Illinois...

[Molpet]

I have started my first article on BYC. It's a work in progress covering my start with raising chickens and now quail as well as my new coop. It essentially my coop page. Take a look if you are interested. I appreciated comments.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...raising-birds-and-my-new-coop.74639/#comments

Nice article. Lots of info
Before too long they will have the whole shed.. wait and see


1 sqft of ventilation per chickens is one of the recommendations, another is per sqft floor

Dust... Everything will get covered in dust... I can't believe how much dust/dandruff birds produce 1/4" hardware cloth is plugged in six months

 

[Faraday40]

Look who laid her 1st egg this morning!

This is Oreo. Double Stuff may also be laying, but I at least know today's egg came from Oreo.

The only other orp who's laying is Cupcake. (All pullet eggs since my 3 orp hens are molting.) Poor Cupcake was injured this weekend via young, clumsy cockerel's mating attempts, so she's a house chicken for a few days.....but still laying! I just want to make sure the wound stays clean and know she'd be dust bathing as soon as I put her outside. I'm always surprised how quickly chickens can heal.

 

[Faraday40]

I have started my first article on BYC. It's a work in progress covering my start with raising chickens and now quail as well as my new coop. It essentially my coop page. Take a look if you are interested. I appreciated comments.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...raising-birds-and-my-new-coop.74639/#comments

Nice! Can't wait to see how it goes as you progress.

 

[BReeder!]

Nice article. Lots of info
Before too long they will have the whole shed.. wait and see


1 sqft of ventilation per chickens is one of the recommendations, another is per sqft floor

Dust... Everything will get covered in dust... I can't believe how much dust/dandruff birds produce 1/4" hardware cloth is plugged in six months

Thanks for checking out my article @Molpet. I appreciate the feedback too.
I am all too familiar with the dust. We brooded until 8-9 weeks in the garage with our first group of chicks. When I moved the brooder I could not believe the dust and cobwebs. It looked like I just reversed the flow of my shopvac into that corner of the garage. I certainly expect to do some dusting/sweeping regularly in the shed.
For ventilation, I want to put a set of screen doors just inside the shed doors so I can leave solid doors open when it is hot out - think of screen storm doors, but inside the doorway instead of outside. That should help with excess heat on hot days. I also am going to install a window on the left side of the shed for light and ventilation - I have a fairly large vinyl sliding window sitting in the garage that came from my parents' house. Lastly I am going to increase the size of the current vents located in the peaks of the front and back walls.

 

[BReeder!]

Look who laid her 1st egg this morning!

This is Oreo. Double Stuff may also be laying, but I at least know today's egg came from Oreo.

The only other orp who's laying is Cupcake. (All pullet eggs since my 3 orp hens are molting.) Poor Cupcake was injured this weekend via young, clumsy cockerel's mating attempts, so she's a house chicken for a few days.....but still laying! I just want to make sure the wound stays clean and know she'd be dust bathing as soon as I put her outside. I'm always surprised how quickly chickens can heal.

Wow, Oreo is a nice looking chicken. what a lovely lace pattern. She's born for black tie affairs.

 

[Faraday40]

Nice article. Lots of info
Before too long they will have the whole shed.. wait and see

I agree. I grabbed some Rubbermaid wire shelving from the curb & added it to my run. (It's 8' tall, so I wanted to store some of the chicken supplies up in that unused space.) As soon as the shelves were added, the hens discovered new places to sleep..... by knocking all my cleaning tools down. The highest shelf is 6' up (well over my head). The turkey thinks it's a great place to lay her eggs. Thankfully her shells are very hard. I must still store all the chicken supplies in the garage, but at least I have multiple levels of space for more chickens.

 

[Molpet]

Look who laid her 1st egg this morning!

This is Oreo. Double Stuff may also be laying, but I at least know today's egg came from Oreo.

The only other orp who's laying is Cupcake. (All pullet eggs since my 3 orp hens are molting.) Poor Cupcake was injured this weekend via young, clumsy cockerel's mating attempts, so she's a house chicken for a few days.....but still laying! I just want to make sure the wound stays clean and know she'd be dust bathing as soon as I put her outside. I'm always surprised how quickly chickens can heal.

LOL on the high nesting turkey. Ralphie,on the turkey thread has one nesting about that high... But she is in a nest..... co nesting.. a roo is helping

 

[Faraday40]

Wow, Oreo is a nice looking chicken. what a lovely lace pattern. She's born for black tie affairs.

Thanks. Oreo has the looks but is on the smaller side. Double stuff has the nice body size but her lacing is not as crisp. I couldn't decide..... so I kept BOTH.

Here's Double Stuff:

I also kept the mama of Double Stuff & your Blue Silver Laced Orp. Their biological mother is Blizzard. (She's not as pretty b/c she's STILL molting!) Most of her new feathers are in except for some around the head & neck. She's a very, very big & heavy girl.


This is "Puppy" the cockerel. I'm still deciding if I want to keep him. He's a back up, but I really like & prefer the way "Mr Wonderful" looks, so I doubt this guy is "needed." I gave away all the extra "beautiful" cockerels and ate the so/so ones. Puppy was on the so/so list but he's so friendly and followed us around - like a Puppy. The last time we had young cockerel this amazingly sweet was "Mr Dummy-pants." (Hated the name, but Dummy became my all-time favorite rooster.) Also TWICE when I had picked out my spring rooster and got down to my winter number, something happened to my #1 pick, which sent me scrambling to hatch out as many males as possible.

His lacing needs work, but his temperament is beyond special. That's the real reason he's here.

 

[BReeder!]

Thanks. Oreo has the looks but is on the smaller side. Double stuff has the nice body size but her lacing is not as crisp. I couldn't decide..... so I kept BOTH.

Here's Double Stuff:
View attachment 1635726


I also kept the mama of Double Stuff & your Blue Silver Laced Orp. Their biological mother is Blizzard. (She's not as pretty b/c she's STILL molting!) Most of her new feathers are in except for some around the head & neck. She's a very, very big & heavy girl.
View attachment 1635724 View attachment 1635725

This is "Puppy" the cockerel. I'm still deciding if I want to keep him. He's a back up, but I really like & prefer the way "Mr Wonderful" looks, so I doubt this guy is "needed." I gave away all the extra "beautiful" cockerels and ate the so/so ones. Puppy was on the so/so list but he's so friendly and followed us around - like a Puppy. The last time we had young cockerel this amazingly sweet was "Mr Dummy-pants." (Hated the name, but Dummy became my all-time favorite rooster.) Also TWICE when I had picked out my spring rooster and got down to my winter number, something happened to my #1 pick, which sent me scrambling to hatch out as many males as possible.
View attachment 1635746
His lacing needs work, but his temperament is beyond special. That's the real reason he's here.

Hatch cockerels from Oreo and Double Stuffed, pick the best and breed them with their aunt - Oreo's son with Double Stuff and Double Stuffed's son with Oreo. I would imagine you could get some sizable and lovely laced birds to move forward with.

 

[Molpet]

You should see our silkies when DD decides to dye them!
Here's Xansie as a "cosmic chick" and poor Teddy went through a "blue period" this summer.
View attachment 1633406 View attachment 1633407 View attachment 1633421

or plays chicken dress up.
View attachment 1633408

Also a running silkie is just about the silliest sight. Their fuzzy legs & body shape look like an old man wearing pants..... and awkwardly running about in circles. Macy (also called "Mai-Mai" after Hei-Hei the rooster in Moana) is not very bright. She gets excited when free ranging but can't see well. She darts off in one direction then pops straight up into the air & lands facing a new direction. Off she runs in her new bearing. We call it "Mai-Mai's happy dance."


I'm sorry Dinner's manners have not improved and am surprised that the mature hens haven't beat him up for it yet. (That's how our young cockerels learn.) I suppose Dinner was gifted with all that beauty, so there wasn't much left over to give him some brains. At least he's not aggressive and hopefully his size alone will help deter some predators.

did you have Seramas?