Colorado

[Aacre]

I'm sorry to hear that you lost one of your Marans! There's not much you can do at this point. You've noted that there doesn't appear to be anything wrong with it. Just keep a close eye on everyone else for a while is all I can suggest.

 

[maggiemo]

Thanks for the support.
I just went out and looked at each one. I don't see anything off, then it occurs to me, what am I looking for?
No poopy butts, no snotty nose or eyes, everyone is eating..a lot...?? What else?

 

[Aacre]

Sounds like you are on the right track. Checking the eyes, nostrils, skin, feces.. It sounds like an isolated event to me. It always sucks to lose one though, at any rate!

 

[ONSTAD1]

Hello everybody.

As some know, and some don’t, I run a program for special needs teens and young adults here in CS (18- 34 years old). I’m always looking for new and novel things to engage them and to make their lives purposeful. So here is my newest Idea… Chicken Coops, feeders, solar coop lights (decorative/functional) etc. made by my clients “for sale” to joe chicken public. “For sale” in quotes thinking we would do everything for cost…. No mark up. So the idea is a no-profit business… The profit will come in the form of my guys and gals building and marketing products gaining the vocational skills they will need to move forward in life and move towards independence.

What are your thoughts on the concept? Feasibility? Any ideas for products (I have a few in mind, but know this is a community of ideas)? Any plans we could use?




Mo

 

[ONSTAD1]

And we are presently accepting "pre-orders" ; )

(you name it, we'll build it!!!)

 

[trsturself]

Hello everybody.

As some know, and some don’t, I run a program for special needs teens and young adults here in CS (18- 34 years old). I’m always looking for new and novel things to engage them and to make their lives purposeful. So here is my newest Idea… Chicken Coops, feeders, solar coop lights (decorative/functional) etc. made by my clients “for sale” to joe chicken public. “For sale” in quotes thinking we would do everything for cost…. No mark up. So the idea is a no-profit business… The profit will come in the form of my guys and gals building and marketing products gaining the vocational skills they will need to move forward in life and move towards independence.

What are your thoughts on the concept? Feasibility? Any ideas for products (I have a few in mind, but know this is a community of ideas)? Any plans we could use?




Mo

I think that's a great idea. The market may be limited but more and more people are getting into chicken keeping so it's growing.
Another idea is automatic coop doors. I just made one myself and after the initial learning curve (I know nothing about electronics) it wasn't too hard. I followed some plans I found online. There's a bunch of videos of people that have done this. Mine is a plug in style right now but I made it where I can upgrade it to solar if needed. I've also read about using the solar panel as a photodiode (or adding one if you use 12v) so the door will adjust itself to the changing light of seasons and open at sunrise and close just after sunset. I'm sure these would be popular especially if you can get the cost below the current retail of $100+.

There's a million coop plans out there. You can also do brooders and incubators!

meant to add: thanks for your work with special needs. My daughter is special needs (though not severe enough to need ongoing support, it was bad enough we had to homeschool). Your work is appreciated!

 

[trsturself]

Keep your fingers crossed for us. We have an offer accepted on the place with 5 acres!

Just need everything to go smooth from here on out including selling our current house (which goes on the market tomorrow).

For those who saw my post a few weeks ago about bad house on beautiful 10 acres vs really nice house on ok 5 acres, we decided to go for the 5 acre place. We love the house and the land is usable enough we can work with it.

Here's a pic.

 

[Pozees]

maggiemo, you are doing all the right things - you look for anything that isn't normal chick activity - a chick off by itself, ruffled up, not eating and drinking, slow to move when others dart away, etc. Just like adults, baby chicks will sometimes die for no reason we can determine and as Mtn Margie said it is usually due to an internal problem that can't be fixed anyway. Some studies have shown chicks can live for a week or more and then suddenly die because they are not able to properly metabolize something and had enough stored when they hatched that they were okay for a little while, then suddenly were not.

Onstad1, I think that is a splendid idea! I wonder if they could also build some basic storage sheds we all find we need for bags of food, bales of straw, off-season waterers, brooders not currently in use, etc? I know I need one! Another thing Bob asked me to start looking for is what I would call a run-in structure - he wants a three-sided structure to put up around the hydrant so when it's windy and I still have to do chicken waterers I don't look like something in a scene from The Wizard Of Oz Oh - and cupolas! Bob has been looking for one he can afford for the top of the shed coop for over a year now! Even if you just do basic coops I'm pretty sure my name will be on your waiting list pretty quickly. Every time I read Ashley's tag line I laugh to myself ("the coop and run are never done") - not only are they never done, by the time they're close we need another one LOL

trsturself - fingers tightly crossed for you!

 

[trsturself]

maggiemo, you are doing all the right things - you look for anything that isn't normal chick activity - a chick off by itself, ruffled up, not eating and drinking, slow to move when others dart away, etc. Just like adults, baby chicks will sometimes die for no reason we can determine and as Mtn Margie said it is usually due to an internal problem that can't be fixed anyway. Some studies have shown chicks can live for a week or more and then suddenly die because they are not able to properly metabolize something and had enough stored when they hatched that they were okay for a little while, then suddenly were not.

Onstad1, I think that is a splendid idea! I wonder if they could also build some basic storage sheds we all find we need for bags of food, bales of straw, off-season waterers, brooders not currently in use, etc? I know I need one! Another thing Bob asked me to start looking for is what I would call a run-in structure - he wants a three-sided structure to put up around the hydrant so when it's windy and I still have to do chicken waterers I don't look like something in a scene from The Wizard Of Oz

Oh - and cupolas! Bob has been looking for one he can afford for the top of the shed coop for over a year now! Even if you just do basic coops I'm pretty sure my name will be on your waiting list pretty quickly. Every time I read Ashley's tag line I laugh to myself ("the coop and run are never done") - not only are they never done, by the time they're close we need another one LOL

trsturself - fingers tightly crossed for you!

I like all those ideas Pozees. And no kidding... we have been expanding our coop since the moment it got chickens in it. lol
I'm already thinking of all sorts of ideas for the new place.

 

[suncatcher]

Hello everybody.

As some know, and some don’t, I run a program for special needs teens and young adults here in CS (18- 34 years old). I’m always looking for new and novel things to engage them and to make their lives purposeful. So here is my newest Idea… Chicken Coops, feeders, solar coop lights (decorative/functional) etc. made by my clients “for sale” to joe chicken public. “For sale” in quotes thinking we would do everything for cost…. No mark up. So the idea is a no-profit business… The profit will come in the form of my guys and gals building and marketing products gaining the vocational skills they will need to move forward in life and move towards independence.

What are your thoughts on the concept? Feasibility? Any ideas for products (I have a few in mind, but know this is a community of ideas)? Any plans we could use?




Mo

A wonderful idea..... there are a lot of You Tube vids out there, chicken tractors come to mind, and they are fairly easy to construct, and easy to deliver.

Keep your fingers crossed for us. We have an offer accepted on the place with 5 acres!

Just need everything to go smooth from here on out including selling our current house (which goes on the market tomorrow).

For those who saw my post a few weeks ago about bad house on beautiful 10 acres vs really nice house on ok 5 acres, we decided to go for the 5 acre place. We love the house and the land is usable enough we can work with it.

Here's a pic.

Everything crossed, I hope you get it!

maggiemo, you are doing all the right things - you look for anything that isn't normal chick activity - a chick off by itself, ruffled up, not eating and drinking, slow to move when others dart away, etc. Just like adults, baby chicks will sometimes die for no reason we can determine and as Mtn Margie said it is usually due to an internal problem that can't be fixed anyway. Some studies have shown chicks can live for a week or more and then suddenly die because they are not able to properly metabolize something and had enough stored when they hatched that they were okay for a little while, then suddenly were not.

Onstad1, I think that is a splendid idea! I wonder if they could also build some basic storage sheds we all find we need for bags of food, bales of straw, off-season waterers, brooders not currently in use, etc? I know I need one! Another thing Bob asked me to start looking for is what I would call a run-in structure - he wants a three-sided structure to put up around the hydrant so when it's windy and I still have to do chicken waterers I don't look like something in a scene from The Wizard Of Oz

Oh - and cupolas! Bob has been looking for one he can afford for the top of the shed coop for over a year now! Even if you just do basic coops I'm pretty sure my name will be on your waiting list pretty quickly. Every time I read Ashley's tag line I laugh to myself ("the coop and run are never done") - not only are they never done, by the time they're close we need another one LOL

trsturself - fingers tightly crossed for you!

Agree, it is never totally done! I am now planning to add "just" one more small coop..... yeah, right.