Chickens for 10-20 years or more? Pull up a rockin' chair and lay some wisdom on us!

[ldutch123]

The only theropod I know anything about is a dinosaur.  Youngest boy is eight and still a bit into them.  If someone else knows anything about it chime right in as I'm curious.  

Hahahaha this stupid iPad likes to try and guess what I want to say and I didn't even see what I wrote til just now hee hee

 

[ldutch123]

I notice my Cochins panting a lot when it gets 80 and high humidity. One thing I don't know if it will help but I cut their feathers down on the behind area. It sounds funny but I actually did this because I noticed my flock had fleas and seemed to be a problem. So when I went to treat them cutting around their vent and the whole area really....made getting rid of those pesky fleas really easy. They also now get a nice cool breeze on their behind. Also I sprayed the girls with a mist just this past weekend it was awful out and they all seemed just dandy with it. But they have tons of shade areas. Lots a huge bushes to get under and they hang out under the pool deck also. Who knew chickens were so dang high maintenance lmao!!! People think I'm absolutely nuts when I tell them I had to cut my chickens butt feathers

 

[flocksalot]

yeah people think I'm blowinbg smoke when i say hardware not enough the 1/2 x 1/2 is not as bad and for good start I'd go with 2x4 red brand 4 or 5 ft one strand electric 4'' from bottom two runs on top 4'' apart I'd put 36 1/2 x1/2 inside base that way can raise lil ones no prob then all you have to worry with is the sky thats were something big and mean in the run will be handy geese big tom turkey or really mean rooster that wants to kill everything not lady like in his pen .. I'm raiseing up some dark cornish heard good things about them ...

I sure hope you have some DCs with the same genetics as my girls. They will kill anything they think might be tasty. Thankfully they like me, but my rubber boots have seemed to set them off today. Carmelita one of my most docile kept pecking and cackling trying to get those things off me. Went back to my regular slipons and we're good to go.

 

[flocksalot]

Here in Wisconsin we do get some extreme temps in the mid to late summer months. I have no problems running a few extension cords and putting fans down in the drainage ditch they and my son frequent. It's surrounded by trees and densly covered with brush for shade. I keep my waterers filled and changed as needed. I also give the girls a bunch of sand and dirt that I can wet down for them to dig into. They come out covered in mud, but happier than a pig could ever get and one shake and they are relatively clean again. Then of course there are the dingbats that have to go lay on the shiney black tarp that's lying out in the sun. They love it for some odd reason.

I ment mud not mub. Stupid fingers work will ya.

 

[Red Barn Farms]

Here's one for old timers! I remember once as a kid my grandmother telling me the year she hatched 300 chicks in a weekend. I never thought at such a young age to ask her how she did it. Now, my grandparents were not dirt poor but would not have had money for one of those big fancy incubators. My mom remembered it to because she said she remembered spending what seemed like weeks out there in the barn with all the little ones. Feeding them all the time, etc. Yep, mom said the same thing, they raised 300 chickens! Miss my grandma and mom said she was to young to really remember how she had 300 eggs to hatch that weekend! Thing about it was mom said she remembers how cold it was outside and all the snow on the ground. So, it was even done in the winter.

 

[Squawkbox]

I am up to page 270! Just another 12 and I am caught up!

I have a few questions for the OT.

How much time do you give a hen that isn't laying? Days, weeks, months?
I had 2 hens that recently were fed to the dogs( 2-3 weeks ago) as they hadn't laid an egg since september! I think I gave them way too much time, but I was hoping they would get going, but enough was enough. What causes such long gaps in laying?

Also, another one of the hens hadn't laid an egg in a good 7 weeks, just one day stopped laying and that was it. The other day she finally laid. Was she molting or egg bound or..? And how can you tell? She has slight feather loss on her chest, and the skin on her stomach/ below vent is a purple-ish pink color, reminds me of a bruise. Besides that, nothing else is off with her.

Ps. All of these hens just turned 2 and are Cochins.

Thanks!

 

[holderh]

I need some old timers help!....i have 13, 2-4 day old chicks....i planned on the broody taking care of them but she killed one and started pecking the rest as they hatched so i took them away from her....so i am brooding them in the bathroom...everybody is doing good...is it too early to put them outside? i have a dog kennel i can put them in. I live in TN its been 80-90 degrees in the day and 50 plus at night. I will keep the kennel covered half way with a tarp, they will have a little carrier to get into and i will have a heat lamp going for them....will they be okay outside at 4 days old? I know a lot of people wait till they are 3-4 weeks old before putting them outside but i dont see how it can be any different than them being outside with their mother. I do have a detached garage but i rather them be in the kennel...however i dont want to kill them.

Thanks!

 

[Beekissed]

I am up to page 270! Just another 12 and I am caught up!

I have a few questions for the OT.

How much time do you give a hen that isn't laying? Days, weeks, months?
I had 2 hens that recently were fed to the dogs( 2-3 weeks ago) as they hadn't laid an egg since september! I think I gave them way too much time, but I was hoping they would get going, but enough was enough. What causes such long gaps in laying?

Also, another one of the hens hadn't laid an egg in a good 7 weeks, just one day stopped laying and that was it. The other day she finally laid. Was she molting or egg bound or..? And how can you tell? She has slight feather loss on her chest, and the skin on her stomach/ below vent is a purple-ish pink color, reminds me of a bruise. Besides that, nothing else is off with her.

Ps. All of these hens just turned 2 and are Cochins.

Thanks!

I'm not familiar with that breed or their egg laying capabilities. I can only tell you what I do. I give all birds the benefit of the doubt on laying during times of molt or low production, like winter. During peak production months such as right now, they should be laying like gang busters if they are a good producer. I usually check for laying in March, cull those not actively laying every day or every other day. Then I let the flock be what they will be...if one stops laying before the next culling, it gets to ride on a free ticket until I cull again.

Some breeds reach their egg laying peak and start down the other side by 2 years of age...maybe Cochins do this but I'm not sure...never had that breed. Could be your Cochins have reached that point and are going downhill from here.

If you are interested in good laying breeds, there are many that lay well long past 2 years of age if they are managed properly. When you replace your layers you might want to consider getting some of those breeds so you won't have to get a new flock every 2 years.

 

[Beekissed]

I need some old timers help!....i have 13, 2-4 day old chicks....i planned on the broody taking care of them but she killed one and started pecking the rest as they hatched so i took them away from her....so i am brooding them in the bathroom...everybody is doing good...is it too early to put them outside? i have a dog kennel i can put them in. I live in TN its been 80-90 degrees in the day and 50 plus at night. I will keep the kennel covered half way with a tarp, they will have a little carrier to get into and i will have a heat lamp going for them....will they be okay outside at 4 days old? I know a lot of people wait till they are 3-4 weeks old before putting them outside but i dont see how it can be any different than them being outside with their mother. I do have a detached garage but i rather them be in the kennel...however i dont want to kill them.

Thanks!

They will be fine outside...many of the OTs brood outside and never bring a chicken indoors unless it's to place it in the fridge or freezer.

Be aware that chain link won't be small enough gauge wire to hold your chicks, so reinforce along the bottom with some wire that will. Chicks are noisy and fair game for things that would dig under or drop into your kennel so you might want to take measures to prevent this.

 

[holderh]

Thanks so much Beekissed!