- Jan 27, 2013
- 18
- 0
- 24
hi! first time getting 19 chicks last spring...2 jersey giants, 2 rhode island reds, 2 aracunas (i think), 2 orpingtons, 2 dominiques, 2 partridge rocks, 1 golden sebright bantam hen and one rooster (patra and shabba ranks), 2 silver sebright hens and one rooster (mick jagger, lilly and izzy) plus, one we didn't order who i think is a bantam uuummm...i forget but she has feathers on her feet and her name is kinky boots lol. there is one other big hen who i forget her breed but she has a variety of grey and blonde feathers.
anyway we live 70 miles north of nyc and it has been cold but the hens are laying like crazy. sometimes we get 18 eggs in one day. i have questions!
~are the hens laying too much because we have a heat light on all night? they have a converted turn out stall as a coop so we thought it would be better to keep them warmish and didn't figure out a better way but to use the heat light from when they were chicks. i would much rather them have normal day and night but i don't want them getting frost bite. any ideas?
~will mick and shabba kill each other this spring? they didn't get spurs yet. should we separate them into two camps? we love them both and they seem to get along fine now, but everyone says trouble will surely come and we don't want to lose either of them...or have any drama.
~they have a fenced yard outside the coop and we have it covered with deer netting because of a fear that a hawk will swoop down and grab one. i would rather them roam around with out a fence but would they be in danger? also, does anyone have any good ideas for building a home made fence...we have 18 ac of woods and i would rather use what we have if it makes sense.
thanks!
Jen and Vito
anyway we live 70 miles north of nyc and it has been cold but the hens are laying like crazy. sometimes we get 18 eggs in one day. i have questions!
~are the hens laying too much because we have a heat light on all night? they have a converted turn out stall as a coop so we thought it would be better to keep them warmish and didn't figure out a better way but to use the heat light from when they were chicks. i would much rather them have normal day and night but i don't want them getting frost bite. any ideas?
~will mick and shabba kill each other this spring? they didn't get spurs yet. should we separate them into two camps? we love them both and they seem to get along fine now, but everyone says trouble will surely come and we don't want to lose either of them...or have any drama.
~they have a fenced yard outside the coop and we have it covered with deer netting because of a fear that a hawk will swoop down and grab one. i would rather them roam around with out a fence but would they be in danger? also, does anyone have any good ideas for building a home made fence...we have 18 ac of woods and i would rather use what we have if it makes sense.
thanks!
Jen and Vito