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  1. Barnrat

    Trying To Stop Broodiness....

    I have a broody leghorn who has been at it for about 2 months now. I remove the eggs regularly and physically remove her from the nest several times a day, but this does not seem to be working. I have a small free-standing coop with a wire mesh floor, so I am going to try putting her in there...
  2. Barnrat

    Please calm me down, my northern friends

    We've been having temps in the low teens with wind chills well below 0. I have 6 hens (3 leghorns, 3 RIRs) in an uninsulated 4' x 8' coop that has about 8" of pine shavings on the floor. I have some straw bales around one outside corner where the wind hits the most. Oh, and they are molting...
  3. Barnrat

    Leghorn laying yolkless eggs

    Thanks for the suggestion to search; for some reason I always forget to do that! I found some useful information, although this seems to be more common when the pullet is just starting to lay and mine has been laying normally for 4+ months. However, it does sound like it's pretty normal so I'm...
  4. Barnrat

    Leghorn laying yolkless eggs

    I have 3 leghorns and 3 Rhode Island Reds. They are all 11 months old, and all started laying around the end of November. Until recently, all were laying good size eggs, and I had been getting 4-6 eggs a day steadily since February. About 3 weeks ago, I found a very small white egg, and was...
  5. Barnrat

    Another Home-made coop

    Not yet; I plan to take more pics of the front and inside this week. The roost runs the length of the coop and there's a people door in the front with a window covered in hardware cloth. All of the vents and windows have covers so I can adjust the airflow in cold, wet, windy weather. The roof...
  6. Barnrat

    Another Home-made coop

    My brother helped me make this coop and run for my 6 hens. The run, made from found material (except the hardware cloth) is 8x8 and the coop is 8x4 and made from exterior plywood and 2x4s for the frame. The roofing was leftover from siding the barn. The coop is not insulated, but the girls...
  7. Barnrat

    Pullets start laying in freezing December!

    My 6 pullets started laying the weekend before Thanksgiving, right on schedule. I'm getting 2-4 eggs a day from 6 pullets, and already have 1 double-yolk egg. These are my first chickens, so I'm pretty excited! Here's the odd thing; I have 2 nesting boxes but they use 1 box almost...
  8. Barnrat

    Shrimp?!? Who would of thunk!

    I gave mine the vertebrae from canned salmon yesterday; they LOVED it. Also loved the leftover hash from breakfast, but they weren't as interested in the pecan pancakes.
  9. Barnrat

    How poisonous are tomato vines - WAS - Garden leavings...

    Yesterday afternoon, before I read this post, I gave my pullets a young tomato plant and they attacked it with gusto. Ate it all in about 3 minutes. About an hour later, I read this post and though, great, I killed my chickens. But as of this morning they are doing just fine. Can I assume...
  10. Barnrat

    chickens roosting in nesting boxes--Help!

    I thought of the draft possibility, and I covered the window that is in front of the roost. I think what I'm going to do is first remove the nest boxes for now; they won't need them for months. Then I will start working on a plan to change the roost configuration. I think that will be easier...
  11. Barnrat

    chickens roosting in nesting boxes--Help!

    Unfortunately, given the responses (which I greatly appreciate!) the nest boxes are built in. I think, however, I can remove a couple of screws and take them out, then re-install them when we get closer to egg-laying time. I'll do that tomorrow! Thanks for your advice! They are at the same...
  12. Barnrat

    chickens roosting in nesting boxes--Help!

    I have 3 RIR and 3 Leghorns, all 7 weeks old. They've been living in a temporary coop inside their 8x8 run, but at the end of the weekend were moved to their new 8x4 coop (now attached to the run) complete with a lovely roost, lots of pine shavings on the floor, and 2 nesting boxes. The first...
  13. Barnrat

    What has been your sexing rate for Ideal Hatchery?

    I got 3 rhode island reds and 3 leghorns 7 weeks ago and all appear to be girls. I'm new at this, but I think I'd see signs of the roo by now, wouldn't I?
  14. Barnrat

    Alternative ideas to getting chicks into coop at night?

    How old are they? I haven't had to do anything special with my 6-week pullets; they put themselves to bed once the sun goes down. I just wait until I see that they are all in and then I go out and close the coop.
  15. Barnrat

    Those who have ordered from Ideal

    I ordered from Ideal and had no problems. The original planned ship date wasn't going to work for me, so I called them and talked with a very helpful woman who said they would move the ship date to the following week. They emailed me when the chicks shipped, and they arrived in 2 days, right...
  16. Barnrat

    New York

    Webster New York, just east of Rochester. New to Webster, and to chickens!
  17. Barnrat

    possible coop in Rochester NY area

    A bit pricey (asking $500)--but very cute! http://rochester.craigslist.org/tag/744918796.html
  18. Barnrat

    Chicks in the garage?

    I kept mine in the garage until yesterday, adn they did fine, but I'm in upstate NY and it doesn't get as hot here. If there is ventilation you may be ok--or you could put a fan in to circulate air? They need to be quite warm in the early weeks--95 for the first week. Sorry not of much help.
  19. Barnrat

    Moved chicks to the new run

    I finished building and predator-proofing (as much as possible--spent a small fortune in hardware cloth) an 8x8 run, and I moved my 6 week old girls and their temporary coop into the run last night. Boy, are they happy! The leghorns discovered that they can fly to the top of the coop and the...
  20. Barnrat

    How Sick is This!

    This thread is fascinating. My first ever chickens are now about 4 weeks old--I wanted to have fresh eggs and I am intrigued by the notion of being more self-sufficient. I have resisted the idea of ever killing my chickens for the meat, but then I think of how hypocritical I'm being since I'm...
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