Landrace/adaptive breeding discussion

[LaurenRitz]

Four of the five found their way without any assistance tonight. That includes the girl I thought was night-blind! as well as the BA cross.

The fifth had tucked herself in under the rooster in the big kids coop. I carried her over and she climbed up.

I have two more to get up there, then the boys.

I think this may be the best solution. They're protected from the winter winds, high enough that predators can't reach them, and more or less protected from night-hunting raptors.

And no risk if I can't let them out for some reason.

When I first moved into this house and opened up the coop door for the first time, I discovered three intact chicken skeletons and a bunch of scattered bones. Whether someone had died or just forgot about them, 10 or 12 chickens died in there with no way to get out.

That's one of the major reasons I want them to roost outside.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

When I first moved into this house and opened up the coop door for the first time, I discovered three intact chicken skeletons and a bunch of scattered bones. Whether someone had died or just forgot about them, 10 or 12 chickens died in there with no way to get out

This is actually a recurring nightmare of mine and one of the reasons I’ve decided to raise more self-sufficient chickens. For years I had dreams I had forgotten to feed and water my chickens and I would go out to the coop and find some dead, eggs broken, dead chicks, no food or water etc. No idea how I got this random phobia in my head but probably from reading weird stories like this.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

For the record, I have never forgotten to feed or water my chickens but the idea that they’re so dependent on me and locked in a coop makes my stomach turn in knots. Happy to say that the flock I have now is much more independent than I’ve had in the past. They even find water on their own somehow even though I always have water available for them.

 

[Molpet]

Four of the five found their way without any assistance tonight. That includes the girl I thought was night-blind! as well as the BA cross.

The fifth had tucked herself in under the rooster in the big kids coop. I carried her over and she climbed up.

I have two more to get up there, then the boys.

I think this may be the best solution. They're protected from the winter winds, high enough that predators can't reach them, and more or less protected from night-hunting raptors.

And no risk if I can't let them out for some reason.

When I first moved into this house and opened up the coop door for the first time, I discovered three intact chicken skeletons and a bunch of scattered bones. Whether someone had died or just forgot about them, 10 or 12 chickens died in there with no way to get out.

That's one of the major reasons I want them to roost outside.

this is my night mare . I die and no one notices until the property is sold for back taxes. The Poor animals

 

[LaurenRitz]

this is my night mare . I die and no one notices until the property is sold for back taxes. The Poor animals

I'm pretty sure my siblings would notice within a year (frequency of our contact, pretty much), but that doesn't help the animals.