Consolidated Kansas

[HEChicken]

I would love to see how it would work out with having them in our yard when we are out. Just concerned about a few things...The first is our dogs, I am not sure how they are going to do with the chickens, I would for sure do this when they are in the house, not able to get out at first.
The second concern is our fencing around our yard, its just standard height chain-link fence. I am worried they would try to escape. I understand you can clip their wings, but it is safe for them to be free-range without wings? Can they still to to roosts and such if they are clipped? We have a Saint Bernard that lives next door who always seems underfeed (she is not always outside) and I would hate to see what might happen if they flew over. (we live right in the middle of the city)

I hope these are not silly questions!

I'm not sure what standard chain link is. 4' high? If it has a rail across the top, they are far more likely to go over it than if it doesn't. The rail gives them a solid surface to jump up to, and once up there, chances are they will jump down on the other side. They won't be intending to "run away" or "escape". In fact, as soon as they find themselves on the wrong side, they'll pace all afternoon looking for the way back in. You'd think jumping back up and over would occur to them but it rarely does.

You are right to be concerned about the dogs. In my experience, dogs are either interested in chasing poultry or they aren't. Some are far more predatory than others. I was lucky when we got our chickens 4 years ago that our two dogs we had at the time were both poultry safe. They passed on and we now have two more. When adopting the dogs, that was our requirement - that they be ok with the chickens. With that in mind we rescued from a foster agency that allowed a home visit to try them out. The first dog we tried barely looked at the chickens and didn't react when one flew by squawking in alarm at the sight of a new dog. We knew we had a winner. The second dog was good for a few days but then we caught him chasing them and he went back. The third dog is, if anything, even less interested in the birds than the first. They are both mixed breed dogs. The first is a black lab/border collie X, the second is anyone's guess. I trust them so completely that they sleep in the chicken yard at night and are there with the birds in the morning, after the auto door opens and they all start piling out, until I let them out.

On the other hand, a friend of mine has 3 retriever mixes and none is poultry safe. Although he lives on acreage and would love to have his birds free-ranging, he has to keep them confined if he wants them alive.

Of course I have a broody on 6 eggs right now, so the new babies may be too tempting to ignore for the dogs, we will have to be very careful about letting the dogs out when the babies are out and about for a while.

I would be VERY careful. My cat is afraid of chickens once they hit the 6-8 week mark. Prior to that time, he sees them as prey - and I've found out the hard way he is a formidable predator.

We dont know if they where trying to play with it or what :/ That kinda makes me nervous!

Probably they were trying to play. Most birds that get killed by domestic dogs, that's all it ever was - play. The birds (and kitten) are like a squeaky toy to them. Fun to chase as long as it is animated and squeaks back - they lose interest as soon as it goes still and stops squeaking.

OK, that sounds easy enough & we have a jig saw. We also have a reciprocating saw, but it does tend to vibrate a lot & I'm afraid would make a big mess of the barrel.

I cut a barrel into quarters with a circular saw and it was so easy it was like slicing bread. I marked on the barrel the line I wanted to follow, and then just picked a place to start. The blade melted through it like butter and from there I just followed the line, holding the saw with one hand and turning the barrel with the other, until I was all the way around. The edges came out beautifully and there was very little mess. Well, there was a ton of plastic dust (sawdust but blue plastic) just like if I'd been sawing something wood, but it swept up easily. The barrel itself came out looking really sharp.

 

[ChickieWickies]

We have an 11 month old English Pointer bird dog. She thinks she "owns" the yard and everything in it. She also thinks our chickens are her babies. She barks at any evil bird trying to invade her space--and yes, that includes air space. Heaven forbid one flies over the coop or pen! She goes crazy!! She puts her butt to the pen gate and barks to warn them off. If the birds fly over, she runs to the back of the pen and puts her butt to the wire and starts barking again. We let the ladies free range when she's in her pen and vice versa. On the one occasion she got out of her pen when they were out, she ran around them. They flapped and she was like, "BIRD, no, WAIT, my babies!!!" She didn't try to eat them.

She lays outside their pen; and when the 2 chicks hop through the wire, she just raises her head to make sure nothing is around to hurt them. She even let their momma peck her nose when she was sniffing them too closely.

I'm not willing to let them roam together, yet, she is still a puppy. But I hope she's learning that these birds are her friends and those "evil" quail are not!!

 

[chicken danz]

We show at the Cowley County Fair next week. Two of our 4-H hens are raising 2 chicks hatched July 1st. Originally, I planned on leaving the chicks at home, but our Silver Laced Cochin has proven to be a GREAT momma. I'd like her to continue raising them. Should we take the chicks with us, or will Lacey continue to raise her babies even if they are separated for several days?

I wouldn't take chicks to the fair unless the birds are in good conditions. Most of the time I just see them in small cages and it would be hard for a broody to show her babies how to eat and drink in a cage. You could try to reintroduce the to her when she gets back home but I wouldn't count on her accepting them after several days.
originally Posted by ashncarson

I cut a barrel into quarters with a circular saw and it was so easy it was like slicing bread. I marked on the barrel the line I wanted to follow, and then just picked a place to start. The blade melted through it like butter and from there I just followed the line, holding the saw with one hand and turning the barrel with the other, until I was all the way around. The edges came out beautifully and there was very little mess. Well, there was a ton of plastic dust (sawdust but blue plastic) just like if I'd been sawing something wood, but it swept up easily. The barrel itself came out looking really sharp.

Be very careful cutting that way. My brother lost two fingers when the piece of plastic pipe he was cutting jumped on him. That applies to using all kinds of saws.

 

[ashncarson]

I would be sure I was always out there with the chickens when they were outside. I've seen several people with chain link fenced back yards that kept chickens in there. A lot depends on the breed they are. If they are a heavy breed they will more than likely stay in the fence. If they are a light breed or bantam I wouldn't trust them. If you are out working in your garden and digging just put the chickens out in the area you are working. They'll find the digging to be great fun. Then put them up when you get ready to go back in.
Try reading up on chicken tunnels. I so want to do that at some point. I keep my garden fenced but if I am out there working I often open the gate so they can come in and scratch around.

The chicken tunnels sound and look like fun! I have seen where people do that with cats that they want to contain in a yard!
The chickens we are looking at getting are a hatch of different chickens, some EE's, Barred Rock, and Cochin. So I am not sure what they are considered "weight wise"

Our dog, the yorkie, his name is Douglas is a dirt dog...if he sees you digging or pulling weeds he is right there waiting for a pile of dirt to go flying in the air! he will then "pounce" on it like a cat..It is so fun to watch, maybe they could play together! They where both shelter dogs! Douglas is 2 and Shiloh is almost 8. Midnight is our 10 lb long haired cat and then my son has 8 platy fish and my daughter has a Betta. We had a milk snake but it escaped this spring, before that big ice storm

 

[cleansquared]

Omg the new chickens( from danz) laid an egg! She made her own nest box from hay on the shelf....it even has a shell!

Danz is it possible that oameal made a diff? On the days they laid shell less eggs i gave them some ground up to pwr oat meal and then nothing now i have an egg with a shell

 

[cleansquared]

What i was trying to write with my uncooperative phone is i fed them oats on the days they laid the shell less eggs then i stopped and for days nothing this am i mixed up some calandula and oats and food and gave it to them and we got an egg this afternoon...3pm

 

[ChickieWickies]

Ours haven't laid since we took them to get checked for the fair. I figured both high heat and stress (moving them around) caused them to cease for a while. Hopefully they start back up again soon.

 

[ChickieWickies]

While I'm posting, here's our newest coop. It's a duplex--half for Langshans and half for Cochins.

The kids helped us build and paint. The kids picked the colors. It's 12.5 x 4.5 with attached 12x16 pen.



Langshans own the green side. They moved in first. We placed the ramp for the Cochins when they moved in a few days later.

 

[cleansquared]

Do your langshans lay a purple/plum or pink eggs?

 

[sharol]

Yikes. I'll be you are right. My cat is quite the predator. He stalks mice, voles, huge rats, and a week or so ago brought in half grown rabbit. (sigh) I'll just have to be extremely diligent when the babies are out with their mother for a while. Once they are back in the run/coop for the night, he won't have access to them. The other cat is only 7 weeks old or so, so she won't be a problem yet (she doesn't go outside at all because of a damaged paw).

thanks for the heads up.

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I would be VERY careful. My cat is afraid of chickens once they hit the 6-8 week mark. Prior to that time, he sees them as prey - and I've found out the hard way he is a formidable predator.