NY chicken lover!!!!

[leahlefler]

We will definitely look into the discount lumber.. it doesn't need to be beautiful, but does need to keep predators out and remain sturdy through winter!

 

[Pyxis]

Our biggest challenge at the moment is trying to keep the cost of building a coop down. The materials to build a medium sized coop seem to run about $600 - it would be nice to get that cost down. We're going to look into the Amish to see if they'll build one for a reasonable price.. we've been pricing out materials from the Home Depot vs. several different plans and OUCH to the cost! I did see several coops at Tractor Supply, but they are really tiny!

Have you looked into hoop coops? If you click where it says "My Coop" under my avatar you can see mine. They are much easier to build and much cheaper than regular coops. Mine is 12X8 and I think it ran me about $200. Granted I had some materials already lying around so I didn't need to buy them but still, big difference.

 

[armorfirelady]

Quote: Great minds. I was just going to suggest the same thing. I love my hoop coop. Easy to build and had almost 3 ft of wet snow on it at one point and never wavered.

 

[Nuttyfrom6kids]

Wow, this is a long thread! We are just starting our chicken-keeping journey. We live near Jamestown, NY and don't have any chickens yet - live on 1 acre and will be ordering chicks this spring! There are four of us (my husband Dennis, me (Leah), and our two boys, ages 6 and 8. And a Golden Retriever!

Welcome

Hi,

I just had a message and it all disappeared, starting over with much shorter message.

Hi, we live in Cazenovia. We got started in the crazy chicken adventure when my daughter who was turning 10 last year wanted to hatch some out. So, we got the Mini Brinsea while she researched what she wanted. She decided on Lavender Orpingtons. So, we ordered 7 eggs from e-bay,. Short story... 3 hatched despite our many mistakes. We ended up with only one hen, named Collette and two roosters Rocky and Ricky. We just recently sold Rocky and then my son who is 8 was honored when his teacher offered him her 3 baby chicks from the classroom, and well how could we say no. So, now Collette and Ricky who are the BEST chickens ever are waiting to hatch some of their own. We have 4 eggs in the incubator due May3rd, and some we are constantly rotating out of the basement waiting for Collette to go broody again. This is our first time hatching our own eggs trying both ways. Seeing we are so new to all this we are not sure what our hatch rate will be, but boy is it exciting! Here they are the pictures were taken yesterday, except for the baby chicks, and I don't have any of Lily yet.


Rocky and Luke Collette Come on babies, please be hens



When we got the babies we had no idea what they were. We ended up getting two silkies, Buttercup and Lily and one mystery Bantam named Chirpy.I think she is a EE, and yes we call them all girls till proven otherwise by there crowing. Boy are they silly, and fun to watch. Now I have to rethink the chicken logistics.


Chirpy Buttercup

Welcome and my favorite breed is orpingtons and I love the lavender ones .

First chick has hatched!!!! Little Speckled Sussex! Two more pips! This first little one has a bit of sticky shell membrane...not sure why, the humidity should be pretty decent. I closed the vent more and upped the water level a bit and am keeping an eye. The humidity shot up after it was born, but slowly descended again to about 60%. It was 50% for this chick's hatch.

In the meantime, I'm spending my afternoon refereeing children and trying to get my sons' white baseball pants white again. Why do they make baseball pants white? What schmuck thought it would be a good idea to make white baseball pants for children?

The same schmuck that thought it was a good idea to make White Football pants

Welcome Leahlfler! I'm also a new chicken owner, In a way I wish i kept my flock small, i started with 6 and now i'm up to 16 haha. I have 4 different kinda, red sex links, golden comets, tetra tints and buff cochin bantams i think. Everyone here has helped me out a lot along the way, and I decided if one of my bantams is a boy i'm keeping it and going to try to hatch me own chicks.
I also got a different brooder set up today so hopefully I wont have anymore chicks in my bed lol. Other then that just cleanings stalls, got my room cleaned. After stalls going to hang out with a friend, been pretty busy today.

Oh don't worry FoxCreek chicken math and morehens disease will catch up with them too. I started with just a few I got off of people on here and then I caught morehens disease and I couldn't figure out chicken math and have tons of birds

I just wanted to say thank you for all the nice warm welcomes. Yes, this site is full of information and I had no idea how many chicken lovers are in NY, nor how much I myself would come to love them. My husband is starting to call me crazy chicken lady and yet we both just watched Collette and Ricky take a sand bath together in what once was the kids old sand box it was so cute.


Oh Ricky will we ever be able to relax like this once the chicks come?



Well Collette, I am pretty sure we will have to have to have eyes at both ends.

My husband calls me crazy chicken lady too but he is the first one out there building pens for them in the barn and the first one to sit and watch them as they roam around.

 

[SunnysideupstateNY]

How come when we were young, we didn't ask our husbands to be, if they liked chickens? Would have made things so much easier...

I assumed mine would be ok with it, his grandfather had 2000 chickens....6-10 seemed like no big deal. Never assume. LOL

Our biggest challenge at the moment is trying to keep the cost of building a coop down. The materials to build a medium sized coop seem to run about $600 - it would be nice to get that cost down. We're going to look into the Amish to see if they'll build one for a reasonable price.. we've been pricing out materials from the Home Depot vs. several different plans and OUCH to the cost! I did see several coops at Tractor Supply, but they are really tiny!

I don't know where you are located, around me I have a recycling place called ALPCO, I kept checking in looking for building materials and scored a ton of nice pallets, 3/4" plywood and a ton of 2x6's and 2x8's. I have also been saving windows for a green house, so that covers space lacking plywood.
You could also check with contractors throwing out materials after a rebuild. As long as you don't mind pulling nails...


ETA: Broody is still sitting tight! her hatch date for the BBS Ameraucanas is May 17th...I guess that means I can't do chicken stock. :-(

 

[leahlefler]

Thanks everyone! The hoop coop might fit the bill (literally)! Does it stay warm enough in winter for the chickens? I'm in Jamestown, NY - not sure if there is an ALPCO or other recycle place nearby.

 

[ktblue3]

Well, I'm going to try to not worry, but when you have little 5 yr olds all waiting for the eggs to hatch, you don't want to disappoint them. I did investigate last year why some of the fully formed chicks did not hatch.. Can't say there was a lot of "water" inside, the membrane seemed "tough- so I couldn't really tell. I haven't candled yet-maybe in a couple of days I"ll check. I'm not sure how to determine whether the air space is too little or too much. I know some writers have talked about weighing the eggs and calculated the percentage of weight lost but ??? Guess I'll err on less humidity now and jack it up at the end. Is 70% appropriate. Some years I've had 65 and some as high as 80. I do appreciate all advice & will let you know how things progress.
K.........

 

[pharmchickrnmom]

Evening all and welcome to all the newbies! We will make sure to enable (oops, I mean help) you with your chickens and chicken related questions. Lots of likeminded folks on here.

Leah--As most everyone will tell you, its not warmth you need to worry about but drafts. Chickens can survive extreme cold as long as they are out of drafts and have adequate ventilation. Coops come in all shapes and sizes and materials. Look at lots of them until you decide what you want. Build big, bigger than you think you need because morehens disease will infect you at some point and you will need the space! Rancher has some good pics of his hoop coops if you are interested in them.

I do not mix my silkies with my large fowl. I tried the chicks together in the brooder last year but the silkies took a beating from the larger chicks. My roos run off the larger hens and the little girls are no match for the pushier larger girls. Everyone has their own way of doing things.

Came home to my neighbors little guy, Timmy, visiting with the bawk bawks in the yard. He loves my chickens. He was looking for the babies too. At 18 months old, I think he is already becoming a die hard chicken man. The brats are getting used to the coop but were still very noisy this evening before finally going quiet and sleeping in a big pile in the corner. Still waiting for a pip from the bator.

 

[Sweetpea3829]

Quick question...you know how a chick will usually pip on the upside of the egg? If it pips on the downside, should you turn the egg over so the pip is up? Or leave it?

 

[Lynzi777]

Evening All,
Wanted to pop on and say

to all the newbies!

I've been hanging low the last few days. Trying to figure out a plan for keeping my ducks in the yard. I've been keeping my KC drake penned up that last few days and I noticed that when I do the other 4 don't wander across the street. So he must be the leader of the pack when it comes to that decision. I have been catching people stopping as they drive by if my ducks are crossing the street so I guess that's a good sign. However all it's going to take is for that one person who isn't paying attention or just doesn't care to come flying down the road.

I candled my duck eggs again tonight, I cannot believe they are all still growing and moving around in there. Why can't I hatch silkie eggs like this?!? I did take a look at the silkie eggs under my lavender broody hen today while she was up eating and they don't look like they're developing. It IS only day 3 so obviously I'll give them time but maybe they just aren't fertile. Maybe I'll have to trim them up some a little better including my roos! I'm going to crack open some extra silkie eggs in he fridge tomorrow and see if they have that fertile mark on them. If they do then I just don't get it. If they don't then I know the girls aren't getting fertilized properly by my roo.

On a sad note, my frizzle polish hen isn't doing so well. She's slowly losing life in her. I don't understand. I have no idea what it could it be. I posted on the emergency sickness, etc thread to see if anyone chimes in but no one has yet. I'm so upset over this. If she makes it over night tonight I plan on picking up some save-a-chick tomorrow and adding it to her water. I don't know what else to do for her.