Consolidated Kansas

[sharol]

Incubator? Someplace really warm with a lightbulb and moisture? I'd candle them for sure to make sure they are viable and then try to get them to hatch.

My hen stopped sitting o. Her broody eggs after 2 of them hatched. Anybody know why she did that and what I should do?

 

[chickmama1662]

Hi All, for those of you who have Orphington's what size nest box do they need? We have some Orphingtons from Dick Horstman that we need to set up nest boxes for. Thanks.

 

[chicken danz]

My nest boxes for large fowl are usually about 12 X 12. You could actually go a little smaller but it seems there's usually more than one hen in there at a time.
Very quiet here this morning. I suppose I should go get busy doing something. I have a case of the lazies today.

 

[chickmama1662]

Thanks for the answer Danz.

 

[sharol]

My nest boxes are 12x12x12, too, but if your Orpingtons are the size of the ones I saw at the fair last fall -- criminy. They were HUGE. Easily double the size of my Marlena (and she isn't a small hen). Are these the huge show birds?

Hi All, for those of you who have Orphington's what size nest box do they need? We have some Orphingtons from Dick Horstman that we need to set up nest boxes for. Thanks.

 

[ashncarson]

My nest boxes for large fowl are usually about 12 X 12. You could actually go a little smaller but it seems there's usually more than one hen in there at a time.
Very quiet here this morning. I suppose I should go get busy doing something. I have a case of the lazies today.

how tall would you make those? 12x12x12? I will have 5 chickens and planned on 2 boxes. From what I read they will probably favor one, but I figure I better have 2~

 

[chicken danz]

Yeah I would do a 12X 12 X 12 and would also make two boxes because chickens are picky. Be sure to put some kind of lip on the front. They like the feeling of being enclosed and it keep the eggs from being knocked out.
Sharol, yep those would be the exhibition orps. I have a group of them. Lovely monsters. They just seem to keep growing. Of course if you put them in a cage near a bunch of other smaller birds they look a lot larger than they do just running in a pen with each other.
One of my Orp boys is being shown this week at the Coffey County fair. I am pretty sure he will take a good prize. I also have two New Hamps from Reece that are being shown I expect to do well. These are birds I sold under value for kids to show specifically. Judging from the others I tested for 4H they won't have any competition.

 

[cherwill]

That's the size of ours, too. We have three boxes for ten hens. They nearly always lay all their eggs in one box, but it's not necessarily the same box each day. I have no idea how they choose. A couple of times I have seen two hens in two different boxes at the same time, so I think it's a good idea to have two boxes for five hens.

I hope everyone's enjoying the cooler weather today! I'm going to can some corn relish and heat my house right up.

Yeah I would do a 12X 12 X 12 and would also make two boxes because chickens are picky. Be sure to put some kind of lip on the front. They like the feeling of being enclosed and it keep the eggs from being knocked out.

 

[HEChicken]

Tweety, so sorry to hear you've been sick!

DH and I were out last night and on the way home I was yawning and so tired and really just wanted to go to bed. I do a check on the birds EVERY night before I go to bed, to make sure they are all locked up safely but last night I was so tired I briefly considered skipping it "just this once", thinking as long as I put the dogs in there, the birds would be pretty safe. Then I had the thought that if anything got in and got them, I'd never forgive myself so I went down to take care of them and this is what I found IN the coop:



In the photo it actually does not look as big as it really is. (Keep in mind, my cat is an enormous cat who weighs about 25lb, to give you a little perspective). I have two little barred rock chicks that are about 3 weeks old and one of them was sitting about 2" from the snake's head. The other was nowhere in sight. I have no idea why the chick was on the floor as they normally sleep together on the roost. I could only figure that one had been eaten and the snake was about to pounce on the second when I walked in. The chick looked frozen, like it had been hypnotized, so without really stopping to think, I grabbed the snake by the tail and dragged it out of there. The photo is taken at the house by my DH and then I took it across the street and let it go. Hopefully that was far enough away that it won't return.

I then returned to the coop to make sure everyone was okay. The chick that had been by the snake was now up on the roost, looking lonely and I felt bad for it that its friend was gone. I started moving turkeys in (they had all gone to sleep outside the coop) and much later saw the second little barred rock chick sitting on another roost. SO glad not to have lost it - these were hatched from Reese eggs and I'm excited to raise them up. I then checked out all the other babies and came in with a full count - it doesn't appear I lost any birds. Possibly some eggs but I can't get too excited about that.

The stink in the coop was overpowering. I keep pet snakes and they do NOT smell like that. This almost smelled like a skunk had let loose in there. And the other thing was that the ducks were terrified to go in. Normally they go in the coop and sleep on the floor but last night every single one of them from the oldest to the 5 ducklings who hatched a few days ago, were on the ground outside the coop. When I tried to herd them in, it was like herding cats. I could get them close to the door but then half would break left and half right, refusing to actually enter. I did eventually get them in but it took about 45 minutes. Clearly they understood the danger posed by the snake and I'm glad the older ones kept the ducklings with them - it may have kept them alive.

 

[HEChicken]

Sorry guys. I caught up on posts this morning, started to compose my message, then got a call that a friend was on her way here to visit and had to rush to get ready for her. After she left I finished the last sentence and hit "submit" but of course in the meantime another page of posts had been added. I didn't mean it to look like I was ignoring all of those people.

I have a bank of 6 nest boxes for 20+ laying hens. Most eggs are laid in 3-4 of them. Right now broodies are taking up some of them too. My boxes are 12x12x12.