Maine

[ducklucky]

I am really surprised to hear this. In over ten years, we've never had a bumblefoot or other disease problem. Chickens mysteriously die all the time no matter where we get them from. Being egg bound is a bit common. One day they're prancing around and the next morning they're gone. Have you lost more of rare breeds or the more common/hardier breeds? And yes, hate to think what they do with all the males, but there are some farms local to them that will take them and raise them for meat, so not all are doomed at birth. McMurray does have video online of their hatchery, and altho it is not the ideal situation to those of us who like to see our babies come into the world naturally, it looks like a clean operation. A necessary evil, unfortunately. Sorry to hear you have not had luck with them, I would definitely e-mail them and let them know, could be a problem they could fix or make good on...they need to know.

 

[ducklucky]

Looks like you are on the right track, a real chicken suite of suites. Would recommend that you put the coop close to where you enter, it's just easier that way, and be aware of where your winds come from in winter. If that is north/west side, you may want to relocate it. We have ours in the center of a 12X25 pen, and it gives them room to roam around it, and also have it raised a foot off ground, so they can go under and escape weather, hawks, bathe, etc. Our coop is appx 6X12 with roof raised so we can stand upright. 6 metal nesting boxes mounted on wall, 2 birch perches 3' off floor on either side with windows that can be latched up to beam all summer. Insulated with styrofoam and then a layer of cedar plywood. It has been ideal for up to 20 hens, we now have 10 (but I'm getting that itch for chicks, no rooster right now). Keeps them warm in winter. Run a heavy duty extension cord about 40' from garage for water heater and heat light if nec. They have been happy in this for over 10 years. Yes, mice get in, and they share the space and food with chipmunks daytime. We do have the top covered with wire mesh, and support it with cross beams (snow) so the hawks can't feast. The whole thing is space, heat in winter, and room to stretch their legs. Sounds like you are giving more than ample space, but would take that coop out of the corner unless that is where your access is. We also have a dutch door for access to the coop, so in inclement weather we can keep the top latched. And yes, ventilation 1" in the eaves, which you can stuff a little with towels in winter. Good luck, it's fun, isn't it? And remember windows, they love to see what's going on when the weather is bad, and natural light produces eggs.

 

[gracejr]

Looks like you are on the right track, a real chicken suite of suites.  Would recommend that you put the coop close to where you enter, it's just easier that way, and be aware of where your winds come from in winter.  If that is north/west side, you may want to relocate it.  We have ours in the center of a 12X25 pen, and it gives them room to roam around it, and also have it raised a foot off ground, so they can go under and escape weather, hawks, bathe, etc.  Our coop is appx 6X12 with roof raised so we can stand upright.  6 metal nesting boxes mounted on wall, 2 birch perches 3' off floor on either side with windows that can be latched up to beam all summer.  Insulated with styrofoam and then a layer of cedar plywood.  It has been ideal for up to 20 hens, we now have 10 (but I'm getting that itch for chicks, no rooster right now).  Keeps them warm in winter.  Run a heavy duty extension cord about 40' from garage for water heater and heat light if nec.  They have been happy in this for over 10 years.  Yes, mice get in, and they share the space and food with chipmunks daytime.  We do have the top covered with wire mesh, and support it with cross beams (snow) so the hawks can't feast.  The whole thing is space, heat in winter, and room to stretch their legs.  Sounds like you are giving more than ample space, but would take that coop out of the corner unless that is where your access is.  We also have a dutch door for access to the coop, so in inclement weather we can keep the top latched.  And yes, ventilation 1" in the eaves, which you can stuff a little with towels in winter.  Good luck, it's fun, isn't it?  And remember windows, they love to see what's going on when the weather is bad, and natural light produces eggs.

The coop is in the permanent spot. The front is facing the north, but has no windows or vents other than some covered gambrel type vents that will keep the weather out. Thanks to the gambrel roof it's nice and high up as well. The east/left side has a window and the pop-door, plus venting along the bottom of the roof. Back/south has a giant vent area, a window, and is near the tree line. West/right wall has venting along the bottom of the roof, and is also near the tree line. Gambrel roof, so all the vents are nice and high up. The fencing will have a gate at the end where the coop is, plus one down towards the opposite end. If I go with the smaller setup, there will also be a gate between the two section. The coop/run end of their area is by our back door, so there won't be too much shoveling to do to get into it this winter. This section of the yard was the only area where they could go. It's not the prettiest coop out there (when I say DH can't cut a straight line... I mean it!), but it works.

No insulation, since I don't want them to get shocked if we lose power in the winter. I do have the roosts wide-side flat so they can keep their feet warm though. We don't have electric hooked up in there yet, but plan on it before the end of fall. I want a light in there, an outside light, plus an outlet for water heater. Coop is level with the ground, I didn't want to deal with trying to get eggs or reluctant chickens from an area I couldn't move freely.

Still debating whether to cover the run or not. I've never seen a hawk here, just crows and small birds. We went over budget, so there isn't money to build a sturdy beam system for a run this large. I might run colored twine at the top, though. Cheap, won't be a problem with snow, and easy to put up.

 

[hoppy]

I have a freind in maine that raises bantam rocks, i know he has alot of pullets (mostly girls hatched only like 3 cockerels)

Thank you! Also - I agree with divided pen based on my limited experience. I have already had dividing issues pop up.


Ash: I sent luvmygoats a message re: rocks - thank you for letting me know. I will always support local over commercial.

 

[Clover Run]

I have a freind in maine that raises bantam rocks, i know he has alot of pullets (mostly girls hatched only like 3 cockerels)

Thank you but I am looking for standard size rocks.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

The coop is in the permanent spot. The front is facing the north, but has no windows or vents other than some covered gambrel type vents that will keep the weather out. Thanks to the gambrel roof it's nice and high up as well. The east/left side has a window and the pop-door, plus venting along the bottom of the roof. Back/south has a giant vent area, a window, and is near the tree line. West/right wall has venting along the bottom of the roof, and is also near the tree line. Gambrel roof, so all the vents are nice and high up. The fencing will have a gate at the end where the coop is, plus one down towards the opposite end. If I go with the smaller setup, there will also be a gate between the two section. The coop/run end of their area is by our back door, so there won't be too much shoveling to do to get into it this winter. This section of the yard was the only area where they could go. It's not the prettiest coop out there (when I say DH can't cut a straight line... I mean it!), but it works.
No insulation, since I don't want them to get shocked if we lose power in the winter. I do have the roosts wide-side flat so they can keep their feet warm though. We don't have electric hooked up in there yet, but plan on it before the end of fall. I want a light in there, an outside light, plus an outlet for water heater. Coop is level with the ground, I didn't want to deal with trying to get eggs or reluctant chickens from an area I couldn't move freely.
Still debating whether to cover the run or not. I've never seen a hawk here, just crows and small birds. We went over budget, so there isn't money to build a sturdy beam system for a run this large. I might run colored twine at the top, though. Cheap, won't be a problem with snow, and easy to put up.

If you're thinking about covering the run to prevent hawks, I use fishing line strung up across it haphazardly - it keeps the hawks and eagles at bay, and if they try to come in it gives the chickens a few extra seconds to run for cover. Since stringing it up I've had no hawk/eagle losses. It was about 5 dollars worth of fishing line, which I got for free.
I'm not sure what you mean about no insulation because you don't want to shock them... insulation won't cause the coop to be heated - which is what you'll be worried about if you lose power. I have my coop insulated and it does keep it about 10 degrees warmer in the coop even with the windows and vents wide open.

 

[Clover Run]

We've used McMurray for over ten years, and have always been happy,. They are more than accomodating if you have a problem. We had close to 100 at one time from them and their offspring, and this spring started Pekins. The first batch or 12 arrived with 11 DOA, and they immediately replaced them the next week, free of charge, all arrived healthy. They corresponded with us for a week or so to make sure all was well. Know there are a lot of locals who will trade or supply you with what you want, but if you are looking for something that you can't find locally, McMurray may have it. Think over the years we have ordered over 100 chicks, and only lost 2, just due to the fact they were either runts or defective, but never, ever had another issue. Really healthy chicks, you just have to use common sense and order at the right time of the year so they are not subject to too much cold or heat during their journey. You can still get a selected few even now, check their site, they let you know what is available. Many of their breeds are blue ribbon winners in various shows. Good luck and happy peeping! Just writing this makes me want to order a few, we are without a rooster right now...

Thank you. I have a friend who suggested McMurray as well. Said they have never had a problem withem either. I do love their catalog!

www.facebook.com/CloverRunFarm

 

[gracejr]

If you're thinking about covering the run to prevent hawks, I use fishing line strung up across it haphazardly - it keeps the hawks and eagles at bay, and if they try to come in it gives the chickens a few extra seconds to run for cover. Since stringing it up I've had no hawk/eagle losses. It was about 5 dollars worth of fishing line, which I got for free.
I'm not sure what you mean about no insulation because you don't want to shock them... insulation won't cause the coop to be heated - which is what you'll be worried about if you lose power. I have my coop insulated and it does keep it about 10 degrees warmer in the coop even with the windows and vents wide open.

Gah, sorry yes. I got my wires crossed. Blame it on the fussy toddler while I was typing. lol For some reason when I saw insulation I was thinking heated. As for insulation, I did a bunch of reading on here and it seemed it wasn't a big enough difference to make it worth the extra time and expense to install it. We'll see how it goes this winter and can revisit in the spring if I change my mind.


And yep, that's exactly what I was thinking. I have some cotton yarn here that I might use since I have a ton of it collecting dust. Even if it doesn't hold up long term, it was free.

 

[Widget]

I've had great luck with both Ideal and Cackle. Ideal for chickens. Cackle for chickens and turkeys. For ducks it is Holderreads hands down. For shipped eggs there is a breeder in Georgia who has wonderful birds, packs the eggs so the box could survive being dropped from the Empire State Building and I've had 100% hatch rates from her eggs.

 

[buckabucka]

The top layout doesn't leave me extra fence panels to divide the pen with. To have those two panels to use as the divider, the pen has to be smaller. But if I can figure something different to use as a divider, I can use all the panels I have to make the bigger pen. I have a total of eight 10' long panels and six 6' long panels to use.

Oh, I see. I didn't realize you already had a certain number of panels you are working with. Your pen is quite large (which is nice). Ours is 12 x 24.

When it came time to divide it, I took some old screens (approximately 8' x 3') that we took off the porch that we plan to replace someday. I nailed a mishmash of screens, some vertical, some horizontal (so I could climb over it), added chicken wire here and there and called it good.
It is what SCG would call "ghetto" . It does serve it's function though.