BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[Kev]

@Kev , here are some pictures. They all roost on the upper-most two perches (above where Snape is crowing). I'm thinking that perhaps I'll hang shade cloth over the hardware cloth by the perches - I have used it at the roost end of the tractors, and it allows ventilation while cutting big gusts and blocking entry of the sideways rain we seem to get a lot here.





- Ant Farm

I agree, very nice set up and looks very sheltered, would not worry about them sleeping out.

If it were me and really wanted them in the fort, would have removed the lower perches and hope they either cannot or don't try to fly straight up to the highest perch. It will be tricky to put wire/something across the top of the perches,, did not realize they were corner supports.

It might be they are also so comfortable with sleeping high off the ground, if the perches inside the fort are close to the floor(Tank's setup), this will make them uncomfortable- feels too close to the ground and not "safe". My tree sleepers were not comfortable with perches "just" at 4 feet high, much worse if it happened to be a pen with a single perch at 3' high. They would hop up and frantically look around for something higher until it was too dark for them to see any more. In the pens where they could do a bit of flying(5 feet straight up), they were more comfortable from the start. If the perches are close to the floor in the fort, maybe try a couple higher up, where they really had to fly up at least a couple feet, no stepladdering? But I never had a coop so I have zero ideas about ventilation or other concerns, especially if frostbite is a possibility?(never is here)

btw now that the chickens dont get to free range anymore.. the ones that grew up with low perches have been completely fine with it. even just at 3' high off the ground. Jump up, sit down and settle straightaway.

 

[GabrielBane]

That is a GORGEOUS set up!

Today has been such a hard "day off". Woke up at 5:30 to find out our house hen had succumbed to Cocci. We had noticed blood in her stooI late last night, I started her on CORID but I guess after 6+ years of not having been sick, her body just couldn't take it. Not necessarily relevant to the production aspect of our operation, but I hate biosecurity scares.

The Sulmtalers and Spitzhauben (one of whom is also now droopy winged....) are on a dose of it just in case. I hate using antibiotics but I'm really afraid of it just deciminating our flock.

However, it is weighing day! So expect some pics at some point.

I'll probably try and get some photos of the Naked Necks at some point as well.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

.
(duplicate post)

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Quote:

I agree, very nice set up and looks very sheltered, would not worry about them sleeping out.

If it were me and really wanted them in the fort, would have removed the lower perches and hope they either cannot or don't try to fly straight up to the highest perch. It will be tricky to put wire/something across the top of the perches,, did not realize they were corner supports.

It might be they are also so comfortable with sleeping high off the ground, if the perches inside the fort are close to the floor(Tank's setup), this will make them uncomfortable- feels too close to the ground and not "safe". My tree sleepers were not comfortable with perches "just" at 4 feet high, much worse if it happened to be a pen with a single perch at 3' high. They would hop up and frantically look around for something higher until it was too dark for them to see any more. In the pens where they could do a bit of flying(5 feet straight up), they were more comfortable from the start. If the perches are close to the floor in the fort, maybe try a couple higher up, where they really had to fly up at least a couple feet, no stepladdering? But I never had a coop so I have zero ideas about ventilation or other concerns, especially if frostbite is a possibility?(never is here)

btw now that the chickens dont get to free range anymore.. the ones that grew up with low perches have been completely fine with it. even just at 3' high off the ground. Jump up, sit down and settle straightaway.

Thanks!!! Yeah, I think I'm going to just leave them alone and let them do what they want - I don't think freaking them out at night is good for them or me. If they're cold, they'll figure something out. The reason they have weird roost behavior is that they didn't learn to roost as babies (my fault - raised them in a tractor with no roosts, and they slept in a pile into adulthood - they even slept in a pile on the floor here for a while before adapting and going high, likely due to predators who prowl around the perimeter at night). I'll put up a wind/rain break to shelter them from getting cold rain or sleet as they sleep. They tend to stair step to the high perches, but I have seen some fly directly to the top. I worry sometimes about bumble foot, but I try to ensure good deep soft deep litter bedding underneath. Each subsequent group of babies has learned to use roosts when little, thank goodness.

Sweetie was looking unhappy at bed time, huddled with head in. I think she was just a bit cold, and maybe in a molting funk - she's a porcupine now. I gave the two large groups (the NNs and the layers) soaked kitten food today. They really love it!
BTW, I'm building this same coop (my adaptation of a plan I bought) for the other laying group this winter - of course, I'll tweak some things for improvements (I learn something every time). Then their tractor (plus a second one) will be available for the S&G strain NN broilers - plan to separate boys and girls early... I have so much to do!!!!

That is a GORGEOUS set up!

Today has been such a hard "day off". Woke up at 5:30 to find out our house hen had succumbed to Cocci. We had noticed blood in her stooI late last night, I started her on CORID but I guess after 6+ years of not having been sick, her body just couldn't take it. Not necessarily relevant to the production aspect of our operation, but I hate biosecurity scares.

The Sulmtalers and Spitzhauben (one of whom is also now droopy winged....) are on a dose of it just in case. I hate using antibiotics but I'm really afraid of it just deciminating our flock.

However, it is weighing day! So expect some pics at some point.

I'll probably try and get some photos of the Naked Necks at some point as well.

Thank you! So sorry to hear about your hen.

Looking forward to your pics, as always!

- Ant Farm

 

[miss heny]

Ant farm, gimmie that coop! we are looking at some hoop houses for the birds, possible found some welded wire on CL that look like to be built for game but it better then nothing with limit time to build

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Ant farm, gimmie that coop!

we are looking at some hoop houses for the birds, possible found some welded wire on CL that look like to be built for game but it better then nothing with limit time to build

Thank you - I'm proud of it. And it's very pleasant to walk inside of it when tending the chickens. It's a variant of The Garden Coop - extended overall and in henhouse size. Very good for ventilation for my part of the country.

- Ant Farm

 

[miss heny]

I love it, but my carpenter skills are... Lacking though I am pestering dad to teach me since we gotta build chicken pens for next year, like a actually layer coop haha.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

I love it, but my carpenter skills are... Lacking

though I am pestering dad to teach me since we gotta build chicken pens for next year, like a actually layer coop haha.

Mine were, too, until I just dug in and started building it... At some point, just jump in...

One thing that never changes when you're keeping chickens - you always need more housing...

- Ant Farm

 

[miss heny]

Lmao we moved a few months ago to ten acres and actually got the birds penned up finally after letting them go wild (seriously, our hens were hatching on us third generation free Rangers ) we are gonna phase out the mutt flock. But for breeding we need a honey moon sweet plus we want some birds to be able to run in the pastures with the goats, cow, and horses

 

[GabrielBane]

Sigh.... looks like the start of an official Cocci out-break for us. Lost one of our two Spitzhauben. The second seems to have bloody stool already. Since they were in with the Sulmtalers, I have everyone on Corid 20% soluble at 1 teaspoon / gallon. :/ I'm really bummed. I've been raising poultry since I was a child, and I don't think I've dealt with disease like this (I could have been shielded from it by my grandparents, but I think I would've been alerted to it...), I'm really, REALLY hoping our Sulmtalers and Turkeys are spared.



Anywho, I did bring everyone in from the brooder over to the office-shed for their weekly weighings, everyone is just shy of 5 weeks and all 6 have hit their first pound! (except for my silver non-conformist.... 15oz....)

Here's the gang;
Cockerel #1 (Nickname; "Red" )

Cockerel #2;

Cockerel #3;

Cockerel #4 ( Nickname - "Silver" )

Pullet #1 (Nickname "Ginger" )


No one seems too down in the dumps... I did notice crops were empty today when I weighed, considering they eat like pigs, and they seemed a bit droopy, I'm going to monitor them very closely for cocci.... :/