Yeah, the new brooder has access from the side, but the old brooder had access from the top. I need to make another side access brooder for the garage - that WAS the intended use for the brooder that is now in the coop! I would love a foldable design so I could take less space for storage in the garage…
Check out the designs for wire cages. You can find everything that you need to make your own cages. Once you have your dimensions figured out, you can connect the sides in a fashion that allows for easy disassemble.
No-the coop door opens into the run,the pop door opens into the-sunroom?
-front of tractor coop. I was thinking security as it's going to be dark longer and they're further from the house than before all of these changes.Agree w/@R2elk . Since I wasn't able to be all in when the 7 were keets, I've been working w/them since to get that trust. They could see me in clear brooder, but I wasn't able to be literally hands on w/them.Well so Razorback seems to be kind of bizarrely fixated on the keets. They are still caged in the coop but of course I have to change their food and water. These keets are terrified of me, sadly, as they kept panicking when they would see me overhead in their old brooder and have not gotten over that. They are getting more used to me being near their new brooder, but when I open the door they still panic. Razorback decided I was attacking his keets and went for me! Now I have to lock him out of the coop before I do anything with the keets.
I’ve only been letting the flock out to free range for a short time in the evenings when I can be out with them, since I’m not sure what’s up with the bobcat. While the flock takes advantage of their freedom, Razorback runs around and around outside the coop and brooder, unwilling to leave the keets. Then last night, he went all out attacking his mama Welch. I don’t know if it was keet related or what but she was attacked hard enough that she balled up in a corner and just laid their passively, I felt awful for her. I chased him out and Welch just laid their for five minutes panting. She seemed ok after that but obviously scared of Razorback.
They’ve also just stopped pairing and are reforming as a group for winter, so it might be related to that instead of keets. They seem to rework all of their positions out again when they flock up for winter, and I typically have a lot of drama for a month or two. Due to my schedule, it’s also when I’m integrating keets… So I guess I need to start letting them free range again to relieve their dominance stress and hope for the best with my bobcat.
Well that’s why you’re the Guinea whisperer! None of mine will let me grab them and it is a problem if they need medical attention. I’m not dedicated enough to go through the process you are, I guess. Really, even my chickens don’t want to be touched! I would like the keets to not act like they are going to be eaten every time they see me! It has gotten better in the new brooder. I go out and sit next to them and they will forget I'm there, so they are getting more used to me. When they were little in my plastic garage brooder, the keets had been doing ok with my hands and presence, until I had to catch most of the ones I hatched to sell. There were two left behind, the Coral blue and slate keets I hatched. That experience of me catching their hatch mates and then they were just gone really terrified them, and they became realy scared of me after that. Then I added the shipped keets to the older hatched keets, and the older keets taught them how terrifying I am. I’m glad I'm able to reverse that a bit now that they have more space and panic less.
Mb that's why Brodie was such a terror. The guy showed up w/a box and expected me to just grab willy nilly and toss them in while he stood there holding it. Brodie wasn't having it and flew back out. And THAT'S why Brodie is still here, lol.
Most of my poultry go crazy whenever I bring another person into their areas. They are too used to visitors equaling missing flock mates.
I don't let ppl go back there so much anymore. if I do,I make them put on boots from here. I mean, for me so far, they're all gray, too young to sex, they'll all be big, and look the same, so just tell me how many you want and I'll have them waiting for you. Lol
I put the keets in a box and meet at a public location, usually Walmart or Tractor supply parking lots.
