Illinois...

[Brookfield Cyn]

Hi Everyone,

I am a new BYC member living in Brookfield, IL. I have 4 baby hens happily eating and drinking what seems like their entire body weight every day so far. This is my first time owning chickens, or any birds, but I do have a dog, cat, turtle, and snake, so we're creating quite the suburban menagerie here.

So far I have to say they want nothing to do with me, but at least they really like each other! It doesn't seem like any of them is a bully, so that makes me happy. I know they don't need them quite yet, but my husband has the outdoor coop built and is starting the runs. Do you guys have your coops raised off the ground if the coop has a floor? I'm just asking because I was reading some threads about run floors on BYC and they said they have 12-18" of compost-type layer (leaves, straw, clippings, bark, shavings, scraps, etc.) That's really high compared to where the door on the coop is. I think they'd be going UP that little ramp to go out of the coop if I had that much mulch/compost.

Anyway, glad to be here and starting this fun journey!

-Cynthia

 

[Faraday40]

Welcome neighbor! (We're also in the W. Suburbs) & Congrats on your new adventure! It's never too early to build a coop because they grow fast & will be in there before you know it. The personality of your birds will depend on the breed as well as the indiv temperament & how much you handle them. What kind did you buy?

 

[Brookfield Cyn]

I have gold-laced wyandottes and Easter eggers.

 

[Faraday40]

I have gold-laced wyandottes and Easter eggers.

I never had a pretty GLW, but my EEs have always been always fun & curious.

 

[Faraday40]

I got several surprises today.
1. DH got sick from dinner last night, so we couldn't go to the Sandwich Fair & demolition derby like we had planned. My birthday plans will be modified. Probably apple picking or pumpkin patch in a few weeks. (I have oral surgery in a few days, so doubtful I'll be wanting to run around next weekend.)

2. I thought my Bielefelder was just a poor layer. I didn't realize she was a hoarder! I found her hidden nest of eggs. I'm very surprised the dogs didn't find them 1st!

That brings today's egg count up to 10!

3. I didn't see the CCL chick with her mom & sis, so I went out searching the entire yard, talking to the bushes & even asked some of the neighbors who were outside.. I ended up finding her in the coop - about 8 ft away from her mom. Yes, she's 8 wks old, but they've never been that far apart before.

4. While searching for the missing CCL, I heard some peeping in the nestbox. Two of the eggs hatched a day early!

This is just about the smallest chick I've ever seen. She's a Spitzington (Appenzeller Spitzhauben x Black Orpington)



Edited to add: There are pips on the orp eggs in the incubator.

 

[ChicagoClucker]

Hi Everyone,

I am a new BYC member living in Brookfield, IL. I have 4 baby hens happily eating and drinking what seems like their entire body weight every day so far. This is my first time owning chickens, or any birds, but I do have a dog, cat, turtle, and snake, so we're creating quite the suburban menagerie here.

So far I have to say they want nothing to do with me, but at least they really like each other! It doesn't seem like any of them is a bully, so that makes me happy. I know they don't need them quite yet, but my husband has the outdoor coop built and is starting the runs. Do you guys have your coops raised off the ground if the coop has a floor? I'm just asking because I was reading some threads about run floors on BYC and they said they have 12-18" of compost-type layer (leaves, straw, clippings, bark, shavings, scraps, etc.) That's really high compared to where the door on the coop is. I think they'd be going UP that little ramp to go out of the coop if I had that much mulch/compost.

Anyway, glad to be here and starting this fun journey!

-Cynthia

Hi Brookfield Cyn, and welcome. My coops are raised to help extent the life of the wood floor, but if you raise them, you have to make sure nothing can get under them. I have hardware cloth around the base of my large coop and 2x2 patio tiles all underneath and my small coop is sitting on cinder blocks. I have also used the deep litter method in my coop and their run. I don't really measure, just add leaves and pine shavings as the leaves come, I add more. They break down as the chickens scratch through them. Good luck on this fun adventure.

 

[ChicagoClucker]

I got several surprises today.
1. DH got sick from dinner last night, so we couldn't go to the Sandwich Fair & demolition derby like we had planned. My birthday plans will be modified. Probably apple picking or pumpkin patch in a few weeks. (I have oral surgery in a few days, so doubtful I'll be wanting to run around next weekend.)

2. I thought my Bielefelder was just a poor layer. I didn't realize she was a hoarder! I found her hidden nest of eggs. I'm very surprised the dogs didn't find them 1st!
This is just about the smallest chick I've ever seen. She's a Spitzington (Appenzeller Spitzhauben x Black Orpington)



Edited to add: There are pips on the orp eggs in the incubator.

Hope your husband is feeling better and the chicks are adorable! And I also thought my marans were never going to begin laying, until I found their hideout for hoarding the eggs. Must have been at least a dozen, if I remember correctly, that was a little over a year ago. "Knock on wood" I am still getting a dozen eggs a day, molting has exploded in my yard also, feathers everywhere. So, I am sure my egg count will be dropping soon too.

 

[chickendreams24]

I got several surprises today. 1. DH got sick from dinner last night, so we couldn't go to the Sandwich Fair & demolition derby like we had planned. My birthday plans will be modified. Probably apple picking or pumpkin patch in a few weeks. (I have oral surgery in a few days, so doubtful I'll be wanting to run around next weekend.) 2. I thought my Bielefelder was just a poor layer. I didn't realize she was a hoarder! I found her hidden nest of eggs. I'm very surprised the dogs didn't find them 1st! That brings today's egg count up to 10! 3. I didn't see the CCL chick with her mom & sis, so I went out searching the entire yard, talking to the bushes & even asked some of the neighbors who were outside.. I ended up finding her in the coop - about 8 ft away from her mom. Yes, she's 8 wks old, but they've never been that far apart before. 4. While searching for the missing CCL, I heard some peeping in the nestbox. Two of the eggs hatched a day early! [COLOR=B42000] [/COLOR] This is just about the smallest chick I've ever seen. She's a Spitzington (Appenzeller Spitzhauben x Black Orpington) Edited to add: There are pips on the orp eggs in the incubator.

Yay yay!!!! Can't wait to hear who all comes out into the world! In breaking news the last three days we've gotten eggs from new layers and I believe today we got two-three. Still not 100% sure who but I sure would like to know. I have my blue laced silver EE, both chocolate English Orpingtons, Super Chick, and my oldest cuckoo Marans all in the small side of the cooler coop with my EE hen, Pebbles, my two OEGB hen/pullet(all laying) and my last remaining salmon faverolles pullet whom is not yet old enough to lay. On the other side of the cooler with the main adult/older juvenile flock we got a new layer as well which could be any of two speckled Sussex or a light Brahma pullet. I believe those are the only likely pullets on that side. I'm hoping my blue laced silver EE will lay green. Hi@Brookfield Cyn in technically in southern WI but I spend a lot of time on this thread with the wonderful people here. Absolutely hands down some of my favorite on BYC!

 

[cavemanrich]

Today is Sept. 11, I flew the Flag at Half Mast. At sundown before I took flag down and retired the colors, had my grandchildren do a White Dove release. I explained to them the significance , of today. They are 5 and 6. I think they understood the best they were able to.

 

[chickendreams24]

In other news. Our current silkie hatch(in incubator after all our broodies quit the day before we picked up the eggs) and last planned of the year(unless some eggs fall in for the halloween hatchalong) has reached day 7- with one egg being suspected of being about day 14 an oops that must have been under one of her broody silkies.

We got 18 eggs one had an early blood ring when we got it probably from the same broody. One looked between 5-7 days. The rest were perfect. 14 silkie eggs and 4 lav/black split Orpington eggs.

After a horrendous disaster last Monday which ended with the whole incubator being dropped about 6-8 inches I was amazed to find everything was perfect and not of the eggs even seemed to notice although every egg in the turner had jumped over one spot ironically. Lol multiple silkie eggs 5-6 I believe seem infertile but will be given a few more days. One I swear is a double yolk and seems to have two embryos! Yep that's right a silkie! Imagine how tiny those babies would be. Yikes! It/they doesn't/don't seem very strong yet and I expect to lose it/them but it did seem a bit better tonight just shining the light down into it then at full candle last night. Hopefully. It would be so cool to have twins hatch.

Sadly though incredible her lavender and black splits are not English I don't believe but may be part. They do however have no gold leakage that I can see at all. I already have three lavender pullets from an earlier hatch.