Colorado

[wsmith]

Well I'm back in the USA.... I saw more chickens in Europe & Turkey than here in the States.

How did Chicken Fest go??!?

I have a Bantam Cochin that is not roosting with the others, She seems slugish, & she has soft stool. Any Ideas??

She's my favorite & she's the most docile, which probably means she's at the bottom of the pecking order (From what I've seen).

Glad you got back OK and had a good time..... Was it a European Chicken/Turkey tour? LOL

ChickenFest was good, we had close to 100 people total there. Very busy, already talking about next year.

 

[pichuris]

Last update till later this evening:

17 hatch
5 pipped (not including Quiter still nothing)
Broody hen 3 hatched 2 pipped.

Ugh that bator is getting messy. Yuck.

The 5, 4 week olds went out to the coop to get a good dose of fresh air. Although artificial heat has been turned off for a week they haven't feathered as fast due to the warm weather. So hopefully with the cool air that is blowing right now will help to stimulate their feathers. Prepping their new pen and cleaning out the brooder for the new ones that are hatching.

The new coop area got marked on Sunday and the posts cut (railroad ties). Yipee!

 

[Pozees]

Last update till later this evening:

17 hatch
5 pipped (not including Quiter still nothing)
Broody hen 3 hatched 2 pipped.

Ugh that bator is getting messy. Yuck.

The 5, 4 week olds went out to the coop to get a good dose of fresh air. Although artificial heat has been turned off for a week they haven't feathered as fast due to the warm weather. So hopefully with the cool air that is blowing right now will help to stimulate their feathers. Prepping their new pen and cleaning out the brooder for the new ones that are hatching.

The new coop area got marked on Sunday and the posts cut (railroad ties). Yipee!

Today is day 21 as I recall, right? So your hatch is coming along nicely! The chicks are fine staying in the incubator for 48 hours, but I do understand your concern about the mess. Your hands may fall asleep from sitting on them, but you are doing the right thing. The pipped chicks need the humidity to finish hatching. Can't wait to see pics!

 

[Pozees]

Welcome back! Hope you had a great time.

I'd quarantine her, provide vitamins in her water and monitor her eatting.

Agreed. Might try offering her some plain yoghurt and scrambled egg. Yoghurt helps establish the good probiotics she needs in her digestive system, and the eggs will give her a good shot of protein in case she isn't absorbing adequate nutrition from her diet. How old is she again?

 

[suncatcher]

Congrats to those with chicks hatching! Wow, 17 hatched, that is a great hatch rate! Lovely seeing all the coops being worked on!

Welcome home Dnetschke!! You will have to tell us all about the different chickens you saw in Europe and Turkey! Hope you took some picture! LOL Funny to go on vacation and find chickens to see!!! I am sure you are adjusting to the time difference!!

 

[Wendi C]

Hi Everyone,
I'm new to backyard chickens. So please excuse what may be a silly question... I have a very small flock, young, inside the Colorado Springs city limits :2 EE's, 1 Rhode Island Red, and 1 Barred Rock (who I suspect is a rooster). I've just moved them from their brooder inside to their coop outside, but they have decided that they would rather sleep on ground in a heap than sleep inside the coop. For a couple of night now, I've had to "put them to bed" by hand. Is this normal? How long will it take them to learn to use their chicken ladder to access their elevated coop (they use it to get down in the morning without a problem)?

Also, I have read that you should have a minimum of 4 chickens in your flock for winter warmth. Is this true? If my Barred Rock is really a rooster, and has to go, should I try to replace him quickly with a pullet of similar age? I know that pecking order can be an issue...

 

[P-Funk]

The new coop. This is day 2 of construction.

The left side will be the coop part while the right side (of this pic) will be the run. You can barely see there are already windows (they're closed here) and the floor is framed to be 2' off the ground. I plan on making a people door into the coop with exterior nesting boxes on either side. The run end will also have a people door. The whole thing is 15' X 11' X 7' tall, so far. Question - Is a 4' X 11' X 5' tall coop big enough for 9 hens and a roo? Let me know before too much damage is done, as I plan on doing alot more

Anyone with a paint sprayer and trencher is welcome to bring them over. We'll have a coop warming party

 

[suncatcher]

The new coop. This is day 2 of construction.

The left side will be the coop part while the right side (of this pic) will be the run. You can barely see there are already windows (they're closed here) and the floor is framed to be 2' off the ground. I plan on making a people door into the coop with exterior nesting boxes on either side. The run end will also have a people door. The whole thing is 15' X 11' X 7' tall, so far. Question - Is a 4' X 11' X 5' tall coop big enough for 9 hens and a roo? Let me know before too much damage is done, as I plan on doing alot more

Anyone with a paint sprayer and trencher is welcome to bring them over. We'll have a coop warming party

I think the rule is two feet per chicken, and as you know "chicken math" should be considered while building your coop!

LOL How much room do they have inside for inclement weather?

I don't have a trencher, but we did rent one last year, seems my son in law had a really fun time running it, cause he wants to rent it again! This particular one comes with post hole digger, small bucket, etc. Kinda cool!

 

[P-Funk]

In a former life I was an electrician, so power will be run for heat and heated water. What I didn't mention earlier is there are 2 Pekin ducks to consider. The flock is actually getting smaller, as the Roo's are being given away to good homes. All in all, I really don't have a clue what I'm into.

 

[wsmith]

The new coop. This is day 2 of construction.

The left side will be the coop part while the right side (of this pic) will be the run. You can barely see there are already windows (they're closed here) and the floor is framed to be 2' off the ground. I plan on making a people door into the coop with exterior nesting boxes on either side. The run end will also have a people door. The whole thing is 15' X 11' X 7' tall, so far. Question - Is a 4' X 11' X 5' tall coop big enough for 9 hens and a roo? Let me know before too much damage is done, as I plan on doing alot more

Anyone with a paint sprayer and trencher is welcome to bring them over. We'll have a coop warming party

That is a good size. Looks very nice!