California - Northern

[zooweemama]

Quote:
I'd love to learn to make bread. My dad makes amazing bread so we've always left it to him. Several people on the Nevada? thread make bread also and think it's a good way to ensure the quality of product. I'm also glad to see I'm not the only crazy person that thinks this 100+ weather is a good time to bake. I made two apple pies on Sunday. I added Green Chili's to one. It was actually pretty good! I'm making banana bread and chocolate chip cookies today. I'm recovering from two back surgeries and going crazy with the limitations! I even found my old cross stitching bag and am finishing some old projects. Fun watching the progress of the bread, if I was close enough I'd be knocking on your door with butter and garlic in hand, begging for a loaf.
As others have said, they should be fine. If they don't settle in, if you have a wire cage to put the girl in, they can get use to each other without being able to get to her. Also, make sure you remove the bucket when you get the roost up because they'll probably continue to sleep in it. Little creatures of habit. My last batch of chickens never learned to get up on the roost and still sleep in one of the laying boxes. Someday, when my back is better I'll try putting them up on it at night. My new batch of chicks are also in another laying box!

That's alot of chickens to teach to roost!
We used an old metal gazebo right outside our 8x12 coop but to attach the hardware cloth we had to screw studs into the frame. We figured that after all that we really didn't save anything since we had to add the wood anyway. Then we extended it out another 8' and I went way overboard and enclosed it all, sides and top in hardware cloth! Cost a fortune but I had lost my whole flock except the roo and my husband was nice enough to indulge me. If I ever need hardware cloth for something else, I'll probably take it off the upper portion and replace it with cheaper wire.

Your area will be tight but as long as you're just locking them in at night and letting them out in the morning you should be OK. I have the 8x12 coop with about an 12x20 run and they hardly go in the lower 12x12 end of the run for some reason. I had 13 chickens in there....right now, with the 10 new chicks there's 23 but there's at least 4 roos in those babies and a few pullets will go to my grandkids. I lock them up after they go in at night and let them out first thing in the morning....first thing in the morning is when I can get moving, between 7-9am.
Yeah!

And don't worry about all the posts...that's why we're here, to help and ask for help when needed.

We went and picked up 7 boards, some tie wire and a few lug bolts. $60. :| Dang! Plus another roll of hard ware cloth. We are doing 3 feet up and rather than a skirt around it- he is lining the floor with hard ware cloth and using boards to sandwich it (also stapling) it. I don't fully understand my husband's plan but he does. That's all that is important. haha So technically I can get 16 chickens in my coop. I'll likely end up 10 so that means I have to be very selective about who stays and goes. 16 seems like such a small number! LOL

 

[chickee]

Zooweemama, I found that the tree stakes (or called grape stakes) work really well for the roosts in my chicken houses. The chickens like a bigger around roost to sit on. Must remind them of being on a tree branch

Just be careful to pick out the ones that have been sitting out and are weathered because they are treated with a chemical to keep them from rotting which could irritate the chickens feet.

Here are some pictures of them in one of my chicken houses and what we used to attach them. My husband cut them to size and then cut the sides of the ends straight to fit into the hangers.



BANTAM BUFF LACED POLISH ROOSTERS LOOKING FOR A HOME

 

[lawatt]

picked up my first chicks this afternoon -- two 5-or-6 week old cuckoo marans girls, who are now getting accustomed to their new brooder, which they'll live in until i can get the coop built. so exciting!

 

[ronott1]

picked up my first chicks this afternoon -- two 5-or-6 week old cuckoo marans girls, who are now getting accustomed to their new brooder, which they'll live in until i can get the coop built. so exciting!

You are going to love those! Cuckoo Marans

You might want to go to a feed store and get some chick grit(smaller size) for them. It will help them grind up those apples and other goodies.

Bye,

Ron

 

[Meg2000000]

We went and picked up 7 boards, some tie wire and a few lug bolts. $60. :| Dang! Plus another roll of hard ware cloth. We are doing 3 feet up and rather than a skirt around it- he is lining the floor with hard ware cloth and using boards to sandwich it (also stapling) it. I don't fully understand my husband's plan but he does. That's all that is important. haha So technically I can get 16 chickens in my coop. I'll likely end up 10 so that means I have to be very selective about who stays and goes. 16 seems like such a small number! LOL

I too spent way to much on the coop supplies! The problem with people like us Amy is that we put the chickens before the coop! haha If we did it in reverse order, we'd be able to gather more supplies for free or really cheap. I don't know about you, but I couldn't wait a day longer to get my chicks! I love how 16 sounds like a small number now! We wanted 4 at the most and now have 7. We also have 4 dozen eggs in the incubator... Chicken math?!

picked up my first chicks this afternoon -- two 5-or-6 week old cuckoo marans girls, who are now getting accustomed to their new brooder, which they'll live in until i can get the coop built. so exciting!

Aww they're so cute! Congrats!!


The introductions are going well today. The new pullet still feels most comfortable in the corner alone but will sometimes let the other pullets close to her without freaking out. A couple of times I've checked on them she was out drinking or eating but when another chicken gets close she runs to the corner. She's afraid of them but once in her corner will clean herself, lay down and sleep so I think she's fine! Here's my new pullet out foraging with her new family (although she stayed off by herself):

She's so friendly! She let me pick her up and hold her with no issue

One of my Barnevelders has an infected eye so I went to the local feed store for eye drops and other supplies I wanted to have on hand. $70 later I ended up with a bottle of Vetericyn (for the eye and other injuries), 5 lbs of chicken scratch, a bottle of Blue-Kot and Quick Stop for bleeding. Thought it would be good to have those last two on hand... but $70?! I've read amazing things about Vetericyn so decided to get it. Had to convince myself it was worth it (and then went home and had to convince Johnny it was worth it.) Hope it works!!

Thank you all for the tips on introducing a new pullet! I love the support this thread gives!!

- Megan

 

[lawatt]

Quote:
i haven't bought grit, but i mixed some river sand (bought to help with the coop construction) into their crumble mix, hoping that will work -- but i'll probably go buy some proper grit tomorrow. does it need to be in a separate container, or can it be added to their food container?

starting to try to come up with names!

best,
laura

 

[ronott1]

Quote:
i haven't bought grit, but i mixed some river sand (bought to help with the coop construction) into their crumble mix, hoping that will work -- but i'll probably go buy some proper grit tomorrow. does it need to be in a separate container, or can it be added to their food container?

starting to try to come up with names!

best,
laura

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

River sand would be ok of it is small enough.

Put it into a separate dish for them. They only need enough t fill the gizzard and will only eat what they need.

Good Job with them! I hope the coop building goes well for you. Yours can go outside any time.

Bye,

Ron

 

[debs_flock]

I've read amazing things about Vetericyn so decided to get it. Had to convince myself it was worth it (and then went home and had to convince Johnny it was worth it.) Hope it works!!

- Megan

About ten days ago I was at the vet with one of the dogs (we've been fighting "happy tail" syndrome for about ten months. The vet used Vetericyn on her tail before she did the rewrap. She then held it up, told me she has seen it do some amazing things and offered to write down the name for me. I laughed and said we've been discussing it on the chicken forum for the last couple of weeks and I already had some at home. She told me they had seen a cat that had lost most of it's face to a staph infection after an injury and the spray healed it up.

I got some shipped eggs last week and one had a small leaking crack in the shell. I wanted to try incubating anyway, so I gave it a tiny spray with the Vetericyn, wiped it down and put painters tape over the crack. We'll see how it goes. The worst thing with a cracked egg is it being invaded with bacteria, so I figured why not?

I'm glad your introductions are going well.

Deb

 

[cherylcohen]

I too spent way to much on the coop supplies! The problem with people like us Amy is that we put the chickens before the coop! haha If we did it in reverse order, we'd be able to gather more supplies for free or really cheap. I don't know about you, but I couldn't wait a day longer to get my chicks! I love how 16 sounds like a small number now! We wanted 4 at the most and now have 7. We also have 4 dozen eggs in the incubator... Chicken math?!
Aww they're so cute! Congrats!!


The introductions are going well today. The new pullet still feels most comfortable in the corner alone but will sometimes let the other pullets close to her without freaking out. A couple of times I've checked on them she was out drinking or eating but when another chicken gets close she runs to the corner. She's afraid of them but once in her corner will clean herself, lay down and sleep so I think she's fine! Here's my new pullet out foraging with her new family (although she stayed off by herself):

She's so friendly! She let me pick her up and hold her with no issue

One of my Barnevelders has an infected eye so I went to the local feed store for eye drops and other supplies I wanted to have on hand. $70 later I ended up with a bottle of Vetericyn (for the eye and other injuries), 5 lbs of chicken scratch, a bottle of Blue-Kot and Quick Stop for bleeding. Thought it would be good to have those last two on hand... but $70?! I've read amazing things about Vetericyn so decided to get it. Had to convince myself it was worth it (and then went home and had to convince Johnny it was worth it.) Hope it works!!

Thank you all for the tips on introducing a new pullet! I love the support this thread gives!!

- Megan

Sounds like she's doing great now! What a cutie pie. I love vetericyn, I use it for all wounds

 

[zooweemama]

Zooweemama, I found that the tree stakes (or called grape stakes) work really well for the roosts in my chicken houses. The chickens like a bigger around roost to sit on. Must remind them of being on a tree branch

Just be careful to pick out the ones that have been sitting out and are weathered because they are treated with a chemical to keep them from rotting which could irritate the chickens feet.

Here are some pictures of them in one of my chicken houses and what we used to attach them. My husband cut them to size and then cut the sides of the ends straight to fit into the hangers.



BANTAM BUFF LACED POLISH ROOSTERS LOOKING FOR A HOME

Ohhh pretty chickens! Love the roost idea! Our coop is open all 3 sides so it's tricky finding a spot to suspend roost spots. Right now it's up in the corner. Our coop is SO ugly but it serves a purpose I guess. It's coming along. We ran into a few issues, change our 'plan' a few times and then ran out of materials because of some of the issues. Also because of the 3 open sides we are going to have put hard cloth up top too. Cha-ching.