Meyer Hatchery Chicken pics anyone??

[winteree]

The plywood wall is the back side. We would have to walk a long way around the loafing shed to get to that side of the coop.

I currently do the deep litter method and plan to continue that. I don't want to mess with cleaning the coop that often.

I don't know of anyone that offers any kind of guarantee or refund on shipped eggs. Every ad I've ever seen explicitly says there is no guarantee because they have no control over the shippers or your incubation method (even following something exactly doesn't mean you'll get a good hatch rate - trust me, I know). Shipped eggs are a toss up if they'll hatch or not. And even if you get some to hatch it usually is a very small percentage. My only time trying shipped eggs was from someone here on BYC and none of them hatched. The majority started developing so it wasn't fertility and she packaged them very nicely. I would never blame her for them not hatching. Maybe you are being too hard on Meyer? Be warned, if you do hatching eggs shipped from BYCers they won't offer any kind of guarantee or refund either.

i was told by one of their people that i would be either given a one time replacement of hatching eggs or my money back since NONE of the egg's hatched (which i made the mistake of hailing them for not a week ago). They recoiled on their word faster then a snake in the house and then tried to call me incompetent of hatching egg's because it was my first time using an incubator to hatch egg's. The only reason they even knew about that is because they looked me up here on backyard chickens (it really makes me wonder if they followed me to walmart too

). Then they further used that as a reason for not giving me a refund like they said they would. So i think I'm being far in my judgment to flat out lairs because i could have gotten really mean about and i didn't.

And i wasn't knocking sally sunshine i was saying i used her method of hatching egg's which is one of the most professional processes i have ever seen and the eggs not only didn't hatch but they didn't even show the slightest sign of development leading me to believe the egg's where no good.

I have to say i don't know what makes me more mad my treatment with Meyers or the fact that every other person i try to talk to about it runs to meyers aid. I don't know i guess I'm just bad luck everything i touch falls apart or doesn't work out. just watch all the chicks i'm going to be getting die or be roosters that would be a fitting end to this chapter in my life.

 

[winteree]

I'm very sorry you have had this experience. It is quite opposite of the experience I'm having, except I'm not hatching - I'm only buying chicks. I'm also very sorry you have had such bad luck with your eggs. I hope that you find the chicks/eggs that you want & have great success.

i don't know i think i was born under a bad sign so far nothing has been working out

 

[winteree]

I have to admit, I did not think many people offered a refund on eggs. Sorry this is leaving such a bad taste in your mouth. I have had such success with their birds.

me neither i was so happy when the Meyer lady told me about it the first time. i should have known better

the only thing free in life is a hard time.

 

[rnchick74]

Just got home with my babies

All 25 are alive and drinking & eating. Now comes the fun part of trying to figure out " who is who "

How are those new babies doing today??? Lots of chirping? Eating & drinking ok?? I bet they are absolutely adorable!

 

[NotableNancy]

Just got home with my babies

All 25 are alive and drinking & eating. Now comes the fun part of trying to figure out " who is who "

Post pics so we can all play the 'what's that chick breed' game. Although I think all chicks are EE's so I'm no help

Our chicks died from cocci. We had a cold snap and I think they spent too much energy trying to keep themselves warm and it made them susceptible.

The house only needs minor work - floors refinished downstairs and paint everywhere. Outside needs some siding replaced, some landscaping, and the loafing shed needs a few minor repairs. I'd like to change parts of the coop too but overall it's a good start. I haven't had a chance to fully inspect it yet but I'll do a complete check before I leave the girls unattended in there. They'll probably be taken over in the first load so we can get their current coop out of this yard if the new owners don't want it.

Here's some pics of the new coop. It's on the side of the loafing shed. The whole top is covered in bird netting and it's welded wire around the bottom.



The coop part is on the right and on the left is another enclosed area that can be used in bad weather, or to separate sick/breeding/broody/etc.
I haven't decided yet about a pop door. Right now it looks like they just left the large door open for them. There's 2 windows that I can open or shut for ventilation. I think I'll cut a pop door in the main door and add my automatic chicken door. Even though the whole thing is enclosed I feel safer if they are locked up at night.



Here's inside the coop. I don't like the netting and poop trays under the roosts. And I'll need more than 2 nesting boxes. So I think we'll reconfigure this. I also don't like the idea of having to walk all the way in to see if there are eggs and stooping so low to collect. Not sure where I'll move it to yet though.


I'd love to hear everyone's ideas of what they would do with this space!

Nice big run. Love the small roofed section for rain or separating or grow out pen or mom and chicks. So many possibilities. Awesome. How big is the coop? I would move the nest boxes to the narrow wall and bump out as well. Or you can keep it where it is and just bump out and then use the narrow wall and the wall to the right for the roosts. So they would have both the narrow and long wall. Maybe attach the roosts directly to the wall with poop boards underneath? You can put them high and put a ladder if needed. I use the PDZ on the poop boards and love it. I don't understand the netting at all. I don't think I've ever seen that. Then with the poop boards to act as a roof you can suspend feeders/waterers from that so they don't get pooped in.
How many chickens do you have, I forget? Are you getting more because of the awesome new coop? I LOVE homemade coops. So many possibilities!!

I think I would put the nest boxes in a place that is convenient to collect eggs. Maybe the wall that is straight on in the photo? But I think that's the most important thing. You can reconfigure the rest around the nest boxes. Definitely use boxes that attach from the outside so you don't loose square footage and for easy collection. It has great access and I love that it has an attached run. I'm working on a plan for a run myself.

X2

I've been thinking...since my three babies are seeming to be all boys, maybe I'll just keep one. Anybody tried anything to keep the crowing down? I've read of the rooster collar, but feel skeptical. Opinions? Advice?

sorry, no roos here so no advice.

Sweet PDZ is the material they use for horses. Good at keeping odor down and easy to scoop out.

Love PDZ.

How are those new babies doing today??? Lots of chirping? Eating & drinking ok?? I bet they are absolutely adorable!

X2

 

[NotableNancy]

Just found this site with some interesting info; fermenting, molting, egg storage, homemade feed etc.
Does anyone here ferment feed? Just curious about it. I think I'd be afraid of mold forming and not realizing it and killing all my chickens. LOL. But would like to try it. Seems
like it's so good for them.

http://www.gardenbetty.com/backyard-chickens/

 

[rnchick74]

I'm thinking of doing some fermenting. Not for their full feed, but as more of a supplement. I'm also going to sprout some seeds as well. I plan on starting once my chicks are a few weeks old & more stable. I used to sprout for my parrots & they loved it!

I'm not sure what kind of food would be best to use for fermenting...obviously non-medicated. I have a 50lb bag of non-GMO feed but its medicated, so I wouls need to get a small bag of something else to ferment.

 

[NotableNancy]

I'm thinking of doing some fermenting. Not for their full feed, but as more of a supplement. I'm also going to sprout some seeds as well. I plan on starting once my chicks are a few weeks old & more stable. I used to sprout for my parrots & they loved it!

I'm not sure what kind of food would be best to use for fermenting...obviously non-medicated. I have a 50lb bag of non-GMO feed but its medicated, so I wouls need to get a small bag of something else to ferment.

Yes, I was thinking of doing it as a supplement as well. Just a treat more or less a few days a week. As I don't live in a real agricultural area I don't know what I can get to ferment other than their regular feed.
I sprout for them and they love it. I used to give it to them at when the sprout was just about the size of the seed, then it's a source of protein. But then I was reading if you let it go a few more days it's a source of 'greens' which is nice in the winter when there's no grass or weeds to eat. They love it either way and a tiny bit turns into a LOT of sprouts

when you let it sprout about 4 days or so.

 

[NanaLynn]

Just found this site with some interesting info; fermenting, molting, egg storage, homemade feed etc.
Does anyone here ferment feed? Just curious about it. I think I'd be afraid of mold forming and not realizing it and killing all my chickens. LOL. But would like to try it. Seems
like it's so good for them.

http://www.gardenbetty.com/backyard-chickens/

I'm so far behind with these posts, you guys have been busy. I did start out my chicks with fermented feed when I first started, but it was hard to find a good location for it to ferment and it does smell as well. I may try again in the future, but for now I just free feed. I do understand the benefits and how you save on food costs, etc. I think it is great for those that do ferment, maybe I'm just lazy and stick to the simple way? Who knows. Thanks for the link, I'll check it out.

trsturself: Since you deep litter, do you even need the poop boards at all? I do not use them so their poop just falls into the deep litter. I throw scratch under the roosts every few days and they just stir it up. No problems.

I agree with everyone to set up a way to collect eggs from the outside, hook up one of those roost boxes to the outside. I think someone said to combine the coop areas, that would give you more room too? That is awesome that there is already something set up there. That is weird that netting, wonder what they were thinking with that? You have plenty of time even after you move your chicks in, maybe use the coop how it is now and you can see where to put stuff once you get your daily routine with them established. I always find good ways of changing things up as I work with the chickens, things that I never would of thought of before. Not sure if I make sense?

Shipped Eggs: I have never gotten any shipped eggs from anyone. I always read that there were no guarantees when you get shipped eggs. Maybe the Meyer's person you talked to thought that you were talking about ordered chicks? I know that they do guarantee live chicks if they die in shipment or the 1st 3 days or something like that. My understanding with shipped eggs is that there are too many variables involved to guarantee anything. If your eggs got scrambled during shipping, you would have ended up with no growth at all.
I never had a problem with Meyer's, their customer service has always been nice to me. I am not defending them at all, just speaking from my experience. I am sorry that you've had problems.

 

[rnchick74]

Yes, I was thinking of doing it as a supplement as well. Just a treat more or less a few days a week. As I don't live in a real agricultural area I don't know what I can get to ferment other than their regular feed.
I sprout for them and they love it. I used to give it to them at when the sprout was just about the size of the seed, then it's a source of protein. But then I was reading if you let it go a few more days it's a source of 'greens' which is nice in the winter when there's no grass or weeds to eat. They love it either way and a tiny bit turns into a LOT of sprouts

when you let it sprout about 4 days or so.

I was just looking at Meyers organic feed - they have free shipping on their feed. When I go up to pick up my chicks, I think I will get a 10 lb back of the organic feed & use that to ferment. I can get grit at my local store dirt cheap, even the chick grit.

I like to feed my sprouts on day 3 - right before they have spent all the energy to "sprout" so they are 1/2 seed and 1/2 sprout. I think it gives the most bang for the buck. You get the protein of the seed aspect and the green of the sprout aspect. I like the sprouts to be less than 1/8-1/4" tall, depending on what type of seed it is. I make up my own sprout variety: flax, amaranth, wheat, kamut, lentil, mung, etc. Basically any organic seed or grain that is cheap or on sale. I buy 1/4 lb and mix it together. I spent about $4 and got enough to fill a 1/2 gallon canning jar. I will sprout about 1 tsp daily. A little goes a long way! And its so good for the crop and digestion!