Recent content by CaptainCluck

As a follow up, we slow roasted a 10 pounder in the oven today. He was pretty tasty. Thanks again BYC!

When my wife first mentioned chickens, I wasn't totally on board. We had them when I was a kid, but for eggs or my mom's pets. Each one eventually met a horrible end to one predator or another. We've become more conscious about our food choices, so we talked about meat chickens. The Internet...

Sounds like I ought to plan on separating them? Today with no heat lamp, it go it to be 100 in the coop where the brooder is. So I bought them a screen door that I just reinforced with hardware cloth. I'm finding that metal buildings get pretty darn hot! I've got a big box fan going 24-7 and...

All the chickens will go in my run. I hope to have it finished next weekend. It will be 12 x 40. I am running a heat lamp in the corner of my brooder. Remember I'm a noob and assumed I needed it. Its not necessary then? Or should I just turn it on at night? The brooder is 6 x 4 plywood...

Thanks RonC, I had read that as well. I guess I'm really just trying to figure out when to worry about the temperature. I hope to let these guys out of the brooder at 3 or 4 weeks if it stays warm like it has been. We're new to this and work during the day. I just don't want to come home to...

Nope. Forgot to mention these guys are less than a week old. The buff orpingtons and barred rocks seem OK, but those fat lazy Cornish didn't look so hot.

Our new chicks (20) were in a plastic 45 gallon tote up until today. We couldn't take the smell inside any longer. I built them a brooder that's 6 x 4 ft and 24 inches tall. They were moved into it today into a side room off a small pole building in my back yard. I cut 1 x 2 ft vents into one...

We had a beagle when I was a boy. He would bark and howl anytime a fox, raccoon, or opossum showed up. I don't think I'd like all that howling now though. My back yard is fenced. I live on 1.5 acres with a half-acre back yard. My chicken run will be 12 x 40 inside the back yard. My dog now...

That's my goal. I want to do it once and do it right. I don't want to have to make a cement prison, but I'm not opposed to spending some money. I have no problem dispatching a nuisance predator, but would rather not. By the way, any suggestions for good dogs for guard duty? I have a very...

So I've read quite a bit about coop construction. One thing that really stood out to me was using pennies as washers to hold hardware cloth. Some have said that reactions in the metal would cause it to rust, etc. I've heard the same thing about copper pipes in walls and other examples. But...

Aw come on now! Thanks! Learned a ton already. I remember my mom getting me up in the middle of the night to blast some poor opossum or coon to kingdom come and also losing chickens to other predators. I want to avoid all that so I'm doing my best to learn from everyone else's mistakes...

Raised chickens as a kid. 30 years later going to do it with my wife and two boys. Getting started on converting part of a pole building (shed) to a coop and setting up a run this weekend. Been reading tons here about coop design and hardware cloth. Can't wait for some fresh eggs and meat...