California - Northern

[Wishing4Wings]

Thanks guys! I am just so scared if I let them out- they won't come back. My yard is going to seem like an infinite prairie to them. Their coop is right behind a few fruit trees. They might like it too much outside. I guess this is where the power of treats come in right? The ducks were easy to train. But since they have a pond they do not venture too far from it honestly. The chickens don't have a central pull like that though. I need to check all their birth dates to check their ages. The oldest ones are 20 weeks or so. The next are about 14/16 weeks I wanna say then a few about a month younger than that.

So maybe start after sunset when there is only a little bit of time left before dark sets and have treats?

Our chickens (when I was a kid) had unlimited roaming because most of the property line fence, if it existed, was 3 strands of barbed wire and they could just walk under. They never went very far. They'd skirt the edges of the trees, hang out in the orchard, near their coop, and head up to the barn to clean up after the horses and scratch for goodies. Maybe roamed over 1.5 acres max. Always returned to the coop before dark and usually laid eggs in coop. There was no special training. If anyone went missing, it was always a broody hen trying to hide a nest. They were out all day, 365 days a year.

The biggest thing to make them feel safe is trees, low shrubs and bushes for cover. Ours rarely ventured into the open for extended periods, and the rooster would be on high alert during those times.

Alice has got the big-eyed-puppy look down pat! She's darling. How is she around the chickens and ducks so far?

 

[Wishing4Wings]

My BC Marans pullets...I feel so mean saying this...not very attractive at all. All the looks went to the roosters. LOL I know they will fill out some and they are going through the ugly feather phase but e-gah man poor things. One of biiiiig BO pullets (20 weeks) has a dark red comb and wattle now. I don't recall them being so dark before? I hope it's not a rooster in hiding!

At 20 weeks the pullets are getting close to laying, and the larger red comb and wattles are a sign that they're close. Their butts also get super fluffy and wide.

 

[HighNDryFarm]

Oh my gosh- the chickens have begun leaping out the coop door when I go in. Ahhhh! The youngest chicks are still around 7-8 weeks old I think. I can't have them wandering around. My backyard is HUGE! It's 2 acres fenced and almost all the property is behind the house so it's really big. I am so terrified of letting them out to free range. visions of chickens clucking around the coop are replaced with the vision of chickens running amok and getting eating by racoons are night because they won't go into their coop! Not to mention getting picked up by all the hawks we have here. We see them and hear them all day long as it is.

For those of you that free range...when do you open the coop door?

We let them out between 7-9am and close them up after they all go in, which depends on when it's just about dark. When it's this hot I wait until I'm ready to go to bed but otherwise I close the coop as soon as they're in. If I want to get them in earlier I throw some scratch in the coop and they come running. The closer it comes to going to bed they start moving closer but they wander the property all day. We have about 2 acres too and no fencing except for horses so they can go where they want but they pretty much stay on our property.

I'd just start letting them out, they'll stay close to the coop at first and when they're ready for bed, they'll go back in the coop.

 

[ronott1]

can't resist taking pictures of the babies, so here's the three-day-old group portrait:



any bets on gender? (besides the CL, of course) -- i'm thinking the rightmost lav orp is looking awfully big, and not sure about the blue... the basques i go back & forth, so am just guessing really...

and i'm pleased to report that the six-week-old light sussex girls are turning out to be *master* foragers -- i let everyone out earlier this morning, and the big girls just idly wandered about nipping at grasses, while the two littles zeroed in on what was apparently some sort of bug bonanza:



these two, despite looking so delicate, eat like horses -- they're going to get big!!

With the Basque, open up the wing feathers. look at the color pattern. I think the white to grey pattern would be the pullets and ones with a black pattern would be cockerels.

Very cute chicks!

Ron

 

[Miss Molly]

I am planning on building my next round of pens as open coops but don't have any yet, just lots of ventillation in mine as I am learning that the heat is way more concerning than the cold up here in redding.
so far, I think I prefer the chestnut coloring.  although I would like to get my hands on a more traditional roo just to play with the breeding.  are you selling your chicks?  my first hatch is due in two weeks. set a dozen eggs so excited to see what hatches.

I have not posted them for sale yet, but they have been selling. I think they sale themselves ..
When people come by to purchase my other chicken... They fall in love with the Cream Legbars.

 

[Gomes Bantams]

Hey Ron! That BCM trio is amazing! I'm going to talk to my ma and pa about getting them. I have a empty pen, waiting to be filled. Oh and Karen gave me a dozen hatching eggs of some Marans. Hope they are gonna hatch.

Thank you!

 

[debs_flock]

My BC Marans pullets...I feel so mean saying this...not very attractive at all. All the looks went to the roosters. LOL I know they will fill out some and they are going through the ugly feather phase but e-gah man poor things. One of biiiiig BO pullets (20 weeks) has a dark red comb and wattle now. I don't recall them being so dark before? I hope it's not a rooster in hiding!

Yes, 20 weeks, red comb and wattle, she should be laying soon. You'll think she's a lot cuter then!

Deb

 

[zooweemama]

Oh gosh shew! I was like oh snap - a confused rooster! haha! That is very interesting about the combs/wattles! Thank you!

Ok...so maybe I will feel snazzy and let them out of the coop this week. I'd love for them to free range soon. And honestly- I'd rather lose chickens now before all the excess roos go to freezer camp while they figure out the outside thing.

I checked on Copper's incision from the crop cleaning and I cannot find it. That must be a good thing right? Gosh he is every so handsome. Copper around the neck and has his fancy tail coming in with this teal-ish looking tint.

No more talking about Cream Legbars. I mean it! I will be adding on only one breed next year and it's the Basques. I cannot get chicken fever. I can't!

 

[egg-lady]

I have not posted them for sale yet, but they have been selling. I think they sale themselves ..
When people come by to purchase my other chicken... They fall in love with the Cream Legbars.

Do you have chickens for sale?

 

[egg-lady]

I was down with a headache today. i am just going outside to do evening chores that in the day. I was hoping for more then 5 eggs today. after all the cleaning i did yesterday i was hoping for more today. i know still a little warm but out of 20+ laying hens I only got 5 eggs. Better then nothing.

@ Ron, i saw on a earlier post you lived on a prune ranch. I lived and grew up and lived on my families prune ranch with til after my kids were born. On 65 acres in Yuba City. it is that time of season now and i have 1 prunes tree and love to eat them and kids to, hubby can't