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

[Lazarus718]

So how long have you had them ?? and is this their first time outdoors full time ?? at 12 weeks they should have been outside and used to the temps for quite a long time now. Is the coop one of those little small closed in types toy deals with an attached little run and is that why the temp was 95 ??. When they are exposed to their permanant housing at normal ages of 3-5 weeks or sooner in the summer they will learn faster and become aclimated quicker and get smarter. Now if you have raised them in an indoor sheltered enviroment all this time and are just now putting them outside, they will be seriously confused and it may take awhile for them to figure stuff out and to learn to shelter themselfs, especialy if they have been pampered for 12 weeks indoors they are at a serious disadvantage now especialy as fall and winter nears.

We've had them since they were chicks a few days old. They went outside once they were around three weeks old and we were keeping them in a wire cage until I was able to build their new coop. Temps got to 95 because we got up to the high 80's/low 90's yesterday in ambient temperature. I'll include a picture of the coop in its current state for you. I think they were used to their wire cage, they would put themselves right in there on their own at night if I still had them out in the yard when it got dark. My guess is that if their house gets too hot today they'll bee line out into the run but I told my wife I would ask the chicken gurus anyways. I'll be getting home a from work a little after noon time so I should be able to chase any of them out into the run before the temps climb too much today.

 

[galanie]

Therapydoglady used hatchery chickens for her egg production, too, so that's what we are doing as well.  She replaced her flock every 2 years whether they were spent or not.  She said they weren't ever worth their feed past 2 years.  She always got her new stock in October or November, so they were ready to lay in the Spring.  When they started laying good, then the old ones would go, and the new ones would take their place.  We have had many complaints from her customers that there are no fresh eggs to be had here in Kermit.  They are glad we're going to pick up that slack, but they just have to give us some time.  Her goat milk customers, same thing.  I think in time we will be welcomed here, and become part of the community, but so far...not so much!

Bryan and the kids got back about an hour ago.  BJ's birds are absolutely gorgeous!  They are being housed in the layer coop and run until we get their "palace" fixed.  That rooster, tho, is already looking at me and Samantha kind of sideways.   Better keep a watch on him!  I did not put ACV in their waterer as it is galvanized.  Will replace it with plastic this week.  Should have done it yesterday, but ran out of daylight and git-up-and-go.  TSC is open late in Odessa, but just couldn't make myself drive 45 miles over there and then back for a chicken waterer!

They brought the Anatolian puppy home, too.  Sooooo cute!  It'll be hard not to just love her up, but she's already with the ducks, and we will do like we are supposed to, only handling her at feeding times and to go to the vet's etc.

Things are clinking into place around here, and I sure do like that sound...

Brie

You do know, when you mention having gorgeous birds, that it's a requirement to have pictures, right?

 

[galanie]

Some hens never lay at all.  The longest I've waited for a hen was 9 mo. but I knew when all the other hens of her breed were well into lay by 5 mo. and she didn't that I might have a non-layer on my hands...but hope springs eternal...and I usually only cull once a year, so I fed the barren hen all winter.  I'd give her another month but it doesn't sound good....

 

Not an OT at all, but just had to add that I have one that didn't lay until she was almost 11 months old. And not a good layer really still at 18 months old.

 

[Kansas Prairie]

Alright y'all,
My newbie question for the night comes mostly from my wife's mouth (cause I told her not to worry about it)....we just built our first coop and put the hens in it today. They're new girls only 12 weeks old. She had put them in the hen house initially but I had installed a temp gauge and it was reading 95 degrees so I told her we had to stick them in the run instead so they could get to their water. Well 10 o'clock tonight and it's 53 degrees out there and will probably get down to around 45 or so. So here's the question: How long will it take for them to figure out how to climb the chicken ramp to their coop and to shelter at night? Should I even let them out to range at all right now or wait until they are adjusted to their new quarters? I'm leaving the pop door open for them to explore right now but none of them have braved it so far. We had to (at my wife's bequest) chase them down in the run tonight and stick them into the coop. Will have to do the opposite tomorrow morning at 5:30am when we both get up for work to get them out to their food and water since we'll probably hit the 90's again. Obviously my goal is for the hens to adjust to the temperature differences on their own. Are we crazy for rallying up these chickens to compensate for our temperature swings? I believe so but am worried that I might get something wrong one night and we lose one. My wife is a tough one if you know what I mean.

Might try putting a little light, (flashlight) in the coop before dark, then as it gets dark they will usually head towards the light. After they are in go shut off the flash light. They will usually get the idea after a few nights. Do you have a roost in the coop for them? If you have the yard light on to watch them, they may not go in the coop.

 

[Leahs Mom]

You do know, when you mention having gorgeous birds, that it's a requirement to have pictures, right?

I'm not an OT. (disclaimer)

If they were mine, I'd keep them inside the henhouse a few days so they learn that it is home. Then I'd let them go out after that. If it's too hot, figure out a way to get it ventilated!

 

[Kassaundra]

My first attempt at the lamp shade broody hen didn't work out well, but I revamped it and this second attempt looks more promising.

 

[FuzzyButtsFarm]

My first attempt at the lamp shade broody hen didn't work out well, but I revamped it and this second attempt looks more promising.

You know we're all waiting for pictures.

 

[Kassaundra]

You know we're all waiting for pictures.

Okay, but keep in mind I just threw this together w/ what I had laying around the house.


This is the lamp shade, I lined the inside w/ aluminum foil to retain the heat, used the hole in the top to wedge in scraps of rags that hang down inside the shade.


I cut an opening in the shade material for the door


On my first attempt I loosly stitched the heating pad to the inside of the lampshade on the top, so it would be like the heat from above like the hen, but it didn't keep the area warm enough even w/ the foil. So this time I wrapped the heating pad in plastic garbage bag and duct taped it, then duct taped this towel on top. It is holding heat in the mid 90's and had been for a couple of hours now, that white thing is the thermometer. The heating pad is on low, and is positioned so it only covers 1/2 the floor space under the "broody shade" so they can get off the heating pad and on the dirt floor but still be "under the hen"


Just a close up showing the rags hanging down in the "hen"




So far it is looking really good for use.

 

[armorfirelady]

Quick question: how do your gourds smell? In our part of the world they smell terrible. They are used for playing smelly pranks....YUCK!

Well I havent opened them but whole they dont smell like anything. No soft spots or anything. Gourds here are like squash

 

[FuzzyButtsFarm]

Quote: That is ingenious. And it works. I used to have a shade just like that. Now I wish I wouldn't have thrown it away.