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happyhunter81

happyhunter81

Hatching
5 Years
Oct 2, 2014
6
0
7
Just started with chickens. A friend had some chickens that he was no longer able to take care of and was going to kill them. They were all young birds and good layers so another friend and I spit them up and took them. Me being me had to build a chicken palace for mine (anything worth doing is worth rediculously overdoing). I started with an old 4'x8' trailer I had laying around. Built a 4'x6' coop on the front. It is fully insulated with 2' hard insulation (I live in Idaho and winters can be harsh). I used a couple of old storm windows to make the door (figure to point it toward the north in the summer and south in the winter). I has laying boxes that I can slide out to minimized heat loss in the winter, and solar powered ventilation to keep it cooler in the summer and a tiled floor for easy cleaning. I then added 6' to the back of the trailer (yes I had to move the axel) and built a 4'x8' enclosed pen area there. It has a ramp out the back for free ranging or access to additional pen area and a ramp down to allow access to another pen area under the upper pen area (yup a two story pen). It is now happily occupied by an Araucana rooster, two Araucana hens, three White leghorn hens and one Production red hen. They currently have access to part of my dog run that has become infested with ear wigs. They are happily digging them up and taking care of that issue for me beside burying me in eggs (did I mention they were good layers lol). Everyone told me the stress of the move would cause them to stop laying for a few days, guess no one told the chickens. We are getting a generous supply (usually about 4 a day) of white, brown, green and blue eggs.
 
Welcome to BYC. Glad you decided to join our flock. Glad to hear that the move did not stress you hens and cause them to quite laying. Just in case you are not aware of it, your Araucanas are probably not true Araucanas which have tailless rumps and lay only blue eggs, but are instead Easter Eggers which are hybrids produced to lay eggs in different colors. Hatcheries often incorrectly market their EEs as Araucanas or Ameraucanas (often incorrectly spelled as Americana or Americauana). My personal favorite hatchery, Dunlap Hatchery, located in Caldwell, ID, and markets its Easter Eggers as Araucanas. Most of the feed stores and tractor supplies in Idaho get their chicks from Dunlap, so they turn around and sell the EEs as Araucanas as well. If you are not familiar with the differences between Araucanas, Ameraucanas, and Easter Eggers, there is a good article explaining them at http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2011/09/ameraucana-easter-egger-or-araucana.html. Easter Eggers are typically better layers than true Araucanas or Ameraucanas, and they are my granddaughter's (pictured in my avatar) favorite chickens. She loves their different colored eggs. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Good luck with your flock.
 
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Hello there and welcome to BYC!
frow.gif


So glad you could join our community! Sounds like you put to use some preused materials and made your birds a nice home! The chickens don't mind and as long as it keeps them safe and warm, what more can you ask for!

Some birds don't miss a beat in the laying after a move, although generally the do stop for a spell. Glad to hear yours kept up the pace!

Enjoy all those eggs and your wonderful flock and welcome to our roost!!
 
Hello :frow and Welcome To BYC! Sounds like you have a nice little flock and very colorful egg basket!
 
The chickens were so gratefull that you rescued them from a death sentence, that they are giving you an eggtravaganza . Your coop sounds out of this world, hope you documented with photos and descriptions and added to the coops forum. Glad you joined the BYC flock.
 
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