Found my first chicken. What is he?

[DawnCols]

I think whether you keep her or not, you've done a very good thing by rescuing Nellie and fixing up her hurt toe. Glad you found a chicken rescue person--sounds like a real find.

I have a couple of comments to add. You'll find that different people have very different opinions about chicken keeping. You'll have to decide for yourself what makes sense to you.

The original ebay link you posted (the coop/cage) is more than adequate to keep 3 chickens very happy. It has a nest box, enclosed sleeping quarters, and protected area for foraging in the grass safe from predators (we call that a "run"). It's light enough you can move it around if you want to so the same spot in the grass doesn't get worn out. I could be wrong, but I suspect it would be warm enough in the winter not to need any extra insulation.

With that setup, in the morning you put out fresh food and water, dump the "poop board". 10 minutes tops (not including time for petting and cooing at them and watching their silly antics.) I use chick feeders and waterers and run them through the dishwasher now and then so for me, cleaning those is easy.

In the evening they put themselves to bed on their roost in the coop at dusk. All you do is take the feeder inside (discourages raccoons and other predators from hanging out) and lock the coop up for extra security. And of course, collect the eggs. About 2-3 minutes.
If you get home before dusk, (or on non-work days) you might like to let them roam the yard under supervision sometimes. Fun to watch!

Every few months you'll probably need to do some coop cleanup--I use wood shavings on the bottom, so for me cleaning means sweeping out the old and putting in fresh.

Thanks for sharing your story with us and best of luck to you in your adventure.

 

[[email protected]]

Thank you for the care overview. It is helpful to know. I've started using wood shavings too. It really cuts down the smell and makes cleaning up easier. I put the shavings in my vegetable garden. A poop boarfd? I'm guessing it's removable. Maybe something like counter top materiel that's easy to clean?

 

[goldtopper]

Not an Austrolorp- wrong eye color.
And that's all I have to say about that.

 

[[email protected]]

People are telling me Jersey Giant. She has greenish eyes. I think she looks like a black Maran I saw a picture of. But what do I know. I was only able to identify her down to "chicken".

 

[Nicole01]

I'm happy you decided to keep your chick. They are such great pets. Right now I do not have a poo board, but I will need one. A Formica/granite counter top would work. All I have is a roll of plastic that will have to work once I put the roost up. I keep 1/2 my flock in a dog kennel. I'm integrating and I need to keep them separated.

Not sure if you thought of a nest box. I've read 12x12x12 works well. Many people use milk crates. We are using a make shift cabinet for our nest box and putting a divider in there. My Hubby says they need light in order to lay, so we have a light in the coop. 6 months of snow, they will be stuck inside the coop full time with a heat lamp.

I use pine chips also. I sprinkle food grade DE in every 2 weeks to help keep the odor down. It controls the pests too, but I have mine outside. I scoop the poo daily using a litter box scooper. I add new shavings when needed. I throw them in a pile just outside the garden. I read it takes 6 months or so before it composes. This is what has worked best with me.

Good luck! You have a beautiful pullet.

 

[5Leepy!]

Hi [email protected]! So glad you're considering keeping Nellie if it's a she. I've become completely fascinated with my chickens.

I wanted to explain the Poop board a bit... I'm pretty new to chickens myself and was confused about some basics for a while. Once your chick grows a bit more, she'll probably want to sleep on a roost. This is some sort of pole/branch/board that is up above the floor of the enclosed coop. Similar to how I'm sure your house bird sleeps in it's cage. They feel safe from predators this way (it's like sleeping in a tree). When they sleep on this roost, they tend to poop in one general area. You put a board under the roost so that the poop lands on it. It should be a board that isn't too large or heavy but is wide enough to catch the mess and completely removable but not shaky in any way... the chicken will likely have to step on it to get up on the roost. Every morning (or several times a week) you can take the poop board out and scrape it off into your compost or wherever. This keeps the poop from accumulating in one spot and making a huge mound of stinky and keeps the coop much cleaner with not much effort on your part.

My confusion in the beginning was thinking that the chickens would want to sleep in their nest boxes. I was thinking, "birds live in nests so chickens must want to sleep in theirs.". Wrong thinking on my part. All a chicken generally does in their nest is lay eggs and/or sit on the eggs to hatch them. I think I read in your earlier posts that you wanted to insulate their nests, etc... and really the nest boxes don't need the kind of attention that their roosts and runs do. They spend most of their time in the run part of your set up (daylight hours) and on their roosts the rest of the time (dark hours) and generally only go to the nest boxes to lay. My experience (although admitedly limited) is that the chickens want to lay in a place they feel protected so you'll want the next boxes to feel somewhat enclosed (think cave-like). This is why milk crates, 5 gal buckets on their sides, etc... work well. When the chicken is inside of them they feel like they're completely enclosed except for the one side they're facing so predators can't sneak up on them.

Now some thoughts about your chick and her situation for now... I have some 5 week olds that look a little older than yours. I've installed a branch in their brooder that's about 4 inches off the floor and they LOVE it. They don't sleep on it yet but they do love to roost on it during the day and chase each other around on it. It's their entertainment and training for when they grow up and go in with my older girls. I also built a high platform that I put treats on and made a ramp for them to walk up to get the treats. Again, I'm trying to teach them how to walk up a ramp for when they move out to the bigger coop. It's also another fun thing for them to do. I find that my chicks get bored like any child and when they get bored they get destructive... turning over their feed, etc... so I try to keep them busy.

Lastly... in trying to get the chicks used to darkness and not be so scared for when they get moved, I have turned off their heat lamp (they don't need it anymore anyway) and put their brooder pretty close to my sliding patio doors. As much as possible I let their light be dictated by the sun. It seems to be working better as they get into a routine that is similar to my older girls and they seem to be less stressed at bedtime.

Again... I'm a newbie as well so my suggestions might not be the best but just wanted to pass along some help since I have chicks like you as well as some grown hens.

Good Luck!
5Leepy!

p.s. LOVE the color of Nellie's eyes. I never knew chickens could have green eyes before!

 

[[email protected]]

http://s265.photobucket.com/albums/ii204/Scylla_photos/Nellie/

Updated pictures of Nellie as of yesterday. She's getting big.

 

[flnatv]

[email protected] :

I found the thread about the game hen in Miami and felt immediate kinship!

I am so torn about Nellie. If she's a female, a sanctuary will take her and I no longer have to worry about caring for her. If she's a roo (notice I'm picking up the talk! hehehe) then no one will want him and I won't be able to keep him either. You see my predicament here?
And amidst all the confusion, I'm thinking that IF I keep her I'd have to get at least one (maybe 2) more chicken(s) for companionship and winter warmth, buy a coop, and make sure it's insulated. I'm looking into solar heating panels to keep the water from freezing. OR I keep one chicken and keep her indoors in winter in a rabbit cage, like this one: http://cgi.ebay.com/Prevue-520-Rabbit-Bunny-Guinea-Pig-Cage-Hutch-Stand-/300346949194?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item45ee12be4a

I am paralyzed by indecision, especially while I wait for her to definitely become a her. If she's a him, I'm so toasted. I think I'm planning and thinking about this too much.

PS: I saw a pic of lavender Orps. Wow!

Just read through this and you are doing a great job

Also see chicken math starting up again (went from 1 friend to 2 friends)

 

[[email protected]]

Chicken math? laughing! You're right. Definitely no more than 3 though. well, 4 max. No more than 4. So now in my head I'm thinking Jersey giants? Australorps? EE's? And then I see a Phoenix rooster, buff orps, lavender giants. and others I don't even know the names of and I want one of everything. There are so many and they are so pretty! And I just love roosters, but can't have one in the city.

I just found someone here in Brooklyn who started up a backyard chicken business. For a fee, he'll do everything from setting up the coop, cleaning it thoroughly twice a year, offers subscription food, hay and litter, advice, and even the chickens. I'll have to call him Monday.

I've found another coop I like better than the original one I was looking at. This one has a drawer under the coop for easier cleaning. Still going to have to insulate the house though, but that's ok.

I posted those pictures on a new thread and I got a couple of votes for rooster. sigh

 

[flnatv]

[email protected] :

Chicken math? laughing! You're right. Definitely no more than 3 though. well, 4 max. No more than 4. So now in my head I'm thinking Jersey giants? Australorps? EE's? And then I see a Phoenix rooster, buff orps, lavender giants. and others I don't even know the names of and I want one of everything. There are so many and they are so pretty! And I just love roosters, but can't have one in the city.

I just found someone here in Brooklyn who started up a backyard chicken business. For a fee, he'll do everything from setting up the coop, cleaning it thoroughly twice a year, offers subscription food, hay and litter, advice, and even the chickens. I'll have to call him Monday.

I've found another coop I like better than the original one I was looking at. This one has a drawer under the coop for easier cleaning. Still going to have to insulate the house though, but that's ok.

I posted those pictures on a new thread and I got a couple of votes for rooster. sigh

We have someone else to enable....and you need a silkie (one of each color) and a Polish, and a turken, and a.......... up to at least a dozen now...​