Consolidated Kansas

[Katy]

Quote:
Michael why will you be clipping their wings? You might wanna rethink that. Its always nice to be able for them to get away from dogs cats nextdoor neighbors and from an aireil assult.

Just my two cents from experience

I may rethink clipping the wings given the right reason. The reason I want to clip their wings is this... I am trying to automate as much of the chicken house as possible. I work in the city and I have a new baby, so my time at home is very limited. By automating the chicken door to the run, amongst other things, I won't have to spend nearly as much time with them. That said, my fence is about 4 feet tall at its shortest point (there are some 6 foot sections in the run). If I don't clip their wings, I'm worried they can escape the run and without me around to catch them, I could lose some birds. The computer will coax the birds in at night with lighting then shut the door automatically so night-time predators should be a minimal issue here. The run is so big that I can't justify covering it with wire over the top. The run is larger than my house, maybe 2500 square feet or more. With the birds coming in at night and a predator deterrent system, I shouldn't have much trouble with predators. The issue is the fence in the run. Any thoughts here?

A four foot fence is nothing to a dog, fox or coyote.

I don't know what kind of breeds you're planning on having, but even clipping the wings will not keep some birds from hopping right over the fence. I'd seriously consider making a higher fence and covering it.

 

[ChooksChick]

I would like to share with you a sad truth: even with dramatically clipped wings, or a single wing, and shaved bald, a determined bird will still get over a 4 foot fence.

If it was me, I'd come up with a way to raise the fence, or cover it. Avian netting is very doable, and you can put center support in so that it's a walkable area. That's what I've done. I have several pens with 36" fencing, and I've zip-tied the avian netting to it, then have center support posts (denuded 12' 4" diam. trees hacked down in the woods...) poked up in the center like a circus tent. Works great to keep the zoomers in, keeps hawks out, and makes life easy.

Regarding your roost: I'd hike up the feet of the whole unit on cinder blocks to change your spacing, since it's on hinges...but I'm married to a guy who'd take the whole thing apart and perfectionist it to death...

Personally, I try to make less conflict in the coop at bedtime by making all the roosts 10" away from the wall all the way around...at exactly the same height. This keeps the hierarchical competition to a minimum and they clique together in natural social groups.


Quote:
Michael why will you be clipping their wings? You might wanna rethink that. Its always nice to be able for them to get away from dogs cats nextdoor neighbors and from an aireil assult.

Just my two cents from experience

I may rethink clipping the wings given the right reason. The reason I want to clip their wings is this... I am trying to automate as much of the chicken house as possible. I work in the city and I have a new baby, so my time at home is very limited. By automating the chicken door to the run, amongst other things, I won't have to spend nearly as much time with them. That said, my fence is about 4 feet tall at its shortest point (there are some 6 foot sections in the run). If I don't clip their wings, I'm worried they can escape the run and without me around to catch them, I could lose some birds. The computer will coax the birds in at night with lighting then shut the door automatically so night-time predators should be a minimal issue here. The run is so big that I can't justify covering it with wire over the top. The run is larger than my house, maybe 2500 square feet or more. With the birds coming in at night and a predator deterrent system, I shouldn't have much trouble with predators. The issue is the fence in the run. Any thoughts here?

 

[Ivywoods]

Quote:
Michael why will you be clipping their wings? You might wanna rethink that. Its always nice to be able for them to get away from dogs cats nextdoor neighbors and from an aireil assult.

Just my two cents from experience

I may rethink clipping the wings given the right reason. The reason I want to clip their wings is this... I am trying to automate as much of the chicken house as possible. I work in the city and I have a new baby, so my time at home is very limited. By automating the chicken door to the run, amongst other things, I won't have to spend nearly as much time with them. That said, my fence is about 4 feet tall at its shortest point (there are some 6 foot sections in the run). If I don't clip their wings, I'm worried they can escape the run and without me around to catch them, I could lose some birds. The computer will coax the birds in at night with lighting then shut the door automatically so night-time predators should be a minimal issue here. The run is so big that I can't justify covering it with wire over the top. The run is larger than my house, maybe 2500 square feet or more. With the birds coming in at night and a predator deterrent system, I shouldn't have much trouble with predators. The issue is the fence in the run. Any thoughts here?

Flight netting. You'll need it. Keeps the hawk and owl problem to a minimum as well. The nylon netting isn't too hard to get up. It's light enough, but certainly easier to stretch and space correctly with two people. You can span a long distance with it. Game bird farms do incredible sized runs with it. It would keep your birds a lot safer than clipping their wings. If you can't be there as much as you like, you certainly wouldn't want to come home and find some predator had gotten in or that your birds had hopped out and some stray dog had chicken party at your place.

Back to the roosts. The spacing may be a little close on the horizontal plane, but hey... I LOVE the fact that they are on hinges to allow for easy cleaning. (Now why didn't I think of that!?!)

 

[ChooksChick]

Ivywoods- I just noticed you were waiting on Blehm Lav Ameraucanas- I have about 30 eggs set from Blehm, Ribbeck and Shaffer lines. Holler at me in a few weeks and I should have some spare roos.

 

[Ivywoods]

Quote:
...........I think I'll need more than just roosters!

 

[ChooksChick]

Quote:
...........I think I'll need more than just roosters!

I'm going to hazard a guess that the hatch won't be so successful I'll get a ton of extra girlies, but if I do, they have your name written all over them! They are in the rcom...but they are also shipped.

I thought you had Black Ameraucanas? I must be thinking of someone else...get to work on getting some, quick!!

 

[Ivywoods]

Quote:
...........I think I'll need more than just roosters!

I'm going to hazard a guess that the hatch won't be so successful I'll get a ton of extra girlies, but if I do, they have your name written all over them! They are in the rcom...but they are also shipped.

I thought you had Black Ameraucanas? I must be thinking of someone else...get to work on getting some, quick!!

My ameraucanas were supposed to be here last week. I'm still waiting.

 

[OzawkieBantams]

MICHAEL.
I know a place that is selling some of this netting, and it would just about cover your yard. They are in Meridan they are tearing down four pheasant runs to rebuild for whitetail deer.

 

[HEChicken]

bnjmik, I think you said you are only doing meaties? Are you planning on doing Cornish X or a DP bird? If Cornish X, there will be no need to clip their wings. They're not gettin' off the ground now way, no how

Also, I noticed your comment that they will be coaxed into the coop by light at night. Can I offer that this is totally unnecessary? Their natural inclination is to go "home" to roost when dusk falls - they will head to the coop as light outside starts to fade. I've never added light, so perhaps your research tells you otherwise, but my concern is that having a light come on in the coop around the time they are thinking about heading to bed might only serve to confuse them, rather than coax them in.

 

[ChooksChick]

Yeah... poor John was having terrible fertility issues and the Blacks got here last year with the Chanteclers a little late...and the Lavenders ordered at the same time made it ...last month.


When I reminded him he sent us the blacks last year and didn't still owe us, it made it an earlier ship on the Lavs- his blacks are having worse fertility than his Lavs.
Of course, it just works that way sometimes! I'm hatching eggs from Dak and LAMike, and so there should be some splits in there from Dak. I'm very hopeful I'll have excess, so I'll let you know.

I am working with the Black roos in my Paint pen and soon in my Silkied Ameraucana pen. Those babies are soooooo slow to mature and docile I'm terrified to put them in with these big, meaty manbirds...I wish you were closer to me- I'd come salvage some of your barn to make ghetto coops...I'm into repurposing materials.

Michael#3, I agree- if you're raising meat birds, you absolutely don't have to worry about them getting out of the pen, but you do still want to cover it. Due diligence an price-shopping on ebay will get you the netting you need in an affordable way.

I disagree about the light- 90% of the time when folks can't get their birds to go in at night, it's due to an inability to see the inside well enough to feel safe. If there are lots of windows, they are fine, but in a dark coop, they don't know something isn't in there waiting to eat them and it's not as easy to find roosts, etc. I would keep the fabulous plan of the lighting system. The only caveat is that if you haven't windows and there's a power outage, they will crowd around the door, terrified. I use solar string lights that come on automatically at dusk- $13.85 at Target right now! Staplegun= done.


Quote:
I'm going to hazard a guess that the hatch won't be so successful I'll get a ton of extra girlies, but if I do, they have your name written all over them! They are in the rcom...but they are also shipped.

I thought you had Black Ameraucanas? I must be thinking of someone else...get to work on getting some, quick!!

My ameraucanas were supposed to be here last week. I'm still waiting.