Recent content by Chirpy

  1. Chirpy

    Supplemental heat in extreme cold

    That would be worth researching. I've not heard anyone doing that.
  2. Chirpy

    Supplemental heat in extreme cold

    In 20 years of, down to -35, weather (in Colorado)... we've only twice had chickens end up with frost bite. Both times were roosters who had large combs and both times were when the temps were in the minus 20s and/or -30s. We regularly have below zero temperatures and haven't had issues with...
  3. Chirpy

    Last minute advice for coop/run?

    If you covered this - sorry I missed it: I've had dogs dig under laid down wire. We attached wire (hardware cloth or 1" chicken wire) to the fence (about 15" high up the side) and buried the lower 18" or so underground. We just dug a trench along the outside fence line and buried it - I bent...
  4. Chirpy

    Introduce at night?

    I also have my chicks in the chicken coop with a chicken wire divider for a few weeks before I let them together with the main flock. That way they see each other and can get up close and personal without anyone getting hurt. Then - I introduce mine by letting them out to free range for...
  5. Chirpy

    Aggressive 2 day olds.

    I absolutely am not an expert on turkeys... this is only our second time raising them. So I'm just sharing our limited experience: our turkey chicks have not ever pecked at each other to a point where I was concerned. I use a red light/heat lamp which helps to keep pecking down to a minimum...
  6. Chirpy

    German Shepherd Dogs & Chickens - are they compatible?

    Having had GSD's around chickens for nearly 7 years I totally agree that it depends on the dog... not the breed. My first GSD was a city boy until he was 8 and we moved to the country... we got chicks and he got a hold of one through the wire fencing and killed it! I verbally reprimanded him...
  7. Chirpy

    Have you been on a cruise while pregnant?

    My family is going on a cruise next month -- it's a last 'hurrah' before our kids are not available for family vacations. My oldest son and his wife are expecting their second child... she will be 4 months pregnant while on the cruise. My husband has been working on this cruise for 10 years...
  8. Chirpy

    How many chickens can my coop hold

    The general rule of thumb is 4 square feet of floor space for each chicken. So - an 8x8 coop (if it's ALL usable) would offer 64 square feet. Divide that by 4 and you could have 16 chickens in your coop. The outside rule of thumb is 10 square feet per chicken if they are in an enclosed run.
  9. Chirpy

    Australorp.. Boy or girl

    My Australorps were really easy to tell the cockeral from the pullets by about 5 weeks old. He had much darker red and larger wattle and comb. I'm thinking you have a pullet. If I could figure out how to get pictures from Photobucket to here - I could show you a picture of them side by side...
  10. Chirpy

    Run design

    I agree that burying wire at least 18" under ground would be an effective solution. If you can afford hardware cloth use it. I ran extra wire along my fenceline about 2 feet up the side and 18" down into the ground. Remember that gates are a potential source of predator intrusion. I dug a...
  11. Chirpy

    Our "Hen Heaven"

    Very nice!
  12. Chirpy

    hen trying to crow!

    I haven't heard of hens actually crowing like a rooster crows ... my hens have made some interesting sounds though. The one time I had a pullet trying to crow... she wasn't actually a pullet... I had a rooster! How old is this girl and what breed?
  13. Chirpy

    My roosters have suddenly gotten mean to the hens

    I agree that you need to remove one of the roosters. Generally you should have one rooster for every 10 to 12 hens; as a minimum. I had two roosters with almost 30 hens and still had issues between the boys. They are being boys! As far as separating your shy girl... probably not a good idea...
  14. Chirpy

    Our Shipping Crate Coop - finally finished!!! (pic heavy)

    Just saw this... really nice job - love the coop!
  15. Chirpy

    So one of your ladies did not come back to the coop before nightfall....did they ever return?

    I'm sorry about the dog attack... that is always a fear with anyone who free ranges their chickens. Whether Greta comes back is anybody's guess... if she's close enough to home and safe - she will probably show back up tomorrow. But, if she was chased farther away or is hurt she may not be...
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