Recent content by Big Mama Chicken

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    Black sex link hen or rooster

    Curious--at what age did they start laying. Like yours, I have two that can be loud and they are 21 weeks and have shown zero interest in the nest box. Mine are in a dog run right now until they start laying. I tried integrating them with my 6 Golden Comets but those girls tended to bully my...
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    Can anyone tell if this is a rooster or hen??

    I am wondering about my 2 Black Sex links. They were hatched in mid-March. They are just over 20 weeks old and have shown no signs of laying or even going to a nest box. I'm in town so I can't have a rooster much less 2. Am hoping beyond hope that they are pullets. They are really sweet but...
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    Comment by 'Big Mama Chicken' in article 'How Much Room Do Chickens Need?'

    I researched the deep litter method before I got my girls. I use a combination of pine shavings and shredded hemp on the floor (under most of the pen is a concrete pad) and I hose it down really well after every other cleaning. I use the shavings/hemp in a compost pile for my garden. I don't...
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    Comment by 'Big Mama Chicken' in article 'How Much Room Do Chickens Need?'

    My coop is 40" square but in two levels. The bottom level has an area for those who want to "nest" in the pine shavings and a wraparound ramp leading up to the roost bars. There are 4 roost bars (although most of the year, the girls only use 2, they do like to huddle when the temps drop into...
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    Appreciate some advice

    My girls only sleep in the roost. They don't spend any daylight hours in there. Ironically, my roost has 4 roost bars and most of the time, they only sleep on 2 of them. They line up--head, tail, head, tail, head, tail on one bar in the winter and head, tail, head on one and tail, head, tail...
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    Appreciate some advice

    I'm in SE NC. I think last winter we had maybe 4 or 5 nights that got below 20 and maybe a dusting or two of snow. Our winters, as a rule, are fairly mild, averaging in the 40s. This summer, we already had 9 consecutive days above 95 so summer is our real stress time on the girls. Half of my...
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    Appreciate some advice

    If I close up the dog run (I already have plastic over part of the roof to keep a dry place and I have it under a 10X10 popup tent to protect from the rain, would you advise me to add roost bars in it and then wrap it with plastic, leaving some vents on the end, because that would give me a...
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    Appreciate some advice

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    6 Comets and 2 BSLs

    My oldest used to live in Sparkle City and my great aunt lived in Camden for over 75 years before going to the Presbyterian Home in Lexington. If you travel 95, I'm about 15 miles east of Pedro's sombrero!!
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    6 Comets and 2 BSLs

    Thanks. They seem to be healthy and have healthy appetites except for being skittish. They actually fly on my back or let me hold them which the comets aren't particularlly fond of!
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    New flock members being bullied by everyone.

    I feel your pain. I have 6 Golden Comets that were hatched in March of 23 and 2 Black Sex Links that were hatched in March of this year. Though the BSLs are now bigger than the comets, they are picked on almost every time they are mixed. It is time for the BSLs to start laying but I'm afraid...
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    Appreciate some advice

    The coop itself is about 40" square with a 3' high run on bottom and a roost area on a second level 40" square with a 2 1/2' peak. There are two nest boxes 12" by 40" by 16" high on each side. The pen that it is in is 8' by 16' by 6 1/4" high with what I call the Redneck Raised Bed at one end...
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    6 Comets and 2 BSLs

    East, west, north or south SC. I'm in SE NC.
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    Changing feed to Kalmbach 20% Flock Maker pellets

    I started with Kalmbach after my chicks got off the starter feed before I moved them outside. They love it and I do too. From time to time, I roast egg shells and crush them and add them to the feed just to get a little extra calcium. My girls aren't real fond of oyster shells but they eat...
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    6 Comets and 2 BSLs

    BTW, the bulk of the pen is on a concrete pad (all except the RRB) and I usually put out pine shavings on top of the concrete. The girls frequently rearrange them so I add to them every several days and every 3-4 weeks, I clean the shavings out and put them in compost bins, wash down the...
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