Hello from Tallahassee, Fl

[City farm]

Just joined yesterday after purchasing 6 chicks the day before from the TSS in Bainbridge, Ga. All chicks are yellow and Pullets, at least that's what the clerk said!

I'll post some pics as soon as I can.

I've learned so much in the last two days by reading as many posts as I can on all the questions that seem to pop into my head about these new little ones.

I have a small 6 nesting box coop and 5' x 12' run that I purchased on Sunday off Craig's List. I'm currently "remodeling" the coop because it was in sad shape. I've also removed the chicken wire fom the run and am adding hardware cloth instead, because once in a while I have a raccoon visit. No sense in tempting fate.

Not sure what I've gotten myself into, but from reading all the posts, I think I'll enjoy raising my little flock!

So glad you joined in.. . And
To bad the clerk did not know what breed they sold..

 

[KallippidesKoop]

I went back and spoke with the manager, and he said they are White Leghorn Pullets. And then he sold me 4 Rhode Island Red Pullets!

I can't go back to Tractor Supply again until Chick Days are over!

 

[YardBirdMom]

We got a Hobby Lobby here in Tally about two years ago, and I love it! I don't think I've seen any chicken signs there. I was looking for knitting signs several times, and don't think I saw any for chicks.

I can't really talk to my neighbor about his dogs. He's not very friendly.

My 6 Leghorns are much bigger than my 4 RIR chicks, and they were jumping up on the feeder and waterer and flying out. With my friend's help, i finished up most of the coop this morning, and the 6 LH moved in. So far, so good. I have hardware cloth, locks, and latches on just about everything. It's not painted, but at least they can fly around inside the coop. I've checked on them several times, and they were either roosting on the small oak limb or hopping around in the nesting boxes. They won't get to go in the run for a few days until they get used to the coop. I read that somewhere on this site!

Your coop name will come to you when you "feel" it. I know exactly what you mean.

You should have quite a nice batch of laying hens between the LH and RIR Good job! How old are the LH? I figure my babies are roughly 3-4 wks old and while none have flown out of their trough, yet, it is only a matter of time lol

I bet your LH's loooooved being set free in a larger space!! Gotta take some pic's and show us! We're working on the coop in the afternoons this week and HOPE to have it ready for them by Friday. Saturday we'll start framing in the run and within two weeks I hope it's all completed. It's too bad you can't talk to your neighbor, but you do what you have to in order to protect your flock!

Coop names: The red color on my coop is more of a rust color so I am considering, "The Rusty Coop"

- but I have a couple others in mind so as of right now it is still in limbo ...
I'm sure you are right that it will come to me!

Just wanted to show how we overlapped the carport above the coop (the bottom trim on the carport actually does not touch the shingles) and we'll have to frame the two together so nothing can get in, but so far the theory we had in mind seems to be working!!

 

[KallippidesKoop]

I can't tell their ages, but the LH all have feathers. If I had to guess, I'd say 3 to 4 weeks...but I could be way off!

The RIRs are just starting to get the tip feathers on their wings. So the RIRs are light red fluff, all except the tips which are yellow. Not sure why the tips are that color. They really look cute though. They are about 7 to 10 days maybe...

Your carport and coop look like they are going to fit together nicely. You did a good job on that one! Your chicks will love moving in!

The LHs are still just living in the coop area. I'll give them a few more days in there before I let them in the run. I want them to know for sure where "home" is so they will come in for the night. I checked on them last night up till midnight, and then checked on them at 5:30 a.m. this morning. They were sound asleep. I saw a couple sitting on their perch today. It was too cute.

 

[YardBirdMom]

Aaaaawwwweeee, I am SOOOOO envious yours are getting to snuggle in their coop and roost!!

Mine want to RUUUUUUUNNNNN SO bad and halfway skitter-fly across the trough, which makes the others try it and then it turns into a mad house LOL Too funny!!

I have no way to tell how old my chicks are. I'm going by what the guy at Atwoods said, so I am estimating. If your older ones are 3-4 wks and fully feathered mine are not quite that old then. They have wing feathers and are getting them around their necks/shoulders and just since yesterday 3/4 of them developed tail feathers... literally OVERNIGHT!!! Is that normal????

Your RIR's are tipped yellow??? Hmmmm, don't ask me I am a first time chicken owner myself No clue why your babies are not coming in red, but if it's any consolation I was told the 10 I bought were "Golden Sex Links" and well, their neck feathers are coming in VERY dark red, like a RIR as an adult, but their wings are lighter!

Thanks, it rained again this evening while we were out there, pretty hard for a while, and we just stood under the carport and then in the coop waiting for it to stop. NO rain came into the coop and we did a good job of shingling because it was so quiet inside. I think it will end up being a nice place to live! I may just move out there myself lol

Hubby started painting the inside of the coop with his paint spray thingymajig, but we ran out of paint. I'll get more tomorrow perhaps.
I have a doctor appointment in the afternoon, but when we return we should have time to start putting in the windows. I'm only putting in two on the east side.

I'm sure it is nerve wracking leaving them in the coop for the first time unattended.
Not sure how I'll feel since my run won't be secure yet. Is your run secure??

 

[drumstick diva]

Sounds like you guys are best buds already, I am enjoying the banter.

 

[KallippidesKoop]

I'm not sure, but I think it's normal for the feathers to come in quickly. I remember reading that if the chicks stay too warm, the feathers take longer to come in. I can't remember where I read that. I think I've done too much reading about chickens!

Good way to find out that your roof doesn't leak. Now you won't be worried about it. This past Sunday night, I went out in the middle of the night to see if mine leaked. I was worried too.

Not sure about the colors of our chicks. Maybe the feathers come in one color and then change in a few months. I should look that up and read about it!

I need to go to Lowes to get some paint too. I thought I had some left from my house, but it's all interior paint. I'm going to get a bunch of red paint chips to see if I can match my roof, and then I'll go back and find some paint to match the roof paint chip. That's how I come up with my color schemes for my crochet afghans, using Lowes paint chips!

Well I let the chicks out of the coop today. At first, they did not want to go outside. I had to shoo them out. The rest of the day, when one came in, they all came in. And when one went out, they all went out! It was so funny to watch. I put a chair by their coop and watched them at lunch and after work. (I telecommute from my home to work.) My poor dog (a chihuahua) didn't know what to think. She ran to one side of the run to "play" with the chicks, and they would run to the other side. Then my dog ran to the other side, and the chicks ran back. This went on and on every time my dog went outside today. She is very tired now from all the running.

These chicks are very entertaining!

 

[YardBirdMom]

Sounds like you guys are best buds already, I am enjoying the banter.

LOL Yes, I agree - we do seem to be best buds!! I would say that makes me happy and if it entertains folks all the better

I'm not sure, but I think it's normal for the feathers to come in quickly. I remember reading that if the chicks stay too warm, the feathers take longer to come in. I can't remember where I read that. I think I've done too much reading about chickens!

Good way to find out that your roof doesn't leak. Now you won't be worried about it. This past Sunday night, I went out in the middle of the night to see if mine leaked. I was worried too.

Not sure about the colors of our chicks. Maybe the feathers come in one color and then change in a few months. I should look that up and read about it!

I need to go to Lowes to get some paint too. I thought I had some left from my house, but it's all interior paint. I'm going to get a bunch of red paint chips to see if I can match my roof, and then I'll go back and find some paint to match the roof paint chip. That's how I come up with my color schemes for my crochet afghans, using Lowes paint chips!

Well I let the chicks out of the coop today. At first, they did not want to go outside. I had to shoo them out. The rest of the day, when one came in, they all came in. And when one went out, they all went out! It was so funny to watch. I put a chair by their coop and watched them at lunch and after work. (I telecommute from my home to work.) My poor dog (a chihuahua) didn't know what to think. She ran to one side of the run to "play" with the chicks, and they would run to the other side. Then my dog ran to the other side, and the chicks ran back. This went on and on every time my dog went outside today. She is very tired now from all the running.

These chicks are very entertaining!

I loved the story about your dog!! It was easy to visualize her wearing herself out LOL You should have videoed your babies coming in and going out - that is tooooo funny!!! We made some more progress on the inside of the coop tonight. It's nearly done and hopefully by the weekend the birds can the whole thing to themselves. They are entertaining!! I can tell you get the same joy watching yours that I do mine. By the way, I also read too much about chickens and am completely obsessed right now about them

I don't have dogs at the moment, but I DO have an overly curious young kitten (she's about 8 months).
We have this iron cage that is actually used to haul goats or sheep in the back of a pick up, but we put chicken wire all around it so we could keep two kittens that we got a couple months ago.

I decided to give the chickies a few hours out on grass inside this cage. Oh they loved it and were scratchin' and peckin' and floppin' and flittin' all around the place. My son and his friend was sitting 'guard' on two sides and I was on the corner guarding the other two (knowing cats like I do I knew better than to leave them unattended).

We have a storage building close to where we had the birds and out from under that thing came this black streak of a kitten who ran straight at that cage with murder on her mind!!!! My sons friend, Austin, kicked at her, she swerved and was going to dodge for another corner, and chick, and Hunter kicked at her and I yelled, the chicks were all huddled in a far corner (think we scared them more then the cat) and when it was all said and done Thelma (the kitty) was sulking inside my barn giving us all dirty looks! LOL
It will be a LONG while before my chicks can ever free range and I'll have to watch her until a BIG chicken teaches her a lesson!!

You said you're getting paint - what are you painting?

 

[KallippidesKoop]

I understand about the kittens because I have a "biting" cat that I can't leave alone with anyone or anything. Sweet Pea is the friendliest cat and will purr and rub up against your legs. At this point, most people will lean down and pet her...and then she "love" bites and hangs on! Two of my neighbors learned the hard way when they were taking care of my pets while I was on vacation. And both of them said the exact same thing, "I should have listened to you, but she was so friendly!" Since I've put the chicks outside, Pea stalks all around the pen just staring at the chicks. I'm sure she is purring!

Since your kittens are still young, I'm sure they can be taught to leave the chickens alone so that they can free range. I doubt I'll be able to let mine free range at all. I think I told you that I live next to a preserve area that has all kinds of animals, and there are always hawks or vultures flying around. When my dog was younger, I was worried about them carrying her off. Now she weights 12 pounds; however, I still walk out with her at night when she goes out.

Late yesterday I went to Lowe's and grabbed some red paint chips (samples) to match the metal on the coop roof. I also grabbed some tan colored chips to paint the coop. I came home and played with the chips matching the roof and then trying to decide what color I want the coop house to be. I think I have them picked out but my neighbor, who paints as a hobby, is going to come over and take a look at my colors. I need her seal of approval because she has a much better "eye" for color than I do. (My daughter said I'm colorblind when it comes to green and blue toned colors. We joke about it all the time.) Whenever I'm choosing colors for anything (painting or crafting) I go to Lowes to get the paint chips and play around with them until I'm satisfied. Otherwise, I'll end up with another "peach" house that grew more pumpkin-like as the year progressed causing me to have to repaint the house so my kids would not have to get off the school bus four blocks away because they were embarrassed by the house color!

Yes, I agree with you. These chicks are a "cheep" and non-stop form of entertainment.

 

[YardBirdMom]

I understand about the kittens because I have a "biting" cat that I can't leave alone with anyone or anything. Sweet Pea is the friendliest cat and will purr and rub up against your legs. At this point, most people will lean down and pet her...and then she "love" bites and hangs on! Two of my neighbors learned the hard way when they were taking care of my pets while I was on vacation. And both of them said the exact same thing, "I should have listened to you, but she was so friendly!" Since I've put the chicks outside, Pea stalks all around the pen just staring at the chicks. I'm sure she is purring!

Since your kittens are still young, I'm sure they can be taught to leave the chickens alone so that they can free range. I doubt I'll be able to let mine free range at all. I think I told you that I live next to a preserve area that has all kinds of animals, and there are always hawks or vultures flying around. When my dog was younger, I was worried about them carrying her off. Now she weights 12 pounds; however, I still walk out with her at night when she goes out.

Late yesterday I went to Lowe's and grabbed some red paint chips (samples) to match the metal on the coop roof. I also grabbed some tan colored chips to paint the coop. I came home and played with the chips matching the roof and then trying to decide what color I want the coop house to be. I think I have them picked out but my neighbor, who paints as a hobby, is going to come over and take a look at my colors. I need her seal of approval because she has a much better "eye" for color than I do. (My daughter said I'm colorblind when it comes to green and blue toned colors. We joke about it all the time.) Whenever I'm choosing colors for anything (painting or crafting) I go to Lowes to get the paint chips and play around with them until I'm satisfied. Otherwise, I'll end up with another "peach" house that grew more pumpkin-like as the year progressed causing me to have to repaint the house so my kids would not have to get off the school bus four blocks away because they were embarrassed by the house color!

Yes, I agree with you. These chicks are a "cheep" and non-stop form of entertainment.

@ "cheep" entertainment - cute play on words there Kalli!!

Loved the visual of your biting kitty - my mama cat is kinda like that, but she doesn't mean harm and she only nips when you don't pet her hard enough. Ya know, I would fall for her charms as well as I am a HUGE sucker for a friendly critter!!

Oh, that's right about the paint, you did mention you were tan/red and we had those color choices in common

We came to those colors because we bought a huge storage building with those colors and decided everything else has to match it. So far the coop will be the only thing that does AND it's not an exact copy. The reason you wonder?? Well, that's what happens when you do NOT do like smart people and get the paint chips and bring it back to the storage shed to match colors .... You get in the same neighborhood, but not on the same street!!!

Lucky you to have a neighbor who is talented in that department and can lend their expertise. Please for your children's sake ALWAYS get the neighbors opinion, because NO child should suffer in such a manner

I do think it's risky for you to free range your birdies unless you are out there with them to supervise. We live in the country, as I've said before, but I think my kitty is the least of my worries. Although she is learning what "CAT" means when I yell it at her. If my mama kitty is within earshot and I say that she stops whatever she's doing and runs off!! I do think Thelma will learn to co-exist with them, but only after they are big enough to peck her good. I'll keep a super-soaker water gun handy too!

So, tonight we finished the interior of the coop and tomorrow I am going to take my Rainbow vacuum and clean up all the saw dust and put down the water proof 'paint' in the nest boxes, sand boxes, wall board (which is a piece 12" tall to keep all the bedding contained), and the floor. Once that is dry we have to finish painting the interior with the sprayer! I have to find some DE and PDZ, buy bedding and the babies can move in! I'm SO excited and it's in the nick of time. I've had to put an old chain link fence gate over the top of their trough to keep them from flying out!
I am amazed how fast they grow and how fast they develop mentally!!

Have a good weekend, odds are you won't hear from me til Sunday, maybe Monday - good luck on your paint selection!