- Jul 11, 2010
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I live in Wellington, FL and am looking to get some laying hens.
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*waving my hand in the air* i know where it is! i'm in geneva.........almost NO one knows where that is lol
i keep or have kept a bit of everything down thru the years......never had a problem with any breed, frankly. when it's hot, they all feel it.
lots of shade, lots of cool fresh water...that seems to be the ticket here
Hi Everyone -
My family and I just moved to Osceola County about 1 year ago. We live on a 5 acre piece of property on a private lake. We do have neighbors as all of the home sites on my side of the lake are a minimum of 2 acres. But we do not have any restrictions as far as live stock goes. And all of my neighbors are anxious to get fresh eggs every week in the near future. I purchased 12 / 1 week old chicks of different breeds (at least two of each breed) and have them inside in a large container. My husband built a nice large coop that allows for shading, protection from predators and elevated laying boxes. We hope to be able to allow the grown hens out to roam free during the day when we are outside with them. But for now I place their protective "brooding" house inside the coop during the day so that they can experience the sunshine and fresh air outside. But bring them inside at night and have them under a heat lamp. My question is this - because I am in Central FL and it currently is in the 80's during the day and 60's at night, how old until they can actually start staying in their coop? I am very protective of them already and they seem very happy and content in their brooding box but I don't want to deny them the freedom of being outside if that is where they want to be. Most everything I have read about moving them outdoors was written by / for people in much cooler climates. I am prepared to keep them inside for several weeks if necessary. And one other thing - can you handle them too much? I love holding them and petting them but don't want to over do it. I have a 10 year old Shetland Sheepdog and he really enjoys watching them in the box. He is scared of them somewhat but they seem very interested in him. I am careful never to leave the two unattended "just in case" but have a feeling they will be fast friends as the chicks get a little older.
Thanks for any help you can provide.