Meyer Hatchery Chicken pics anyone??

[NotableNancy]

Okay here's our brooder! Farmguy did it all by himself isn't that great! He is amazing, that's why I'm marrying him, haha.

That is fantastic!!!
My DH is working so hard on the chicken run I didn't have the heart to ask him to make a brooder. Thus the boxes!

 

[NotableNancy]

Just FYI: the PO told me not to expect them until Wed

they will be taking a plane trip today and probably won't get to a major hub until tomorrow morning and there they will sit until wed. Our small PO only gets a truck first thing in the a.m so if they aren't on that truck then they won't arrive till the next day.
I'm hoping they are very wrong. If I just knew where they will be I could go get them but no tracking info from what I can see.

Oh well, we'll see. I'm just being an impatient expectant chicken mama. Just thinking of my 15 little ones peeping in a box somewhere makes me sad.

 

[NanaLynn]

Notable Nancy: I'm sure they will be okay, hang in there, almost there....excited for you!!!

Farmguy2007 and Farmgirl2007: Nice brooder, and I love the matching BYC names!!! Guess you two are excited for next week.

This is our first time with chickens too, everyday it seems like they do something new, so much fun!!! Now that they are bigger and they seem to be thriving outside, I am a lot more relaxed. We even did a half hour of free ranging in the garden yesterday, they were scared to wander too far out though and seemed amazed by the huge area and bugs, grass, etc.

 

[farmgirl2007]

This is our first time with chickens too, everyday it seems like they do something new, so much fun!!! Now that they are bigger and they seem to be thriving outside, I am a lot more relaxed. We even did a half hour of free ranging in the garden yesterday, they were scared to wander too far out though and seemed amazed by the huge area and bugs, grass, etc.

Farmguy has had chickens before, but I'm just a city girl who's excited to check this out! I love animals and think this will be a rewarding experience. What are the things you like most about owning chickens?

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Thought y'all might like to see how my Meyer girls are doing. They're 9 months old today. (Don't mind the muddy feet and wet feathers. We had a pretty miserable day here.)

Speckled Sussex:

Partridge Plymouth Rocks:

And Frou-Frou the ever-comical blue splash Marans:

She always nests in the sand in one corner of the coop for some reason. She was 'protecting' her egg from the other hens today. It was so sweet.

 

[NotableNancy]

So cute!! Gotta love Frou-Frou
Do you have sand in the run and coop? I will have sand in the run but still debating about the coop. Do you like it?

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

I have sand in my coop and just fixed a sloppy, muddy run with a bunch of sand today. I love it, but it's not for everyone. It's quick to clean every morning with a kitty litter scoop and the hens always have a dry place to be. However, it's very dusty and leaves a layer of dust on everything in the coop. That doesn't bother me so much, but if you have a light or outlets in your coop, you'll have to dust them periodically. I've also noticed that if the sand gets very wet (like if rain blows in the door), it starts to smell. I use it in combination with Sweet PDZ, which absorbs moisture and takes care of the smell in minutes. Hope that helps.

 

[NotableNancy]

Yes. Thanks. Outside will for sure be sand with a thick layer of stone underneath for good drainage
In the coop I plan on having poop boards under the roosts with the PDZ on it and start out with shavings then maybe switch to sand just to see which I like better. I will be cleaning every day with the kitty litter scoop too I really don't want a stinky coop and it will give me time with them every day. Thx!!
Oh, and what is in your nesting boxes?

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

I use the 35 lb capacity cat litter buckets for my nests. Easy to pull out and clean with the hose when I need to. I have a couple older red sexlinks that lay very weak eggs that inevitably get stepped on and broken so I have to clean the suckers all the time through the summer. :/ That's more for my convenience, though the hens don't seem to mind them.

ETA: It occurred to me that you may have meant nesting material. If that's the case, I use straw. It isn't wonderful but it works. The hens absolutely won't use anything else (well, except for Frou-frou, who likes the sand in the corner ). Picky little creatures. I only really run into issues when they track it out into the sand, which can make it more difficult to scoop.

 

[NotableNancy]

Yup, I meant nesting material. Could it have been my typo that threw you???

Thanks!!