constructing a single chicken family unit for porch

[centrarchid]

Very soon my trained American game pullet (Sallie) will become a full fledged hen with a transition to broodiness shortly thereafter. I would like to have her and her brood available before and after work so she, eggs and bitties can be weighed on a regular basis. Sallie already stands on scale but taking her and entire brood into house as done now will be a pain. Scale for measuring requires electricity so front porch has all needed plus location where she roost already. Nest box will be provided at about 4 feet above ground on shelf tier immediately below roost. She and Eduardo (desired sire) should find it immediately. Soil and wheat straw will be provided for Sallie to create nest in and moderate changes in humidity.

Concern I have is providing cover from eyes of red-tail hawk yet allowing Sallie to bolt if a predator does come calling. While on nest she will be away from protection of group and vegetative cover. To compensate, I want to provide some form of camofluage. Sallie herself is cryptically colored almost like a red jungle fowl. Any ideas on coverings she can see through? I also want her to bring chicks back each night once they are air worthy which is another concern to be addressed later.

 

[centrarchid]

Not working as planned. Eggs were deposited in nest within 24 hours. I wrote eggs.

Four eggs and only one is white (Sallies).

Somehow Eduardo is to blame. Hens preparing to lay somehow signal to rooster they got one peeking and he promptly leads flock to nest site he has scoped out. I will have to setup four, possibly five nest to deal with this mess. I never really figured rooster was so involved with nest site selection.

 

[welasharon]

How cute is that? I'm sorry...not making light of your problem but that tickled me so! Perhaps you and Eduardo should have a man-to-man...
sharon

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
I read the whole thread in a nut shell:
You are raising chickens totally free range without a coop.
You feel this makes the chickens stronger and more following their natural survival abilities.
Your hen is nesting in a box on your front porch.
You want to protect her from red-tail hawks because she isnt protected by her flock.

If its survival of the fittest why protect her...

But that said why not put up some camoflaged netting in a canopy out from your front porch. You can buy it at an Army Surplus store or you could make your own using Aviary netting with strips of green and brown cloth woven in randomly add in a few branches too. This will protect her from the hawks and give her cover on her way back to her nest.

 

[elmo]

If I understand you correctly, you're planning to put a nest for your hen out in the open, with no solid walls, wire or security of any kind from predators? Um, yikes.

Hens will often stay on their nests to protect their eggs or chicks rather than flee from predators. A friend of ours lost his Aseel hen to a raccoon that way. If you go ahead with this idea, understand that you may lose your bird and/or her chicks to this plan.

I use a portable, battery powered digital scale to weigh my birds. I just bring it right out to the coop and it's very convenient. The chickens stay safe in their own secure housing, too.

 

[centrarchid]

Burlap idea sound good.


Quote:
Elmo,

My chickens and their ancestors raised chicks in barns, under farm equipment, in woodlots and on front porch for many generations without confinement.

I have had many hens that were harmed by or lost to predators. Obviously not all are lost otherwise line would have gone extent. Aseels are from my understanding decidely inferior to my birds when it comes to reproducing in a free-range setting where I live. Some of the anti-predator behaviors have been bred out or of secondary concern to selection for gameness. My birds have alway had to survive / breed on a walk (free-range) before selection for game attributes could occur.


Even so, risk for birds and worry for me is cost of freedom for the birds. Freedom does seem to matter for some chickens.

I have the coop arrangement for dominique broodstock and those birds actually harder to get to stand on scale. The games can fly / hop up to my level on table that is always present and that they are accustomed to. Placing the table in each coop is not practical and is a stressor. When I tower over the birds they tend to be scared. Darn doms are more flighty than games. Flighty not best term, maybe figidity better and they are near the upper limit of scale capacity. I already have the AC powered scale.

 

[elmo]

I just wanted to make sure you realized the risk. We belong to a local poultry group, and we've met so many folks there who are really, genuinely surprised and upset when their birds are picked off by predators. I guess many people living in the suburbs have forgotten that it really is a jungle out there....for a chicken.

I don't think the biggest risk to your nesting hen is going to be a raptor, though. It's a ground based predator, like a raccoon, fox or weasel.

 

[centrarchid]

Quote:
My dog now makes forays for ground predators risky. Also nest site right outside master bedroom window where most critters to not like to be. I go out frequently to check what is making racket and by time Sallie starts setting, the dog will be sleeping within feet of her in front of door. Racoons not been our way lately owing at least in part to lack of suitable forage and introduction of dog. Weasels like a stream or seep to move along while my patch is upland. Weasel for me never a problem to birds able to get about. Weasels seem more a problem for confied birds.

Raptors (red-tails only concern) constantly coming in to take voles from perch providing line of site to my intended nest site for Sallie. Ground providing key attraction for hawk is not mine to management against not possible.

 

[centrarchid]

perchie.girl :

I read the whole thread in a nut shell:
You are raising chickens totally free range without a coop.
You feel this makes the chickens stronger and more following their natural survival abilities.
Your hen is nesting in a box on your front porch.
You want to protect her from red-tail hawks because she isnt protected by her flock.

If its survival of the fittest why protect her...

But that said why not put up some camoflaged netting in a canopy out from your front porch. You can buy it at an Army Surplus store or you could make your own using Aviary netting with strips of green and brown cloth woven in randomly add in a few branches too. This will protect her from the hawks and give her cover on her way back to her nest.

Conditions for keeping my line of games has been maintained for a lot longer than I have been around as my grandfather and his forefathers did same. They are not of hatchery, show or backyard stock. Birds kept as such can and do live many years so situation not as bad as you might think. I am trying to keep them tough, not make them tougher. Survival of fittest not interpretation intended.

Front porch location is actually well protected against ground dwelling predators which are normally biggest hazard. I want to oberve the birds to monitor development. At this point I plan on using burlap to make a semi-permiable curtain where I can see in Sallie (and now the dom girls) can see out yet have their outlines obscured from prior eyes of red-tailed hawk.​

 

[centrarchid]

perchie.girl :

So you had the solution already.....

I would be the last to criticise over three generations worth of tradition. I was just trying to absorb your logic.

According to my mother, a solid 6 generations with same family name. As for logic, more credit is given than due. I have kept birds for years but took for granted all the very interesting behaviors they engage in. The games at least have a rather large set of behaviors that keep them out of or get them into trouble. The behaviors are quite different than the dominiques and California greys I am also studying in some detail.​