Connecticut!

[wantedman66]

Thanks and where is shagbarks.

 

[blipit007]

Just wanted to throw this out here.

I visited www.cameronfamilyfarm.com this am, to place an order, DEFINITELY check them out! Chicks of different breeds ready to go! Nice set up , NPIP certified, very nice to work with, I'm so glad there is now someone close by to get chicks from..I HIGHLY recommend them! They are in East Haddam
Diane

They were definately really great people! I went friday. They had a ton of Silkie chicks, all different colors. They did have a breeding pair of turkeys. I don't know anything about turkeys though. I did pick up my blue silkie there. The owners were even really sweet when I called them in a panic once I got home. My other chicks were too curious about Marbles 5th toe. They are great people!

 

[blipit007]

Does Shagbark still have the Barred Rocks and RIR's?? That's where I got mine last week. Give Sam a call, she rocks.

They did have some left as of Friday morning. Not many. And they actually had some Buff Orp which they didn't have available on chick day.

 

[singham]

Time to start coop building! my girls are 6 weeks old now. They have gotten so big so fast!
There are so many different options and ideas for coops, that my mind is completely boggled! What did you all do?
I'll need electricity hook up in there for the winter right??
ps, I have 9 girls to be used strictly for laying (my husband thinks otherwise and has named each one a different chicken dinner)
So does that mean 9 laying boxes or do they share?
I need to buy the "chickens for dummies" book lol

 

[CaCO3]

Time to start coop building! my girls are 6 weeks old now. They have gotten so big so fast!
There are so many different options and ideas for coops, that my mind is completely boggled! What did you all do?
I'll need electricity hook up in there for the winter right??
ps, I have 9 girls to be used strictly for laying (my husband thinks otherwise and has named each one a different chicken dinner)
So does that mean 9 laying boxes or do they share?
I need to buy the "chickens for dummies" book lol

Here's my set-up.

Only need electric for a water heater and light. I have an outdoor 2-outlet mounted on a post, next to the coop. The underground wire was layed years ago, for a light, which was lucky for me. In a pinch, you can always get by with outdoor grade extension cord and cord connection shields, especially if the coop isn't far from the house.

Light is optional, but nice to have when it gets dark early so you can see what the heck you are doing. Also can use lights on a timer to stimulate laying when days are short. I use the tube LED lights (outdoor kind) on the timer for the chickens because I feel like that is safer, and have an outdoor grade LED bulb in a basket fixture for when I need a real light to do stuff. To keep water from freezing I use the metal pan heater stand w/metal waterer. Also have a plastic heated waterer, but have had several water disasters when trying to flip it back over after filling it. Not pleasant experience in the freezing cold.

Probably only need 2 nesting boxes. I have a variety because every hen has her own "thing." Generally, if one girl lays an egg the rest all decide the want to lay their eggs there, too. Some girls don't want to share and then the hen waiting to lay her egg will strut around squawking all ticked off. Also if any of yours go broody, she'll take up residence and take over the nesting box and the others might start laying eggs on the floor, etc. A Home depot bucket set inside a shallow storage bin and a covered kitty litter box (a clean one) have been the two most popular models with mine..... very fancy.

Don't need to provide heat for the coop, as long as they can stay dry and sheltered w/ventilation. A chicken book is not a bad idea. Actually have seen good reviews of the Chickens for Dummies book. Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens is a good one. Then there is always the free advice on BYC and the WWW!

 

[singham]

Here's my set-up.

Only need electric for a water heater and light. I have an outdoor 2-outlet mounted on a post, next to the coop. The underground wire was layed years ago, for a light, which was lucky for me. In a pinch, you can always get by with outdoor grade extension cord and cord connection shields, especially if the coop isn't far from the house.

Light is optional, but nice to have when it gets dark early so you can see what the heck you are doing. Also can use lights on a timer to stimulate laying when days are short. I use the tube LED lights (outdoor kind) on the timer for the chickens because I feel like that is safer, and have an outdoor grade LED bulb in a basket fixture for when I need a real light to do stuff. To keep water from freezing I use the metal pan heater stand w/metal waterer. Also have a plastic heated waterer, but have had several water disasters when trying to flip it back over after filling it. Not pleasant experience in the freezing cold.

Probably only need 2 nesting boxes. I have a variety because every hen has her own "thing." Generally, if one girl lays an egg the rest all decide the want to lay their eggs there, too. Some girls don't want to share and then the hen waiting to lay her egg will strut around squawking all ticked off. Also if any of yours go broody, she'll take up residence and take over the nesting box and the others might start laying eggs on the floor, etc. A Home depot bucket set inside a shallow storage bin and a covered kitty litter box (a clean one) have been the two most popular models with mine..... very fancy.

Don't need to provide heat for the coop, as long as they can stay dry and sheltered w/ventilation. A chicken book is not a bad idea. Actually have seen good reviews of the Chickens for Dummies book. Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens is a good one. Then there is always the free advice on BYC and the WWW!

Thank you!
You're girls are super fancy with their litter boxes! I'm kinda jealous. lol
So they can survive the winter up here without heat? with the freak storms we have had over the last few years, and the crazy low temperatures,.. i just wasnt sure if i should set myself up to keep the heat lamps going in the winter.
Good thing I work 3rd shift. I'll be doing a lot of reading tonight,..although the personal experience and friendliness of everyone here is much better than any book!!

 

[CaCO3]

No need for heat lamps they huddle together and fluff up their feathers to trap heat. One less fire hazard, too.

Big thing is keeping them dry and leaving enough ventilation - you can use the vents like in soffits or the eaves of your house- same idea. Or just cut some holes and cover with hardware cloth. From your pics, looks like you have a couple of competent carpenters at your disposal (lucky you).

If you do have the opportunity to custom build it, some convenience factors to consider from my lessons learned:

1. easy to clean- changing out litter and what kind of floor you want
2. food and water- position where the chickens won't be kicking tons of crap in it, easy to refill
3. roosting posts- also, factor in the proximity to your feeders, you'd be surprised at how far poop can travel from above...
4. if its a walk-in size coop, allow yourself headspace. Otherwise paint the low framing a flourescent color and/or wear a helmet.

Yes, people in BYC are nice and there is a lot of info.

 

[new chick 203]

A little off topic but, does anyone here raise bees?

 

[singham]

CaCO3- I imagine your coop is walk in? lol do you suggest any specific helmets? tehehe

on a serious note, if yours is walk in, if you had the chance to rebuild, would you stick with a walk in, or go with one with the hatched sides to get to the eggs?

 

[CaCO3]

CaCO3- I imagine your coop is walk in? lol do you suggest any specific helmets? tehehe

on a serious note, if yours is walk in, if you had the chance to rebuild, would you stick with a walk in, or go with one with the hatched sides to get to the eggs?

Started out with a little pre-fab coop that you could open the hatch and grab the eggs, the flock totaled 3 chickens. The flock grew, so had to build something to house them. Actually, the mini-coop is now inside the new coop area. It's a great, jumbo-size nesting box. The hens love it.

With the pre-fab, I still had to create an enclosed area for the chickens + covered the food/water area. My yard is not fenced and coop was too small to fit feeder/waterer inside.

The other thing to consider is possible building/zoning permit req's, when you start going big. Not sure how many chickens you have, but there is plenty of middle ground and creative solutions. Google "chicken coops". There are some really, really talented people out there.