Colorado

[michaelpivola]

So, how hot is too hot,what do you do and how do you know if it is too hot?
my hens are 16-18 weeks old, can i use a misting hose to cool them?
the run is 6 ft tallx6 ft wide and 12 feet long with opened peaks for ventilation and sideboards which can be lifted or lowered as needed.
thanks, mike

 

[21hens-incharge]

So, how hot is too hot,what do you do and how do you know if it is too hot?
my hens are 16-18 weeks old, can i use a misting hose to cool them?
the run is 6 ft tallx6 ft wide and 12 feet long with opened peaks for ventilation and sideboards which can be lifted or lowered as needed.
thanks, mike

Well you are in Florida and we are in Colorado lol. Hot here is anything above 80 to hot is when they are holding their wings out from their bodies and panting.

As to a misting hose well that will depend a lot on what humidity you have. It works here because we are usually very low in humidity.
You would not want steamed chicks.

Folks on here may have more or better info for your area.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/305793/florida-always-sunny-side-up

 

[michaelpivola]

thanks,

 

[uzisuzuki]

Well, I came home from work to major drama in my little flock. After months of no issues, Memnoch decided to try & kill Odysseus sometime during the day. My poor little rooster is banged up pretty bad, but probably worse for him is that he's no longer Alpha. His hens dropped him pretty fast. I was a little surprised by that.

I have them separated right now so Odysseus can heal & not get attacked more. I am wondering if I added more hens if they could be in the same flock again? I knew I probably didn't have enough hens for both of them but was really hoping they'd make it through to next spring. I was pushing my luck & Odysseus paid for it. I feel really terrible. He's not going to die from the wounds, but he is special to me & that makes me a lot more emotionally invested in him & willing to do whatever I can to get him back into the flock (with the exception of killing Memnoch - that is a last resort option). I ended up with those hens because of him! Anyhow, any suggestions, tips, etc. are greatly appreciated from y'all.

Pretty sure this might have killed any urge in me to hatch again.

 

[coop410silkies]

Well, I came home from work to major drama in my little flock. After months of no issues, Memnoch decided to try & kill Odysseus sometime during the day. My poor little rooster is banged up pretty bad, but probably worse for him is that he's no longer Alpha. His hens dropped him pretty fast. I was a little surprised by that.

I have them separated right now so Odysseus can heal & not get attacked more. I am wondering if I added more hens if they could be in the same flock again? I knew I probably didn't have enough hens for both of them but was really hoping they'd make it through to next spring. I was pushing my luck & Odysseus paid for it. I feel really terrible. He's not going to die from the wounds, but he is special to me & that makes me a lot more emotionally invested in him & willing to do whatever I can to get him back into the flock (with the exception of killing Memnoch - that is a last resort option). I ended up with those hens because of him! Anyhow, any suggestions, tips, etc. are greatly appreciated from y'all.

Pretty sure this might have killed any urge in me to hatch again.

Oh, that is so sad. I have three roosters in isolation - they are potential breeders - for just the same cause. What has worked for me is to keep all my roosters in a pen of their own, in a group of at least four or five. No one gets singled out for a beating that way. Hope your Roo recovers OK. Sounds like YOU got more damaged than he. Hmmm, a lot of stuff goin'on with the chickens here. Worries me some. Don't beat yourself up about Odysseus. If you do end up penning your roosters together, I would put my weakest in first and add the strongest a little later..

 

[suncatcher]

Quote:Oh, that is so sad. I have three roosters in isolation - they are potential breeders - for just the same cause. What has worked for me is to keep all my roosters in a pen of their own, in a group of at least four or five. No one gets singled out for a beating that way. Hope your Roo recovers OK. Sounds like YOU got more damaged than he. Hmmm, a lot of stuff goin'on with the chickens here. Worries me some. Don't beat yourself up about Odysseus. If you do end up penning your roosters together, I would put my weakest in first and add the strongest a little later..

It has been my experience that they will eventually get along, at least that is what I have seen with my Cochins. Were they still fighting when you saw the one was injured? If they were not fighting, then they have already come to an understanding, and will be fine from here on out. It can be messy when boys fight for the top spot. You could try adding a few more hens in the mix, so both boys have their own. If they don't learn to live together, you may have do separate coops. Make sure they have a large area to spend the day, given more room sometimes helps too! Wow, it is sure quiet around here these days, 20 chickens less makes a huge difference on the feed bill, and the noise level, not that they were noisy! Only a few more hens, and pullets to sell, and I will be good to go for the rest of this year. Of course it will start all over again next spring!!!

 

[uzisuzuki]

Oh, that is so sad. I have three roosters in isolation - they are potential breeders - for just the same cause. What has worked for me is to keep all my roosters in a pen of their own, in a group of at least four or five. No one gets singled out for a beating that way. Hope your Roo recovers OK. Sounds like YOU got more damaged than he. Hmmm, a lot of stuff goin'on with the chickens here. Worries me some. Don't beat yourself up about Odysseus. If you do end up penning your roosters together, I would put my weakest in first and add the strongest a little later..

Yes, I definitely took it worse than he did because he's special to me and I get a *tad* hysterical when it comes to him (I'm sure everyone here is pretty much fed up with me in that regard by now). What worries you?

Quote:




It has been my experience that they will eventually get along, at least that is what I have seen with my Cochins. Were they still fighting when you saw the one was injured? If they were not fighting, then they have already come to an understanding, and will be fine from here on out. It can be messy when boys fight for the top spot. You could try adding a few more hens in the mix, so both boys have their own. If they don't learn to live together, you may have do separate coops. Make sure they have a large area to spend the day, given more room sometimes helps too!


Wow, it is sure quiet around here these days, 20 chickens less makes a huge difference on the feed bill, and the noise level, not that they were noisy!

Only a few more hens, and pullets to sell, and I will be good to go for the rest of this year. Of course it will start all over again next spring!!!

Memnoch was still trying to fight with Odysseus this morning, so they haven't reached an understanding yet. Odysseus is banged up enough that I made him a pen outside the flock so he could recover today. He's eating and drinking and even started crowing at his hens (who, surprise, were all lined up staring at him from their pen). I guess I feel bad because I knew I was short the minimum number of hens recommended for 2 males. Because they had been getting along for so many months, I was hoping I could get through to next spring before needing to add more hens. If I had had a coop ready earlier this year, I probably could have avoided not having enough hens in the first place. I had planned on getting some aviary netting to cover the extended yard for the peafowl, so maybe that'll be a good thing for the chickens as well.

Do you mind if I PM you about the hens/pullets you're selling? In addition to pen expansions, I would like to cover my bases and at least get to the minimum number of females-to-males while I'm at it. No sense is continuing to try and wait at this point, I suppose. Might as well get everything done while the weather is still nice for construction and working out pecking orders.

 

[suncatcher]

Of course you can PM me anytime you like.......

I finally integrated two roosters that I had been trying to do for over six months, I just let them work it out in their big area. Took a picture of my Barnie's beautiful comb in case it got damaged, and lo and behold, a few runs at each other, and that was it! I tried in the fall/winter with no success, they tried again in the spring, and it worked. Does anyone know what the difference could have been?? More mature maybe? More hens for them in the spring???

Have to post this of my littlest EE pullet.... she was moving, they rarely stand still!!!

 

[lisa14]

Hi all I am new to Backyard Chickens. We live east of Colorado Springs and are new to having chickens. I have 8 buff Orpington hens and 1 buff Orpington rooster. I got 4 kids who just love having them. I also have a doberman who just lays around the yard with them.lol

 

[suncatcher]

Welcome! Nice mellow breed the Orpingtons!