November 2016 Hatch-a-long!!

[NysiaAnera]

Good luck!  I was going to move mine out today but got caught up in some stuff.  Tomorrow, out they go into the brooder/grow-out space in the coop.  

Usually they'd be out by now, but my elderly father was house sitting and it was easier for him to watch them inside.

Thanks! I keep telling myself they will be fine, but man, it us cold outside! Good luck with yours too!

I've been debating moving mine out too. The power went out for 5 hours today and it was just over freezing. They're in the screen porch which is protected from the wind but not heated. They were just fine.

Oh, I am glad they were okay! At least they are more acclimated to cold than mine are. The possibility of the power going out has been a major concern for me. It went out a few weeks ago here and was out for 12 hours, single digits outside, and the temp inside was dropping dangerously low. I was glad they were inside then! That is the biggest reason I stuck to keeping these ones inside for so long.

Well, a hawk got in and got four of the half grown roosters (so lucky it wasn't any of the pullets), but other than that, the remaining four are doing good. I've secured the pen so there will hopefully be no more incidents. They will be going to join my sister in laws flock once they get big enough to be integrated.

Oh, no! Hopefully you will have no more problems!

 

[OneMountainAcres]

Well, a hawk got in and got four of the half grown roosters (so lucky it wasn't any of the pullets), but other than that, the remaining four are doing good. I've secured the pen so there will hopefully be no more incidents. They will be going to join my sister in laws flock once they get big enough to be integrated.

Oh no! I'm glad that it wasn't pullets though it's still sad to see the the cockerels gone too We had one get one of my silkie pullets this fall before she ever got a chance to lay. Then the very next day, it got itself trapped in my run (the flock was free ranging). We managed to catch it and drove somewhere to release it.

 

[Faraday40]

Nov 22nd hatch update:
On Christmas Eve, our little Albert decided to crow. (I promised DD that we could keep him as our only male quail.) Yesterday, a white quail joined him. It looks like I'll have to learn how to process quail soon. (Very nervous, curious, anxious, excited, etc. about the whole idea.) Can't tell much about the other 2 white ones, so for now, the little boy is sporting a purple stripe to distinguish him from his "?sisters".

So sorry about the losses due to hawk. Our Appenzeller Spitzhauben just got killed by a hawk about 2 weeks ago. Very sad because she was our prettiest hen.

 

[theceltichorse]

Moved my Nov chicks into a bigger brooder!

 

[NysiaAnera]

Yay, all 6 made it through the night! I thought it was supposed to be in the teens last night, but it got down to 1°, so I am very glad they are alive and well. They have not been hovering around the light either, so that is good.

 

[FridayYet]

Sorry about the losses Mylied and Faraday, hawks can do so much damage. Amazing you were able to catch one Aurora!

Mine moved outside this morning, too.

the far end of the box connects with the coop by a chicken wire door, which I'll open in a week or two, so glad they are out of the house!!

 

[NysiaAnera]

Sorry about the losses Mylied and Faraday, hawks can do so much damage. Amazing you were able to catch one Aurora!

Mine moved outside this morning, too.

the far end of the box connects with the coop by a chicken wire door, which I'll open in a week or two, so glad they are out of the house!!

I love your setup! Hopefully by spring I will have a better setup again. Things had to get moved around and put in some random places suddenly this year, so it is all a disorganized mess.

 

[FridayYet]

The top section is a community nest box and the brooder area goes underneath. Still haven't cut the window/access in the front or trimmed everything out - maybe I'll get around to it next year.

 

[NysiaAnera]

I love it! I have a similar idea in my mind for our next two nest box additions. Ultimately, I plan on having 1 next box for every 1-2 hens. People think that is a lot, but when every nest box is full and I have hens all lined up and some trying to pull others out so they can get in, and I end up with eggs on the floor or on the ground outside, I say the more the better! Lol Plus, since my hens brood with the flock, we need all we can get. I have been thinking about trying a communal nest box. I may give it a try with our next addition.

 

[Mylied]

Thats a great brooder, Fridayyet! I don't have anything fancy. Just some wire cages. I do have a grow out pen next to the chickens so they can socialize through the fence. Haven't had much fighting when i introduce since I started putting the younger ones in there.

As for hawks, honestly, I've had so many attacks that it's just more of a nuisance than upsetting anymore. Every time I think I have things figured out, a predator proves me wrong. The pen they were in was covered on top, but had a triangular opening on the side, so the hawk flew right in like that. We did catch it in the pen once and then it got in again before we got a chance to cover the holes. It's all covered up now and the hawk sat on the tree next to it for a couple days before giving up. We have just the right amount of easter egger chicks left for my sil. One rooster and three pullets. I was just going to experiment with processing with the 4 extra roos. So now I'm going to get some meat chicks to try growing out instead.