California - Northern

[caychris]

When I said brooder box I was meaning the chick brooder not a broodie box. I have, or will eventually have when they grow up, large birds. Thanks for the advice on nest boxes though. I am well aware that they make up their own minds about where the eggs go.

What is the best roosting material for the internal coop roosts. Ive been seeing lots of different roost designs. One guy had advice that large branches made the best roosts. Im thinking that whatever it is a rather significant diameter (or block surface) is preferable to some thing rather narrow. The chicks will perch on fingers and dowels and even box sides but the bigger they are im thinking they need more purchase.

I saw one design that had a trellis like structure with poop collectors underneath covered with wire so the birds wouldnt climb in them. What are your thoughts.

 

[sewandgrow]

Do you have bantams? my big girls have boxes 16x16 and are kinda scrunched when they stand to actually lay the egg. We made smaller ones for the bantams and they don't like them, they insist on laying in the coop on the floor, thank goodness it's small enough I can reach all the corners. They do sleep in the smaller nest boxes.

I have big birds too & use 5 gallon buckets upside down with the lids on & a rounded off cut out for the opening. I didn't think my big Orps would be able to use it but one of them actually went broody in there & hatched chicks. She seemed quite content & I got all the buckets free & cut the holes pretty easily with a little jig saw..

 

[sewandgrow]

How deep should a brooder box be?

My four brooders are small. They have a 2' by 4' footprint but are only 1' tall. They are wood on 5 sides with wood & hardware cloth (wire) doors on the front. Each has a 20 chick eco glow in them. The chicks go in there from the incubator & rotate out at 3 weeks to a grow out pen which is a fruit bin with a hinged in the middle top of wood & wire. The first grow out pen is in a covered outdoor area & there is a place to put a drop light in there if needed.

 

[sewandgrow]

Gorgeous!!!! I love the speckles.

Beautiful eggs. I was all about egg color in the beginning then became enchanted by the bird breeds but I still absolutely love a beautifully colored basket of eggs.

When I said brooder box I was meaning the chick brooder not a broodie box. I have, or will eventually have when they grow up, large birds. Thanks for the advice on nest boxes though. I am well aware that they make up their own minds about where the eggs go.

What is the best roosting material for the internal coop roosts. Ive been seeing lots of different roost designs. One guy had advice that large branches made the best roosts. Im thinking that whatever it is a rather significant diameter (or block surface) is preferable to some thing rather narrow. The chicks will perch on fingers and dowels and even box sides but the bigger they are im thinking they need more purchase.

I saw one design that had a trellis like structure with poop collectors underneath covered with wire so the birds wouldnt climb in them. What are your thoughts.

I have used big branches from our trees before but that was in the pheasants pen. I use 2 by 2s. My husband sets the table saw at a 45 degree angle and shaves off just a bit of each corner making it an 8 sided pole with no really sharp edges. They come in 8' lengths at Home Depot for I think less than $2. I have dog kennels made out of chainlink for my pens so I just slide them through the chainlink & secure them tightly with a big zip tie at each end.

 

[Hangtown Farms]

When I said brooder box I was meaning the chick brooder not a broodie box. I have, or will eventually have when they grow up, large birds. Thanks for the advice on nest boxes though. I am well aware that they make up their own minds about where the eggs go.

What is the best roosting material for the internal coop roosts. Ive been seeing lots of different roost designs. One guy had advice that large branches made the best roosts. Im thinking that whatever it is a rather significant diameter (or block surface) is preferable to some thing rather narrow. The chicks will perch on fingers and dowels and even box sides but the bigger they are im thinking they need more purchase.

I saw one design that had a trellis like structure with poop collectors underneath covered with wire so the birds wouldnt climb in them. What are your thoughts.

depending on the light you use. A 250 light requires 2 feet from bedding. A 75 watt plant light a foot however you need a top like Ron said. Mine is 4x2 1/2x3ft tall. but with only part of the front completely covered and the top too so it ventilates . Its in my carport.

 

[Hangtown Farms]

My four brooders are small. They have a 2' by 4' footprint but are only 1' tall. They are wood on 5 sides with wood & hardware cloth (wire) doors on the front. Each has a 20 chick eco glow in them. The chicks go in there from the incubator & rotate out at 3 weeks to a grow out pen which is a fruit bin with a hinged in the middle top of wood & wire. The first grow out pen is in a covered outdoor area & there is a place to put a drop light in there if needed.

this is very nice. I need to make more myself

 

[debs_flock]

So, one of the newly hatched chicks acts like it can't stand... It's body just goes forward with his legs and it lays on it's belly.

I'm not sure what to do for it.

I would definitely treat with Poly-vi-Sol. It can be a miracle worker. A drop twice per day for a few days and sometimes you can't even tell which chick had the problem anymore. Good luck.

What age do cockerels become fertile or rather when should I separate them from the hens if I just want eggs?

The cockerels make no difference to getting eggs, other than they're not producing any

The only time they would be a problem is if your male/female ratio is so heavy they are bothering the girls too much and really beating them down.

 

[PetRock]

When I said brooder box I was meaning the chick brooder not a broodie box. I have, or will eventually have when they grow up, large birds. Thanks for the advice on nest boxes though. I am well aware that they make up their own minds about where the eggs go.

What is the best roosting material for the internal coop roosts. Ive been seeing lots of different roost designs. One guy had advice that large branches made the best roosts. Im thinking that whatever it is a rather significant diameter (or block surface) is preferable to some thing rather narrow. The chicks will perch on fingers and dowels and even box sides but the bigger they are im thinking they need more purchase.

I saw one design that had a trellis like structure with poop collectors underneath covered with wire so the birds wouldnt climb in them. What are your thoughts.

In our coops, we use 2 x 4's with the wide side horizontal. I'm sure others will chime in but from what I've read, chicken feet aren't designed to cling to a rounded branch while they roost so you want a good sized flat surface especially with bigger birds. I do have some big branches in my run that they like to climb on during the day.

 

[Audio51]

Quote:
Would the large wooden dowels like are used for curtain rods work? They would be smooth (I have also seen some with scalloping all the way around) and round. They are about 1 3/8" diameter:

 

[PetRock]

Would the large wooden dowels like are used for curtain rods work? They would be smooth (I have also seen some with scalloping all the way around) and round. They are about 1 3/8" diameter:

Everything that I've read says that a wide flat surface (3-4 in for large fowl) is better for chickens to roost on at night. Of course, you can find support for all kinds of views on the internet.

I've only had chickens for 4 years now so hopefully some of our more experienced chicken wranglers will chime in.