California-Southern

[Sylvester017]

You have pictures of your Koop? I'd love to see them.

Almost all of the wood for my 10' x 5.5' coop/run is from free pallets that we got and disassembled. The human door and the doors for cleaning and egg-gathering are from CL or the Habitat for Humanity Store. From the regular hardware store, I had to buy a six concrete piers and 4 10' posts/beams, metal lathe (cheaper than hardware cloth and even chicken wire), screws, roofing material, some 12' of wood for the roof panel frame, oops paint, silicone caulk and 4" pvc pipe fittings for the feeder. I hope that's it (but I doubt it) for the expenses!

Expenses? What expenses? After all the building, feed, poultry care products, security additions, and vet visits we figure our eggs are costing us around $36/dozen plus half the eggs are bantam and not even regular sized LOL!!!

 

[UrbanFarmOC]

You have pictures of your Koop? I'd love to see them.

Almost all of the wood for my 10' x 5.5' coop/run is from free pallets that we got and disassembled. The human door and the doors for cleaning and egg-gathering are from CL or the Habitat for Humanity Store. From the regular hardware store, I had to buy a six concrete piers and 4 10' posts/beams, metal lathe (cheaper than hardware cloth and even chicken wire), screws, roofing material, some 12' of wood for the roof panel frame, oops paint, silicone caulk and 4" pvc pipe fittings for the feeder. I hope that's it (but I doubt it) for the expenses!

Your wish is my command! I kinda got carried away! The gazebo was here in the yard when I moved in, just tweeked it a bit
AWW GEEZ, after posting, I see the pictures are out of order! sorry about that....

Wow!! You have just about everything in your spacious set up! Must make for some happy chickens! :yiipchick:yiipchick

Thanks so much for sharing! Are the fans to keep them cool during the summer? I didn't even think about that. I guess when it gets really hot around here, I can run an extension cord across the yard to the coop.

What's that long blue thing in the 3rd picture? Looks like there's a pvc or some type of hose attached?

 

[Sylvester017]

Thank you for the info Sylvester and Cali. I wish I had read your reply, Sylvester, before I went to the breeder! I ended up with a silkie and 2 mini Cochins and a brahma....all females. I wanted the brahma for the larger eggs but chose one of the smaller ones they had. The 3 bantams are 5 weeks old, the brahma is supposed to be 7 weeks but looks younger, closer to 5, I would say. I have been getting mixed reviews on the chances this will work out. I'm a newbie and thought I had done a lot of research but the size mix of a flock never came up. I'm already losing sleep over this!

Well, like you I didn't understand or heed the warnings about mixing bantams/Silkies with LF. I was gifted a White Leghorn and Marans pullets to add to our two Silkies and never gave it a second thought because all seemed to get along for several months - I say seemed to get along because I didn't notice some obvious warning signs. I had a bald Partridge Silkie I thought was moulting but the 7-lb Marans was sitting next to her at night and picking off her crest feathers and chewing off pieces of the comb above her beak. I just boil at my ignorance not to notice something so obvious. I just saw a peaceful flock by day and never put two and two together. That poor little Silkie from the time she was a day-old was raised with LF chicks who abused her. Guess she just got used to the abuse and survivied in spite of it and I'm kicking myself for not seeing or paying attention to these things in advance.

One thing in your favour is that Brahmas are considered "gentle giants." But "giant" is the operative word here. LF pullets can surprise you. You can pick the smallest chick and it can grow to be the biggest in the flock. When I was offered a Marans I said I wanted the smallest bird they had - well she grew to 7-lbs - so much for a smaller pullet. Brahma hens get to to be 8 or 9 lbs? Even with a gentle nature I can't imagine she won't have the temptation to bully a 2 or 3-lb bantam because even the gentlest breeds will squabble/fight in flock politics and the battles could get hurtful.

Bigger LF aren't frequent egg-layers so if you want eggs trade her down for either a LF or bantam gentle-natured EE. Even a LF EE shouldn't get too much past 5.5 lbs and are frequent layers of size LG/XL eggs and colorful eggs to boot! Don't worry and just take action to negotiate a trade or sell your Brahma pullet to get a different gentle smaller breed. It may be easier to sell a Brahma pullet than to wait for her to grow fully and have a harder time to rehome her. Of course if you're attached to her (which I always get attached darn it) then you'll figure something out or keep her penned separately which won't be fair to her. This is not to tell you what to do but just throwing out options to savor.

Just as an added note: A bigger breed doesn't necessarily mean bigger or more eggs. Jersey Giants are one - if not the biggest breed - yet lay only an average of 3 medium size eggs per week.

 

[SurfCityBumpkin]

You are very informative Sylvester, thank you. Of course, the Brahma already comes to me when I approach the coop and willingly lets me pick her up. :/ so this seems like a lose/lose.

 

[froggiesheins]

Wow!! You have just about everything in your spacious set up! Must make for some happy chickens! :yiipchick:yiipchick

Thanks so much for sharing! Are the fans to keep them cool during the summer? I didn't even think about that. I guess when it gets really hot around here, I can run an extension cord across the yard to the coop.

What's that long blue thing in the 3rd picture? Looks like there's a pvc or some type of hose attached?

I set up a bucket with a drain inside the gazebo and the hose drains to the greens "bar"....I made a raised bed and then covered it with metal shelves some one was kind enough to toss out for me to find!

Yes, the fans are for summer cooling...it really does help along with ice in the water..

 

[froggiesheins]

You are very informative Sylvester, thank you. Of course, the Brahma already comes to me when I approach the coop and willingly lets me pick her up. :/ so this seems like a lose/lose.

All is not lost surfcity! You never know how things will turn out in the world of chickens. I have an assortment of game hens and seramas and do not have a problem with them trying to kill each other.

Make sure there are plenty of place to hide / jump up on / etc and just play it by ear. I even have 2 game fowl roos that free range at the same time IF I am watching. They CAN learn the word NO.
Hope that is helpful...

 

[froggiesheins]

Expenses?  What expenses?  After all the building, feed, poultry care products, security additions, and vet visits we figure our eggs are costing us around $36/dozen plus half the eggs are bantam and not even regular sized LOL!!!

SHHHHHHHH! Don't tell the newbees, its a secret!

 

[tacopaco]

What is the store in bellflower?

 

[froggiesheins]

What is the store in bellflower?

Maybe Kruses? Whatcha looking for?

 

[estamets]

SHHHHHHHH! Don't tell the newbees, its a secret!

Ha ha! We just plan to roll all the startup expenses into the first egg. We'll embellish it with gold flakes and enjoy THE MOST EXPENSIVE EGG EVER. After that, it's just the cost of chicken feed.