Heritage Large Fowl - Phase II

[bnjrob]

Hi!,
Is there a problem with not separating the sexes?
Right now I have them cooped by hatches.
and heritage. Male and female together. They are
doing fine. I have 2 grow out pens of 8 week olds
and one grow out pen of 6 week olds. I need to move
them to new grow out pens as I need watermelon
corral space for the chicks on the front porch. (a set
of 3 and a set of 7). I hesitate to combine them because ,
tho they are leg banded, if the bands came off, I would
not know the heritage of the birds and that is vitally important.
Best,
Karen

We started separating by sexes as an experiment, after having it recommended both in antique literature and current breeders, and we found it works so much better for us to get the birds larger, which has been a problem in Javas for a long time, as well as keeping the fighting amongst males down. We did not realize just how much all that running around by a horny cockerel keeps the weight and size off of both the males and the females. We also noted less cockerel fights when they were separated well before the first one started getting any inkling of being interested in females. Separating them after one or more of the cockerels started maturing did not do as much to decrease fighting as separating them well before the hormones hit them did. After our first trial and seeing how the improvement in size as well as decreased fighting, we were sold on early gender separation.

 

[bnjrob]

Hi

,
Thank ya'll for the advice and help! I know there are fans of open air coops
on this thread. Was browsing thru Hathi Trust Digital Library and came across
this interesting scientific study. It is very vintage, 1907 / 08. Still I don't run
across this topic often. When was the beginning of the open air coop movement?
About this time? Anyone know?
http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.b3311358;view=1up;seq=100
POULTRY HOUSE CONSTRUCTION AND ITS INFLUENCE ON
THE PROGENY OF THE DOMESTIC FOWL
BY L. C. OPPEBMAN Pages 83 and 84
( excerpt: " during 1907 and 1908. Six styles of pens were used:
1. Tight house; 2. Glass front; 3. Cloth front hooded roost;
4. Open front hooded roost; 5. Cloth front without hooded roost
and; 6. Open front without hooded roost. " )
SUMMARY
The following conclusions are a summary of the data obtained from the
work with the first generation. The experiment is in progress at the
present time, and will be continued for several generations. Future results
will be published from time to time as the work is completed.
(1) The cost of tight double-walled construction is greater than
that of any other type. In the experiment here discussed it was found
that the fertility and hatching quality of eggs were very much better in
fresh-air houses of less expensive construction.
(2) The fertility and hatching quality of eggs is much better in the
open and cloth-front houses, where the fowls are allowed free access to
yards or range.
(3) The progeny of fowls in fresh-air houses, having free access to
yards or range, are more vigorous than those of the fowls which are main-
tained in houses of other construction, and which do not have the liberty
of the yards during the breeding season.

I've seen some it mentioned earlier in the 20th century but I have so many antique book files that I couldn't tell you the year or which one. I like our open air pens for the most part. Had pullets and cockerels in open air grow out pens throughout this past winter and they did well. The only thing that I do NOT like about open air pens is that I can't put a solid wall and locked door between chickens I really don't want to lose to a predator at night, since it would be possible for a very persistent coyote to eventually tear the wire apart and get in there.

 

[Lacy Blues]

I've seen some it mentioned earlier in the 20th century but I have so many antique book files that I couldn't tell you the year or which one. I like our open air pens for the most part. Had pullets and cockerels in open air grow out pens throughout this past winter and they did well. The only thing that I do NOT like about open air pens is that I can't put a solid wall and locked door between chickens I really don't want to lose to a predator at night, since it would be possible for a very persistent coyote to eventually tear the wire apart and get in there.

With that kind of situation, you could probably utilize hardware cloth and put a couple of layers of it on the inside of the open window areas and maybe 2x4 welded wire fencing on the outside, or 1x2 welded wire fencing. The latter item is pretty strong!

 

[bnjrob]

With that kind of situation, you could probably utilize hardware cloth and put a couple of layers of it on the inside of the open window areas and maybe 2x4 welded wire fencing on the outside, or 1x2 welded wire fencing. The latter item is pretty strong!

All of our pens are made with welded wire fencing plus a layer of either chicken wire or hardware cloth depending on the size of chicks that are allowed to be in the pen (the extra layer helps to keep chicken body parts inside). But I have seen what a determined predator can do to even welded wire. Because all our pens are portable, there is no way to put any wire down on the bottom to prevent digging underneath either. With the pens that have coops, there is that extra layer of protection of a wooden building on all sides between the chickens and a predator, but the open air pens only have protection of a wooden structure on 4 sides. So a very determined predator could still dig under or tear the welded wire off the frame if it really wanted to. Fortunately we have not had that happen because they just have not been desperate enough.

 

[Wisher1000]

I've seen some it mentioned earlier in the 20th century but I have so many antique book files that I couldn't tell you the year or which one. I like our open air pens for the most part. Had pullets and cockerels in open air grow out pens throughout this past winter and they did well. The only thing that I do NOT like about open air pens is that I can't put a solid wall and locked door between chickens I really don't want to lose to a predator at night, since it would be possible for a very persistent coyote to eventually tear the wire apart and get in there.

I used 2x4 welded (dog) wire on my open air coops. It was put to the test one day when two large dogs, a lab and a chow, came for chicken dinner. The ground was torn up all around where they were running and digging at the coop for hours. There were teeth marks in the wood around the door and at the corners. The thing that really struck me was that in several areas there were "holes" in the wire where the dogs had inserted their muzzles with such force that the 2x4 space was round and about the size of a baseball. There was slobber and blood in a foamy pile underneath several of these holes and claw marks on the ground on either side indicating that the dogs had been chewing and pulling on the wire.

I sleep well when they are locked up at night!

 

[bnjrob]

I used 2x4 welded (dog) wire on my open air coops. It was put to the test one day when two large dogs, a lab and a chow, came for chicken dinner. The ground was torn up all around where they were running and digging at the coop for hours. There were teeth marks in the wood around the door and at the corners. The thing that really struck me was that in several areas there were "holes" in the wire where the dogs had inserted their muzzles with such force that the 2x4 space was round and about the size of a baseball. There was slobber and blood in a foamy pile underneath several of these holes and claw marks on the ground on either side indicating that the dogs had been chewing and pulling on the wire.

I sleep well when they are locked up at night!

Yep, they can do some damage if they are motivated enough. I have no doubt a motivated chicken predator could get through the wire given enough time.

 

[qball53]

Quote:
Don't let that wooden side fool you into feeling secure. I have had dogs chew through 2x4 and ply wood more often than getting through the welded wire. I watched a pitbull chew through a 2x4 in seconds .... obviously not his first time doing so.

 

[NeilsHamburgs]

Don't forget a coon can go straight through a 2x4 opening.

 

[Wisher1000]

We have lots of raccoon and so far, there have been none that got in through the 2" x 4" wire! I guess a young (baby) coon could get in, but none of them have gotten in that way, yet. I did have a raccoon find a spot in the middle of the metal roof where he could pull up on the edge of a sheet of metal and squeeze under. He must have been able to get out that was, as well, as he was not in the coop when I went in. He came in, killed a turkey, several chickens, and chewed on a duck's wing before exiting through the same spot. The only way I knew how he got in and out was two or three hairs caught on the edge of the roofing that was visable from the inside, then when I got up on the roof to secure it, there were obvious coon tracks on the roof and blood smears in that location.

I caught that coon in a trap the next night.......

 

[Wisher1000]

Here is my oldest open air coop. It is 12x24, divided into a 12x16 area (left end) and an 8x12 (right end) enclosed area for feed and supplies. The area where the birds stay is open except for a solid wall on one end and two 4' "walls" on each side to keep something from being able to run them into the corner and grab them. If something scares them, they can run to the two corners on the right end and cannot be reached.

My newest coop, that I call the breeder barn, is under construction now. It will be 24x24 and there will be solid walls from the ground up to 4' and wire above that to the roof. I have built one side of it so far, and I love it. Our winters are usually mild, but if it gets really cold, I will put up temporary coverings (tarps, plastic, OSB, etc.) for protection against wind.