INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Chaneys Ranch]

So, I'm going to divide my coop. One side will be for my layer flock. The other side will be for meat birds.

My layer flock will be around 12 or 14 hens. Meat birds, I'll probably only raise 10 or 12 at a time.

The coop is 12' by 12'. I feel like the layers should have more space than the meaties, but I don't know why I think that. Partly because of the need for next boxes, although they don't take up much space as it is.

Also, each half of the coop will have it's own outdoor run, but one will be bigger than the other. Which flock should have the bigger run?

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.

[COLOR=900000]Did I see Brad @bradselig lurking? I thought he'd like to see this!

Ga Ho chickens are apparently going to be imported to the U.S. by next spring:[/COLOR]

https://www.facebook.com/oldorchard...3037039422185/789359737789913/?type=1&theater

[COLOR=900000]Edited to add the @ mention thingy.[/COLOR]

wow thats an intimidating bird

I think @bradselig has mentioned interest in them

I'm starting to plan how I want to make my turkey nesting boxes. Any recommendations for sizes and how high they need to be to keep the turkeys using them.
Right now I have smaller turkeys but in a year I hope to have large turkeys. Still the hens won't be nearly as large as the toms. The hens get to 12 pounds for the small breed and 20 pounds for the large breed. Right now my smaller breed turkey hens are only 20 weeks old so I'm thinking they won't be laying for at least another 10 weeks so after the new year. But I would like to have the nest ready.

Next for winter how do turkeys do in the cold? My original plan was to put them in the layer flock but @jchny2000 has posted that her turkey hens like to cull the roosters. My other options are the duck pen or make a new area in the pole barn but that area would be small and my turkeys are lovers of space.

Turkeys do pretty well in winter. I usually didn't see problems develop towards roosters until breeding season, around march or so is when the hens get defensive if that helps. It stops when the season ends ( october was the end of laying this year for mine). Some roosters just seem to irritate the hens. My worst problems were with the BBWs I had kept, and an RP hen that was very aggressive, (she and her tom was sold to a "non chicken" home) This year so far its better, but my adult BR Tom and Hen are completely separate from the flocks. I do have a "pet" BBW hen named Puppy, she has been fine all season with the roos. I still think she is another breed, she never got over about 14 pounds and is 19 months old now. I also have a pet BBB tom named Bacon from another member here, and he is just HUGE but as gentle as a kitten. Puppy stayed with the chicken flock most of the summer.
Hens begin to lay at 8 months usually. My 2 yr old hen didn't lay until March last year, so they should be right on schedule. They don't need any better shelter than the chickens do. Nesting boxes, they are happy with something as simple as an old tire full of hay, in a small area that's enclosed. Turkeys seem to prefer laying on the ground in a nest. I gave my hen a fake goose egg where I wanted eggs, and she did the rest. Dry draft free housing is all they need. Roosting bars are preferred. (I use 4x4s) Right now, even in the rain, my porter babies roost outside on top of the coop, or in the big tree. Will be enclosing them with the adult pair very soon. I have 4 small poults left indoors we are keeping and that should set me up nicely next year. Hopefully I will get another tom or 2!

sallyinIndiana , I dont have or probably never will have turkeys but i wanted to applaud you for having a flock of them. I am terrified of turkeys. lol I was chased and flogged by a big tom when i was very young and havent been around them since. The big people sat on the porch and laughed at me running from that thing for half an hr. LOL

Aww thats so sad! I can see how that being chased would be pretty scary for someone young. Honestly, if I had kept turkeys first, things may have been a lil different here! If they are hand raised, its night and day difference. Mine chase me to catch up and sit on my lap

gets interesting when you have 3 young adult hens piled on your lap lol! Looking at the future, we may move more towards more turkeys and keep less chickens. Poults are the sweetest little angels you will ever hold, trilling so happily at you. I keep my birds raised up here very social.
My adult bourbon pair were not hand raised. My tom is still not aggressive, nor is the hen. But I don't take my eye off them either. The hen can be very aggressive brooding eggs, and turns part rattlesnake! Hissing, pecking and bites anything coming near her. I don't mind it, just wear a welding glove to take her eggs. That tells me she is a good mom, and did very well raising poults when I let her.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

@jchny2000
In my chicken shed photos above....with the broody, the yellow chick is "Mister".

he was handsome even as a lil chick! Pretty special guy.

A word to the wise....

One of my daughter's college instructors was late to class today. They had a heat lamp in her 10 yo son's chicken coop that he and his dad had built together. It caught fire and burned down.


It is my opinion that heat lamps have no place in any animal building. There are plenty of other ways to heat or brood.

Of course...I have electricity in my hen shed and items that could short and cause a fire just because electricity can do these things. But a heat lamp? It's a fire waiting to happen.

That's terribly sad.

Help! I have too many chickens!

Because of my limited amount of space, I was trying to reduce the number of different breeds I am raising and with winter on our doorstep, I still have too many ... and I'm having a hard time deciding what to let go of. Here's my list of breeds ... I'm definitely keeping the ones with the asterisks:

• *Norwegian Jaerhon (as long as I have chickens, I'll always have NJs)
  
• *Ayam Cemani
  
  
  
• Sumatra
  
  
  
• Barred Old English
  
  
  
• Self Blue D'Anver (plus one black hen and some chicks of varying colors including quail)
  
  
  
• *BB Red Phoenix
  
  
  
• Silver Phoenix (a male/female pair of chicks)

I just received hatching eggs this afternoon for Genetic Hackle chickens and am excited and nervous - hoping I get a good hatch. This breed will be a long term project for me. I also have a pre-order in for Ohiki hatching eggs. They will be a keeper, too.

So, I have three breeds that I'm thinking about subtracting from my roost. I'm more inclined to get rid of the bantam show birds, but those little d'anver are so cute! I was thinking about selling my pair of Sumatra until I heard the hen making the coolest jungle bird noises last night - it made me feel like I was in a different part of the world! However, I'm still thinking that this is a pair I should put up for sale.

What to do what to do what to do ... I'll probably wind up being an idiot and investing in more cages ...

HELP!!!!!!!!!!

You have several gorgeous breeds

and Ugh, I know the feeling! We are reducing too. Have to make choices on what is working, I plan to part with my australorp flock. They are an all around dual purpose, but were intended for eggs more than dual purpose birds.The hatchery boasts they were a production line and rarely broody. Hold the world record for egg laying!
HA! Rarely NOT broody

The hens are so busy trying to be broody, they aren't laying and peck other hens from nestboxes, these are 18 month old hens. Been going on all spring thru fall.. The new owner will be made aware of it too. I have enough roosters from my BR and RIR that i don't need the BAs. Can't get them anyway if they won't lay

Also have 2 trio of millie fluer I will be parting with. Love the hens, roosters are lil tyrants lol. They are beautiful little birds, just not fitting into my plans. Staying with my bantam game birds. Sweet roos and hens, good layers. Enjoyable breed all around. I plan to keep my OEGB and MGBs.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote:
Good to know all's ok

we are crazy busy working on the barn here. Hardly get to read the thread lately too.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

So guys, what changes are coming for your winter months? will you reduce, or add breeds/species? Is anyone participating in the New years eve hatchalong?

I am comingling now to keep my coops easier to handle for winter. Like size and type poultry, and waterfowl (except muscovy)
My scovies will stay with the guinea flock. My intent is to keep 4 main coops. Bantam, waterfowl, guinea and turkey.
Reducing my chicken flock to EE, CCL, RIR, BR, WL, maran and my egg flock of mixed birds.
Bantam will be the polish, MGB, OEGB. Am sure I forgot someone!
Turkeys are planned as BR, WH, and miniwhites.
Geese will be my chinese, brown and white. Embdens without a doubt. Pekin ducks. Plan to add silver appleyards. Muscovy will always be here!
Hatch-a-long hopefully. Depends on who is laying i guess.

 

[hoosiercheetah]

So guys, what changes are coming for your winter months? will you reduce, or add breeds/species? Is anyone participating in the New years eve hatchalong?

Well, I"m dividing up the inside of my coop, and getting a batch of chicks around the second week of December. I ordered up some of Ideal's Leghorn Uber-layers, and if I understand the process, they're going to put fifteen miscellaneous male chicks in the box, too... so my first batch of meat birds will be who-knows-what breeds.

 

[hoosiercheetah]

@hoosiercheetah

I wanted to show you how we did our shed and nest boxes and it might give you some ideas.

Awesome coop!

You've definitely given me some new ideas to consider! Thanks!



So this is my layout. The coop is the big 12' by 12' block in the middle. The top of the page is East, and that's the side where the big window is - the pop door to Run 2 will be under the window.

The little dashes on the sides of the coop are approximate stud locations. The easiest and cheapest thing for me to do would be to run a wall left to right at the third studs down. That would make the top 12x7 feet and the bottom 12x5 feet. I'd have to put some kind of access door or panel in the middle of it, but that's easy enough.

I kind of like the idea of having an area inside the people door that the chickens can't get to, but then I need two access doors into the coop areas, which means twice as much framing and lumber. Even using cheap 1x4s that adds up quickly. So, for now I'll probably keep it simple.

Any other thoughts?

 

[mrsblanchard]

I have enjoyed reading/seeing the posts here even though I'm in Kentucky! Lots of good advice and tips. Now I need some help though. I'm looking for chicks to buy. Preferably arucaunas, cream legbars, or easter eggers. We live very close to Corydon and don't mind a drive to pick up. Like keeping business local

 

[kabhyper1]

Little Cinder is getting as big as mama. She is 5 months old now. And lavender finally got her feathers back from being over loved.



My little Sunny. She is so funny to watch. She runs like a duck.

 

[Leahs Mom]

So this is my layout. The coop is the big 12' by 12' block in the middle. The top of the page is East, and that's the side where the big window is - the pop door to Run 2 will be under the window.

The little dashes on the sides of the coop are approximate stud locations. The easiest and cheapest thing for me to do would be to run a wall left to right at the third studs down. That would make the top 12x7 feet and the bottom 12x5 feet. I'd have to put some kind of access door or panel in the middle of it, but that's easy enough.

I kind of like the idea of having an area inside the people door that the chickens can't get to, but then I need two access doors into the coop areas, which means twice as much framing and lumber. Even using cheap 1x4s that adds up quickly. So, for now I'll probably keep it simple.

Any other thoughts?

@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? (Need to know what you already have so we can work with that.)

I've seen a chicken house that had "removable interior framed walls" that could be removed and hung on the wall when not in use. It's pretty sweet how that works as it can be configured into several different options.

Of course, if you don't have an area for you to walk into, your nest boxes will take up some of your wall or floor space too.... just thinking out loud here.....

 

[ChickCrazed]

My shed setup is similar to LM's, with the back section partitioned off into two breeding pens. I have added more windows since these pics were taken so it isn't too dark. When I had my broody I was able to put her in the "people" area away from everyone else. In the future I would like to go down to just two pens with the third being used as a grow out pen.