New, Don't Even Have Chickens Yet

[liz9910]

Welcome to BYC!

 

[iwiw60]

Quote: You did a bang-up job for sure! Once your eggs start coming you'll have to "gift" some to your neighbors and the landlord!!

How many chickens are going to be living in it???

 

[KlingKlan]

Thanks iwiw60, it's taken a lot longer than we thought it would though, but well worth it! We're hoping to get 5 girls this Friday at Green Dragon (a local farmer's market where they auction farm animals). A few people from BYC even take their chickens there and it's a lot cleaner set-up than we thought it would be. We almost bought some last week, but we knew we weren't ready... gotta be responsible chicken parents ya know

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[drumstick diva]

hope you will post photos when you bring the chicks home

 

[KlingKlan]

You did a bang-up job for sure! Once your eggs start coming you'll have to "gift" some to your neighbors and the landlord!!

How many chickens are going to be living in it???

We were originally planning on a mixed flock of 5, but ended up with 4 RSLs lol! They've been here a week as of today, but no eggs yet *sigh*! I've heard various theories for this situation such as, "they're too old", "they need an adjustment period", "they're molting" and so on. I read a thread about feeding them black pepper in with their "treats" to get the eggs going (which in theory worked for others and is most likely due to the increase of water intake lol) and we've heard the egg song several times, just have yet to recieve the actual eggs

!!

hope you will post photos when you bring the chicks home

Here ya go drumstick diva:

Gertrude; aka Dirty Gerrty as she loves dirt bath AND fighting dirty to be 1st at the treat dish lol.


Penelope, she is the Matriarch so to speak. Last one in the coop at night and by the side of Peckers, who had a hurt leg (and heaviest molt), but is doing much better now.


Peckers and Gerrty tearing up an ear of corn, with Penelope watching over to keep Gerrty "in check" lol.


Pecker's bald back, we think she must've been a Roo's favorite in her previous life (which would mean she's still laying, right?!?!)


All the girls gathered around the treat dish which held tomatoes, bananas, apples and red & green peppers... yummo!

I don't have any solo pics of Zero (my 10 yr old named her), but she and Penelope are who we think will give us eggs first... if there any eggs to be had that is.

And here is the completed coop from the front. They seem very happy with it and it is plenty roomy enough for them

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[KlingKlan]

I found a solo picture of Zero, but it's a little dark and blurry, it was taken inside the coop the night we brought them home. She was checking out the nesting boxes hehehe.

 

[TwoCrows]

Very nice flock!

 

[KlingKlan]

Here's my latest update... WE GOT EGGS!!! Today was day 3 of an egg per day from 2 of the girls, so we now have 3 "jumbo" fresh brown eggs! Tomorrow is my birthday so I am going to use the eggs to bake a chocolate caramel cake from scratch and top it with fresh strawberries from our patch

!!

Here are a few pics of the eggs... just cuz I can lol!

Egg #1:


Egg #1 held up next to a store bought "large" by my 10 yr old:


Egg #1 on the right and egg #2 on the left:


No pics of egg #3 because, while it's still exciting, it's now the "norm"

! Hopefully the other 2 girls will get their vents in gear and start laying too. Also, they haven't laid in the nesting boxes, they lay in the loft type area above the boxes, so today I put plastic eggs stuffed with an ankle sock each (for weight) in the nesting boxes in the hopes that it will trick them into laying where they're supposed to cuz I have to be able to reach them ya know

. I know the eggs at least kicked the one girl out who likes to sleep in the one nesting box hehehe

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[iwiw60]

You might put a "slant" on your board above the nesting boxes...not good for them to get in the habit of laying up there...just a thot!

 

[KlingKlan]

You can see the "loft" in these pics. When we were building the coop there was a bit of miscommunication with hubby, but I figured "well, they'll figure out what to do with it" and it increased the coop's square footage, so it couldn't be a bad thing... right?! I'm thinking of putting one of the roosts up there about 4"-6" off the floor. That might help deter them as well?!





There are wood chips in there now, even up in the loft and in the run (got a bunch of them for free from a customer who had her trees cut down and the stumps ground up). The girls seem to like them a lot more than the shredded paper, they started laying the day after we put them in. It could be coincidence, but I choose to believe it's because of the wood chips

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