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    Small non-meat breeds - getting what I can, efficiently

    Hi all, I have a question about raising non-meat breed males to get some meat from. I have 5 Cream legbar hens, and am planning to get 5 more hens and a rooster. The breeder I got my hens from says she breeds for mellow males, so I should have a low chance of a jerk that isn't worth the...
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    Separating a broody to cool her down

    Hi all, I have a broody hen, and I would like to get her out of it. I have read about putting them in a separate enclosure ,up off the ground, so they can't maintain their warmth, and that this will get them out of the broody phase. I have a dog crate that I could use for this, but my a-frame...
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    Deep litter trough

    Hi all, After a winter of keeping my chickens in a small low to the ground chicken tractor, I am looking at the barn and thinking a walk in space is 1000% better. I am thinking about what I could put under the roosting bar. One option is obviously poop boards. Another thing I thought was I...
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    It may have been a dark and stormy night…

    One of my Cream Legbars has consistently been laying these sage green eggs with brown spots: The breeder I got them from also raises Lavender Orpingtons and Copper Marans. I am thinking there may have been a chance “encounter” between an Orp or Maans Roo and a Legbar hen a few generations back...
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    Oofda! That was a doozie!

    Two possibilities here, looking at that middle one: A) one of the ladies had an uncomfortable morning. B) there is a goose in the area that lays green eggs and snuck into the coop this morning
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    A little wisdom from my grandma

    I boil a lot of eggs, and put them back in the carton with the raw eggs. How do I keep the two separate, you ask? My grandma always wrote a B on her boiled eggs with a pencil. The shell takes the graphite very well, even when wet. Not exactly a recipe, but a way to save space if you have a...
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    Coop door height above ground

    Hi all, I have my chicken tractor complete, the Cream Legbar hens are on grass, and I am moving it every other day. Should be laying in 4-6 weeks. Part of my plan was to take over a part of the barn for wintering the hens. The tractor is winterize-able, but it would be easier to have them in...
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    Concentrating bugs

    Hi all, I heard about chicken keepers putting down boards since bugs will gather under them, and then flipping it over to let the chickens chow them down. This seems like a great idea, concentrating the bugs that are already there in one place for easy picking by the chickens. Anyone here...
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    Chicken Tractor - Grit and dust baths

    Hi all. I am moving my 10 week old Cream Legbar pullets into the chicken tractos this weekend. They will have a 6' X 10' run on grass, and I will be moving them around the barnyard. They will be on grass, and I don't plan to free range them, so they won't have access to barren spots for finding...
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    Moving 10 week pullets to the coop

    Good Morning, I have six 10 week old pullet Cream Legbars I will be moving to the chicken tractor this weekend. Building the tractor took longer than I expected and they are definitely ready to be out of that cramped brooder. The tractor has a coop area with laying boxes secured by an ADOR...
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    Walking into Windows?

    Hi all. I have been working on my chicken tractor, and am putting in some DIY windows. They are just openings plunge cut into the paneling, with plexi/polycarbonate behind. Nothing fancy. All my ventilation is handled otherwise in the coop. One window will be a little above their roosting bar...
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    Meet the Windsors

    I got six Cream Legbar pullets that are a week old on Sunday from a breeder about an hour from me. Since Legbars are an english breed, I am calling them, collectively, "The Windsors". They are eating like pigs, drinking like ladies, and shoving each other around like barflies under the heat...
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    Chicken Tractor - electric predator deterrent

    Hi all, I bought lumber and am starting to build a chicken tractor. It will be an A-frame style, with fully hardware cloth covered run. I am going to have an auto door on the roost area to keep the hens safe at night, but would like to add a little extra security to the run to discourage...
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    Coop on hold, maybe a small tractor

    My barn coop build is on hold, as the owners of the barn (my folks) are getting it re-sided this year, so building a run onto the outside is not going to be feasible until after that is done. I am tempted to build a small tractor, about 5'x8', for 4 hens. I can move then around the barnyard...
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    Rooster aggression by breed - Hatchery stock

    Hi all, I am hoping to start a flock with hens and a rooster that will have sex link chicks. My original plan was to stay away from a RIR/New Hampshire rooster as red roosters have a rep for being more likely to be feisty. I was thinking of going with Barred Rocks and an Australorp Rooster, as...
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    Mixed flock - all sex link chicks

    Hi all, If I had a New Hampshire rooster with the following hens: 4 Salmon Faverolle 4 Cuckoo Marans 4 Plymouth Barred Rock 4 Cream Legbar I believe all of the chicks would be sex link. the Faverolles would have silver males and red females, and the Marans, Rocks, and Legbars would have black...
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    Reliability of distinguishing black sex link chicks

    Hi all, I would like to have a flock that produces sex linked chicks, but probably will stay away from RIR roos, as they are more likely to be feisty. I was thinking Barred Rock hens and a Black Australorp rooster. In theory, this should be easy to distinguish the chicks' sex, but I have read...
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    Using part of an old barn

    Hello all, I have been back on the family farm for about 9 months, and am once again thinking about getting chickens. There is an old dairy barn here, that hasn't been used in decades, but water and electricity still run to it. I am tempted to build a nice big run outside onto a corner of the...
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    Trailer jacks on mobile coop

    Hello all, I have seen a few people on this forum using trailer jacks with wheelbarrow wheels at the midpoint of the weight of their mobile coops, for ease of movement. Do those of you using a system like this have any trouble with the wheel being on a swivel on the stand? I could see how...
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    Light Sussex vs Australorps

    Hello, I have been thinking about ordering some Australorps a little later this spring, possibly from Mt. Healthy. I am looking for a good layer primarily, but also something that I could get a little meat from the extra males if I raise some chicks each spring. There is a breeder about two...
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