Landrace/adaptive breeding discussion

[Wild Iris]

How big is the doghouse they take cover in?

Well, it's a 3-sided, 3-stall doghouse. The stalls are 2-2.5' deep, and there is a covered 2' deep porch across the front of them all.

The middle stall (with doors) is being used by a chicken who is a bit lame and I thought might have merecks, but it hasn't progressed and it doesn't look like bumblefoot, so IDK. The smallest stall is just storage and the largest stall is where they hang out. With the porch, they have about 3'x4'. They perch on railings & parts of the open crate which is in there, and generally fit about 8-12 in the whole thing. Chicks often stay underneath the doghouse.

It seems that it's mostly used by the younger generation/s during rainy days.

 

[Appalachickens]

Well, it's a 3-sided, 3-stall doghouse. The stalls are 2-2.5' deep, and there is a covered 2' deep porch across the front of them all.

The middle stall (with doors) is being used by a chicken who is a bit lame and I thought might have merecks, but it hasn't progressed and it doesn't look like bumblefoot, so IDK. The smallest stall is just storage and the largest stall is where they hang out. With the porch, they have about 3'x4'. They perch on railings & parts of the open crate which is in there, and generally fit about 8-12 in the whole thing. Chicks often stay underneath the doghouse.

It seems that it's mostly used by the younger generation/s during rainy days.

I ask because I’m thinking about what buildable structures I might incorporate around the woods. And since I have aphantasia, I can’t visualize that at all. Any chance you have a photo of it?

 

[LaurenRitz]

Only two of the young cockerels have stuck out the storm in the 2nd coop. The rest moved peacefully into coop 1. I hope the change will be permanent. That puts all the older birds in the same coop, with two of the young cockerels.

I'm hoping to use the second coop primarily for broodies. I could theoretically have four broodies in there at a time, each with her own space.

 

[Wild Iris]

I ask because I’m thinking about what buildable structures I might incorporate around the woods. And since I have aphantasia, I can’t visualize that at all. Any chance you have a photo of it?

My estimated dimensions may be way off; I don't know. I'm not super good at that sort of thing. It was built for three dogs, within a fenced dogyard. It had various doors/half-doors/coverings over the stalls at different times. The dogs lived happy lives and died and now our current dog sleeps on the front porch and inside.

I removed the outside wall of the smallest stall and now use it to store straw, feeders, & other things for the chickens.

I put doors on the middle stall (hardware cloth) and use it for mamas with babies or (right now) a hen that is limping. The plastic on the right door folds down to protect from drafts, and I have a polycarbonate panel that covers the other door on cold nights. (There is a little roosting ladder propped against the crate in the 1st stall which is used in the middle stall when mamas with chicks is in there)

The first stall has a dogcrate in it because it was used by a couple of different mamas w/ chicks this year, for protection when they were quite small. That's the place everyone gathers when they are hiding from a hawk. Some are inside, on the roosts, some on the floors, and some on top of the crate, just under the roof. The protecting rooster stands just at the edge of the door.

Baby chicks run all around under the whole thing, and I've had some hens lay eggs under it. The younger generations hang out there when it's cold and wet. It's not my primary coop, but it's very useful.

 

[Appalachickens]

View attachment 4289596

My estimated dimensions may be way off; I don't know. I'm not super good at that sort of thing. It was built for three dogs, within a fenced dogyard. It had various doors/half-doors/coverings over the stalls at different times. The dogs lived happy lives and died and now our current dog sleeps on the front porch and inside.

I removed the outside wall of the smallest stall and now use it to store straw, feeders, & other things for the chickens.

I put doors on the middle stall (hardware cloth) and use it for mamas with babies or (right now) a hen that is limping. The plastic on the right door folds down to protect from drafts, and I have a polycarbonate panel that covers the other door on cold nights. (There is a little roosting ladder propped against the crate in the 1st stall which is used in the middle stall when mamas with chicks is in there)

The first stall has a dogcrate in it because it was used by a couple of different mamas w/ chicks this year, for protection when they were quite small. That's the place everyone gathers when they are hiding from a hawk. Some are inside, on the roosts, some on the floors, and some on top of the crate, just under the roof. The protecting rooster stands just at the edge of the door.

Baby chicks run all around under the whole thing, and I've had some hens lay eggs under it. The younger generations hang out there when it's cold and wet. It's not my primary coop, but it's very useful.

Thanks so much! That was quite a set-up for dogs - I especially like the porch. It's cool that the chickens use it now.

 

[Backroadlogic]

Lost 2 chickens to the cold and 1 to a hawk yesterday. One was my very old rooster who was the foundation rooster of my flock and a tiny little pullet who was always so much smaller than all my others. Hawk and one of my game stag mixes had a good fight. Wing prints everywhere and a crazy amount of blood.

Old rooster stayed with my goats, I was given a giant brahma boy I'm going to put out there to replace him.

Down to 3 game mix roosters and 9 game mix hens in my 24x7 freerange flock

 

[Molpet]

Lost 2 chickens to the cold and 1 to a hawk yesterday. One was my very old rooster who was the foundation rooster of my flock and a tiny little pullet who was always so much smaller than all my others. Hawk and one of my game stag mixes had a good fight. Wing prints everywhere and a crazy amount of blood.

Old rooster stayed with my goats, I was given a giant brahma boy I'm going to put out there to replace him.

Down to 3 game mix roosters and 9 game mix hens in my 24x7 freerange flock

Sorry for your losses

 

[Backroadlogic]

Sorry for your losses

Tyvm. I'm not to upset buy my wife did really like that stag and that tiny hen. Not used to having multiple deaths. Lost a duck too apparently. Dogs have been inside and predators might have swiped it

 

[LaurenRitz]

My broody hatched 2 babies. I gave her 8 eggs. Two didn't hatch, two broke in the nest, two disappeared. I have them inside until this cold snap is over. I know she can handle the cold, but I don't want to be running out to the brooder every hour to make sure they have water.

I think the yellow is female, based on her head stripe. No indication on the other yet.

Based on the eggs I gave her, my guess is that the black is (JGxRIR)xRIR)x(MaransX) and the white ((JGxRIR)xRIR)x(Dorking-Sussex). Possible that the father could be either Dorking-Sussex or Kraienkoppe, but the JGxRIR is my flock leader.

One of the boys in coop 2 went into the rafters last night. Hope he sticks.

Between cabin fever and hormones, the boys are starting to act out.