California - Northern

[zooweemama]

In the fall/winter will the chickens choose to spend most of their time in the coop/run? Curious. We are talking about somehow increasing their run size...

 

[ronott1]

Quote: Handsome roo's Ron! Are these brothers to my Chema? How many Basque's do you have now that you're keeping?
Hi Megan,

Yes, those are chema's hatch mates. I have three pullets and four cockerels. I will be keeping the three pullets and one or two of the cockerels. They are very large for 151/2 weeks old.

Amy Beth: The Basque would be good for your needs and heat. They really are Dual Purpose and are reported to be good egg layers. They do not lay super dark eggs, but they are nice large eggs.

Ron

 

[zooweemama]

I am really interested in trying this out. Going to order it this weekend (payday). Will let you all know how it goes. Filling up 4 waterers daily is annoying. I don't know how often others do it but I like to keep the water fresh and cool- and avoid the slimy build up the water tray always gets. Not having to wash waterers, hauling little buckets in and out of the coop all the time really appeals to me!
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/07/the-advantages-of-poultry-nipples.html

 

[zooweemama]

Hi Megan,

Yes, those are chema's hatch mates. I have three pullets and four cockerels. I will be keeping the three pullets and one or two of the cockerels. They are very large for 151/2 weeks old.

Amy Beth: The Basque would be good for your needs and heat. They really are Dual Purpose and are reported to be good egg layers. They do not lay super dark eggs, but they are nice large eggs.

Ron

I'm over the egg color thing now (except the EE which I am pretty sure I would like to keep as my egg layer that is not dual purpose). I am even ok with white egg layers. Actually I would like that each breed i choose- have a slightly different egg color so I can see which breed is laying what. I will write this breed down in my chicken note book. Thanks Ron!

 

[lawatt]

I am really interested in trying this out. Going to order it this weekend (payday). Will let you all know how it goes. Filling up 4 waterers daily is annoying. I don't know how often others do it but I like to keep the water fresh and cool- and avoid the slimy build up the water tray always gets. Not having to wash waterers, hauling little buckets in and out of the coop all the time really appeals to me!
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/07/the-advantages-of-poultry-nipples.html

i've got a 3.5 gallon plastic bucket with 3 nipples on the bottom side, & the pullets have totally figured out how to get water from it -- water stays nice and clean (esp. since i add some cider vinegar to it), and i don't have to refill terribly often... (i don't have a hose/faucet near the coop, so can't use an automatic refill-type ting) -- definitely better than dish waterers, esp. now that the new silver pencils are WILD scratchers & keep throwing straw and shavings everywhere!

 

[zooweemama]

i've got a 3.5 gallon plastic bucket with 3 nipples on the bottom side, & the pullets have totally figured out how to get water from it -- water stays nice and clean (esp. since i add some cider vinegar to it), and i don't have to refill terribly often... (i don't have a hose/faucet near the coop, so can't use an automatic refill-type ting) -- definitely better than dish waterers, esp. now that the new silver pencils are WILD scratchers & keep throwing straw and shavings everywhere!

I was contemplating that too but hubby set it up so that our spigot has like splitters? On it. And we leave it on all the time. Right outside the coop- I flick a switch to pop the mister on or the hose on to fill the waterers. So we wouldn't have to rig anything up additionally. But otherwise we would need to do what you are doing as well. I have some chickens that scratch more than others- and even when the waterers are raised sometimes they manage to knock those over too! lol

 

[Wishing4Wings]

In the fall/winter will the chickens choose to spend most of their time in the coop/run? Curious. We are talking about somehow increasing their run size...

The barnyard mixes we had when I was a kid were out 365 days a year. Minimal management on our part. They got the majority of their food free ranging over 15 acres or so, only supplemented with scratch and oyster shell (except when chicks hatched- they got starter). There were places for them to go in heavy rain, but we rarely get snow down here, so I can't speak to your colder winter climate.

I think most chickens, if given the choice, would prefer to be outside doing their chickeney thing. The more space they have, the less likely you are to have picking problems.

You might consider black Australorps for your flock. Reportedly not as broody as BOs, better food conversion, and some say they are better layers. Readily available, very hardy and good temperaments. And, bonus for you, they have black feet! Folks on BYC with similar goals as you for their flocks also speak highly of New Hampshire and any type of PRock. An interesting point made about heritage lines are that they tend to be more broody than hatchery birds, which may not suit your needs.

Fun to plan though isn't it? For some people it's shoes, for us it's shopping for chickens!

 

[debs_flock]

On the leg color, I have what I think will be a little EE roo (couple of months old) and he's all white with cute little puffy cheeks but his legs are really pale, even whitish??? I have another one, almost identical but with more of the greenish legs. The dad is a Silver Ameraucana and mom could be from any of my hens....EE's, RIR, Red Sexlink, Black Australorp. Is he lacking in something or is this normal?

Every breed/color has their own required leg color. The yellow leg was specific to barred rocks. As an example, my lakenvelders (black & white bird) have a slate colored leg, my campines (black and gold bird) have a leaden blue leg. In my campines, I occasionally have a chick pop up with willow green legs. They go into the cull pen. It seems a shame to cull a bird for leg color, but you have to make those cuts if you're breeding to the standard.

I am really interested in trying this out. Going to order it this weekend (payday). Will let you all know how it goes. Filling up 4 waterers daily is annoying. I don't know how often others do it but I like to keep the water fresh and cool- and avoid the slimy build up the water tray always gets. Not having to wash waterers, hauling little buckets in and out of the coop all the time really appeals to me!
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/07/the-advantages-of-poultry-nipples.html

It is amazing how quickly they learn to drink from these systems. In my indoor brooding pen for newly hatched chicks, I use a hamster bottle for them to drink from. You just push their beak inside once, and they immediately have the idea. Sometimes it's a bit harder to get them to recognize open water as a water source once I move them to my brooder with water troughs. You have to be careful that they adapt.

I'm over the egg color thing now (except the EE which I am pretty sure I would like to keep as my egg layer that is not dual purpose). I am even ok with white egg layers. Actually I would like that each breed i choose- have a slightly different egg color so I can see which breed is laying what. I will write this breed down in my chicken note book. Thanks Ron!

Ah, if you want a bird with a sky blue egg and still big enough for meat...............check out the Cream Legbars

Add to that, they are autosexing. You know what you have when they pop out of the shell from the down color.

And they have that cute little crest.............besides, I LOVE the crele type coloring on the males.
http://feathersite.com/Poultry/CGA/Auto/BRKAutosex.html

Deb

 

[Wishing4Wings]

Ah, if you want a bird with a sky blue egg and still big enough for meat...............check out the Cream Legbars

Add to that, they are autosexing. You know what you have when they pop out of the shell from the down color.

Deb

These are on my wish list too.

Someday.....

 

[sewandgrow]

I am really interested in trying this out. Going to order it this weekend (payday). Will let you all know how it goes. Filling up 4 waterers daily is annoying. I don't know how often others do it but I like to keep the water fresh and cool- and avoid the slimy build up the water tray always gets. Not having to wash waterers, hauling little buckets in and out of the coop all the time really appeals to me!
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/07/the-advantages-of-poultry-nipples.html

We love the nipples but the ones on the PVC pipe always leaked for us but weorderthem individually on Ebay & put 4of the on the bottom of a 5 gallon bucket & hang it where the chickens can get underneath it & it works great. You can refill it from the top with a hose easily. I have one of these bucket set ups in each of my 4' by 4' grow out bins just by screwing cleats to the two sides of a corner & resting the bucket on the cleats & srewing thebucket to the wooden sides of the bin near the top of the bucket. I use bricks or stepping stones underneath the bucket for the smaller chickens to be able to reach the nipple but remove them as the chicks grow.