Recent content by Fetz

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    Is this mating damage excessive?

    We put them on the first two hens in December. They lasted a while but eventually... they found a way to free themselves from their oppression. I suppose we could just keep putting them back on but they were both lost while free ranging so we'll run out eventually
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    Is this mating damage excessive?

    We have 16 hens and 1 rooster. All just over a year old. Around December we noticed two of our hens had started losing feathers on their backs and determined it to be mating damage. Now 5 of them have large bare spots and another 6 are starting to show damage on their backs - see pics below for...
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    Is our coop causing frostbite?

    It's been around 15°F. Down to -5°F at night the last couple nights. The run is on the south side of the barn so it's protected from North and northwesterly winds which is supposed to be the prevailing wind in the winter, but anything from the west or south will hit them. I shut the west...
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    Is our coop causing frostbite?

    Our Barred Rock rooster has developed frostbite on his comb and wattles. Some of our hens are starting to as well. What can we adjust in our coop to prevent this? Their coop is a stall in a 100yr old barn. It is not insulated and we have not used supplemental heat so far. There is no water in...
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    Pullets not using roost bars

    If anyone is curious for an update, about a week ago the chickens decided it was time to grow up and sleep on the roost (as many of you suggested would happen). It started with 5 of them and a couple nights later they were all on there. They do insist on cramming themselves onto the very top bar...
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    Pullets not using roost bars

    #1 What are you seeing that makes you think they're hot? Not disagreeing just trying to understand. To me, bunching up in a corner is a behavior that suggests they'd be cold, not warm. We do have a thermometer in the barn outside of their coop. The barn tends to run a few degrees cooler than...
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    Pullets not using roost bars

    Update 2: the following night they all put themselves to bed on the ledge again, and have continued to do so every night. They are literally piled on top of each other but I guess they're not ready for the roost yet. Guess we'll just give it some time and hope they grow out of it.
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    Pullets not using roost bars

    Update: Tonight after dark I went out and placed them one by one on the roosting bars. None of them put up too much of a fuss and it looks like most of them moved to the third bar on their own and then went to bed. We'll see what they do tomorrow night. They were literally piling on top of...
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    Pullets not using roost bars

    We did a lot of research about designing a roost bar and multiple sources said to space bars 12" apart horizontally. Including "Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens". I have heard differing opinions about how the bars should be though. Some (including Storey's) say to use a 2x2 or closet rod...
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    Pullets not using roost bars

    Hi all, First time chicken owner here. Our chicks are now 5 weeks old. We put them in their coop about 1.5 weeks ago. They all seem very healthy and we haven't had any major issues so far. The coop is a converted barn stall and we built a run off the back. Our only problem is that all 19 of...
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    Hardware cloth bending

    Hi all, Our 16 chicks arrive tomorrow! My wife and I are very excited. We are putting the finishing touches on their coop and run. My carpentry skills are weak at best, but I have been able to work my way through most of our problems so far. One thing I cannot figure out is how to get hardware...
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    Barn Coop and Run placement help

    Really? I know nothing compares to real life experience but all the books, articles, and forums I've read have stated that the Black Australorp and pretty much all heavy set dual-purpose breeds are not good flyers. Either way they will have ample free ranging space to keep them busy so I'm...
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    Barn Coop and Run placement help

    Winds are almost always from the northwest during a winter storm, which certainly favors the South face. But it seems those are far and few between now, and there is a good block of forest to the north and northwest that would block those winds a bit. I may have overstated the mud problem...
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    Barn Coop and Run placement help

    Hi Everyone, soon to be first time chicken owners. We will have 5 black australorp, 5 barred rock, and 5 easter eggers (wife insisted on having multicolored eggs) as well as a barred rock rooster arriving this spring! I have gotten some good feedback here that has reassured me using one of the...
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    Barn coop ventilation questions

    There's a chute and ladder (must be what the board game was named after) in the middle of the isle, around 10-15ft from this stall. Maybe 30in by 30in in size, centered under the cupola. That is the only opening. I am a little worried that might not be adequate, but I suppose I can always wait...
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