Feed inside the coop or outside?

[oldhenlikesdogs]

As you've seen I often type like Tarzan which sounds arrogant, though I'm familiar with what you are talking about. Everyone starts as a novice, and everyone has their own ways. Respect goes a long way. I have always asked too many questions to the point that people think I'm questioning their authority or their knowledge, but I just always wanted to know why someone does things a particular way and how the decision was made.

Not everyone has a predator problem, and it's your business on how secure you want things, not others, it's best to start somewhere than change things as you go along if necessary. I do things in an old farmer way, because that's what I am. I am always willing to learn more, and respect others opinions, and how they do things.

I ordered my hatching eggs from My Pet Chicken, my sole source for my chicks, and now I'm trying their hatching eggs. I also have six turkey eggs coming from Porters turkeys in June, apparently the 15 turkeys I have aren't enough. I do like my poultry.

 

[DreamsInPink]

I have to say you are one of the most easy to talk to people I have encountered here. Not that there haven't been a handful of others, but so many see their way as the only way. That's difficult. And unreasonable.

That is exactly what I was referring to about myself.... asking too many questions. It makes others feel I'm arguing or being snobby... or something. I'm so glad you get it!

I'm hoping I don't have a predator problem.. but I do live in the country... so only time will tell. We do have two large dogs that have a fenced in yard and the chicken run will be adjacent to them. I'm hoping that might help.

I like the thought of doing things the old farmer's way. Tried and true.

So what kind of eggs did you order? I have an order coming from My Pet Chicken also. Not till June, but I'm excited. That was the soonest I could get a lot of the breeds I wanted. But that's fine. My coop will be well finished by then and I'll have 2 other age groups already out there. Right now I have 20 chickens in my house.. in two different brooders. hahaha! WHAT was I thinking?!

Ooooo... Turkeys! My bf mentioned something about getting some.. but I told him one critter at a time please. lol I wouldn't mind, but I'm assuming they have to be housed away from chickens? Do they need a coop and run as well?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I shouldn't tell you how naughty I've been this season, a bit of background might help, you're easy to talk to too, I had two types of cancer in the last few years, I danced with death, decided life really is too short, than I promptly ordered more chicks and eggs, just in case things go bad again.

So I have 19 large breeds and 6 bantam chicks coming the last week of May. Then I have a dozen hatching eggs coming the end of April, some lavender Wyandotte and Olive eggers and a couple of Cuckoo bluebars.

I hope to brood both batches together, but the ones I hatch, if I hatch, will be a week older, so my first time dealing with different ages in the brooder.

Than my turkey eggs arrive in the beginning of June. I will be kept busy, and happy. I will exceed my normal number of poultry I usually keep, though I do have the room. It should be exciting. I will have close to a 100 total for poultry, I usually keep around 60, between chickens, bantams, muscovy ducks and turkeys.

My turkeys have their own coop and run because I find them to be thugs, who will randomly chase chickens. Some other people say that they do house a couple with their chickens, and say they are fine, I have found things to be a bit different here, all my birds seem more rowdy than others, they must be healthy and happy, I figure. Turkeys are so different than chickens, they believe I'm their mom, and will follow me everywhere talking loudly. The chickens just want the food.

You'll be happy to hear I just read a thread where the person has a silkie as her oldest head chicken and she rules the roost, so maybe your silkies will be fine. Sometimes I share what has happened to me but it doesn't mean it will happen to others, that's part of my give all the information I have to people, it's the other side of asking questions.

 

[DreamsInPink]

Oh gosh, sorry I've been MIA.... I read your message shortly after you posted it, but I was just hopping online for a few minutes and didn't have time to reply. And since then, I've been busy! Either here or running errands.

I'm very sorry to hear about your cancers... it is a terrible, scary, ugly thing. My dad passed away from lung cancer back in 2002. but I'm hoping that means you are cancer free! Regardless though, I'm happy your chickens make you happy. I'm finding mine make me very happy too. It's the craziest thing. lol My bf and daughter thinks I'm nuts. haha! But they are slowly accepting it all.

Wow... 19 breeds... that's awesome!! I'm not sure how many I'll have this year. Several. I already have 4 so far, plus my meaties... But I also have several breeds ordered from My Pet Chicken. Yay!! And I'm apparently a glutton for punishment, because I just bought 12 Buff Orpingtons. I'm so happy! I was going to add some to my order from MPC anyway, and today I was able to get them $2 cheaper than online.

It sounds like you have some of the more rare ones. The Lavender Wyandotte... *drools* I have 2 Silver Laced right now, and have 1 Golden Laced ordered for June.

I definitely wouldn't mind having some turkeys... but I really don't know if I want to try it this year. We still have a bit of work to do to finish our chicken coop... and I want to do meat rabbits. And meat goats. Eventually. :yiipchick


I'm really hoping my Silkies do well. Right now, they are spastic!! Eesh. They are kind of annoying. I have them in with my 2 Silver Laced Wyandotte and 2 Barred Rocks. The SLW and BR were calm and quiet, until I put the Silkies in with them. Now they are all nuts. :/ I had to move everybody around tonight to make room for the Orpingtons. I went really slow and tried not to frighten anyone, and they actually did pretty well. My ORIGINAL Silkie and the BRs were very calm and let me pick them up.. and when I put them back into the bigger brooder, they even stood still and let me pet them for a few seconds before walking away. I was so proud of them!! The SLW seem a bit more flighty, and the Silkies are off the charts. I don't really understand it. Because the ONE Silkie I had first, was very calm.. and let me pet it. I guess only time will tell. I just want them all to be sweet. lol

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

It's fine. Sounds like you get to know play musical chickens. I don't bother taming my birds down. Eventually they get more friendly, but it sometimes takes two years.

Sorry about your dad, it's a rotten thing to go through, I am trying to put it behind me but I'm always aware of it.

Sounds like you have lots to do. So exciting. I have some goats, they are just lazy pets.

 

[DreamsInPink]

Oi, sorry. My post was really long. :/

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

And mine was too short. Sorry. I am excited about my Wyandotte, they are one of my favorite breeds, so many nice colors and patterns. I should have a couple of roosters to choose from too.

You are never technically considered cancer free, they don't use that term, but let's hope I'm close enough. What color silkies do you have? And how big of coop are you building? I also like my buff Orpingtons, I have 6 hens and two roosters currently, my oldest hen is an Orpington, she and her two sisters will be eight.

 

[DreamsInPink]

It's ok.

Yes, I love the Wyandottes too!! My Silver Laced seem really flighty. Ugh.

Hmm, my ex mother in law had breast cancer twice. Thankfully she has been clear for years. I'll definitely keep you in my prayers!

My Silkies are going to be white. They are so ugly! They look like little tiny ostriches. LOL And they are spastic. I hate it. They've made all of the others that are in with them spastic too. :/ Grrr.

Our coop is 10' X 20'. We've been working on it a little bit at a time. Almost all of the plywood is on the walls, as of today. I'm so excited to get it done.

My little Buff Orpingtons are so cute... so tiny!! I haven't spent much time with them yet. I'm trying not to stress them out. It took me a while to get them into their brooder after we got them home and they were cold. I felt so bad. They weren't very active. But when I checked on them yesterday morning, they were doing great. Even the little one with a pasty bottom was fine!

Something funny I did last night... I was sitting and hanging my head inside the brooder with the Silkies, Barred Rocks and Silver Laced Wyandottes... but when I move, even the least little bit, they freak out and run and fly to the opposite end of the brooder. But I have Mealworms!! I pulled one out of the bag and held it down in there. I have one very brave Barred Rock... lol She ran up and snatched it and ran. I did it several more times... and got them to the point where they'd run to my hand, even if it was empty. I was so happy. lol

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

That's good, my chicks always act like I'm king Kong trying to pick out a meal. Mine eventually come around. I'm a hands off owner unless necessary. I don't think I could touch meal worms, I'm bug phobic.

That sounds like a great sized coop. Always build as big as you can I always say. Yours should be really happy in it.

I used to have silkies but don't have any right now, they were odd and I needed a break from that. I have bantam cochin now, straight and a few frizzle, and some d'uccle mixed in.

It's always nice to hear when someone survives cancer, especially twice, it's so scary, but I try not to think about it too much and just keep looking forward. Thank you.

 

[HennyPenny2]

I was reading some of your conversation and just wanted to say I have felt the same as you on this forum. Guess I'm not alone but it's a shame people are left feeling like that especially newbies.
Anyway I was going to mention based on your question that from my experience (9 years keeping chickens) my hens even in the worst weather prefer to be outside and they have a very roomy clean coop so I keep their food outside which also helps keep my coop cleaner as they are not all in there eating and pooping lol. I use http://www.amazon.com/Chicken-Feede...ue&ref_=ox_sc_sfl_title_1&smid=A36STBE1TJHB9T
Hope that link works. You can make them yourselves but at the time I had too many other things to do so I bought it. Love love this feeder! The rain can't get in, and the rats or mice don't know it's there so it's fairly rodent proof (I suppose it's possible for them to get to it but no open food doesn't draw them to it and I used to have a problem with that but not since switching to this feeder). So just thought I would mention that.