Chicken Tips - Take a Tip, Leave a Tip

[anderson8505]

Nic&Chickies :

Quote:
It can be as simple as "Chick, chick, chick" in that High-pitched voice we--many of us-- seem to use when talking to our pets.

Just remember, if you must use the call, the chickens will expect treats!

My goat has learned to come to this call too!!!! Chiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiccccccccccccckkkkkkkkennnnnnnn!​

 

[BusyBlonde]

We've been 'improving' our coops/pens lately. LOL - chicken math!!! Our chickens don't use the coop for anything but laying eggs, they prefer to sleep outside at night. We roofed 3 sections of the run, added a chicken roost ladder, and are enclosing 3 sides of each roofed area to give shelter for the winter (it's usually pretty mild here).

When my DH is working on the siding, he removes the wire that previously enclosed that area. All I have to do is dig a few holes in the pen - the chickens stay with me the whole time, looking for worms and bugs! I even have a couple that like to 'shovel-surf', get right over where I'm digging and won't hop off until I'm ready to tip them off.

I don't have to worry about them escaping. I just have to worry about finding enough worms for them before I start looking ... tasty ... !

 

[Piffin]

Quote:
Yes yes yes... I have made this mistake a few times... Hard to explain it to mu wife with logic...

When I was about 4-5 years old, I went playing with neighbor across the street for the day. His family had a whole farm with Dairy, sheep, and chickens free ranging all over the place.
We found a nest in the hay mow and I just knew how much Mom would love to have some fresh eggs, so I stuffed about 2-3 in each front pocket of my dungarees.

Couple of days later when Mom was doing the laundry I heard her shriek out my name. When I came into the room, she showed me a mess in my pockets and asked what...

"I did it 'cause I love you Mom"

Once I explained my motive, she understood as only a Mother can

 

[Piffin]

Quote:
This is GREAT!
We have few rodent type predators of fowl where I live on an island in Maine, but you never know.

My concerns are feral cats. neighbor's dogs, and we also have a lot of Bald eagles and Osprey

 

[Cass]

Quote:
Try telling that to my birds. They roost in the 8 foot high rafters of my coop.

My tip? Don't build an 8 foot high coop if you are only 5 foot tall. Makes getting the one you want to check something out on VERY hard after they go to roost. And checking on "something" is easiest to do after they go to roost, cuz they are more docile when it is dark. (and you can catch them, cuz you can see better than they can in low light)

 

[binders]

Quote:
Try telling that to my birds. They roost in the 8 foot high rafters of my coop.

My tip? Don't build an 8 foot high coop if you are only 5 foot tall. Makes getting the one you want to check something out on VERY hard after they go to roost. And checking on "something" is easiest to do after they go to roost, cuz they are more docile when it is dark. (and you can catch them, cuz you can see better than they can in low light)

My father taught me a trick about getting chickens down from high rafters.
Use a garden rake and gently come under and behind them with it when they are quiet and roosting and gently tap (lift up) on the undersides of them. They will usually just step back onto the rake and you can slowly lower them down. It has never not worked for me and I don't know how I would have gotten them down if I didn't know this trick. Hope this helps.

 

[KirstenJL]

I had never found a chicken waterer that was adequate. They ALWAYS get filthy in a day. Then a friend suggested using the 2 gallon flat-sided buckets she uses for her goats. Perfect (for LF).

Put lots of structures in your run for cover. We made benches out of 2 x 4's and covered them with pine boughs to provide a place to hide from hawks. There haven't been many hawks around this year for some reason, but the chickens LOVE the benches anyway--they originated from ground-dwelling jungle birds, so they are uncomfortable under an open sky.

There are drawbacks to electronetting, but it has made having chickens possible for me, and has allowed them the run of my backyard.

 

[Scooter&Suzie]

Be careful if you have on red nail polish.... Or even just a pinkish orange color. OWCHISH!

 

[seminolewind]

Never never put up deer netting while wearing buttons.

 

[LittleFarmInWV]

Chickens love to roost on your porch banister! If they are going to free range, locate their coop in a remote corner of the yard if you do not want them on your porch! Oh, and if you have outdoor cats, they will make a beeline for the cat food as soon as you open the coop doors. My rooster Bowser will fight all three barn cats at once for some cat food for him and his favorite hen!

BAD CHICKEN! Leave the cats be!