Recent content by cyw iar

  1. cyw iar

    Day old chicks, broody hen, nest and coop logistics

    Ok - so, success with sectioning off the coop, successful delivery of three cute little fluff-balls (thanks USPS!), successful move of broody and her nest to the floor of the coop (I decided to move her first, because my nest boxes have fairly small openings; harder, I thought, to slip her the...
  2. cyw iar

    Day old chicks, broody hen, nest and coop logistics

    Thanks for all the advice! I think I have a plan now. I'll section off part of the floor of the coop so the broody and foster chicks are safely separated from the other hen for a while and still have access to outside. And build a little ramp. I'll let you all know how it goes!
  3. cyw iar

    Day old chicks, broody hen, nest and coop logistics

    Thanks for the advice! Fingers crossed. She is a very determined hen.
  4. cyw iar

    Day old chicks, broody hen, nest and coop logistics

    @azygous, so I'm guessing you pluck her out of the nest box at night and deposit her and the chicks on the floor, and she's all "holy crap, my eggs hatched!"? What do you both think about the depth of bedding? Should I sweep it out and replace with shallow for the time being?
  5. cyw iar

    Day old chicks, broody hen, nest and coop logistics

    So I've gotten a good feel that most broody hens will take to day old chicks placed under them under cover of darkness when the hens are in the chicken zombie stage of night. My question is logistics for the little buggers. I currently have two hens (by attrition; started with six, a fox...
  6. cyw iar

    Trouble in the Henhaus

    Thanks, BayBay. :) I worm my horses, but the hens flew under the radar. Pun intended ;). So I'll try worming first, and see if there's improvement.
  7. cyw iar

    Trouble in the Henhaus

    Ummm... No, I haven't wormed them. I definitely should do that (I'm an idiot, I should have thought of that). They all get layer pellets and free range, egg production last year was between 4 and 5 a day, this year about 3-4, although the last two days I've gotten a half dozen a day.
  8. cyw iar

    Trouble in the Henhaus

    So I saw a couple of threads about hens and new roosters not getting along, but that's not exactly what we've got going on. Our small flock, 6 hens and 1 rooster, were all raised together. Last spring, the rooster was pretty aggressive with the hens and they all needed hencapes or saddles or...
  9. cyw iar

    Hen sitting for four weeks?

    Our first broody has been sitting on 7 eggs for close to four weeks now. We candled them two weeks ago, and they looked viable, but nothing's hatching! How long can we let her go on?
  10. cyw iar

    Comment by 'cyw iar' in article 'The Henhaus'

    @jenfarsh, more than is safe for sanity... ;) Thanks for the comments, everyone!
    • cyw iar
    • Article comment
  11. cyw iar

    Silver Laced Wyandotte, 26 weeks, no eggs yet

    Ours were just about that age when they finally started laying. I'd say any day now. Good luck!
  12. cyw iar

    building my coop this week

    Our horses love the chickens. They've even gone so far as to chase a stray dog that was after our first rooster. And by chase, I mean attempt to KILL! The rooster ran for the horses' shed, the horses ran at the dog, and after the canine offender beat tracks, the horses calmed right down and...
  13. cyw iar

    What would be best...?

    We moved our chicks from the brooder to our screen porch - approximately 6' x 14' or so. I used maybe three bags of shavings? I just added a little every now and then. The chicks scratching and dust bathing in the shavings kept everything well mixed and dry, so there was hardly any smell at all...
  14. cyw iar

    How many architects does it take to build a chicken coop?

    Looks clean and tidy! Nice job! I thought engineers were like architects - never retired, just slowed down a bit For this winter, we just stapled clear(ish) heavy duty plastic over the screens. As the weather warms up (no heat in the wood shop!), I'm going to build hinged glass or...
  15. cyw iar

    Fire Safety in your Chicken Coop & Barn - IMPORTANT!

    A light suggestion: what about going with an LED fixture, where heat lamps are not required? LEDs give off significantly less heat than incandescents (and maybe dust would not, therefore, be an issue at the fixture) and last a very long time. The upfront expense would pay for itself over time.
See more
Back
Top Bottom