Hey Gang! Whatcha think of my plans and Rooster issue?

[TonySorrento]

az ... thank you so much for the input! Great stuff! I think I will make a door on the side and only allow access to the chicks that way. You ROCK!

 

[TonySorrento]

I JUST GOT THE CALL!!!!!!

from cydesfeed.com




They came in yesterday, they got all the chicks drinking and I added a few Cuckoo Marans to the bunch

getting them tonight if I can't wait until the morning! It's ON!

 

[DelDels]

Make sure to tie wrap that brooder light clamp in place. Sometimes they can get knocked or worked loose and cause a fire. Most of all have fun and enjoy those chicks!

 

[TonySorrento]

Everyone is doing great! Eating and drinking like crazy ...

This is just the.first batch ... see if you can pick out the different types ... sorry for the crappy pics ... dang red bulbs!

2 Buff Orpingtons
2 Barred Rocks
2 Ameraucanas
2 Cuckoo Marans
2

 

[Kittyf]

Beautiful! Congrats," Chicken Pa!"

 

[TonySorrento]

Babies are doing fabulous.... so my brother Sal (BYC name slabcrappy) and I , got all the wood Saturday and started construction on the coop today ... so here.it is so far ...

You can see the start of the outer wall of the coop ...looking inside you can see the two poop boards and the roosts above them... one on the left and the other on the right...

Here are a few more pictures of the left and right side ...

Left side

Right side

 

[highpointfarm]

I think you are going to love the chicken world =] Just a few things...
1- you are missing my two favorite breeds.... Speckled Sussex and Rhode Island Red... THEY ARE AMAZING
2- Just go and ask your neighbors if they would mind, possibly come to a compromise
3- Integrating the chicks will be easier then with mature birds, BUT you should brood them seperately and join them when the youngest are around 5 or 6 weeks old........ in regards to combining them, make sure you have a section of the coop that only the younger chicks can get into, it will give them a safe haven....

Hope this helps
-Caleb

 

[TonySorrento]

I think you are going to love the chicken world =] Just a few things...
1- you are missing my two favorite breeds.... Speckled Sussex and Rhode Island Red... THEY ARE AMAZING
2- Just go and ask your neighbors if they would mind, possibly come to a compromise
3- Integrating the chicks will be easier then with mature birds, BUT you should brood them seperately and join them when the youngest are around 5 or 6 weeks old........ in regards to combining them, make sure you have a section of the coop that only the younger chicks can get into, it will give them a safe haven....

Hope this helps
-Caleb

Hey Caleb,

If you make me buy more now, my wife will kill me!

My neighbors have told me that they have NO problem with me having a rooster ... or 2 ... so that problem has been solved

My idea to integrate the chicks was IN the brooder ... separated by a wall made with hardware cloth so they can still see each other and get used to each other .... they will be 4 and 3 weeks apart ..... does that sound like a good idea?

 

[highpointfarm]

Hey Caleb,

If you make me buy more now, my wife will kill me!

My neighbors have told me that they have NO problem with me having a rooster ... or 2 ... so that problem has been solved

My idea to integrate the chicks was IN the brooder ... separated by a wall made with hardware cloth so they can still see each other and get used to each other .... they will be 4 and 3 weeks apart ..... does that sound like a good idea?

That sounds fine, but they are going to have to establish the pecking order sometime or another and I just think this would be better when the youngest chicks are big enough/ old enough/ hardy enough to handle a little bullying (unfortunately this is going to happen, how much or how little varies)

Hey here's an idea, why don't you buy two rubbermaid tubs, each the size of a big enough brooder to hold each batch, cut out one side on each, put hardware cloth in between them, and then duct tape the together... when you are finished brooding you can put the lid on them and use them as nesting boxes

Hope this helps

 

[Zach123]

Im going to tell you, first and foremost, you made a HUGE mistake buddy......you didnt get ALL brahmas, a chicken by any other name is just a chicken. HAHAHA I'm kidding of course. Congratulations and welcome to chickens! I caught the fever when I was 15 and it aint let me go yet, even after a 4 year hiatus while I was in the service. Its a disease I tell you, a disease. Anyways, my biggest piece of advice would be to not over think it. Chickens are incredibly simple animals, especially as far as maintenance goes, which is one of the reasons I like them so much! A lot of people get hung up on the particulars and the details, but really, it's not that deep. So just relax, and enjoy them, after all, this is supposed to be fun, not a job...right? There are some general guide lines, but remember, a guide line is not a hard and fast rule that must always be followed to a T and most of the things you need to know you will gain through your personal expierience for how to do it best.

I like your idea for integrating the 4 week olds and 1 week olds via hardware cloth seperation, I think Highpointfarm's idea is good, but a bit to much effort to baisically achive the exact same thing, especially if you already have a brooder set up. I never really had a problem with integrating chicks, but I never tried it with 4wk/1day olds. I did do it with 8wk olds and bringing them into my flock of 1-2 year old hens a few times, but Ive always had all my chicks at the same age. Anyways, I had a seperate coop for the 8wk's and let them comingle during the day time outside so that the youngins had room to find refuge if/when they needed it and eventually they all worked everything out and lived peacfully (unless one caught a mouse, then all hell broke loose). This year I will likely be in the same situation as you though and we will se how I make it work. I will be interested to see how it turns out for you and maybe get some ideas.

As far as your flock choice goes, all those breeds are good choices and most, if not all, I THINK are rather calm. The only ones I think might be a bit flighty are the buttercups, but all chickens are different so who knows?