northern Alberta

[gloken]

Well, I just put together a coop and raised some heritage birds. Everyone is alive... for now, but I started this account to ask a question about coop security, here.

I'm sure it won't be my last question. Here are a few of the little things, back when they were still little:

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC! Good luck with your flock! You might look into putting Hardware Cloth over the the 2x4 wire if you have a weasel problem in your area, they make it in various sizes, think that 1/2" is usually recommended for weasels. With the bottom, you can bury the cloth a foot or two in the ground deep enough where they won't have time to dig under before you see it ... or make like a skirt outwards, most digging predators won't be smart enough to back up.

 

[TwoCrows]

Welcome to BYC!

It looks like all kinds of things can get thru your wire. So you need to reinforce the outside of the run with hardware cloth. You will get snakes, rats, mice, squirrels, all kinds of small varmints squeezing thru there. Same with the outer edges along the bottom. You need either bury wire, or build up the base with rail road ties and put the entire thing on top of the ties that are buried level with the ground. Predators will work and dig all night long. They have plenty of time on their hands. And if they know there is a chicken dinner awaiting them, they won't give up.

Make sure to keep these tiny babies under a heat lamp until they are about 6 weeks of age.

Great to have you aboard and welcome to our flock!

 

[gloken]

Welcome to BYC!

It looks like all kinds of things can get thru your wire. So you need to reinforce the outside of the run with hardware cloth. You will get snakes, rats, mice, squirrels, all kinds of small varmints squeezing thru there. Same with the outer edges along the bottom. You need either bury wire, or build up the base with rail road ties and put the entire thing on top of the ties that are buried level with the ground. Predators will work and dig all night long. They have plenty of time on their hands. And if they know there is a chicken dinner awaiting them, they won't give up.

Make sure to keep these tiny babies under a heat lamp until they are about 6 weeks of age.

Great to have you aboard and welcome to our flock!

Thanks for the tips! The chicks are much older now, but I don't have a very good current photo. They're fully feathered at about 4.5 weeks, and I'm rushing to get their home secure enough that they can live in it full time without turning into dinner.

Once they're outside, and not being eaten, the next hurtle will be figuring out how many of them are roosters. Fingers crossed on that one.

 

[drumstick diva]

Beautiful chicks

 

[gloken]

My ridiculous little chicks are all grown up now! Fluffy, feathered, and fat.

 

[Denwendairy]

My ridiculous little chicks are all grown up now! Fluffy, feathered, and fat.

Another newbie from Northern Alberta here! Your birds are lovely! The selection of breeds you have looks very similar to my own! Where did you get yours? Were you able to figure out the roosters? We just re homed 4 at about 6 weeks old.

 

[gloken]

The University of Alberta has a livestock/poultry research program, and part of that is deliberate preservation of genetics. They did a fundraiser this year, selling off day old chicks from heritage breeds, we paid a bit extra for chicks just to support them.

link

We've got Light Sussex, Brown Leghorns, Rhode Island Red, and a Plymouth Rock. Looks like the Reds and Leghorns might all be roosters, but we'll find out for sure over the next week weeks I suppose. (Don't tell the birds, but we might just wait until October and eat the gentlemen of the bunch.)

 

[gloken]

I just read your new member post; sounds like you got your birds from the same place we did. No wonder they all look so much the same!

 

[Family Farming]