A Bielefelder Thread !

[Cody A]

I'm beginning to think I've made a mistake hatching these birds out in Louisiana. My birds sound like a flock of geese they're panting so loud. They seem miserable.
They're ok if in the shade of the trees and don't go out in the sun.
I let them out of the run and coop everyday to range. I can't imagine leaving them locked up everyday. They get too hot in the coop.
This is a real bummer cause I really like these birds. Really don't know what to do at this point. Not sure if I should hatch out anymore.

 

[stryker]

Try putting fans up to keep the coop air flowing. I might be wrong on this. I know how that heat and humidity is this time of year and come to think about it I was panting and all that stuff when I worked there years back in August.

 

[Cody A]

It's not just in the coop Stryker it's just hot here as you must know. I hung a fan for them while they're on the roost but they're still hot. They hardly go in the coop during the day. They stay in the woods. Some have just started to lay. I'm afraid they won't use the nest boxes because they don't spend enough time in the coop.

 

[DesertChic]

It's not just in the coop Stryker it's just hot here as you must know. I hung a fan for them while they're on the roost but they're still hot. They hardly go in the coop during the day. They stay in the woods. Some have just started to lay. I'm afraid they won't use the nest boxes because they don't spend enough time in the coop.

That is an unfortunate truth with these birds...the heat challenges them and it's taking them a while to adjust. I built a pen in my cabin/barn for my Biels and allow them to go in and out at will. Then (thanks to my husband) we equipped the cabin with a swamp cooler for the hot + dry days, and a mobile A/C unit for the hot + damp days. When the temps climb above 95 they need some kind of cooling, but that's actually an improvement since the start of the summer when they struggled to tolerate 85+ ºF. Progress is slow, but they do seem to be acclimating as time goes on. Mine actually seem to prefer hot & humid to hot & dry.

Have you tried placing frozen 2-liter bottles of water in their coop for them to lay near? Mine love those bottles!

 

[Cody A]

No I haven't tried the ice bottles Desert Chic. Honestly I don't think they'd stay in the coop to lay beside them.

 

[Mrs. K]

We are finally getting hot here, but a much dryer environment. I had a hen hatch out some chicks, and another currently setting. What I have noticed is my Belie room is keeping the flock much closer to the coop. Yesterday I put down some feed for the chicks a bit away from the main dish. Later he found it, and with a different voice than I have heard from him so far, called the chicks over.

Was a little disappointed in my hatch rate, but the chicks are vigorous. A question on the auto sexing. I have two with the chipmunk stripe. If they were bred with both auto sexing, I know they would be females, but if one parent is not, does it hold true?

 

[birdman55]

three gff....birds females....need a new place....please pm...otherwise they go to freezer camp....close to four months...maybe even older

 

[DesertChic]

three gff....birds females....need a new place....please pm...otherwise they go to freezer camp....close to four months...maybe even older

Dang it! I really wish we lived closer to one another. I'd take them in a heartbeat.

 

[Candy442]

three gff....birds females....need a new place....please pm...otherwise they go to freezer camp....close to four months...maybe even older

We live close Sent you several PM's

 

[kittydoc]

My 3 month olds were suffering in the heat yesterday. Tomorrow I'll ice their waterer. I can relate becsuse our AC is struggling and it's too warm gor me, too.