Recent content by Pequena Bandada

I'm stumped as how to best integrate my eight teenage pullets (11 weeks old) with my six adult hens. They've all been the same coop for two months, with a wire and plywood wall separating them. I started opening the baby door into the main coop about three weeks ago, which means that the...

20 might be pushing your space just a bit. We have 12 in our 8x8 coop and will probably go up to 15 but not more.

Very cute! How do you know the first one is a boy?

I've heard from a few friends here that selling chicks in the Spring is fairly difficult because everyone just goes to the feed store rather than deal with a stranger. Perhaps you could post an ad on Craigslist asking for people to join you in an order? That way all the chicks would be accounted...

The 4 square feet per chicken is INSIDE the coop and doesn't include the run. With an 8x6 house that gives you space for 12 regular sized chickens. You mention that your coop will be raised off the ground. If there's enough space for the chickens to wander underneath it you can count the entire...

There is no safe and reliable way to sex a baby chick (unless you're a professional vent sexer who has gone through tons of training). You'll see all sorts of old wives tales - from people telling you that you can check their vents, their wings, hold them upside down, see which ones are more...

It would make a great coop - just make sure you have good ventilation so that it doesn't heat up too much in hot weather.

I would put tarps up on the two exposed sides to block drafts. Your chickens will have no problem with the cold temperature, it's the wind that could hurt them since they won't be able to warm up. Remember to check their water in the early AM in case it's frozen.

Couple of questions... First, do you have a rooster? If not, the eggs aren't fertile and won't hatch. Second, do you want baby chicks? If not, take the eggs and eat them. Third... not a question... but your hen shouldn't require extra heat. Her body will protect the eggs. Just make sure...

We have a 6 month old Salmon Faverolle (hatchery, not breeder stock) who almost never leaves the coop. She's at the bottom of the pecking order, and was quite picked on by one of my EEs when we integrated the babies with the big girls. That EE no longer lives with us, and Lovey (the SF) seems to...

Something is disturbing them... noise, lights, another animal... it could be a bunch of different things. Try covering the coop window and see if that helps (that would be the easy solution!).

From my experience, you might want to rethink that construction cloth bottom. The poop will not just run right through. Instead, you'll have clumps of poop build up on the wire and get all over your chicken's feet... and then on their feathers... and then on you. My husband built long boxes to...

We regularly have bears come through our property (southern foothills of the Rockies) but they've never bothered with our chickens. I suspect the chickens aren't very tempting because they're shut up good and tight at night and the bears don't wander through at daytime. If you're concerned, make...

Yes, we lock ours every night. The one night we didn't... an owl broke through the hardware cloth on the top of my run and ate three of my chickens. Even if you decide not to lock yours, depending on your weather, you'll need a door over the opening the chickens use to enter/exit the coop...

I'd like to move away from the hatchery stock I have, and raise heritage chickens and true-to-type chickens from breeder stock. However, I can't seem to find breeders in my area. I've checked Craigslist, read through the auctions here just in case there's anyone from NM selling eggs, looked in...