Maine

[CoopChick719]

So, the saga continues! First of all, I HATE BEING OUT OF WORK! There, now that I have vented, my girls are driving me crazy! Yesterday, home with two of the kiddos, I heard the rooster crowing like mad, I looked outside and he was nowhere in sight...I walked up the drive to the mailbox..still nowhere and still crowing, I walked up the road a bit, and there he was, with his girls, in the neighbors yard. UGH! I chased them all back through the woods, with a bit of jealousy as they navigated the underbrush and I was less than deft at walking...it was a sight.

I got them all back in the yard, gave them some treats, and hoped they would stay...they did not. So, chase part 2.

This time I hired the kiddos to push them through the woods and hopefully we could get them in the pen...This started at 1:30. At 5:00 we finally had them all. The leghorns are skittish little things to say the least. We clipped their wings weeks ago, to keep them in the run, but they still managed to fly over the top. So, while it seems extreme, I clipped the other side. I know now that I will have to keep a close eye on them where they cannot fly, but the run is plenty safe.

In the effort to catch them all, I had to destroy a wild rasberry bush...I was dying as I clipped and pushed the thorny branches away. They still managed to find holes in the undergrowth and hide. We do love our girls, and I love that they free range and enjoy the yard, but I need them to stay where I can watch them, and Thor can protect them during the day. I was going to start making a wattle fence today, to try and put up some sort of barrier to keep them from taking off into the neighbors yard again, any other ideas?

I hate the thought of keeping them penned up all the time, and they are less than happy.

♪♫♪And they ran through the briars♪♫♪And they ran through the brambles♪♫♪And they ran through the bushes where a rabbit couldn't go♪♫♪they ran so fast that Pelle couldn't catch them.......

Been there. Done that. I am trying to look at it as forced exercise that I wouldn't normally do!! But I can't imagine doing it with an aching back!

(removed images for sake of keeping the thread tidy) Wow, that's a simple...but awesome idea. I made myself a feeder from 5 gal. and 1 gal. pails...but honestly I'm already considering making a system like this. Looks as though the girls are loving it too! Cheers to your handyman! -Jazor

Thank you!! Yup, he's a keeper! I saw a picture of it on Facebook and asked if he could make some for me. Best thing is I haven't found shavings & other stuff in them.

Pellepeterson, you may want to consider restricted free-ranging (that's what I call it anyway). I bought 100 foot rolls of deer fence, cut it in half (it comes 7 feet tall, folded in half on the roll and we cut the folded edge on the bandsaw), and got some lightweight push-in posts from TSC. The fence is so lightweight that you can put the posts fairly far apart. I pin down the bottom edge with earth staples, rocks, logs, whatever I can find.

Each flock now has a large area to roam: a small area of lawn, and large area at the edge of the woods. Mine like the woods best, digging through the leaves and diving under ferns and bushes. It gives them good protection from hawks (although I worry about other 4-legged predators) and keeps them from wandering off to the neighbor's garden, not to mention my own garden, raspberry patch, etc.

I always lock them in at night, or during the day if I have to leave for a long time. I have a hard enough time rounding them up in a semi-restricted area during the day, never mind driving them home through the woods from the neighbor's! That is impressive. And it is always my leghorns darting around that are the most difficult to get into the run.

Loving this idea bucka!! Stealing it!

 

[quailtrail]

Look what my hubby made for me!

so cool!!!!

 

[quailtrail]

Got 2 olive eggers and an EE today!!!! They are about 12 weeks old. Do you think hens?????

 

[buckabucka]

Those look like pullets to me, quail trail.

 

[quailtrail]

Those look like pullets to me, quail trail.

Yay!!!!!!! They are so sweet!!!! I am in love ♡

♡

 

[dowgirl71]

I have a RIR that I was suspicious of when it was younger, because of it's stance and the size of it's legs, in comparison to other chicks the same age. Now, it's about 12 wks and it's comb and waddles don't look like a cockerel, but it has a peculiar cluck. It almost sounds goose-like. I'm puzzled.

Anyone with experience with RIRs have any thoughts on this? I'll post a picture when I get a recent one. Thanks!

 

[MEMama3]

I have a RIR that I was suspicious of when it was younger, because of it's stance and the size of it's legs, in comparison to other chicks the same age. Now, it's about 12 wks and it's comb and waddles don't look like a cockerel, but it has a peculiar cluck. It almost sounds goose-like. I'm puzzled.

Anyone with experience with RIRs have any thoughts on this? I'll post a picture when I get a recent one. Thanks!

I have a mixed chick like that. She's now 22 weeks and laying and she still makes weird goose like noises.

 

[redneckchickens]

my feed works really well

 

[IZZYBELLA]

At the risk of sounding ridiculous... does anyone keep a night light in the coop? I have eight almost 9-week old girls. I turn the light on in the coop at sundown to get them to go in, but they get all upset if I turn it off (squawk like crazy and huddle in a corner on top of each other). So, I've left it on and find them roosting in the morning. I ended up putting a little night light in there tonight, thinking I don't want to upset their natural sleep schedules by keeping the full light on. They seem quiet. Light on? Night lite? What should I be doing? Thanks!

 

[MustardTiger]

If you raised the chicks in a brooder that never had the lights off then perhaps they are afraid of the dark. My chicks would squak a little when I turned off their brooder light (I used to turn it off for 10 minutes at a time now and then, to get them used to the dark). I would start letting them be in the dark for short periods of time. They will get used to it and not panic when the lights go out.