2018 Newbie Chat!

[Cbarr00]

Oh my, I've heard stories about roosters going after children, can be dangerous. Will you be able to put him right on this?

People on here have lots of methods you can use to correct the behavior but in order for them to work they need to be enforced by everyone. So just because I correct his behavior towards me doesn't mean he will behave properly with my boys unless they also show dominance. I was walking the perimeter of the run today and when I turned to walk in the other direction he tried to jump at me again but the fence was between us. Honestly I won't even attempt to correct it because my kids safety and well being are my main priority. He will most likely be in freezer camp before summers over.

 

[JMotuzick]

Anna
The biggest thing is keeping the wind off the birds and still plenty of ventilation. If you have a covered run, you may want to block off part to keep the wind down or have it face your garage. At -5c or 23f you shouldn’t need to bring anyone inside! I’ve read here that people keep there birds outside at -20 f with no issues!

 

[Anna Ranieri]

Anna
The biggest thing is keeping the wind off the birds and still plenty of ventilation. If you have a covered run, you may want to block off part to keep the wind down or have it face your garage. At -5c or 23f you shouldn’t need to bring anyone inside! I’ve read here that people keep there birds outside at -20 f with no issues!

Thank you for your advice, you have helped me a lot and I much appreciate your help and valuable knowledge.
I'll probably go with blocking part off, there is on one side which catches the wind most, so I will definitely block that - I have the roof of the run covered and a side covered, more for shading from the sun, but stops rain getting into the run so ground is relatively dry other than the ducks splashing in their pond but I will take that pool out when the weather is no longer warm enough to dry the run floor. I'm hoping the ducks being under them will help, with the ducks generating so much heat and heat rises, so that might help.

 

[CannedMonster]

Silkie was crowing again today!

He sounds like a tiny horse neighing

I was trying to get video but Angus will chase Silkie if he crows so it’s hard to get video of it.

I’m getting close to rehoming the Wyandottes. They’re just causing too many problems.

Unfortunately Agatha and Emily are starting to act like them.
Especially Emily. This morning she viciously pecked little Pippin.
She also goes around the fence line of the prefab where the babies are, trying to find a way in.
I’m thinking she’s going to be the biggest problem when integration time comes.
Hopefully they’ll calm down when they start laying?

Once I put the littles in the walk-in coop I can transfer Silkie and the 6 bantam pullets back into the prefab so they can bond with him as a flock.
Silkie grew up with Angus, Agatha & Emily so he thinks of them as his flock.
He tries to stay close to Agatha & Emily as if he thinks they’re his girls and Angus’ girls are Red and the 3 Wyandottes.
I’m going to have to get him to bond with the bantam girls.
Currently he mostly ignores them.

 

[BBZZZZTT]

Hi, yeah we Celsius - minus five is the lowest I've ever known us to get, and it isn't usual - our coldest months are usually Dec/Jan however we do get very wet and windy winters, which usually lasts from Oct to April - I've read that chickens don't like wind?
We only got two chickens, so there's no flock to help keep them warm. We plan to add to our flock by next year but at the mo we got the 2 chicken hens, 2 drakes, 2 duck hens - I'm undecided as to whether to get two more chicken hens now so they'l be a flock of 4 for the winter, or to put the duck hens in with the hens for the winter but then that would mean the boys only 2 on there own - any suggestions?

I always like to cite my early spring temp adventure when anyone is uncertain about cold and chickens.
I had my 6-7week old chicks out in the coop in March, and the forecast only showed temps dropping a couple degrees below freezing at night. When I woke up in the morning the temp had unexpectedly dropped into the teens (F), so -10C.
The chicks couldn't care less, when I got out there they had already broken through the ice on their water and eating breakfast.

My point is that chickens are very insulated. They're having a harder time dealing with summer than they did an early spring ice/snow storm.
As long as there is no draft to ruffle their feathers, releasing body heat, they are fine.
I would still do some thorough research into using a hutch that is so open like that. If wind can hit the chickens, then you'll have a problem.

 

[Anna Ranieri]

I always like to cite my early spring temp adventure when anyone is uncertain about cold and chickens.
I had my 6-7week old chicks out in the coop in March, and the forecast only showed temps dropping a couple degrees below freezing at night. When I woke up in the morning the temp had unexpectedly dropped into the teens (F), so -10C.
The chicks couldn't care less, when I got out there they had already broken through the ice on their water and eating breakfast.

My point is that chickens are very insulated. They're having a harder time dealing with summer than they did an early spring ice/snow storm.
As long as there is no draft to ruffle their feathers, releasing body heat, they are fine.
I would still do some thorough research into using a hutch that is so open like that. If wind can hit the chickens, then you'll have a problem.

Thank you for your advice The hutch is in a 15ft run, at the back - at the moment we only have the roof and half of one side of the run covered, this is for shade and keeps the rain out of the run. When the time comes we will be wind shielding the run by covering the whole run with heavy duty tarpaulin, except for the front, which we will keep open to ensure adequate air flow for ventilation - there is a thermal cover available to buy which is designed to fit this hutch - it acts as a wind shield - helps keep in heat and has ventilation holes to prevent condensation, - but it has very bad reviews so we have decided we won't be using it. We will be taking measures to insulate the hutch, and will be using a wood board to make one of the ground floor doors into a solid door for our ducks but not the top floor where the chickens sleep because it already has one. Anything we have to add or change as we go along we will do so and we will remain vigilant throughout.

 

[Anna Ranieri]

Of course yogurt isn’t a vital part of a chickens diet.
It’s dairy.
Chickens are birds not mammals so they don’t actually have the enzymes to process dairy.
They can digest small amounts but they don’t need a lot at all.
More like a couple of bites.
The yogurt thing is very trendy but not necessary.
If you want them to have probiotics, buy a feed that has them.
The most important thing all of your birds need is a well formulated complete feed for poultry.
Everything else are treats and should only comprise 10% of each birds diet so they don’t become obese and start having problems laying or get fatty liver disease.
What is 10%?
Chickens are small animals.
Treats should be about a 1/2 Tablespoon per bird per day.
With that being said...I personally feel that veggies can be given often without issues.
And watch how much scratch you give.
It usually has corn in it and corn can make them fat quickly without much nutritional value.
Their feed usually already has corn in it anyway.

Also, ducks have different nutritional needs than chickens. They need more niacin.
I occasionally feed my birds cottage cheese or shredded cheese instead of yogurt.
It’s less messy and sometimes you can find cottage cheese with probiotics too.
Again...I only give them enough for each to get a couple of bites.

If you want to give treats they’ll really go nuts for, try sardines or tuna.
Sometimes I’ll do canned salmon with the skin and bones.
Omg they love it! Lol.
Fish is good protein for them.

As for the chickens not liking something...usually it’s that they don’t know it’s food.
Unfortunately since people raise chicks instead of broody hens we don’t know how to show them what food is.
You have to start young.
I pull tiny pieces off for my chicks and after a while they’ll start trying it.
They’re instinctively cautious about anything too large to swallow.
My chicks won’t eat sunflower seeds until they’re about 8 weeks old because they’re too large to swallow before that.

I have taken into account all the great advice you have given me and I have decide to cut down on the amount of extras and treats I give them. I have decided I will continue to give them the lettuce, banana and peas every day however I have cut down the potion amount by half. Of the other treats such as dog food, cat food, corn mix, tuna, pasta etc, I have decided to give them one item of this list once per week i.e. today they had some pasta so next Tuesday I'll give them something else off the list, the following Tuesday something and so on. I figured this way they will still have their treats to look forward to but without the risk of getting fat.

 

[No More Empty Nest]

Hi!
Chicks arrived today! I was at work so BBZZZZT (my daughter) went to pick them up. Which is only fair because I did the same for her when her's arrived on a work day.
All Bantams: 3 EE's and 2 surprises. We're 99% sure that 1 is a white crested black Polish and the other a Mottled Cochin. It helped that MyPetChicken lists what the surprise birds might be, lol.

 

[No More Empty Nest]

I have no idea why one picture is in there twice!

 

[Geranium]

I have no idea why one picture is in there twice!

They're so darling!!! I can't wait for mine to get here!