I am officially obsessing now....

[soldieratheart]

I can't believe my very first chicks are causing such obsessive tendencies, but there you are! DH started it all by saying that he didn't want a "redneck tarp coop" (no offense meant as we ARE southern rednecks LOL), but that our coop should look nice. So I obliged by having him help me build a pretty A-frame coop. Of course, now I am getting worried about not enough ventilation and not enough SPACE! So I've already let DH know that we will NEED another coop within a year, with lots and lots of space. He paled a little bit when I mentioned having room for turkeys

.

So then it was a week before the chicks were due and I had to build a brooder! Okay, so I was smart enough to build one that fit through the doorways, but of course that meant that - you know - the chicks outgrew it pretty fast! So then I HAD to build another one, actually I built two 2'x 2' wire cages that I stuck together to make a 2'x 4' brooder. That doubled the space but 15 chicks are still going to grow out of that. I fended it off for a while by transferring my 5 White Rock meat birds to the original brooder box, but both the boxes were inconvenient to clean and were taking up a lot of space in my laundry room, not to mention giving it a faint chicken smell. So DH was kind enough to put together a bigger brooder a few nights ago, it is all hardware cloth on 2"x 2"s and is mounted on casters. It measures 42"x42", and I am going to put casters on the 2' x 4' wire cage brooder and stick it along this new one, and cut doors between the two. That should be enough space until they can go into the coop, and there is no rush as it's in the garage. Plus, it is pretty fast to put together as we used the 42" 2"x2"s from Lowes, so very little cutting involved. I added 1"x2" roosts in a cross pattern running the length of the inside, and the feeder and waterers are out of the drop zones that way.

But daggum! My first 15 chicks are not quite 4 weeks old and we've built one coop and 3 brooders with plans for expansion already!I must have the chicken bug bad... I don't remember nesting this much with my KIDS!

Send the doctor!

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

I started off wanting 5 chickens (eggs for US) well the people at my hubbys work wanted eggs too so we thought..ok we will get a dozen laying hens. Built coop ONE. Then I HAD to have those cute little bantam cochins...then HAD to have silkies, then HAD to have those beautiful BLRW, so on and so on....I now have three coops and stole my hubby's HUGE work shed

IT's happening to YOU. I see it

GOod luck and I want to see pictures of your chickens

 

[featherbaby]

Are you ready for the 12 step program for chicken addiction yet?

 

[fldiver97]

I hate to break the news to you......sit down, maybe you need a glass of water.......breathe deeply......OK, ready????.....are you sure????? Now, I know this is difficult, but you have to be strong!!!! As far as I know, there is no cure!!!! The doctors are at a loss....this bug is very contagious and is viciously spreading! I am afraid it is too late for you.....

......Please, slow your breathing....some smelling salt maybe.....lie down, the faint feeling will pass!!!!!

Sorry, could not help myself here.......

Another outburst of

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

 

[soldieratheart]

HA HA HA!

Isn't the first step of a 12-step program something about not being powerless against one's addiction? I think I flunked that already! I will go get pics of my birds today for sure. They are already looking like tiny chickens, they have tons of feathers except on their heads. I can see distinctly different feathering rates and tail growth, maybe that means I actually have more hens than I expected! I got 5 White Rocks cockerels for meat, the rest are a straight run so girls will stay for eggs and boys go into the freezer. Already I am considering keeping ONE roo, MAYBE, out of the Buff Orpingtons. My next chick order in the spring (ah, see how bad this bug has bitten me?

) will be for Delawares and Welsummers. I think the Delawares are prettier than the Rocks, and love the looks of Welsummer roos, so both will be straight runs and I will keep all the girls and one Welsummer boy because they are so handsome. I think that would throw some pretty chick mutts, what with a Buff Orpington roo and a Welsummer roo over their own hens, plus the Delawares I want and Speckled Sussex that I have.

After THAT, I think it would be neat to have a nice bunch of EE girls and sell rainbow eggs. Also a couple Royal Palm and Bourbon Red turkeys, the Palms for fun and looks and conservation efforts, the BRs for Thanksgiving. And... and.. and....


Oh NOOOOOO!!!!! I think this is a terminal case of CHICKEN FEVER!!!!!!!!

 

[KinderKorner]

I started with 3 hens and a rooster for eggs for us. But like Hangin With my peeps I had to have the BLRW, and the Silkies, and the Brahmas, and the Easter Eggers, then the Cochins...Ect. And gah!

Now 3 years, and Thousands of Dollars later. I now have 8 coops and plans for more! lol

 

[featherbaby]

TWELVE STEP RECOVERY PRINCIPLES FOR
CHICKENADDICTION







STEP 1: We admitted we were powerless over our chicken addictions and our compulsion to

have more of them. As a result our schedules have become unmanageable.



STEP 2: We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity,

and his name is NOT Dear Husband or Dear Wife.



STEP 3: We made a decision to turn our life with poultry and will to have more of them over to

the care of God.



STEP 4: We made a searching inventory of precisely how many chickens we have at present

and how many square feet of coops and runs we currently own. (roll eyes here)



STEP 5: We admitted to God, ourselves, spouse and BYC’rs the exact amount of our

overcommitment.



STEP 6: We are entirely ready to cull all the unnecessary chickens from the flock to make

room for upgrading our stock.



STEP 7: We humbly asked God to help us choose which ones to cull and which ones to keep.



STEP 8: We made a list of all the good breeders and helpful friends that have encouraged us

in our quest for breeding excellence.



STEP 9: We made a plan to reciprocate to each of these people for all the good things they

have done to help us happily overindulge in our chickaddiction. We also commit to

‘pay it forward’ to any new convert to chicken raising by being generous and helpful

where ever possible.



STEP 10: We continued to take a personal inventory of how much money and time we spend

with our feathered children, and vowed to give our spouses and children equal time.



STEP 11: We prayed that God would keep our families and flocks safe from predators

and disease, and for greater knowledge of His will for our happiness.



STEP 12: Having had a truly delightful experience in keeping chickens, we promise to carry

the message to others and work tirelessly to help others become as hopelessly

addicted to chickens as we are.







AMEN

 

[soldieratheart]

Okay I have PICTURES now of my little flock and new brooder!!!!

The set-up right now is a 125w heat lamp over the back of the brooder. In the second picture, in the very far right of the picture you will see a yellow blower on the floor to the right of the brooder. I am hoping that will help "freshen" the air. We'll be out of town from October 1st through the 7th and someone will come by once a day to check on the chicks and give fresh food/water, and a sprinkle of shavings and Sweet PDZ (the brooder has a wire floor and the shavings are underneath). The weather here is unpredictable right now, so I figured that the light plus the fan would have the chickies covered... if it gets too cold, they can huddle under the light and get close to it, and avoid the fan, by being on the roost pole. On the other hand if it gets hot, the fan will keep things cooler. And since they are in the garage, it should at least help to keep the air fresher. What do you think?

Hope you like these and thanks so much for taking a look! Also there are a couple pictures where some chicks are pretty clear, anyone want to tell me if they look like they're growing okay, and if they might be boy or girl?

I hope you enjoy my first little downy babies!

Brooder:

From above, with fan at right:

The chickies themselves!

 

[becky3086]

Beats the heck out of the brooder I made today for the ducks out of a plastic tub, lol or the one made from a cat box or the old rabbit cage with the light hanging in it. I have the whole back shed which is open on 3 side filled with different sized, and shaped pens, plus the three chain link pens on the back, then there are the quail and assorted chicks in the greenhouse and I think I am going to make a new pen between the duck pen and the greenhouse, just going to stretch the wire across and find a way to make a door, lol. I may have a bunch of redneck coops but I've got more chickens than you

LOL.
Good luck with your addiction. I, of course, have mine under control.