Getting started

Date sort Score sort
I will indeed. I will be putting some holes under the gable for ventilation and I already have the ventilator on the top of the roof though I have to clean it out. Ft. Knox it will be. Here is one example of what's out there. I bought a giant concrete bird bath for the front yard and put a foot high concrete rabbit in it for the fun of it. The next morning I saw a red-tailed hawk swoop down on the rabbit and then come to a screeching halt when he realized his mistake. Yep, I'm on their radar! Vic disagrees about the roof though. He is afraid hundreds of pounds of pressure from the snow will compromise the frame. He suggested I just put a tarp over a roof section during the warm weather.
 
xcop said:
Vic disagrees about the roof though. He is afraid hundreds of pounds of pressure from the snow will compromise the frame. He suggested I just put a tarp over a roof section during the warm weather.
Click to expand...
It depends on how he builds the roof. He could either put on a roof with enough slope to prevent an excess of snow from building up, or he could add some type of heavy supports. The two important things are to keep the rain off of the ground underneath and to make certain the roof doesn't provide a way in for predators.
 
Hi Michael, the run is almost complete. My renovator had other commitments so it has taken longer than I wanted. The only thing that worries me is that the hardware cloth only comes out about 6 inches at the base. Should I buy more? He covered the base with dirt and I am going to surround it with a lot of bricks and cement blocks. I hope that is enough but would appreciate your thoughts. If I have to buy more I will. Next he is going to renovate the coop with new windows, etc. There is a breeder called Frey's Hatchery which is a large scale operation. They are at www.freyshatchery.com
They have red and black sex-links, Barred Plymouth Rocks, Rhode Island Reds, Leghorns, Columbian Rock X's, New Hamp X and Red X. Which do you think would be the best in cold weather? If you order they want to know if you want 2- 7 week olds or 18-20? More decisions! Considering my plan to keep them as pets with egg production as a secondary factor, what age should I buy them at? Please advise and thanks
 
Thanks but I have been a member for weeks. Had computer problems forcing me to sign up again.
 
xcop said:
Hi Michael, the run is almost complete. My renovator had other commitments so it has taken longer than I wanted. The only thing that worries me is that the hardware cloth only comes out about 6 inches at the base. Should I buy more? He covered the base with dirt and I am going to surround it with a lot of bricks and cement blocks. I hope that is enough but would appreciate your thoughts. If I have to buy more I will. Next he is going to renovate the coop with new windows, etc. There is a breeder called Frey's Hatchery which is a large scale operation. They are at www.freyshatchery.com
They have red and black sex-links, Barred Plymouth Rocks, Rhode Island Reds, Leghorns, Columbian Rock X's, New Hamp X and Red X. Which do you think would be the best in cold weather? If you order they want to know if you want 2- 7 week olds or 18-20? More decisions! Considering my plan to keep them as pets with egg production as a secondary factor, what age should I buy them at? Please advise and thanks
Click to expand...

That's great news. Personally I would add another foot of hardware cloth to the skirt around the bottom of the base. I've never personally ordered from Frey but I had a good friend and close neighbor who did and he liked them. All of those breeds will go well in cold weather with the exception of the Leghorns whose large combs are very prone to serious frostbite. I would personally go with the Black Sex Links which are friendly and hardy, egg laying machines. I've raised them for years (along with dozens of other breeds and hybrids, including those on your list), and they have been my best layers, consistently churning out more than 300 eggs per hen per year. I would personally go with the 2-7 week old birds as they will be much easier to tame and more adaptable to their new environment. There is a good article on how to tame them at http://www.mypetchicken.com/backyar...-run-away-whenever-they-see-me-Can-I-H57.aspx.
 
Hi Michael. Busy day. The run is done and I am busy cleaning the coop - it has the ladder roost you suggested and nest boxes. My contractor put in an extra window covered with hardware cloth for ventilation. It is surrounded by hardware cloth and I am using bricks and blocks that were left on the farm to surround the run...and there are at least one hundred. I was advised to get pine shavings at a certain lumber yard. Today a friend and I made our way there. Enroute, we passed another lumber yard and dropped by. This yard is different in that you shovel your own shavings into a garbage bag for less money. The first one does the work of bagging so they are more expensive. Because I am so safety conscious, I asked the man at the cheaper lumber yard to show me the pine shavings. I told him that you advised me not to buy cedar and asked him if his shavings were all pine. To my surprise, he stated it was a mixture of pine and cedar. Oh....so I told him until I received some advice from you I would not be buying it. He told me chicken owners bagged it all the time. I told him that I wasn't going to allow that to guide me, as I advised him that they could be wrong. So, what do you say? Is a pine/cedar mixture okay or should I get the pure pine? Please advise and thanks.
 
xcop said:
Hi Michael. Busy day. The run is done and I am busy cleaning the coop - it has the ladder roost you suggested and nest boxes. My contractor put in an extra window covered with hardware cloth for ventilation. It is surrounded by hardware cloth and I am using bricks and blocks that were left on the farm to surround the run...and there are at least one hundred. I was advised to get pine shavings at a certain lumber yard. Today a friend and I made our way there. Enroute, we passed another lumber yard and dropped by. This yard is different in that you shovel your own shavings into a garbage bag for less money. The first one does the work of bagging so they are more expensive. Because I am so safety conscious, I asked the man at the cheaper lumber yard to show me the pine shavings. I told him that you advised me not to buy cedar and asked him if his shavings were all pine. To my surprise, he stated it was a mixture of pine and cedar. Oh....so I told him until I received some advice from you I would not be buying it. He told me chicken owners bagged it all the time. I told him that I wasn't going to allow that to guide me, as I advised him that they could be wrong. So, what do you say? Is a pine/cedar mixture okay or should I get the pure pine? Please advise and thanks.
Click to expand...

Sounds like things are coming along nicely. The issue of cedar shavings is a controversial one among chicken owners with some chicken owners claiming that they've used them for years with no ill effects on their birds whatsoever. Other chicken owners say not to use them on young chickens but that they will not harm older chickens. And then there are those chicken owners who say that cedar shavings created respiratory problems in their chickens. I'm not questioning the integrity of any of these chicken owners (there birds could have even experienced some negative effects that they are not aware of), but I do know that there are a number of articles by reputable authorities that warn against using cedar shavings for chicken bedding. For example, My Pet Chicken's article on What Type of Bedding or Litter to Use for Chickens? states, "DON'T use cedar shavings, no matter what friends or your local feed store tell you: the aromatic oils will irritate your birds' lungs, and make them more susceptible to respiratory problems later in life. " (http://www.mypetchicken.com/backyar...f-bedding-or-litter-should-I-use-for-H67.aspx) Personally I just don't think it is worth the risk to my chickens when pine shavings work great.
 
Thanks Michael. I am NOT going to get the mixture. I am going to buy only pine for a few bucks more. Thanks again for your quick and informative response. I ask advice from experts like you...and no one else. I will send you some photos when I have the time. The ladder roost only has two 2x3 boards which is not what I wanted but my architect was so reasonable and committed that I didn't want to appear critical...and he hasn't any more time to spare. The boards will have to do. I suppose I could always add another in the future. I will be in touch! Thanks a million!
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom