I’m a new chicken Mom of 6 hens and 1 Roo, would love to hear your tips n tricks

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Hello, and welcome to BYC.

DobieLover said:
Hello and welcome to BYC! :frow Glad you joined.
You do not need to heat the coop. That actually causes more harm than good. However, you need a properly sized, dry and well ventilated coop for cold winters. If the WLHs are getting their combs pecked, you may have a sizing problem with your coop and run. You should shoot for at least 4 sq feet per bird in the coop and 12 in the run for winters.
IMO, runs in the north should have a solid roof on them to offer a snow free space during the day and should be constructed such that it can be winterized with tarps to block blowing wind.
I use poultry netting powered with a 10,000 volt charger around my entire setup. That has kept everything from the neighbor's rotten dogs to the resident momma black bear at bay. If anything makes it through that, they have to get through the 1/2" hardware cloth I have covering everything to access the coop/run combo. I've had one hawk strike and see them multiple times daily but have never had any bird so much as injured by a hawk. The flock as lots of cover in their pen.
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Great advice from DL.
 
Wee Farmer Sarah said:
Hello and welcome to BYC! It's always exciting to greet another New Englander to the site. As previously stated, you do not need to heat the coop. My coop is a converted 8 x 10 foot shed with an attached 144 square foot run wrapped in 1/2 inch hardware cloth and topped with a corrugated metal roof. I use clear plastic shower curtains to wrap the run in the winter and it stays much warmer in there even on the coldest days. Don't focus on treats so much. Chickens are not human children that need to be coddled. Give them healthy food designed for their nutritional needs. Best of luck with your wee flock.
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Don’t coddle??? *gasp*! 😧 My girls are so spoiled...


And welcome Mrsclean...you’ll love it here! Great info and fun reading.
 
Mrsclean said:
Hi All,

Well, as my header reads, I’m super new to raising Hens, for eggs ONLY, I figure I should get that outta the way first! I have 2 Rhode Island’s Reds,2 Bard rocks, and 2 White leg horns, and a Roo. They just started laying about 2 weeks ago and I couldnt believe hoe exciting it was,lol. I was literally outside the nesting box pacing, then told each of them what good girls they were. Am I going crazy or is that the norm?
I live in NH and it’s starting to get a bit colder at night. I want my girls as comfy as they possibly can be without bringing them in the basement, hubby says no.... but he travels for work sooooo.... my questions are, do I use a heater or not? Do I change their food in winter? Does anyone have homemade treat recipe that they want to share with a new mom with the very best intentions? What’s the best way to keep predators away? I’ve already caught a fox, 2 raccoons,1 skunk( that was interesting) 1possum and I think I have a fisher lurking! I DO NOT want to loose even one lady, any advice is appreciated. I most recently noticed hawks hanging around too.Im scared to leave the house for fear I won’t be around to protect them from harm. I’m not kidding either....hubby’s getting hungry lol
One concern I have that’s really bothering me is my leghorns have large combs and are getting pecked at. One side is actually torn at the edge and starting to turn black! Does it hurt? Is there anything I can do for it to make it feel better and keep the Others from making it worse? A salve that taste bad when they peck it maybe...I never had this problem until the Roo came I want to add.....
I think I asked enough questions for my first post, I don’t want to scare anyone away from guiding me with all my woes:)
I can’t wait to learn how to navigate the site to get the most out of it, ty in advance for any advice or recipes you want to share for treat and also any human one to help use up my ladies golden eggs would be fantastic too❤
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Bag Balm is your friend. As for heating I live in Maine. I kept 4 birds in a thin TSC coop the winter of '18-19. I was cold here. No heat no light. They all laid a egg each day. Woot. Put your hand under a wing. Warm isn't it. Now put your hand under their body when the a nesting Warm almost hot under there. Has to be to incubate eggs. and keep the chicks warm. Chickens run at a temp of 106F much warmer than us. Don't even start to heat as they won't grow their down coat. They are just like 2 coated dog. Under coat and overcoat. They will snuggle and the Leg horns ( I have 5). will either tuck those tall combs under a wing or their snuggle mate. They need a 2x4 standing on end for a roost. They can grab that good and nestle down over their feet in the winter.

The secret to keeping your birds warm is too keep them DRY. Have ventilation high up. Chickens don't sweat. But they do make lots of moisture breathing and pooping. High up ventilation will allow the moist air out. Wash your hands and dry only one. Got outside in the cold and see how the wet hand feels. COLD.

Chickens love mealworms. I get a great price on bulk from ChubbyMealworms. Try them They put them up in a nice plastic bag that no rodent can chew. LOL. CMW also has a peck toy for the mealworms (Hi protein, remember protein in protein out) keeps the birds busy.
 
welcome to the flock! :jumpy

Normal? Yes indeed. You'll meet a lot of like-minded souls here.

Some of our girls started laying a couple of weeks ago. Each new egg feels like a tiny, perfect gift. And on occasion when my timing is good, I’ll find one so freshly laid it’s warm in my hand, and that’s a little bit of heaven.

You can bet if you have a question, it‘s already been asked, and all that history is right here. Just be prepared to spend more time than you have...
 
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