teddyjames
Chirping
I'm in my 50's. My mother is in her 70's. I'm thankful to have spent as many years with her but sometimes she really gets me. She was my inspiration for wanting chickens, along with my desire to recreate my childhood experiences.
I'm very mechanically inclined and like to research and do things my own way, but I also like to include my mother as much as I can, so I look for her input on a lot of things. Me taking her advice usually runs 75% in my favor just because I have this forum to ask all the questions!
Keep in mind my coop measures a good 14x14 chicken house and a 40x40 enclosed run and this conversation came up about feeding chickens. Her chickens free ranged with no enclosed run and her "hen house" was just a crude dirt floor lean-to with tarp walls.
Me: I think I'll let my young chickens stay in the coop a few days before turning them into the run, so they know the coop is home. I'm thinking of making some kind of chicken feeder too!
Her: You're going to feed your chickens out in the run? If you do, they won't go in the hen house to roost. You must feed them in the house, or they won't ever go in it.
Me: There must have been something wrong with the house. Either it was too small, a predator was getting in it, or it wasn't clean enough. There had to be a reason they didn't want to go in there.
Her: I'd throw feed in there around dark and when they went in it, I would lock the door behind them. You know I did lose a few chickens a couple times but there was no way anything was getting in. It was too secure. The entire chicken would end up gone, no feathers, no blood, just gone.
Me: Chickens don't disappear. Something had to be getting in.
Her: Nope! I looked 100 times and there is no way anything could get in 100% positive.
Me: Could a hen go broody and sit on a nest somewhere and just not come home at dark allowing a fox or something to take her?
Her: Nope! My chickens didn't just lay anywhere. They always laid in the house after I put them up.
Me: Did you ever actually count them when they went into the house to make sure they were all there?
Her: No, but I knew when I missed one, plus I'm not counting to 35 every time I put them up.
We go round and round at times. I want around 10-15 birds and according to her, a 6x6 box would do just fine without a run. Your hen house don't need walls just rain protection. She has no idea how to secure the bottom of a fence other than to bury it 3 feet deep. The idea to put wire horizontally around the perimeter really blew her mind lol.
Amazingly she kept chickens for about 8 years before they dwindled down to nothing. Hopefully with this forums help, I can, um.. we can do much better now. Hope you enjoyed the read.
I'm very mechanically inclined and like to research and do things my own way, but I also like to include my mother as much as I can, so I look for her input on a lot of things. Me taking her advice usually runs 75% in my favor just because I have this forum to ask all the questions!
Keep in mind my coop measures a good 14x14 chicken house and a 40x40 enclosed run and this conversation came up about feeding chickens. Her chickens free ranged with no enclosed run and her "hen house" was just a crude dirt floor lean-to with tarp walls.
Me: I think I'll let my young chickens stay in the coop a few days before turning them into the run, so they know the coop is home. I'm thinking of making some kind of chicken feeder too!
Her: You're going to feed your chickens out in the run? If you do, they won't go in the hen house to roost. You must feed them in the house, or they won't ever go in it.
Me: There must have been something wrong with the house. Either it was too small, a predator was getting in it, or it wasn't clean enough. There had to be a reason they didn't want to go in there.
Her: I'd throw feed in there around dark and when they went in it, I would lock the door behind them. You know I did lose a few chickens a couple times but there was no way anything was getting in. It was too secure. The entire chicken would end up gone, no feathers, no blood, just gone.
Me: Chickens don't disappear. Something had to be getting in.
Her: Nope! I looked 100 times and there is no way anything could get in 100% positive.
Me: Could a hen go broody and sit on a nest somewhere and just not come home at dark allowing a fox or something to take her?
Her: Nope! My chickens didn't just lay anywhere. They always laid in the house after I put them up.
Me: Did you ever actually count them when they went into the house to make sure they were all there?
Her: No, but I knew when I missed one, plus I'm not counting to 35 every time I put them up.
We go round and round at times. I want around 10-15 birds and according to her, a 6x6 box would do just fine without a run. Your hen house don't need walls just rain protection. She has no idea how to secure the bottom of a fence other than to bury it 3 feet deep. The idea to put wire horizontally around the perimeter really blew her mind lol.
Amazingly she kept chickens for about 8 years before they dwindled down to nothing. Hopefully with this forums help, I can, um.. we can do much better now. Hope you enjoyed the read.
I think I see some of your mother in me. For example, I know lots of younger people are talking about how great those heated pad tent things are for brooding chicks. Maybe, but not for me. I still use heat lamps on chains. I can look in the brooder anytime and actually see the chick's behavior and adjust the lamps accordingly, if needed. I have been using that system, and equipment, successfully for over 30 years and have no intention of changing.
Sounds like your mother was happy with the way she raised her chickens. At least you guys are talking to each other and sharing your thoughts. I think that is just great. Cherish your mother as long as you can and try to give her a win every once in a while. Even if something was also your idea, maybe you can give her the credit for the idea and make her feel that she helped you. Us older people like to feel that we helped in some small way.
