California - Northern

[Miss Molly]

@ Molly, Suzy is a little stinker. I let her out to roam and she flies over the fence to the run and lays her egg. Well today i have been outside most of the day working. and I happenend to notice behind the goats bed some eggs. One egg is hers. there have been a couple days I let her out and she goes back in and no egg. didn't think anything of it. Not til now. when we let all chickens run out they all go behind the goats bed and lay eggs. and geese to. so we made teh run cuz of the geese when they are nesting. Now I will be looking again behind the goats beds for eggs from her. silly girl.

I have a buff Oprpington that lays her egg in my husband wood shop everyday. I have tried everything to get her lay in the coop... Nope! She has a mind of her own. Now I just make sure I check there daily.... I'm sure I have lots of hens laying out of the coop. It's just a matter of finding the secret spot.... Molly

 

[Miss Molly]

When I got back from Church tonight, I heard the egg song and since it was getting dark, I went out to check and found a little white dog running around in the chicken yard! I checked the chickens and they were all fine. I had to unlock the gate and let him out since He would not come to me. He seemed very upset. The chickens were sitting on the roosts in the coop like noting was wrong.

The little dog had knocked several boards loose from the fence. I screwed the boards back on, but I may need to put some chicken wire up there to make sure that does not happen again.

It is the first day of Fall, so next week I need to take a manure sample in to UCD and have a float test. That seems better than just treating them just because it is time. I did give the Ivomec on the first week of Summer so hopefully they do not have any buggies...

I will let you all know what I find and how much it costs.

Ron

 

Ron, that is crazy..I'm so glad that dog didn't kill your chickens. That could have went REAL BAD! Molly

 

[Miss Molly]

Well the snake is still there this morning. I thought a owl might have scooped him up last night but here it is. The Chick Killer!!! He kinda looks like a rattler without the rattler. Hey Ron one the chicks Drae fathered has Like blue legs and greyish blue feathers coming in. Is thisfom the SG dorking coming out?

WOW! You really opened a can of whoop *** on that snack... I'm so sorry to here it ate your chicks. That is awful .... Molly

 

[Papa Brooder]

Wow you guys have some nice coops!!
Is really like to see what everyones chicken quarters look like. I was thinking about that awhule ago when I was building.

My coop is definitely anything from fancy (soon..)

It's a 8x12 pallet coop with 3 nest boxes and a table top roost/poop board that takes up way too much room. I'm rethinking this part now.

Before nest boxes and yard

i'm with amy beth, love that you can re-use and get something that works for you. Nice job. so, does the feed mostly stay in the gutters or do they still manage to spill it out of there?

Quote: I was thinking the same thing and I would have done the same thing out of instinct. one time i had to run at a hawk and was literally within 4 feet of it before if finally took off after it had killed two of my juveniles. always wondering what would have happened if I had actually caught it!

 

[Papa Brooder]

I haven't been on for a while. been busy planting trees! 40% off sale suckered me into days of labor. there were multiple things I was gonna comment on and now can't recall any of them.

Exciting in the chicken world for me today is hatching another round of cream legbars. Hatching rates better each time and still great roo to pullet ratio... 4 to 7 this time, 3 to 6 last time. gonna be a bit lean for the next few weeks due to selling a number of hatching eggs.

rhodebars have been laying daily and actually have developing eggs in the incubator.

jubillee orps also laying and eggs are fertile and developing

wyandottes also started laying and eggs fertile and developing

Sooo excited that these girls are coming on line and doing their part to help me pay for my feed!!! holy cow, I need to sell some chickens so i can make it a week without being at tractor supply every few days.

 

[Hangtown Farms]

everyone has some nice coops.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Amy - your coop looks great! I love the nesting boxes, they look so cozy. You have really fixed it up nicely.

Monster clucker - great use of the pallets! You sure have good ventilation. I'm sure your chickens love your coop. We get snow up here and a lot of wind, so we needed something more weather tight.

 

[Happy Chooks]

This is the first coop we built. DH built this one for me in our orchard. My wellies live in this one. It's nice, but for the 2nd coop, I wanted a walk in coop.


Completed and has seen a lot of snow over the years:

 

[tls_ranch]

I haven't been on for a while. been busy planting trees! 40% off sale suckered me into days of labor. there were multiple things I was gonna comment on and now can't recall any of them.

Exciting in the chicken world for me today is hatching another round of cream legbars. Hatching rates better each time and still great roo to pullet ratio... 4 to 7 this time, 3 to 6 last time. gonna be a bit lean for the next few weeks due to selling a number of hatching eggs.

rhodebars have been laying daily and actually have developing eggs in the incubator.

jubillee orps also laying and eggs are fertile and developing

wyandottes also started laying and eggs fertile and developing

Sooo excited that these girls are coming on line and doing their part to help me pay for my feed!!! holy cow, I need to sell some chickens so i can make it a week without being at tractor supply every few days.

I've been trying to avoid Wyntour's 40% off sale. I have a huge "plant hoard" that needs to go in the ground this winter already. ( I also ordered a bunch of fruit trees and fruiting plants on line for the spring) I may not be able to resist though....I've caught myself making a mental list of plants I want and excuses for driving up to Redding. LOL

X 100% Holy Cow what a feed bill!!! No kidding my feed bill is also way high...I wish I could free range more like my neighbor. She's not even gone through 2 bags of feed since early spring and has12 chickens! Prices seem to keep going up every time I go to the feed store. It used to be once a month deal, but it seems like I was just there last week and need more feed already. The juveniles are eating me out of house and home!

Trisha

 

[MonsterClucker]

i'm with amy beth, love that you can re-use and get something that works for you.  Nice job.  so, does the feed mostly stay in the gutters or do they still manage to spill it out of there?
I was thinking the same thing and I would have done the same thing out of instinct.  one time i had to run at a hawk and was literally within 4 feet of it before if finally took off after it had killed two of my juveniles.  always wondering what would have happened if I had actually caught it!

I didn't post this but a hawk got one of 3 month old BR pullets the day I came and got those GLB chicks. I pull into the property and the hawk is sitting on the fence post with the chicken and dripped it and flew off. Didn't even eat it.
I don't know what's up with these predators not eating things they kill?

Yea the feeder works out great. It's up high enough for them not to scratch it out but low enough that they don't jump all in it. I just bought another piece of gutter to make 3vmore feeders.

I haven't been on for a while.  been busy planting trees!  40% off sale suckered me into days of labor.  there were multiple things I was gonna comment on and now can't recall any of them.  

Exciting in the chicken world for me today is hatching another round of cream legbars.  Hatching rates better each time and still great roo to pullet ratio... 4 to 7 this time, 3 to 6 last time.  gonna be a bit lean for the next few weeks due to selling a number of hatching eggs.

rhodebars have been laying daily and actually have developing eggs in the incubator.

jubillee orps also laying and eggs are fertile and developing

wyandottes also started laying and eggs fertile and developing

Sooo excited that these girls are coming on line and doing their part to help me pay for my feed!!!  holy cow, I need to sell some chickens so i can make it a week without being at tractor supply every few days.

That is soo awesome all of those chickens are pulling their weight now! I have 2 laying hens over 50+ chickens
Need to get some layers ASAP!!

everyone has some nice coops.

Thanks Cooper

Amy - your coop looks great!  I love the nesting boxes, they look so cozy.  You have really fixed it up nicely.

Monster clucker - great use of the pallets!  You sure have good ventilation.  I'm sure your chickens love your coop.  We get snow up here and a lot of wind, so we needed something more weather tight.

Thanks a lot. I read your coop thread last night. Had fun and got a lot of good ideas. I think I'm gonna use your idea of the brooder room in the coop. Been thinking how to incorporate one of those into my coop. Your coop is beautiful though. I hope it dosent get too cold down here I'm Anderson or else I'm in for trouble and some major revamping!!