California - Northern

[CowgirlJules]

Zooweemama, that coop looks like a good place to start. Hardware cloth around the outside instead of chicken wire is a good idea, and it's smart to have three sides open up there. You can add heavy duty plastic around the outside to keep the wind out during the winter, but the air flow is good for the rest of the year. I'd just add dirt to the floor, myself.

I'm the one that just lost my flock to ILT. I vaccinated my bantams that I kept, but I don't think I'll vaccinate any large fowl that I hatch next year. It's just too expensive, especially since I have to use the vaccine right away when I mix it up. It's rough to pay that much for shipping and only be able to do a few birds, not the 200 it said on the bottle. But once I start hatching again, I'll do it in staggered hatches, so I'd have to buy a new bottle every week, and it's just not worth it. Besides, there are a whole bunch of different diseases that you can vaccinate for. Doesn't make sense to waste the money unless you know whatever it is is endemic to your area. I believe Marek's is common, and the vaccinated birds can pass the disease to the unvaccinated, so you'd have to go all one way or the other.

I lived in Redding myself for four years a long time ago, and I loved it.

Oh, forgot to mention. I still have my Coturnix quail and recently got a bird dog. I'm going to use some of them to train him, so I've been doing a lot of research on Fish and Game regs. You definitely do need a permit to raise, sell, or buy game birds like Valley Quail and Mountain Quail, but the process seems pretty straightforward and not too expensive, so I think I'm going to do that. Both for dog training and because I wasn't too thrilled with the flavor of the Coturnix meat compared to wild quail. If anyone has game birds eggs for sale (no more started birds for me!) please PM me if you'd like to sell some. Wouldn't put it out publicly unless you're permitted too though.

 

[zooweemama]

Your plans for refurbishment sound fine (new door, strenghten corners, braces, etc, clean out floor - I like sand, clean boxes). The main thing I'd add, pull off the chicken wire (like tissue paper to a raccoon) and put on REAL wire, 1x2 inch at most, preferably hardware cloth. The wire on the floor, you can just rake it all out and put down the fresh soil/sand. They won't need a ramp, they'll jump onto the bar and go into the nests. Add straw or shavings into the boxes to make them cozy.

Good luck.

Deb

Oh sand huh? So the standard play sand from Home Depot would be appropriate? How thick should I make it?

Do you mean remove the chicken wire that is around the entire coop? Or the floor? I will price out the hardware cloth needed either today or Sunday.

I am impressed the hens will be able to jump up there! LOL!

Thank you so much!

 

[Wishing4Wings]

Hi Zooweemama,
My son saw your name yesterday and wondered if it was inspired by the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" books, as that is one of the character's favorite phrases.

About your coop refurbishing job, if you're planning on building a new one later, then I would do as little as possible with the existing one. As long as it's predator proof and the chickens have protection from the cold during winter, then it really doesn't matter what it looks like. Chickens aren't that fussy! My hubby and I were going to fix up an old coop this spring, but it was too far gone (weak, rotten wood) so we salvaged what we could and started fresh. We did salvage the old chicken wire and reused it along with bits and scraps of materials from other projects. That 30 yr old wire is much stronger than the junk they sell today, but we dug down and reinforced around the bottom sides with wire mesh. We still ended up spending a few hundred dollars for new materials- wood, wire, hinges, locks. (Things are sooooo expensive these days.) We even grabbed some tree limbs for roosts when a neighbor was pruning an overgrown mulberry.

I think you should leave the wire in the floor. Lay new wire over that if you think it's not enough, but every little bit helps. The nest boxes are perfectly adequate. The chickens will easily be able to jump up to them. You don't want really big nest boxes because if the hens can stand up and move around too much, the eggs will get broken. Just make sure you clear out all the spiders! You'll want your roosts higher than the nest boxes, so the chickens will roost there instead of on the nests.

I had ducks when I was a kid and I really loved them. Thought they were beautiful and calming. We had chickens too, which are great fun and I'm glad you're giving them a try. I think you will find that chickens are a lot less work (once the coop is built!) and full of personality. Both are very addictive!

I can try to post some pics for coop ideas if you're interested. Congrats on your new arrivals!

 

[zooweemama]

Zooweemama, that coop looks like a good place to start. Hardware cloth around the outside instead of chicken wire is a good idea, and it's smart to have three sides open up there. You can add heavy duty plastic around the outside to keep the wind out during the winter, but the air flow is good for the rest of the year. I'd just add dirt to the floor, myself.
I'm the one that just lost my flock to ILT. I vaccinated my bantams that I kept, but I don't think I'll vaccinate any large fowl that I hatch next year. It's just too expensive, especially since I have to use the vaccine right away when I mix it up. It's rough to pay that much for shipping and only be able to do a few birds, not the 200 it said on the bottle. But once I start hatching again, I'll do it in staggered hatches, so I'd have to buy a new bottle every week, and it's just not worth it. Besides, there are a whole bunch of different diseases that you can vaccinate for. Doesn't make sense to waste the money unless you know whatever it is is endemic to your area. I believe Marek's is common, and the vaccinated birds can pass the disease to the unvaccinated, so you'd have to go all one way or the other.
I lived in Redding myself for four years a long time ago, and I loved it.

Thank you, Jules. I am still devastated for you. How are you doing?

Ok so hardware cloth on the outside, leave all 3 sides open during summer and start of fall and when the cold and rains come- heavy plastic to block out wind and rain?

I read about Marek's earlier this morning and I was like...ahhhh. I feel like on one hand - it's good that I am starting new, from a single breeder/hatchery and the flock will remain closed until either next Spring or if I fall madly in love with what I am doing- I might add some more if the same breeder still has some. So in the beginning stages- I feel like I can 'vaccinate' BUT after reading about many different things that are out there...I got a little overwhelmed by all the things you could potentially vaccinate for. Or working ivemectin (sp?) for worming? The there is the whole organic egg thing....I will be selling (not for profit, just to help offset feed costs) my surplus to friends. We are all organic/natural type people. I'm not snobby about it though- my first choice is usually cage free, then free range and organic is last on my list when it comes to meats. But knowing how much of this stuff could affect my eggs is important to me or what can cross into it.

Since getting ducks over 2 months ago by entire appreciation for organic farmers has more than quadrupled. I knew it was work, I knew it was pricey but honestly WOW. ETA: and I am farm from organic. I buy the best feed I can afford and didn't hesitate to grab antibiotics when I thought my ducks were sick. (they werent but there went the whole organic plan! haha) It certainly makes me appreciate what I am doing for my family so much more since we are unable to buy all of these things that I'd like to eat. So raising it myself was my next and best option.

So when I saw what you had to deal with my heart just fell into my feet. I seriously wish you all the best and hope that your farm makes an awesome comeback!

 

[zooweemama]

Hi Zooweemama,
My son saw your name yesterday and wondered if it was inspired by the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" books, as that is one of the character's favorite phrases.

About your coop refurbishing job, if you're planning on building a new one later, then I would do as little as possible with the existing one. As long as it's predator proof and the chickens have protection from the cold during winter, then it really doesn't matter what it looks like. Chickens aren't that fussy! My hubby and I were going to fix up an old coop this spring, but it was too far gone (weak, rotten wood) so we salvaged what we could and started fresh. We did salvage the old chicken wire and reused it along with bits and scraps of materials from other projects. That 30 yr old wire is much stronger than the junk they sell today, but we dug down and reinforced around the bottom sides with wire mesh. We still ended up spending a few hundred dollars for new materials- wood, wire, hinges, locks. (Things are sooooo expensive these days.) We even grabbed some tree limbs for roosts when a neighbor was pruning an overgrown mulberry.

I think you should leave the wire in the floor. Lay new wire over that if you think it's not enough, but every little bit helps. The nest boxes are perfectly adequate. The chickens will easily be able to jump up to them. You don't want really big nest boxes because if the hens can stand up and move around too much, the eggs will get broken. Just make sure you clear out all the spiders! You'll want your roosts higher than the nest boxes, so the chickens will roost there instead of on the nests.

I had ducks when I was a kid and I really loved them. Thought they were beautiful and calming. We had chickens too, which are great fun and I'm glad you're giving them a try. I think you will find that chickens are a lot less work (once the coop is built!) and full of personality. Both are very addictive!

I can try to post some pics for coop ideas if you're interested. Congrats on your new arrivals!

Actually that is exactly where I got it! LOL My kids LOVE the books and the movies (and I adore the movies myself). I have 873463 animals it feels like so it just fit.

Thank you guys. I feel so much better about making do this year. I can read and read and read but until I have a few chickens and really live it- I can't really know what I want to do. We eventually plan to have goats (more for weeding and pets than anything) and I *hope* to add a few turkeys one day. In addition to a decent sized garden to feed all 7 of us. I have 2 proper acres to work with, some of which is pond, some has fruit trees...and then we have a second 2 acres fenced off from the rest that I assume had horses and it's an absolute mess of weed, blackberry bushes, terribly bumpy and hilly (we are talking ankle twister bumpy) and full of poison oak. So it's not usable yet.

The duck coop after 2 or 3 weeks is getting rather ripe so I can see this likely going to be a twice a month cleaning. Backbreaking removing all that straw! If the chickens prove to awesome for me- I will keep my ducks but likely not keep adding more each year for egg production. LOL I can't imagine having 20+ ducks after just a couple short years!

 

[CowgirlJules]

Aw, thank you. I'm doing OK; this decontaminating process is a lot of work, and business is picking up so I don't have a ton of time to do it. I've still got 12 ducks and four adult turkeys and some poults who desperately need to go out once I get a pen cleaned back up. I think my pekins just started laying, and it's definitely time to process the extra drakes.

I'm not on the organic thing, I just like my birds to get to act like birds, not caged factories. So I worm with Wazine and Ivermectin, and dust as needed, but I use DE too. I don't know how much it helps, but the quail sure enjoy it mixed into the sand for their dirt baths, and that's good enough for me. I'm about to reinforce the bottom of one of my chain link kennels for the quail, and I might floor that one in sand. Then the adult birds can go over there, as I need their hutch for the juveniles. Always musical birds around my place.

 

[zooweemama]

Aw, thank you. I'm doing OK; this decontaminating process is a lot of work, and business is picking up so I don't have a ton of time to do it. I've still got 12 ducks and four adult turkeys and some poults who desperately need to go out once I get a pen cleaned back up. I think my pekins just started laying, and it's definitely time to process the extra drakes.
I'm not on the organic thing, I just like my birds to get to act like birds, not caged factories. So I worm with Wazine and Ivermectin, and dust as needed, but I use DE too. I don't know how much it helps, but the quail sure enjoy it mixed into the sand for their dirt baths, and that's good enough for me. I'm about to reinforce the bottom of one of my chain link kennels for the quail, and I might floor that one in sand. Then the adult birds can go over there, as I need their hutch for the juveniles. Always musical birds around my place.

Organic for me went out the window the second one of my ducks sneezed and had to buy of organic feed. If I wanted to provide fresh food for my family- it was either best feed I could afford (which was not organic) or sell the ducks. So the past couple months I buy organic produce OR local produce (doesn't have to be organic chances are they rarely spray or have a need to), fresh farm eggs (not organic but they are fresh and they are delicious) and just enjoy building our own little backyard farm so I can feel good about high quality fresh food making it into my kids tummies.

I was reading about the ivermectin and the breeder I bought from says she does it 4 times a year. Once at the start of each season. I have seen a lot of people do this and eat their chicken eggs and everyone seems to fine. I'd rather prevent rather than treat so I will definitely be looking into this more! I also read that people will mix the DE right into the feed. All their fowls get it. That it not only helps with worming but also the poop contains this sweet little pieces of 'glass' like pieces and it can help get rid of fire ants and some other annoying little bugs? That would be awesome. We have a lot of fire ant nests out here!

Do you treat your meat birds with the ivermectic? Do you wait a certain amount of time before processing them if you do treat them?

I am so glad to hear business is booming for you. I cannot even imagine the decontamination process, the steps, the chemicals, the expense. You're amazingly hardy for plugging through it and I admire that!

 

[Meg2000000]

Aww how old are they? I want one Roo out of the 6 straight run I am ordering...were it only as easy as that though.

Hey Zoo - They're 8 1/2 weeks Marraduna Basque's. I love them!

Ron - Do you know the general hatch date? I want to keep records

 

[Meg2000000]

Aw, thank you. I'm doing OK; this decontaminating process is a lot of work, and business is picking up so I don't have a ton of time to do it. I've still got 12 ducks and four adult turkeys and some poults who desperately need to go out once I get a pen cleaned back up. I think my pekins just started laying, and it's definitely time to process the extra drakes.
I'm not on the organic thing, I just like my birds to get to act like birds, not caged factories. So I worm with Wazine and Ivermectin, and dust as needed, but I use DE too. I don't know how much it helps, but the quail sure enjoy it mixed into the sand for their dirt baths, and that's good enough for me. I'm about to reinforce the bottom of one of my chain link kennels for the quail, and I might floor that one in sand. Then the adult birds can go over there, as I need their hutch for the juveniles. Always musical birds around my place.

Jules - I'm glad to hear business is picking up. I couldn't imagine the work that you have had to do (and are still doing.) Stay strong!

 

[Meg2000000]

I got my necropsy full report back! It looks like the chick had Aspergillosis. They found lesions in its trachea that probably caused the chick to suffocate. It sounds like it's from inhaling something bad. So sad! I wish I knew what it was that caused it. The Pathologist said that Asperigillosis isn't contagious so I don't have to worry about my other chicks contracting it. But the worst part is that one of my two remaining Barnevelder chicks is acting sick today. They're 4 1/2 weeks old. I put Save-A-Chick (both the vitamin/mineral supplement AND the probiotic supplement) in their water today. I was able to get the little guy to drink a little. He starting eating right after so that makes me hopeful. There was a medicine the feed store recommended (started with a D and helps fight fungal infections) but both feed stories near me are out! I'm going to see if I can get some tomorrow if the little guy makes it. Keep your fingers crossed!

Zoo - That coop is awesome. At least you have the basic structure there and set up! The hardest part for us was building the frame.. everything else went by quickly and pretty easily. I'm stealing your coops nesting box design! That's exactly what I want/need! About vaccinating: I'm not the best person to answer this since I didn't vaccinate and lost 3 out of 5 of my chicks in the first 1 1/2 weeks (not to mention I have a 4th acting sick now.) We didn't do any vaccinations and didn't do medicated feed. I don't know if I'll ever do vaccinations but I am thinking of getting my next round of chicks medicated feed. Then again, I was told even if I vaccinated and gave medicated food it probably wouldn't have made a difference. I think it's a personal decision and can be a pretty hard one to make.