FLORIDA!!!!!ALWAYS SUNNY SIDE UP!!!

[cmom]

Do chickens get old and grey?

They can live several years but most probably not much more than around 5 years. Since I am in the egg business, I keep most of my female birds only for a couple of years. I have a few special birds that are around 3, 4 and 5 years old. The males I sort out and only keep the best 2 or 3. The feed store down the road from me will take any birds and barter for feed. I have not had any turn gray.

 

[Sjisty]

Do chickens get old and grey?

I have several 9 to 10-year-old hens. They don't get grey, but they get kind of "saggy" in the throat area and the crop. They have all stopped laying eggs, although Blackie, my Jersey Giant, still goes broody and will raise chicks. My old girls are mostly kept in the pen we call the "old folks home" so they aren't bothered by the roosters.

 

[cmom]

My older girls are also in a coop and pen with no male.

 

[chickinflo]

Hi everyone. Tips on raising baby chicks in this heat much appreciated. Once i need to start lowering the temperature what will i do?

 

[cmom]

Hi everyone. Tips on raising baby chicks in this heat much appreciated. Once i need to start lowering the temperature what will i do?

I don't know how you are set up, but you can always make a watermelon box in to a brooder until you can put the chicks in a coop. Shade is the biggest thing. Make sure the birds have shade. I hope my pictures help and give you some ideas for your set up. Good luck and have fun...

This is my brooder cabinet I put the chicks in after they hatch.

This is my grow-out coop. No nest boxes needed.


Before my cabinet, I used watermelon boxes as brooders. I went to a local grocery store and asked if they had any melon boxes I could have.



This is an older picture of my grow-out coop

 

[chickinflo]

Thank you very much for sharing . You have a lot of chickens!!!

 

[cmom]

Thank you very much for sharing . You have a lot of chickens!!!

Right now probably around 300, maybe more. I loose count. You will figure what works the best for you. Again good luck and have fun...

 

[chickinflo]

[/IMG]

this is my brooder set up. Ok?

 

[cmom]

[/URL]this is my brooder set up. Ok?

That looks good. They do grow fast. I don't know how many chicks you have. I had quite a few so that is why I used the watermelon boxes. It gave them a lot of room to grow. I have a lot of birds so I have to move birds around to get everyone into a coop. I put wire on top of the box and put a heat lamp on top of it but here in Florida they don't really need much heat this time of year. I usually this time of year I only put the light on for them at night. They days are plenty warm. I'm sure you will find what works best for you. Good luck and have fun

 

[chickinflo]

Hi i have them in my garage. After the heat of the day the plastic actually stays pretty warm and retains the heat at night and in the garage it stays warm when its closed. I put a blanket over them too. I have 5. Do you think this
Is enough room? I am also planning on getting pine shavings for now to make clean up easier