Recent content by dgilm

  1. dgilm

    Injured chicken...

    Thanks.... I kept her in the garage for about 2 days, then put her back into the flock. She ate a little, took a drink, then went into the coop. So I went to where I could watch her, and she hopped up onto the roost poles. and started her crazy preening again. I had to go, so I just figured...
  2. dgilm

    Injured chicken...

    When I went down to feed my chickens this morning, I found that one had spent the night alone in the pen, rather than going inside the coop with the others. She was acting oddly, almost like OCD-type preening. I didn't see any bloody spots, so I figured she'd be okay when the others came out...
  3. dgilm

    Coop questions...

    We are in Central Virginia, near but not in the mountains. We get temps down into the teens occasionally, but I have yet to see it drop below zero. Very little snow. (I think the most we got last year was a couple of inches, which was melted off in two days) (this is only our second winter...
  4. dgilm

    Coop questions...

    So, I have 24 chickens, which are about 12 weeks old. Currently they are in a 4x8 plywood box, with a hardware cloth top. Obviously, they are outgrowing their present home, and our coop needs to be finished ASAP! DH and father are going to be building it over the next couple of weeks. Our...
  5. dgilm

    Is it time to ditch the heat lamp?

    Quote: I did too.... I told them goodnight, and I hoped they stayed warm enough! I figure with 25 of them, they ought to be able to generate enough body heat by huddling together if they are too cold.
  6. dgilm

    Is there anything here that my chicks shouldn't have?

    Quote: I thought it was pretty yummy, but I was the only one!
  7. dgilm

    Is there anything here that my chicks shouldn't have?

    they are six weeks old, and I've been feeding them grit in their feed daily for the past couple of weeks. Today, when I switched them to the 10 lb. feeder, I filled the little quart jar chick feeder with grit, and have it freely available to them. So, last night for dinner I made lentils...
  8. dgilm

    Is it time to ditch the heat lamp?

    so, mine are six weeks today... and I've been trying to remember to turn off the heat lamp during the day, and only turn it on at night (they are in our attached garage)... our daytime temps are ranging from 40-s-60's... night time more consistently in the 30's... They seem to be pretty...
  9. dgilm

    how old

    I got baby chicks at the beginning of October. They were two days old and already some had feathers on the tips of their wings!
  10. dgilm

    Anyone else order chicks??

    I've got 4 week olds in the brooder in the garage... I'm hoping dh will see that as motivating to get the coop finished! I'd like to be able to move them out of the garage by Christmas...
  11. dgilm

    Roost question...

    So, I found a nice large branch in the driveway after the last wind, so I popped it into the brooder with the chicks. I've seen a couple walk on it, but most of the time they just hop over it or ignore it altogether. When do they start to roost? They are 4 weeks old. The brooder is a 4'x8'...
  12. dgilm

    Too good for heat!?

    My chicks are just 4 weeks today. When I checked the temp under the light yesterday, it was right where it was supposed to be, at 75 degrees. The silly things are rarely under it, except at night, and then I think because it's probably even cooler, as I'm sure the night-time temps in the...
  13. dgilm

    Another newbie question...

    So, I presently have 25 (minimum order) chicks in a brooder in the garage. My plan, since I really won't have room for 25 chickens, is to go ahead and raise the 25 until spring, then sell off about half of them, once they are laying. (I won't mind terribly if I have a roo in the mix). I...
  14. dgilm

    What State Fits My Family Best?

    When we lived in New Hampshire, we visited Vermont a lot. Taxes are higher there, if I remember correctly, but LOTS of farmland... in fact, there may only be a couple of actual cities in the whole state... can't think, off the top of my head what they are, though. Lots of small towns, lots of...
  15. dgilm

    Chickie keep-away...

    believe it or not, I'll have to buy sand where we live it is red clay... not a speck of sand to be seen... if the poor things wallowed in the red clay, it would be a MESS! (of course, if all that is needed is dust, that I have a-plenty, in my house, maybe I'll just empty the vacuum cleaner bag...
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