Colorado

[DanicaDream]

Thanks for the welcomes!

Re: the ducks- someone in our 4H group was saying that she keeps her ducks and chickens together and they get along fine.

Maybe someday when we have more property somewhere I could get ducks. But really, I want more chickens!

Danica

 

[Pozees]

That is why I mentioned the grant funding for the soup kitchens and the like. I bet chicken owners would rather give old Henrietta to a good cause then be stuck with something most don't know what to do with, besides the attachment issues.

Yes, that is actually a good suggestion, it would require some support from local and state legislators but seems like a win-win issue to support. Certainly worthy of some thought and discussion.

 

[Pozees]

That is why I mentioned the grant funding for the soup kitchens and the like. I bet chicken owners would rather give old Henrietta to a good cause then be stuck with something most don't know what to do with, besides the attachment issues.

Yes, that is actually a good suggestion, it would require some support from local and state legislators but seems like a win-win issue to support. Certainly worthy of some thought and discussion.

 

[Pozees]

Sorry about the double post - work computer won't let me edit.

 

[P-Funk]

Perhaps there was a grammatical error in my first post. There are 2 ducklings in Castle Rock who need, and I quote,"a home on a farm". Oh, and a big welcome from Franktown Danica!

 

[VtotheAL]

It does sound like they may be chilled.  Yes, I would close the nest boxes up until they get comfortable with roosting.  You may want to cover 3/4 of the gable for now and see if that helps.  How old are they again?  If it is even with their heads now, it will be near their body as they mature and you are just going to have to do some remodeling.  Hopefully this will be the last of the real cold for the season.....

They're 6 weeks old and fully feathered. I could try closing the gable partway. They mostly roosted in their brooder and now they've stopped. That's why I started wondering. Thx!

 

[VtotheAL]

They are sleeping in the nesting box because it traps their body heat and helps keep them warm.  Chicks do not start roosting until they are 10-12 weeks.  They sleep on the ground and the ground sucks the heat out of their body.  I wouldn't care if they slept in the boxes.  They'll naturally move to the perches.  Either way you need to provide someplace warmer for them at night.  A small cat carrier covered with a towel and stuffed with bedding works, a cardboard box in the ground stuffed with bedding works....  You will need to pick them up and put them in the box for a few nights.  When they stop using it, take it away.

My chicks are 6 weeks and have been roosting in their brooder since they were 4 weeks old. They roosted almost every time they slept. So I was figuring it was cause of cold that they moved to the nesting box. But I was just afraid to close both the coop door and the only other ventilation spot, the gable door. It's a kit coop/run, so I didn't have a choice on ventilation.

 

[pichuris]

When I left this morning I had 5 BRs hatch. Really hoping for the black & red stars to hatch. Ill be putting more eggs in the bator again. My egg turner took a dump during this batch and Im not sure how long ago it croaked but Im thinking it affected the outcome. We will see.

 

[samsr]

I came home a little later than usual the other day. Generally I make it home before my oldest gets home from school. My oldest daughter was home when I pulled up and she was sitting in the chicken coop doing her homework. I found this a strange place to be doing homework, but is was a really nice day. She was sitting on the ground and letting the chickens peck at her, her books and her homework page that she so diligently working on. I told her that, given a chance, since the pages of her books and homework were brighter than anything else around, that the chickens may eat her homework and that her, not I, would need to explain this to her teacher. She looked up at me with fear and amazement in her eyes, as if to say NO WAY, Really? This reminded me of one of those "redneck jokes" that a commedian says, I think it is Bill Ingvall. You know that old standby excuse when you didnt get your homework done the night before. The old homework excuse that your teacher never believed?
Honest, Mrs Dueberry "My Dog Ate My Homework"
Well, This would be the new version for those of us with kids that like to do their homework with the chickens.

"You might be a redneck" that when you go to school, you have tell your teacher, that while you were sitting with your chickens doing your homework. They ate it.

Can you imagine a 13 year old that has always gotten straitgt A's, having to explain to her teacher that your pet chickens ate your homework. And me having to back her claim up. All my credibility would be gone, just gone. I can see a trip to the principals office for this one.

She did have a corner or two missing from a couple of pages before she got out of the chicken coop She only left so they wouldnt poop all over it. That would have been a whole new version of the redneck joke. We have friendly chickens around here, but they are not homework broken yet. LOL

I just thought I would share this, as it was quite humorous at the time. I could definately see her having to tell her teacher this and me getting that phone call afterwards and having to actually confirm this incident.
Maybe it would be like the mastercard commercial. "Your pet chickens eating your childrens homework" Priceless

 

[FrogEggs]

I came home a little later than usual the other day. Generally I make it home before my oldest gets home from school. My oldest daughter was home when I pulled up and she was sitting in the chicken coop doing her homework. I found this a strange place to be doing homework, but is was a really nice day. She was sitting on the ground and letting the chickens peck at her, her books and her homework page that she so diligently working on. I told her that, given a chance, since the pages of her books and homework were brighter than anything else around, that the chickens may eat her homework and that her, not I, would need to explain this to her teacher. She looked up at me with fear and amazement in her eyes, as if to say NO WAY, Really? This reminded me of one of those "redneck jokes" that a commedian says, I think it is Bill Ingvall. You know that old standby excuse when you didnt get your homework done the night before. The old homework excuse that your teacher never believed?
Honest, Mrs Dueberry "My Dog Ate My Homework"
Well, This would be the new version for those of us with kids that like to do their homework with the chickens.

"You might be a redneck" that when you go to school, you have tell your teacher, that while you were sitting with your chickens doing your homework. They ate it.

Can you imagine a 13 year old that has always gotten straitgt A's, having to explain to her teacher that your pet chickens ate your homework. And me having to back her claim up. All my credibility would be gone, just gone. I can see a trip to the principals office for this one.

She did have a corner or two missing from a couple of pages before she got out of the chicken coop She only left so they wouldnt poop all over it. That would have been a whole new version of the redneck joke. We have friendly chickens around here, but they are not homework broken yet. LOL

I just thought I would share this, as it was quite humorous at the time. I could definately see her having to tell her teacher this and me getting that phone call afterwards and having to actually confirm this incident.
Maybe it would be like the mastercard commercial. "Your pet chickens eating your childrens homework" Priceless