for winter.


I have a couple roosts outside, the turkeys use them now. and may all winter.

The door from the run to the great outdoors, very redneck.

From the picture below you can see the coop, and the two runs. The one run is a dog kennel I can cover. Both runs or one run can be accessed from the coop.

Here is Bert Jr and Bertha in the dog kennel run, enjoying life.





And that is the coop, and what I have been doing to it. I can't wait for Bert Jr and Bertha to get married and have babies next spring, if they live that long. Half brother and sister, very redneck!

 

[lalaland]

wow, Ralphie, that is a wonderful set up. love that you can get in there and clean out so easy.



you know, I literally do have a 6 foot galvanized stock tank in my house that is my bathtub...

 

[scandiafowl]

Out of the chapter on odd chicken behavior:

Herding up the kids to pen for the night, we normally do a walkabout to check for obstinate youngsters who want to stay up.

Found a Jersey under brush, just sitting there, staring off into the distance. The Jerseys stick together but it took work to move him to the pen.
Once it's dark they are all in the coop, I go out to shut the door, usually give them a once over as well.

This morning I walk out to the coop to let them out, lo and behold, that little guy comes out from under bushes in the pen. I had some corn cobs for them to nibble on and he was hungry!

He didn't go in the coop with the others and spent the night outside. Since it was dark and he's black I missed him completely!

Why would a 2 1/2 month old opt to sleep outside under the stars alone?