NY chicken lover!!!!

[marquisella]

When I add light (not adding it right now), I do the same as Cass. Only in the AM so the light doesn't suddenly snap off, leaving them in the dark.

My lights are on a timer & stay on from 3am til 6pm. When I go into the coops, say 5pm or so, all the chickens are already up on the roosts. So when the light does go off, they are already roosting, so no problems there.

As the daylight lasts longer, I will stop having them on all day, but there isn't enough daylight coming into the barn during the winter to stimulate egg laying even during the day. Heaven forbid they go outside in the snow...

 

[littlecritters]

My lights are on a timer & stay on from 3am til 6pm. When I go into the coops, say 5pm or so, all the chickens are already up on the roosts. So when the light does go off, they are already roosting, so no problems there.

As the daylight lasts longer, I will stop having them on all day, but there isn't enough daylight coming into the barn during the winter to stimulate egg laying even during the day. Heaven forbid they go outside in the snow...

I hope you don't mind me jumping in here once in awhile even though I'm down in Dutchess County. Our coop is a walk in, 8'x16' garden type shed and half is for our egg layers and half is for the silkies. We have our lights turned on 9am to 9pm for this darkest time of the year. Since the temps have plummeted, we just installed a heat lamp for the silkies to snuggle under, if needed. When the timer goes off, the heat lamp (red bulb) stays on and gives a glow to the coop. So, the birds are not thrust into darkness. It does look funny for folks who drive by our home and see a red light on in the shed...

 

[littlecritters]

And...many good wishes for a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year! May we all be blessed with fertile eggs and healthy hatches.

 

[vmdanielsen]

Happy New Year to all my fellow addicts!

My cheeps are still mad about the evil white stuff but have come out to get the goodies in the runs...except for my silkies. Girls are laying around a dozen a day give or take so my egg customers are still happy. Hoping for some more meltage today before we go in the freezer the rest of the week. I have to say that the woods coop we built is working well for ventilation and dryness.

I keep looking at my incubators and keep saying...not yet! This itch is getting bad, especially when I see baby pics on here! Have a good day all!

I so know that itch!! I keep telling myself that it is just January!

I hope you don't mind me jumping in here once in awhile even though I'm down in Dutchess County. Our coop is a walk in, 8'x16' garden type shed and half is for our egg layers and half is for the silkies. We have our lights turned on 9am to 9pm for this darkest time of the year. Since the temps have plummeted, we just installed a heat lamp for the silkies to snuggle under, if needed. When the timer goes off, the heat lamp (red bulb) stays on and gives a glow to the coop. So, the birds are not thrust into darkness. It does look funny for folks who drive by our home and see a red light on in the shed...

You are always welcome to post on this thread!!!!!! thanks for the input!!

 

[ChickPrincess]

I hope you don't mind me jumping in here once in awhile even though I'm down in Dutchess County. Our coop is a walk in, 8'x16' garden type shed and half is for our egg layers and half is for the silkies. We have our lights turned on 9am to 9pm for this darkest time of the year. Since the temps have plummeted, we just installed a heat lamp for the silkies to snuggle under, if needed. When the timer goes off, the heat lamp (red bulb) stays on and gives a glow to the coop. So, the birds are not thrust into darkness. It does look funny for folks who drive by our home and see a red light on in the shed...

We know your secret... you run the Dutchess County red light district. Don't deny it!

 

[littlecritters]

We know your secret... you run the Dutchess County red light district. Don't deny it!

That's exactly what my hubby was thinking! LOL

 

[cheeka]

2 decadent suppers, lobster last night, prime rib tonight... I'll be asleep by 8 o'clock. I missed midnight last night by over an hour... I'm not accustomed to rich food...lol, nor do I ever rarely make it to midnight most nights...
I had to work today, but it was good, nice day weatherwise...but another day I missed with the gang, got home after dark to pat them goodnight on their roosts. I don't use lights, but mine are all Spring hens, so they are laying this year without needing extra light. I have chicks now, so they will lay all next winter... the winter of 2014 will likely be my first year with something special, like quality BR's, hopefully Good Shepherd line if I'm fortunate. but that would only be at trio, so 2 pullets laying... I'm thinking that I would like to give them a break, and not add the light... but perhaps, egg customers 2 years down the line will be distressed at the decrease...the only thing that they have is a heated waterer. and I have to run a lead cord from the garage. 30 feet from the back door, is a detached one car garage. right next to it is the "little woods", an oval of pine trees, the family before had a picnic table in there... I will build a new large coop off of the side of the garage this Spring, and move the dome into the "little woods". there is a little less natural light in the trees, but it's so well protected from the weather, I'm a little annoyed with myself for not building the dome there in the first place. I will change it, and make room for more birds in the future. my better half wants pheasants and pea fowl... who am I to say no...? lol

 

[ChickPrincess]

So why exactly do I need roosters???
My Henry is really not doing well today/tonight. When I went out this afternoon he was huddled, laying down underneath the nest boxes. When I shut out the lights, he did get up to go roost but didn't have the strength to fly up. I picked him up to set him up there and he's lost a lot of his body weight in just the last few days. I figured maybe he could spend one last night with his girls. I will be surprised if he makes it until morning.

I have 1 BA roo that is just plain old mean and sets off the other BA roo (who hasn't started mating yet but they are the same age). BA roo #1 even gets mad if my EE roo mates with a hen, and then they both seem to beat up on her.
Which really makes me wonder... should I go without roosters at all?

 

[Cass]

So why exactly do I need roosters???
My Henry is really not doing well today/tonight. When I went out this afternoon he was huddled, laying down underneath the nest boxes. When I shut out the lights, he did get up to go roost but didn't have the strength to fly up. I picked him up to set him up there and he's lost a lot of his body weight in just the last few days. I figured maybe he could spend one last night with his girls. I will be surprised if he makes it until morning.

I have 1 BA roo that is just plain old mean and sets off the other BA roo (who hasn't started mating yet but they are the same age). BA roo #1 even gets mad if my EE roo mates with a hen, and then they both seem to beat up on her.
Which really makes me wonder... should I go without roosters at all?

Roosters are kept for a variety of reasons. The first would be for fertile eggs for hatching. Of course you can buy hatching eggs from others to hatch, if you are inclined that way. (If you buy my eggs they are fertile, but I only sell eating eggs. Didn't stop one customer from putting 4 of them under their broody hen and hatching 3 of them. LOL)

Another reason is for flock protection. They will alert the hens to predators and round them up in the evening. They also will settle disputes amoung flock members. (sometimes with a huge loss in feathers, but peace is restored)

HOWEVER they do make great soup and stew and many people run their flock for years without a rooster. I like to hear them crow in the morning. And afternoon. And the evening. Ok, mine never shut up, but the neighbors don't mind and neither do I. I don't like them flogging my legs when I go to walk away. I eat those who think I am to be dominated.

The bottom line is there is no really good reason to have a rooster, just a few so-so reasons and the personal preferences of flock owners.

 

[cracrzy4chicks]

So why exactly do I need roosters???
My Henry is really not doing well today/tonight. When I went out this afternoon he was huddled, laying down underneath the nest boxes. When I shut out the lights, he did get up to go roost but didn't have the strength to fly up. I picked him up to set him up there and he's lost a lot of his body weight in just the last few days. I figured maybe he could spend one last night with his girls. I will be surprised if he makes it until morning.

I have 1 BA roo that is just plain old mean and sets off the other BA roo (who hasn't started mating yet but they are the same age). BA roo #1 even gets mad if my EE roo mates with a hen, and then they both seem to beat up on her.
Which really makes me wonder... should I go without roosters at all?

I have a layer flock of about 24 hens of several different breeds w/2 roosters. The roos are mutts..........bantam cochin/appenzellar crosses. so they are small, about the size of a golden comet. The 2 boys ( red roo & little roo ) real original huh ! are REAL GENTLEMAN. They court the girls, dance for them and coo to them and are not serial rapists ! They are also great protectors of their girls, allways watching for danger. They are a big + to my flock. Now on the other hand, I have a small flock of Austrolorps ( 14 hens 2 roos ), If I didn't want fertile eggs to hatch those boys would be in the stew pot !!

An as Cass pointed out............................ I like to hear them crow & crow & crow & crow ...............