Recent content by cwelte

  1. cwelte

    How long should integration take?!?

    Well, I think I've reached a solution (finger's crossed it holds). Over this last week, at dusk, I'd take Paul out of the coop and put her in the enclosed run. I'd then take the new hens and (gently) push then through the coop door, closing it behind them so they couldn't come out and Paul...
  2. cwelte

    How long should integration take?!?

    Hahahaha! I just realized that my BYC Avatar IS Paul!
  3. cwelte

    How long should integration take?!?

    Thanks for the suggestions - The new hens were 14 weeks when we got them, they're now 6 months old. What I'm trying now is taking "Paul" out of the coop and putting the new hens in with the others at night (leaving Paul locked in the run to roost for the night). We have one food station, but...
  4. cwelte

    How long should integration take?!?

    Hello, I have 4 adult hens: two black sexlinks, one Rhode Island Red, and one Barred Rock. One of the black sexlinks is "top hen" (her name is Paul because we thought she was a rooster at first and the name stuck) and is being a real jerk lately. About three and a half MONTHS ago, we introduced...
  5. cwelte

    Deer eating my chicken feed!

    I also add DE to my feed so the doe was probably feeling better now having any worms 🤣 She’s raising two fawns and is brazen! She kicked my 60 lb boxer/pit mix yesterday (she came to the dog!) and she doesn’t respond to clapping, air horns, us approaching (not too close!)... only the hose and...
  6. cwelte

    Deer eating my chicken feed!

    The deer are crazy this year! We’re here in central VA and deer always stayed clear. Now 3x this week we’ve had to shoo them out of our run because they’re eating the chicken feed :he I guess now I need to put up 12’ fencing too 😂
  7. cwelte

    Hens have completely stopped laying

    Wow, this is weird because mine stopped laying as well recently. We have 4, two black sexlinks, a Rhode Island Red, and a Barred Rock, all 3 years old. We were getting 4 eggs in April, then about a month ago a switch was flipped and we got two a day (RR and BR). Yesterday I got a very soft egg...
  8. cwelte

    chicken run flooring?

    I have 6 hens in an 8' x 7' slopped run that's open to the elements. They can go under their coop where the sand also helps keep it dry. I had been considering putting a cover on the run but it's nice that the rain cleans off the ramp & swing and washes away the poop from time to time. We've...
  9. cwelte

    Why not spoil them?

    Oh, and they do get a lot of "free-range" time. So I like to think they're getting some balance over the regular feed. In some ways, I think that letting them have a backyard like this to forage in IS kinda like spoiling them. :D
  10. cwelte

    Why not spoil them?

    Our hens are still growing, and while they LOVE mealworms, that's a "sometimes" treat. They've been loving watermelon, but honestly, the best treat that they really love is not really an "eating" treat. When I cut the grass, I take the first full bag and dump it in their run. They go nuts! They...
  11. cwelte

    Automatic Chicken Coop Doors

    I can appreciate the "one and done" solutions, but I find joy is in the process and the ability to completely over-engineer a project (for the least amount of money). That said, I know this is how the project will pan out: I'll spend a little cash now, built it myself, it'll work "ok" for a...
  12. cwelte

    Managing eggs correctly

    We are very new to keeping hens (actually, ours aren't laying yet) but we do tend to our neighbor's birds whenever they're away. We have been dry-wiping soiled eggs as we get them, but should we be washing with soap and water (or just water) prior to eating? What do most folks do? What's your...
  13. cwelte

    Automatic Chicken Coop Doors

    That's awesome, thanks for the posting! I saw that style of timer pop up in my search, but I'm curious about using two solar panels instead of one. (Are they cheaper if you gang them up?) I see the battery below, but what's to the right of the timer? If you get time, can you post a parts list?
  14. cwelte

    Automatic Chicken Coop Doors

    I'd love to see a photo/schematic when you're finished - this is exactly what I'm looking to build.
  15. cwelte

    When do you switch chicks food?

    I have 6 hens that are about 9 weeks old. I've got about a gallon or so of their starter crumble left and am about to switch them over to the "grower" formula. My plan was to just put the pellets on top of the crumble in their feeder so as they finish one, it'll transition to the other. Is...
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