Colorado

[wsmith]

I just realized that it's only 10 weeks until I set up my breeders in the breeding pen... Time sure flies!

 

[Mtn Margie]

Suncatcher, flexibility is the key. Depending on which way the wind blows, it is nice to have options. I have two main chicken doors, currently having two groups of chickens, where the wind blows across the doors, minimizing the drifts. But because we have the mountain swirly, squirrelly type of winds, everyday is different. Currently, both doors are closed, due to the gusts of 50+ mph.

 

[wsmith]

Suncatcher, flexibility is the key. Depending on which way the wind blows, it is nice to have options. I have two main chicken doors, currently having two groups of chickens, where the wind blows across the doors, minimizing the drifts. But because we have the mountain swirly, squirrelly type of winds, everyday is different. Currently, both doors are closed, due to the gusts of 50+ mph.

That means we may get winds later today....

When we put our chicken yard together. we already knew where the wind came from in the winter, and figured that with the fence and buildings it would create some weird eddy's and drift patterns. So far we were correct. But we want to collect as much snow as we can, because that is sometimes most of the moisture we receive for the year. Normally it blows away. I have openings in each peak end of the chicken house. These are screened. The chicken door stays open most of the time, and it is on the south side. During the storm we got last week I went out and sat in the coop to observe how much snow blew in. A little got in, but not much. Not too breezy inside, but there was an air current present. We still have a couple of small drifts inside the chicken yard, and each of the smaller pens collected some snow.

 

[wickedlees]

Holy loud chicken noises bat-man! I awoke to some crazy noise thinking it was the chickens pecking the glass on the slider, but no, it was clearly too loud for that. So, I went outside, (found an egg) fed the girls their normal breakfast of a carton of yogurt inside a half a pumpkin (along with their feed), replaced the water, gave them a hand full or two of oats and then came inside for coffee. HOLY MOLY then they set up to caterwauling like I've never heard! I went running, that was not a good sound. Evidently there was a squirrel attempting to liberate their food. Phineas was having a fit, which of course led to the coronal and Pherb joining in full volume! Tini wasn't as loud but clearly they were NOT sharing with the furry one. I was outside trying to get them to be a bit more quiet because well, I do live in the city! As I am tying I can hear them squawking up a storm out there. I am thinking we may have another egg today, since I know it was the Coronel that laid this one, and I am sure we have 2 birds laying now, as we had 2 eggs one day. Maybe they just want me to come out and pet them, they have been following me around and stand at the door if I am in the kitchen. Who knew I'd be such a bird lover? PS I LOVE LOVE LOVE those cute silkies someone posted for sale, but can't take a pair. I can't have a roo.... But I'm very excited because we will be adding 2 red stars to our flock here this week or next! YAY! Can't wait for more awesome personalities! <~~~~ \CHICKEN JUNKIE

 

[AlivianAcres]

Anyone have dog training tips for keeping them from eating the chickens...or know of a good trainer? Our 4 month old golden has always been interested in the chickens but today in less than 5 minutes outside he killed a pullet (one of my sons chickens :'( making the ordeal that much worse!). Is he doomed to a life of being tied up...because if that's the answer I'll rehome him.

 

[carolynm]

I've heard of tying the dead chicken around their neck so it keeps hitting them....for a few days. My pyr/golden killed my roo and a call duck this summer...he's now chained...I couldn't bear to do that to my dead roo!

 

[Ashdoes]

Put him on a leash, tie it to your belt loops, and take him with you during chicken chores, then correct every time he makes a move toward a chicken. Correction over and over and over. I'd give him two weeks, to see if he's trainable. Especially if you free range your chickens and don't want to babysit the dog all day. At such a young age I would think he'd learn better, then if you waited. It would be sad to get rid of him without at least trying.
My two Bostons got used to the rules while our first six chickens brooded in the house. Then I took them in the chicken run one at a time on leash, and corrected. Then when the chickens were big enough to free range I supervised the dogs off leash. Then our Barred Rock was big enough, and pecked the dogs pretty good if they got too close, which she did in the run as well. They stay pretty far from the bigger chickens now, and I've only had a couple problems with them and the tiny silkies. I can leave the dogs outside now, with no problems, although I wouldn't if I wasn't home because that's just asking for trouble.

 

[wickedlees]

We lost a pullet to the neighbor's jack R terrier... which made me SO mad! But, whatever, it happens. My dogs, a pug (not real likely to bite) and our Rottie are so good with them. None of our cats even bother ours. I think the Rottie likes to play with them cause he chases them around and they chase him. He could certainly catch them, but he just lopes around and plays. I think the leash idea while doing chicken chores is an awesome idea! Good luck! Retrievers want to retrieve.

 

[coloradogal]

Anyone have dog training tips for keeping them from eating the chickens...or know of a good trainer? Our 4 month old golden has always been interested in the chickens but today in less than 5 minutes outside he killed a pullet (one of my sons chickens :'( making the ordeal that much worse!). Is he doomed to a life of being tied up...because if that's the answer I'll rehome him.

It takes some training on your part now. My brother rehomed one of his dogs because even after constant training, the dog still had that prey drive. His pit loves his chickens and just sort of ignores them and they co-exist wonderfully outside. He had to work with his retriever though. I have a dogtra collar that he kept on him and every time he made an attempt at lunging, he got shocked. Eventually after a couple of weeks, that drive went away.

The pit was the surprise though. He brings Sweety with him to my house and during Thanksgiving, the kids locked Sweety in my chicken run. I didn't realize it until my brother seen chickens out of the run. Then I went and realized that Sweety was out there. She didn't touch nary a feather on their heads although I suspect she might have chased them as the poor chickens scrambled to fly out the run and the smaller ones hid in the old wishing well.

My biggest fear is a stray dog getting into their run area as my chickens aren't afraid of dogs. I do not completely trust any of my dogs though. I have a puppy almost a year and he mauled one of my baby chicks a few months ago. He didn't eat the head but licked the baby to death. I now bring him out to the run with me and I squirt him with water if he even dares to look wrong at the chicken. Part of why I bred my american bulldog with my mastiff was to get puppies that were less inclined to eat chickens. I suspect we'll breed one more time and then have them both fixed as their last litter went quickly to friends/family and they have all turned out to be very calm and gentle.

I'm sorry you lost a chicken. It sadly happens to us all. Just try to make sure it doesn't happen again.

 

[coloradogal]

I have been kicking around the idea of making my current older garage into a four run chicken pen. My thoughts are an walkway on the north side, as our winters here are very cold, and would hope it would make their inside area warmer by not extending all the way to the north wall. Would also like to make small chicken doors on the southside of the building in hopes they would have sun most of the day. IDK though..... I also want to consider where the drifts are with winter storms, as I am new to this area.

I had a small room on my garage that was converted into a coop. It works wonderfully and it puts my mind at east in the winter for the blizzards and the summer for the winds. It gets fairly hot though which was an issue during our many days of our hot weather this year though. I still have to figure out the whole insulation of that area for next summer. But even on the coldest nights, water I have left in their coop has not frozen yet. *I keep the little waterer filled up as I have 2 sets of babies under 3 months old.