2018 Newbie Chat!

[Anna Ranieri]

Yes!

Your gonna love it! I got my first ever chickens in may of this year, 2 little chicks, then in august I got 2 more, a mum and her chick. Mine are pets only and I love them dearly.
I'm thinking your kids might appreciate having chicks to cuddle and play with but getting point of lay pullets might be easier given that winter is on the way - I wish you the best whatever you choose - would be lovely to see pics of your flock when you get them

 

[llombardo]

I completely get why people make bigger coops, but I'm telling you I could make them a house and they would still all find a corner to cuddle and huddle together.

It's frighin freezing out there. There is no way they can acclimate to this crap.

I seriously don't like this.

The two ducks(Lucy and Ricky) are just walking around inh aimlessly. They don't have Sunny anymore, the pool is almost drained. They look miserable. I don't know what to do for them?

The ground is pretty cold so they can't really dig for stuff. I do t need them to get into trouble. What can I do for them to make their life more interesting? I feel bad for them.

 

[Anna Ranieri]

I completely get why people make bigger coops, but I'm telling you I could make them a house and they would still all find a corner to cuddle and huddle together.

It's frighin freezing out there. There is no way they can acclimate to this crap.

I seriously don't like this.

The two ducks(Lucy and Ricky) are just walking around inh aimlessly. They don't have Sunny anymore, the pool is almost drained. They look miserable. I don't know what to do for them?

The ground is pretty cold so they can't really dig for stuff. I do t need them to get into trouble. What can I do for them to make their life more interesting? I feel bad for them.

I understand your concerns but you are underestimating your chickens, they are way hardier than you think. I used to keep budgies and I had an outside aviary, there are many many sames and similarities between bird behaviour including chickens. Your chickens huddling and cuddling in a corner is good, positive and what they do to keep warm especially in sudden climate change. As you know ventilation is essential however it is vitally important that there are no drafts or winds blowing directly on your chickens, - birds, including chickens, create heat by puffing up their feathers to create heat, by puffing up their feathers they trap air, making air pockets which is heated up by their body temperature, Drafts and winds interrupt this process and make it impossible for the bird to insulate itself this way. My run is such that on having winds so strong our garden furniture was being tossed around the garden like it were paper but my run so wind proof I could hold a candle and it wouldn't even flicker. There are many videos on youtube posted by poultry keepers giving advice on how to keep and help flocks through winter, and there are some really good videos posted by people in Alaska at its coldest, it really might be worth your while to give them a look.
As for your ducks, clearly this is a hard time for them, flocks will always be effected when they lose one they are bonded with but survival is an instinct to them and they will adapt. Here is a link to an article you might find helpful :- https://www.hobbyfarms.com/6-winter-boredom-busters-for-ducks-geese/
plus there are many forums on here - how to keep ducks entertained during winter - many suggest spending as much time with them, walking around with them - imo it would be beneficial to you to make your own thread about this subject and gleam from the responses you get, the suggestions which suit you and your flock.

 

[No More Empty Nest]

I completely get why people make bigger coops, but I'm telling you I could make them a house and they would still all find a corner to cuddle and huddle together.

It's frighin freezing out there. There is no way they can acclimate to this crap.

I seriously don't like this.

The two ducks(Lucy and Ricky) are just walking around inh aimlessly. They don't have Sunny anymore, the pool is almost drained. They look miserable. I don't know what to do for them?

The ground is pretty cold so they can't really dig for stuff. I do t need them to get into trouble. What can I do for them to make their life more interesting? I feel bad for them.

I live close to you, even a bit more north, and yes it got really cold and snowed a little today. My 9 week old chicks(ens), not sure when to stop calling them chicks, lol, were in and out of the coop by their own choice. I don't ever lock them in the coop, not even at night, their little door is always open. The run is predator proof, I'm in debt for the hardware cloth to prove it, lol. They were outside sometimes and inside at other times. Sometimes scratching and running around the coop, sometimes roosting. Sometimes outside running around, eating, drinking, using their dust bath. All what they do normally. They weren't too pleased with the gusty winds though, lol. If they got cold or tired, not sure which, they went in the coop and roosted together.

Look at it this way, they have wonderful down coats that even extend down to their feet when they roost. They tuck their heads under their wings when sleeping. They are toasty in weather we'd be freezing in.

It's going to be below freezing for 7-8 hours tonight and I'm not worried about them at all. I did put their heated waterer inside the coop cause I sleep a lot later than they do and don't want to go out and break the ice in the morning...obviously...it's 1 am and I'm here, haha.

Maybe it's because my Mom had pet bantams when she was a little girl up in northern Michigan. And I'm sure there was no heat in the coops then!

 

[No More Empty Nest]

Hey everyone, I'm new here. Should we get chicks now or wait until spring and get pullets?

It depends on where you live! Chicks need lots of room after just a couple weeks and they won't be fully feathered until 5 weeks or so. If you live where winter is coming, they won't be able to acclimate to the weather. They need to be outside as it gets cold, but also after they're fully feathered. If you buy pullets, be sure they have been acclimated to the weather.
Do you have a coop yet? I HIGHLY recommend you have a coop ready to go before you get chicks. As I said, they grow amazingly fast. If they get overcrowded, they might start pecking at each other from stress.
I think if you're going to have then as pets for children or yourself, you'd be better off waiting for spring and getting chicks. That way they will grow up used to all of you and much friendlier than if you bought grown chickens or pullets. And you can have your kids research how to care for them!
Read the raising baby chicks section of the forums and check out the articles. There's a ton of great information here!
Oh, and welcome!

 

[llombardo]

I live close to you, even a bit more north, and yes it got really cold and snowed a little today. My 9 week old chicks(ens), not sure when to stop calling them chicks, lol, were in and out of the coop by their own choice. I don't ever lock them in the coop, not even at night, their little door is always open. The run is predator proof, I'm in debt for the hardware cloth to prove it, lol. They were outside sometimes and inside at other times. Sometimes scratching and running around the coop, sometimes roosting. Sometimes outside running around, eating, drinking, using their dust bath. All what they do normally. They weren't too pleased with the gusty winds though, lol. If they got cold or tired, not sure which, they went in the coop and roosted together.

Look at it this way, they have wonderful down coats that even extend down to their feet when they roost. They tuck their heads under their wings when sleeping. They are toasty in weather we'd be freezing in.

It's going to be below freezing for 7-8 hours tonight and I'm not worried about them at all. I did put their heated waterer inside the coop cause I sleep a lot later than they do and don't want to go out and break the ice in the morning...obviously...it's 1 am and I'm here, haha.

Maybe it's because my Mom had pet bantams when she was a little girl up in northern Michigan. And I'm sure there was no heat in the coops then!

My concern was the tree branches falling. The wind here picked up like a tornado. I stayed out and kept working, but I even came in when the branches started falling..lol

Most people would say my run is predator proof but I still lock them in at night because I still don't trust it.

I have hardware cloth from top to bottom all the way around and 2 ft out on the ground and a heavy duty net plus an electric fence all the way around the run. I added double layers to thd coop to. Me and hardware cloth did battle and it kicked my butt. That stuff us awful to work with

 

[CannedMonster]

I understand your concerns but you are underestimating your chickens, they are way hardier than you think. I used to keep budgies and I had an outside aviary, there are many many sames and similarities between bird behaviour including chickens. Your chickens huddling and cuddling in a corner is good, positive and what they do to keep warm especially in sudden climate change. As you know ventilation is essential however it is vitally important that there are no drafts or winds blowing directly on your chickens, - birds, including chickens, create heat by puffing up their feathers to create heat, by puffing up their feathers they trap air, making air pockets which is heated up by their body temperature, Drafts and winds interrupt this process and make it impossible for the bird to insulate itself this way. My run is such that on having winds so strong our garden furniture was being tossed around the garden like it were paper but my run so wind proof I could hold a candle and it wouldn't even flicker. There are many videos on youtube posted by poultry keepers giving advice on how to keep and help flocks through winter, and there are some really good videos posted by people in Alaska at its coldest, it really might be worth your while to give them a look.
As for your ducks, clearly this is a hard time for them, flocks will always be effected when they lose one they are bonded with but survival is an instinct to them and they will adapt. Here is a link to an article you might find helpful :- https://www.hobbyfarms.com/6-winter-boredom-busters-for-ducks-geese/
plus there are many forums on here - how to keep ducks entertained during winter - many suggest spending as much time with them, walking around with them - imo it would be beneficial to you to make your own thread about this subject and gleam from the responses you get, the suggestions which suit you and your flock.

 

[CannedMonster]

I live close to you, even a bit more north, and yes it got really cold and snowed a little today. My 9 week old chicks(ens), not sure when to stop calling them chicks, lol, were in and out of the coop by their own choice. I don't ever lock them in the coop, not even at night, their little door is always open. The run is predator proof, I'm in debt for the hardware cloth to prove it, lol. They were outside sometimes and inside at other times. Sometimes scratching and running around the coop, sometimes roosting. Sometimes outside running around, eating, drinking, using their dust bath. All what they do normally. They weren't too pleased with the gusty winds though, lol. If they got cold or tired, not sure which, they went in the coop and roosted together.

Look at it this way, they have wonderful down coats that even extend down to their feet when they roost. They tuck their heads under their wings when sleeping. They are toasty in weather we'd be freezing in.

It's going to be below freezing for 7-8 hours tonight and I'm not worried about them at all. I did put their heated waterer inside the coop cause I sleep a lot later than they do and don't want to go out and break the ice in the morning...obviously...it's 1 am and I'm here, haha.

Maybe it's because my Mom had pet bantams when she was a little girl up in northern Michigan. And I'm sure there was no heat in the coops then!

 

[llombardo]

So I decided against the incubation because I can't take the chance of having even one more boy. So I ended with these girls...

From what I was reading ducks don't need or hopefully don't need to be quarantined like chickens? I hope not.

Everyone got along immediately. The yard is alive with quacks and Lucy and Ricky are moving around and seem very happy, which makes me happy.

 

[llombardo]

And I thought I would never see the day they would all be this close. It's finally happening. 4.5 months to get to this point.