INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[hoosiercheetah]

@hoosiercheetah

Don't have time to elaborate right now but wanted to ask a question. I assume one of these pop doors in your drawing is already cut out and in use so... WHERE IS YOUR CURRENT POP DOOR?

Yep. The pop door next to the people door, on the bottom of the drawing, and the run it leads out to, are already in place. The pop door and run at the top are what I plan to build while my chicks are growing out in the garage this winter.

Right now my nest "boxes" are sitting on the ground along one wall. They are just dresser drawers with plywood leaning up and over them for privacy, but the girls like them pretty well - I never have hidden eggs anywhere else.

Also worth mentioning, the dimensions and location of Run 2 are fixed - it has to be what I've got drawn. I could move the pop door left or right, but only a few feet either way.

The coop is a converted A-frame shed. Here's a pic I took back when I was building the first run:



Mine's the red one. ;-) You can see that on either side, the shingles go all the way to the ground, so I can't cut into the sides of the shed, only the front and back. The current pop door is centered in the end of the run... pretty much where it looks like it should be. I think it's something like 20" wide by 30" tall. I cut it big in case I ever have turkeys. :-D

 

[browncow15]

Just wanted to take a minute to say hi all! I've been following but between my phone being stupid and now a new baby to cuddle I haven't been/won't be posting much for a bit. I hope everyone is close to set for winter. The forecast looks COLD next week! I still have a few to many birds but other than that I think DH has got things set up for the cold weather coming.

 

[minmin1258]

Just wanted to take a minute to say hi all! I've been following but between my phone being stupid and now a new baby to cuddle I haven't been/won't be posting much for a bit. I hope everyone is close to set for winter. The forecast looks COLD next week! I still have a few to many birds but other than that I think DH has got things set up for the cold weather coming.

Congrats on the new baby! I guess I missed the announcement of the birth? Do you have a boy or girl? Are you willing t share pics? I just adore babies!!! I'd be like the TV show "19 kids n counting" if I had a wonderful understanding and helpful husband.

 

[Faraday40]

Molting ?s

About how long does molting take? My Easter Egger laid her last egg on Sept 12th. She went almost completely bald but looks fantastic now. Her comb is still pink - not red. Will she start up again soon or is there more going on besides the feathers? My hens started laying end of Feb. and we quickly got used to having a constant supply of eggs. The others started their molt later. Only one hen is laying, but she looks ready to start molt. Will this likely be the end of the eggs until Feb? Do the winter breeds require supplemental light to make eggs or do they just make fewer eggs?

 

[hoosiercheetah]

If you feed the meaties out as recommended, they won't be moving around lot, lol. If you let them, they park at the food dish and eat nonstop. Highly reccomend fermented food if you plan to process yourself. I free ranged mine and they were ready around 11 weeks. If I only had 2 runs, the layers will need more space IMO. 4sq ft per bird is good to follow.

What's your recommendation on feeding big meat birds? Other than the FF, I mean - I'm already planning on trying that again. Do you feed them free-choice, or limit them?

 

[ChickCrazed]

Molting ?s

About how long does molting take? My Easter Egger laid her last egg on Sept 12th. She went almost completely bald but looks fantastic now. Her comb is still pink - not red. Will she start up again soon or is there more going on besides the feathers? My hens started laying end of Feb. and we quickly got used to having a constant supply of eggs. The others started their molt later. Only one hen is laying, but she looks ready to start molt. Will this likely be the end of the eggs until Feb? Do the winter breeds require supplemental light to make eggs or do they just make fewer eggs?

I would think she would be starting back up soon, keep an eye on her comb since it will start getting red again as she comes back into lay. Young birds typically lay pretty well through their first winter, then take a break over winter after that. I'm not sure what you mean by winter breeds but the supplemental light thing is kind of controversial. Many people say that adding light disrupts the natural laying cycle and leads to things like vent prolapse and internal laying. Others say adding light is fine. I let my girls take the break when they need it, I still had eggs each week last winter but it was a lot fewer. I actually don't use many eggs myself so it was fine for me.

 

[Faraday40]

I would think she would be starting back up soon, keep an eye on her comb since it will start getting red again as she comes back into lay. Young birds typically lay pretty well through their first winter, then take a break over winter after that. I'm not sure what you mean by winter breeds but the supplemental light thing is kind of controversial. Many people say that adding light disrupts the natural laying cycle and leads to things like vent prolapse and internal laying. Others say adding light is fine. I let my girls take the break when they need it, I still had eggs each week last winter but it was a lot fewer. I actually don't use many eggs myself so it was fine for me.

I read that some breeds like Orpingtons & Wyandottes lay year round, but other breeds may take a few months off in the winter. I'm OK with getting less eggs, but we're only getting 1-2 eggs a day now - and mostly from the hen who's about to molt. (6 young hens (16 months) & 6 pullets (5+ months) here.) Two of the pullets were laying a month ago. One stopped to go broody, but she's acting normal now. The other one = ?? I was hoping the chicks hatched mid April would be laying by now. So, I'm wondering if they'll wait 'til the days start getting longer before starting up. That's what happened last winter.

If we get at least a doz eggs per week, from a dozen chickens, then we'll be OK. If the eggs stop completely, then DH may be looking for other uses for the chickens. He's not a chicken person, but he's learned to appreciate their eggs.

 

[browncow15]

Congrats on the new baby! I guess I missed the announcement of the birth? Do you have a boy or girl? Are you willing t share pics? I just adore babies!!! I'd be like the TV show "19 kids n counting" if I had a wonderful understanding and helpful husband.

Thanks! Lol that was my roundabout way of announcing. We have added another little boy to our family! I don't like sharing the kids pics in public places but if you PM me your email address I'd be happy to share that way

 

[horseshubob]

hi I'm just getting back into this after 35 years of no birds very excited starting my chicken coop tomorrow I live in Elizabeth Indiana

 

[horseshubob]

Another shot