Hello, BackYard Chickens

[insaneyanish]

Do you plan on joining any Serama clubs and showing them? If so would those need to be coop maintained or will they free range too?

Absolutely going to have to get a small coop. MN winters get brutal, and I'm told under 55°F can make them sick. So eventually I'm hoping they'll shift over to a heated coop once it starts dipping down.

As for joining a club, maybe once I get used to raising them and getting more into breeding. If I can produce show quality birds, I highly doubt I'll go to any competition. I'll probably just sell breeder pairs and let other people win.

 

[swampfox440]

I had seramas! they were in an unheated coop. They did great even with larger birds. N.E.O. has brutal winters and lake effect snow that can get 48" in one night and I have seen -30 with wind chill. For what's it's worth.

 

[insaneyanish]

I had seramas! they were in an unheated coop. They did great even with larger birds. N.E.O. has brutal winters and lake effect snow that can get 48" in one night and I have seen -30 with wind chill. For what's it's worth.

Whoa, unheated they held it down through -30°F? Shit, even minimal losses would be acceptable if they're that hardy. Did you have them kept with any other birds for heat retention? Heated water trough? I don't expect to put my birds through that, but sometimes those wicked blizzards get really sketchy. I've also read (here on BackYard) that someone had their Seramas running around foraging in 30°F weather before they finally bedded down for the winter. I'm willing to bet the Super African Geese will be pretty hardy, so I worry much less about them.

 

[swampfox440]

Yes. They were with a flock of hens we had. Orpington and R.I.R. No heated water bowl. just go out and break the Ice several times a day and supply a lot of fresh water. Chicken mash mixed with (warm not hot!) water. If you make it hot, you may scald their crops. Barly warm to your hand is a good way to tell be careful of that if go this way. Like a baby bottle you don't want to hurt your babies. All this talk of cold is making me shiver just thinking about it.

 

[insaneyanish]

I've also been considering the more affordable option of Turkeys for guard animals. Been reading, and I like what I see. Somewhat less noisy, and I do like how badly some of them want the smoke. Some of them get protective over people, and I'd like to see that extend to a flock of tiny chickens. Their job isn't to eliminate a threat, it's to raise as much hell and drag things out. Buy time for the little guys to escape, and the dogs to come in and g-check any predator out of the area.

Any breed suggestions? Going for protective nature and size, with foraging skills as a third priority.

 

[insaneyanish]

Ooof. So it seems like there's a dichotomy at play here for a guard avian choice.

"Super African" Goose - Read that they get attached more to other geese and less with chickens. I'm also considering The Buff due to this, but it might just be an inherent problem with mixing flocks.

Turkeys - Oddly enough, the exact opposite issue. They can't really tell the difference. Pro - I imagine they're protective as hell. Con - apparently they try to mate with the chickens and with smaller breeds- that never ends well. Mortifyingly hillarious loss, but .... I'm thinking if I add in enough sheltering, I can minimize those losses. Should one of the turkeys start bumping Bobby Cadwell at ladies that aren't even the size of their thigh, they can just flee into a coop or shelter.

 

[Fuchsia]

Welcome to BYC!!