Maine

[lazy gardener]

Pretty sure it's 7 x 10 . We have 10 BO hens and 2 roos. Hopefully that is enough room for them if not we will be building on!! They are only 6 weeks old so they look pretty small in there. We still need to frame out the door, paint, put in nest boxes, insulation and walls plus a run, but for now just glad they have a place out of the dining room! lol

I know what you mean about getting them out of the house and into the coop with work still to be done on the coop. I got my coop finished enough to move them in, but still had some construction details to finish. They have been perfectly content to hang out with me and my power tools. I occasionally had to push them away because they would get too close to the business end of a drill in an effort to supervise the details. I would have expected them to be fearful of the noise and commotion of power tools, but these birds take it all in stride. After my last power tool session installing the outside nest box door, I decided that it would be much better to use a battery powered drill for my future efforts. No fun to rewind an extension cord at dusk, while battling clouds of mosquitoes... after dragging the cord through some fresh warm chicken poop. Thank God for Chlorox wipes!!!!

 

[mlowen]

Does anyone know a breeder of Barred Rocks and/or Silver Laced Wayandottes within a day's drive of Windham (southern Maine, just outside Portland?) My coop/run is just about done and I am ready to start the search. I'm going to try to get to the Brunswick swap at TSC on 7/6. If I get there, I hope to meet some of y'all.
Thanks for any info you have.

Mel

 

[dowgirl71]

Thanks for the tips on integrating my chicks. It seems I may have trouble with the one Black Australorp that I want to keep. Unless, her buddy that is in with her now, does turn out to be a cockerel. Then, maybe he can be of some assistance before I rehome him. So, now I guess, I'm hoping for a rooster. I went on the integrating thread and people were talking about putting older chicks in with other ones, at night. It almost seems like a "magical" solution, but it just doesn't seem like it would work, especially if the girls have met before in the daylight and already have issues. Has anyone tried this with success? Keeping in mind that I can't let my girls free range.

 

[MustardTiger]

One of my young pullets was not well this afternoon. I have already done some research but, as always, i'd like advice from any of you; she had an enlarged crop. It felt like a water balloon. I picked her up and massaged it, nothing hard in there and she began to puke out the liqiud. It was translucent and did smell liked something fermented. I tipped her forward and massaged it all out. She is drinking water but is still not active. What do you all suggest? Isolate her from the grain food and feed her scrambled eggs and yogurt?....anything else I can do?



Dowgirl - I did integrate some younger pullets at night. It worked okay but was not magical. I still had to separate them in the day time for a while.

 

[CoopChick719]

Hoppy--Congrats on the exhibit! You do such wonderful work!!

My chicks home is basically done and they went out yesterday afternoon! Still need to build the nesting boxes and a run but they are happy in their new home! My Dh did a super job!!

Wicked cute cyndischicks! Awesome job DH!!

Thanks for the tips on integrating my chicks. It seems I may have trouble with the one Black Australorp that I want to keep. Unless, her buddy that is in with her now, does turn out to be a cockerel. Then, maybe he can be of some assistance before I rehome him. So, now I guess, I'm hoping for a rooster. I went on the integrating thread and people were talking about putting older chicks in with other ones, at night. It almost seems like a "magical" solution, but it just doesn't seem like it would work, especially if the girls have met before in the daylight and already have issues. Has anyone tried this with success? Keeping in mind that I can't let my girls free range.

Hi dowgirl71, I have brought in new girls at night after everyone has gone to bed. I try to be a quiet as possible and make sure there is no light. I wear a headlamp with a dim red light and scope out the roost beforehand. It is not always magical but is better than throwing them all together in the daylight. It also works better if you have more than 1 newcomer. I have had better luck sectioning off a space for the newcomers within the coop so that everyone can see each other but can't harm each other. My coop is 8 x 12 but only 8 x 8 is chicken space. It's a little bit of a tight squeeze for a couple weeks but I feel I've had less issues when integrating with this method. I also have a 10 x 10 run with a couple of hides that only the smaller chickens can get into. Right now I have a mama & 5 chicks who have just started roaming the coop & run with everyone else. I made a small opening in their pen within the coop so mama & babies can go in & out but not the big girls. Of course, mama keeps the big ones in line as far as her chicks are concerned anyway.

 

[CoopChick719]

Chipmunk's 1st egg!!!

It's not perfect and has a little ridge around the middle but I am so proud of her! I found it in the nesting box when I came home from work today.

One of my Sizzle's eggs and Chipmunk's egg. Chipmunk's sisters have been checking out the nesting boxes too. I'm sure they'll be laying soon.

At first, I thought someone was playing a joke on me by putting a piece of sidewalk chalk in the nesting box because I found this in one on Saturday.

It was laying on it's side. My first thoughts were "OMG that is a huge poop!" "That does not look right!" "I wonder who did that and why is it so shiny?!" It is a gnome pepper shaker. I made the mistake of telling my family I don't like creepy garden gnomes. That is all they needed and they have run with it! I find them in my flower beds when I'm weeding, hanging on the Christmas tree, in the chicken run, in my email....you get the picture. My aunt brought this from Maryland when she visited my parents in March. She & my mother have been waiting for the perfect opportunity to "surprise" me with it. We had my daughther's graduation party on Saturday. My Mum went out to the coop to "see the babies" and hid it.

 

[cyndischicks]

Awesome egg!!
Thanks everyone for liking my new chicks home!
Lazy Gardener, good to know they don't mind the power towels, I was a little concerned it would panic them! They seem to be loving it out there! Gave them some watermelon yesterday they loved that!!

Hope everyone has a great 4th sounds like we are finally going to have nice weather!! Start my vacation at 5:00 today

DD arrived in Maine from Utah last night, can't wait to see her!! Have a great day everyone!

 

[pellepeterson]

Everyone has eggs but me...I am starting to wonder if I just got a bunch of mute roo's! It has been since the first week of March, 4 leghorns, 4 black sex links...good feed, good love, good coop, lots of love...no eggs. I am not trying to sound impatient but....

I have noticed in the last few days the ladies have been acting differently. I used to go into the pen, they would run away, now, I can hardly move my feet without nearly kicking one of them. The are "cooing" at my feet as I walk in to do the dailies. I have heard about combs getting bright red, and broody behavior, but I am so new at this I am thinking I am doing it wrong. I know I have asked over and over...it is time yet? AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

 

[superchemicalgirl]

Everyone has eggs but me...I am starting to wonder if I just got a bunch of mute roo's! It has been since the first week of March, 4 leghorns, 4 black sex links...good feed, good love, good coop, lots of love...no eggs. I am not trying to sound impatient but....

I have noticed in the last few days the ladies have been acting differently. I used to go into the pen, they would run away, now, I can hardly move my feet without nearly kicking one of them. The are "cooing" at my feet as I walk in to do the dailies. I have heard about combs getting bright red, and broody behavior, but I am so new at this I am thinking I am doing it wrong. I know I have asked over and over...it is time yet? AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

It's only been 12 weeks if I read your post right. My first leghorn laid at 16.5 weeks, the rest were around 20.

You are right that their combs will get big and red, and they'll do a "squat" for you, where you can rub their back. They'll start looking in the nesting boxes, and then you've got about 10 days before you see an egg.

Here's my leghorn at about 13 weeks, the comb is starting to get big and red, but not laying yet.



And here's what it actually looks like when they start laying:


The other biddies will have a similar transformation, but it's really noticeable on a leghorn because of the size of the comb/wattles.

Here's a red sex link that just started laying:

 

[ashandvine]

At first, I thought someone was playing a joke on me by putting a piece of sidewalk chalk in the nesting box because I found this in one on Saturday.

It was laying on it's side. My first thoughts were "OMG that is a huge poop!" "That does not look right!" "I wonder who did that and why is it so shiny?!" It is a gnome pepper shaker. I made the mistake of telling my family I don't like creepy garden gnomes. That is all they needed and they have run with it!