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- #11
- Mar 31, 2009
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Thanks for all of the replies.
Mmmh. So far I haven't seen any raccoons around our yard, but they are probably coming. I should get that wire fabric asap. I was thinking that chicken wire would be enough up there, but I've never encountered what a raccoon can do.
I better get to it.
I built the roosting poles and when I went to install them, I realized that what I had planned for setup would not work. So now the roosting poles are in front of the door, and the nest boxes will go on the wall where the roost were going to go.
Here's a picture of the gang on their new roosts (though from the look of them, you'd think it would be up longer than two days
)
Now, the banties are flying up to roost up in the rafters. And, every night I have to help one of my mottled houdans to get up to the roosts. I think either the feathers get in her eyes, or this chicken has vision problems. She can't seem to find the roosts very well and when I offer food on my hand, she pecks at my wrist and has to pull way back, take another look then take another stab at finding the food. I'm thinking of building a ramp to the roosts just for her and see it that helps her out.
I've got my nest boxes built. Now I have to install them and finish them out. I have three single nests and one double nest so the chickens have a choice if they like a private space or pile up in one communal box. If they seem to like the double one better, I'll take another partition out. And since I switched walls where the nest boxes would go, I can now install them outside the coop, so i don't take any space from inside. I still have to make the lid for the back that will open, and cut a piece of wood to cover the front so only about a 12" opening will be left for the chickens to go in. I also need to put the 2x2 perch in front of the boxes.
I'm excited. My Buff Orpington and two Barred Rocks could start laying as early as this month! They are about 15 weeks old.
Mmmh. So far I haven't seen any raccoons around our yard, but they are probably coming. I should get that wire fabric asap. I was thinking that chicken wire would be enough up there, but I've never encountered what a raccoon can do.
I better get to it.
I built the roosting poles and when I went to install them, I realized that what I had planned for setup would not work. So now the roosting poles are in front of the door, and the nest boxes will go on the wall where the roost were going to go.
Here's a picture of the gang on their new roosts (though from the look of them, you'd think it would be up longer than two days
)
Now, the banties are flying up to roost up in the rafters. And, every night I have to help one of my mottled houdans to get up to the roosts. I think either the feathers get in her eyes, or this chicken has vision problems. She can't seem to find the roosts very well and when I offer food on my hand, she pecks at my wrist and has to pull way back, take another look then take another stab at finding the food. I'm thinking of building a ramp to the roosts just for her and see it that helps her out.
I've got my nest boxes built. Now I have to install them and finish them out. I have three single nests and one double nest so the chickens have a choice if they like a private space or pile up in one communal box. If they seem to like the double one better, I'll take another partition out. And since I switched walls where the nest boxes would go, I can now install them outside the coop, so i don't take any space from inside. I still have to make the lid for the back that will open, and cut a piece of wood to cover the front so only about a 12" opening will be left for the chickens to go in. I also need to put the 2x2 perch in front of the boxes.
I'm excited. My Buff Orpington and two Barred Rocks could start laying as early as this month! They are about 15 weeks old.
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