2018 Newbie Chat!

[llombardo]

You currently have your whole flock indoors don’t you? I’d focus on building a stable coop that can handle your winters before adding more birds. Sounds like chicken math has taken over your life. I couldn’t live that way. So much dust, it can’t be good for you or your birds. Keep an eye out for respiratory infection in your chickens. It happens when overcrowding and inhalation of dust happens for long periods of time. Since they’ve been inside in cages with little fresh air for so long I’d say your at high risk for it.

The bigger ones are in a 5x15 or so enclosure with a roost bar and all(no cages). The babies are in an x-x large dog crate. Windows are open, heat vents are closed and air purifier is on. The dust is well under control. It's no different then if they were outdoors in a coop. The big ones will be going back outside soon and small ones moving to that bigger indoor run while I build whatever I got to build. The coop was not the problem, it was the netting versus a roof on the run. I'm starting that within the next couple weeks. If I can get away with putting all together(minus the boys) I will-just not sure how that will play out.

 

[PNW_Peepers]

The bigger ones are in a 5x15 or so enclosure with a roost bar and all(no cages). The babies are in an x-x large dog crate. Windows are open, heat vents are closed and air purifier is on. The dust is well under control. It's no different then if they were outdoors in a coop. The big ones will be going back outside soon and small ones moving to that bigger indoor run while I build whatever I got to build. The coop was not the problem, it was the netting versus a roof on the run. I'm starting that within the next couple weeks. If I can get away with putting all together(minus the boys) I will-just not sure how that will play out.

How many birds in total? Sorry I thought trees had come down on your prefab. So I thought you were completely without any outdoor housing. I have two coops one is 8x30 the other is 8x3. Rule of thumb is 4sq ft per bird inside coop. & 10sq ft outside. That’s a minimum requirement to keep birds stress free.

 

[llombardo]

How many birds in total? Sorry I thought trees had come down on your prefab. So I thought you were completely without any outdoor housing. I have two coops one is 8x30 the other is 8x3. Rule of thumb is 4sq ft per bird inside coop. & 10sq ft outside. That’s a minimum requirement to keep birds stress free.

17 total. I'm shooting for double that size not birds..lol. I want them to have room high and low. I saved a bunch of branches to make roosts out of--nice branches too. Right now they would have 13sq ft in the run, but when I do the coop the run will be expanded-not a lot but enough to give them 15 plus sq ft each

The plan is get trees cut-so no more branches come down and I'm roofing the run. I got to get the pool removed to build the coop. All this stuff is just hard to do by myself, so it's time consuming. I'm measuring for the first wall of the run this weekend and starting to clean--take plastic down etc. There is lots to do. I'm having the two by fours cut when I buy them so I just have to put it together.

Can you believe no one will borrow e a nail gun? For some reason they think I will hurt myself...

 

[Anna Ranieri]

I’ve got two broodys. Of course once I’m done hatching, I have girls who want to. They’re on their fourth day of being broody. I think I’m going to let one sit, then break the other. I plan on selling some of my laying hens to make room for any new babies. Around here people will pay $30 for a laying hen. So I’ll be able to make some good money on them. I’ve also been selling eggs weekly. Each day I’ve been getting anywhere from 12-15 eggs. Lazarus, my 7 month old pullet that DH saved in September has yet to lay an egg. Manny her boyfriend is going to freezer camp this weekend. He flogged me again, this time almost getting my face. I will not keep birds that I don’t like, it’s too easy to replace them anyway.

That's a shame about Manny he seemed to start off so well - I guess that's one of the pit falls about having rooster's, never really knowing what their temperament and personality will be until they reach the age when they will show themselves aggressive or not. I'm not allowed rooster's here (shouldn't really have chickens as they are not allowed either) but I really like rooster's a lot and think it a real shame I can't have one untill I read posts such as yours and realise I am way too inexperienced to take on such a responsibility anyway.
Just out of curiosity, how long have you been keeping chickens and did it take you a long to gain the experience you have?

 

[No More Empty Nest]

I'd wait a while before deciding if he's a cockerel. If you remember Diamond at 7 weeks, everyone thought she was a cockerel, but today she laid her 1st egg!

Here she was at 7 weeks:


And here's her egg next to Pearl's green one:


Then later today, Opal laid her first egg!! Same color as Pearl's. I know it's Opal's because it was the lower nest box and I saw her in it before she laid it. Plus Pearl had already had one today.


Here's hoping Jade gives me a different color!

 

[PNW_Peepers]

That's a shame about Manny he seemed to start off so well - I guess that's one of the pit falls about having rooster's, never really knowing what their temperament and personality will be until they reach the age when they will show themselves aggressive or not. I'm not allowed rooster's here (shouldn't really have chickens as they are not allowed either) but I really like rooster's a lot and think it a real shame I can't have one untill I read posts such as yours and realise I am way too inexperienced to take on such a responsibility anyway.
Just out of curiosity, how long have you been keeping chickens and did it take you a long to gain the experience you have?

I’ve had chickens just over a year. Oddly enough my “big dream” was to own chickens. DH made it happen. I dove right in, reading up everything I could on them, asking many questions. I’ve always had extreme passion working with animals. My job before we bought our homestead was an aquarist. I was responsible for a few hundred native fish and eleven pinnipeds. Fish are similar to chickens. They don’t show weakness even when gravely sick. Because of this job I learned to look closely to detail. Detail saved Wally. I think it makes me a better chicken keeper.

 

[Cbarr00]

17 total. I'm shooting for double that size not birds..lol. I want them to have room high and low. I saved a bunch of branches to make roosts out of--nice branches too. Right now they would have 13sq ft in the run, but when I do the coop the run will be expanded-not a lot but enough to give them 15 plus sq ft each

The plan is get trees cut-so no more branches come down and I'm roofing the run. I got to get the pool removed to build the coop. All this stuff is just hard to do by myself, so it's time consuming. I'm measuring for the first wall of the run this weekend and starting to clean--take plastic down etc. There is lots to do. I'm having the two by fours cut when I buy them so I just have to put it together.

Can you believe no one will borrow e a nail gun? For some reason they think I will hurt myself...

I understand how frustrating it is when you have a vision but all the steps required are so time consuming doing it alone. Most of time I'm working by myself outside. DH works a physically demanding job 6-6 mon-fri and picks up extra jobs on the weekends sometimes. So I hate to ask him to work extra with me some days. When I need something done I'm usually flying solo and I'm not handy at all. Lol. Now with a baby I'm really limited in what I can do. I usually wear him in a carrier but it puts a lot of strain on my back and I dont like to work like that for too long. Usually about 2 hours with him is all I can tolerate. He's 8 months and ready for 18 month clothes. This how we work. He can usually catch a good nap in too


I really want to start on my raised garden beds but there are big rocks in my way that I know I shouldn't move with this 24lb weight on my back. Lol. Hopefully I can get it together soon tho because if I start too late I won't get any produce til the end of summer. Lol.

 

[Cbarr00]

So we have had our chickens for a year! Our first batch of girls are officially hens! It's been a crazy year with chickens. We have gotten a total of 22 chicks since last March. We lost 3 as chicks, culled 3 cornish x, and got rid of 5 cockerels. Now we have our flock of 11 girls that I'm pretty content with for now. I really want to focus on landscaping our yard this year as chickens were our main priority last spring. Summer gets way too hot to be working hours on end.

Another question, is it possible to have a nice yard and chickens free ranging? Lol. I let the girls out and they eat the good grass we get growing instead of the weeds. Then they dig big holes everywhere. I'm sure I'll need to put chicken wire around my garden as well. I want to start a compost pile too. Do any of you have a compost pile?

 

[llombardo]

I understand how frustrating it is when you have a vision but all the steps required are so time consuming doing it alone. Most of time I'm working by myself outside. DH works a physically demanding job 6-6 mon-fri and picks up extra jobs on the weekends sometimes. So I hate to ask him to work extra with me some days. When I need something done I'm usually flying solo and I'm not handy at all. Lol. Now with a baby I'm really limited in what I can do. I usually wear him in a carrier but it puts a lot of strain on my back and I dont like to work like that for too long. Usually about 2 hours with him is all I can tolerate. He's 8 months and ready for 18 month clothes. This how we work. He can usually catch a good nap in too
View attachment 1710151

I really want to start on my raised garden beds but there are big rocks in my way that I know I shouldn't move with this 24lb weight on my back. Lol. Hopefully I can get it together soon tho because if I start too late I won't get any produce til the end of summer. Lol.

How adorable. As the weather gets warmer--maybe get one of those play yards with a mosquito net and keep him nearby.

I work min of 10 hours per day and Saturdays, so time is limited. I do enjoy being outside wirking once its warmer.

 

[llombardo]

So we have had our chickens for a year! Our first batch of girls are officially hens! It's been a crazy year with chickens. We have gotten a total of 22 chicks since last March. We lost 3 as chicks, culled 3 cornish x, and got rid of 5 cockerels. Now we have our flock of 11 girls that I'm pretty content with for now. I really want to focus on landscaping our yard this year as chickens were our main priority last spring. Summer gets way too hot to be working hours on end.

Another question, is it possible to have a nice yard and chickens free ranging? Lol. I let the girls out and they eat the good grass we get growing instead of the weeds. Then they dig big holes everywhere. I'm sure I'll need to put chicken wire around my garden as well. I want to start a compost pile too. Do any of you have a compost pile?

I use the area next to the pen for supervised free range. I don't cut that grass--I let them maintain it. It's a couple hours a day and they do a good job.