Can we build it? Yes we can... probably... kind of!

[Melky]

I guess she will be selling them or giving away if not building another coop. This is what happens when chicken math gets you. This is why I do not have a rooster around. Too many young ones and not enough eggs. Lol!

 

[StaffordshireLady]

I have SOOOOO.. enjoyed reading through all of these comments. I have learned so much but I wont be building my own coop! I admire those who do though. I can't wait until I get my own hens but have to wait another 3 weeks until they are ready for collection from the battery farm.
Please let us now how the girls get on with their hatching.
Thank you.

 

[Tooshay89]

I have SOOOOO.. enjoyed reading through all of these comments. I have learned so much but I wont be building my own coop! I admire those who do though. I can't wait until I get my own hens but have to wait another 3 weeks until they are ready for collection from the battery farm.
Please let us now how the girls get on with their hatching.
Thank you.

The girls were successful in their hatch! They hatched 10 chicks total. 3 Black Copper Marans, 3 Olive Eggers, a Lavender Easter Egger (from my flock - Orpington x Ameraucana mix) and 3 Bielefelders (2 cockerels and a pullet). So far, they said they're going to keep a pullet and a rooster Bielefelder, and depending on what the DNA sexing comes back with, they're hoping to keep the splash olive egger, the lavender EE and I'm not sure they've decided on a 5th chick yet.


I ended up going back to the coop yesterday and found that only one of my orpington hens was truly broody. So last night I removed a couple of her eggs and put 2 of my newly hatched day old chicks under her as a test. She accepted them! I've been checking on them today and she's still in the nest with them. Anyone know at what point she takes them out of the nesting box? I built a big ramp from the nest box to the floor of the coop so they can get up and down. The other flock members (all orpingtons except for the roo) don't seem phased by the peeps of the babies, but we'll see what happens when she finally emerges. I plan on putting the rest of my hatched orpington babies under her tonight.



Here are a few pictures of the fluffy butts:

 

[Melky]

Sooo cute!

 

[Tooshay89]

I guess she will be selling them or giving away if not building another coop. This is what happens when chicken math gets you. This is why I do not have a rooster around. Too many young ones and not enough eggs. Lol!

No more coops!! Haha! Although when we were working on putting up aviary netting over this makeshift run extension (I added 1000 sq ft), my husband said he'd build me an 8ft tall hardware cloth secured run addition this spring, so it won't look as pitiful as what I put up (omlet fencing with aviary netting ziptied to the top.) SO that will be our next project, building frames for the run addition. After building a coop, I think we can manage that!

Also, here are some of my babies that I hatched:

 

[Melky]

No more coops!! Haha! Although when we were working on putting up aviary netting over this makeshift run extension (I added 1000 sq ft), my husband said he'd build me an 8ft tall hardware cloth secured run addition this spring, so it won't look as pitiful as what I put up (omlet fencing with aviary netting ziptied to the top.) SO that will be our next project, building frames for the run addition. After building a coop, I think we can manage that!

Also, here are some of my babies that I hatched:

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Precious beautiful babies! You hold him to that run with HWC. You guys can do it. Chickens will be so much safer!

 

[aart]

I've been checking on them today and she's still in the nest with them. Anyone know at what point she takes them out of the nesting box? I built a big ramp from the nest box to the floor of the coop so they can get up and down.

Hmmm shouldn't take too long.
How long had she been broody?
I'm sure you have chicken sized feeder and waterer ready....but if she hasn't brought them out by day 3, I'd try to entice her to do so by sprinkling some feed on the ramp.
How high is nest?
She may settle on floor with them rather than back up to nest.

 

[Tooshay89]

Precious beautiful babies! You hold him to that run with HWC. You guys can do it. Chickens will be so much safer!

Oh, he's already planning it all out, lol. He probably felt bad about no second coop, haha! Just kidding. He's trying to figure out what would be the best way to level the area where the 2x4s will lay. I'm thinking maybe renting some kind of equipment to dig down. Not sure what, though. Our major (and only, so far...) predators are all arial - hawks and owls. I've lost several hens when we tried to free range, all to hawks. My run isn't very big, only 80 square feet as we intended to free range, but it's just too dangerous. I'm hoping once the 50x50 permanent run is constructed, they'll be much safer.

This is my temporary run extension - and also two of my orpingtons trying to hitchhike on the back of the girls' mom's car :

 

[Tooshay89]

Hmmm shouldn't take too long.
How long had she been broody?
I'm sure you have chicken sized feeder and waterer ready....but if she hasn't brought them out by day 3, I'd try to entice her to do so by sprinkling some feed on the ramp.
How high is nest?
She may settle on floor with them rather than back up to nest.

I candled a couple of her eggs last night after I removed them. Looks like one out of the 3 that I pulled was fertile, and looked to be maybe a week into incubation, maybe a little less. So less than a week, I would say.

The nesting box is maybe 2ish feet off the ground. I added a pretty large ramp, but I'm not sure if chicks can get up and down a ramp. I have nipple waterers for the adult chickens, but I added a regular waterer for the babies this morning. Should I move it to the nesting box or leave it on the coop floor? The PVC feeders are low enough for the chicks to reach as well, but I have smaller feeders that I can add to the nesting box if needed.

 

[aart]

Should I move it to the nesting box or leave it on the coop floor?

I would not put food and water in the nest.
Have a nipple waterer low enough for chicks to use, in addition to an open one.
If the ramp is not too steep they can probably navigate it.