NY chicken lover!!!!

[rancher hicks]

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 absolutely do not recommend a coop specific to chickens, if you're going to spend money.

A nice garden shed will work just fine and can be converted back if you decide not to keep chickens. Coops specifically built for chickens are not easily sold. They are hard to move and most don't have the means or way to do so.

Check out the coop section, google coops and go from there. There are many great and cheap designs.

It only makes sense that if they're selling it to you for $600 they didn't spend that much on materials to do so.

 

[rancher hicks]

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.

In a back posting I estimated the cost of a nice hoop and for $600 I could build a very large coop. Right now I'm planning to add on or make one for storage.

 

[leahlefler]

I absolutely do not recommend a coop specific to chickens, if you're going to spend money.

A nice garden shed will work just fine and can be converted back if you decide not to keep chickens. Coops specifically built for chickens are not easily sold. They are hard to move and most don't have the means or way to do so.

A friend just wrote and said that she knows someone who wants to sell an old coop! I am so excited. The price is very, very low and even if we have to do some repairs, it will be worth it! Thank goodness! I am so excited to get everything set up!

 

[Gramma Chick]

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 to the tread
leahlefler - cool find - used coop . Clean it good inside & out
help4me - pretty chickens

 

[Gramma Chick]

Now that Tapistry is gone to live on the other side of town, it looks like Butter, a
BO is the low girl. Yesterday afternoon I heard sounds of a scuffle and there was Butter squatting with Flavian on top doing a good imitation of a rooster. Earl was drawn to the problem, so he sprinted over and started pecking Butter and pulling out head feathers. This is just wrong on so many levels. I don't like the pecking order. And I think Flavia is a pervert. And isn't Earl supposed to protect the girls?

So Tapistry was protecting Butter...could Butter go with him ?
This was the same with my Mean Roo he was protecting little TT my sumatra Hen ...from the rest of the flock .
Separate Flavian from the flock for a few days ...shes probably top hen ..

 

[Gramma Chick]

Quote: Heres what I found on twitching chicks ..

The head twitching could be in response to a packed crop. Chickens will sometimes flick their head, almost like they are trying to swallow something dry.

Brooder temp could be a bit warm (( raise the light up higher ))
and they aren’t getting enough to drink. ( ( add Cooler & Fresh Water ))
You might offer them soaked feed for a day and see if you notice a difference.
((Add a little water to their food so it is like thick oatmeal ))

Adding a tsp of raw ( can be Regular ) cider vinegar to a cup of their water can help balance digestion. You didn’t say how old these chicks are, but you could also offer some chopped greens and some grated apple to raise the fiber content of their diet and help them process food better.

A little live culture yogurt mixed with soaked feed can help give good digestive bacteria. Day old chicks need 95 – 100 F in the brooder, each week, as they feather more and grow, you can reduce the brooder temp by 5 – 10 degrees, if they continue being active with good appetites.



If this is a twitch with another cause, I would suspect the possibility of disease, internal or external parasites, though rare in such little ones, probably still in a brooder and not exposed to much.

My first line of defense in chicken health is to offer vitamins. Sometimes one vitamin out of balance can cause all kinds of problems. I hate to give medications, if vitamins might fix a problem.

Now that you have two chicks doing this, there is definitely something a miss in their lives. I think you will just need to continue monitoring and get the help of a veterinarian if they don’t improve.

One more thought….chicks, all birds really, are very sensitive to deodorizing sprays, even scented candles.

If these chicks are in the house and someone is using a product to mask chick odor, this could cause respiratory distress and even death.

I had a friend that sprayed Fabreeze in her kitchen and within 2 hours her beloved parakeets were dead. She called me horrified and sad and after a few minutes, finding out what changed in the kitchen recently, I was sure Fabreeze had killed her birds.

She had sprayed the kitchen curtains, just like she had seen on TV.) The product says it’s safe for animals, but it’s not, especially small birds.

I think I have my DH as addicted to chickens as I am! I talked him into building me a cabinet incubator. It will be big enough to hold 3 egg turners! I can not wait!

So cool how did you do it ? I need mine to be too !
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...

Back then I did nt know I liked chickens !

 

[Gramma Chick]

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.........

If they turn the heat down at night ...cover it with a sheet or blanket that should keep the heat / Humidity in ...

 

[Pyxis]

I have a broody! I suspected I might have had one this morning when I went to collect eggs and several were warm. Tonight when I went to lock up I caught her in the nesting box and I reached my hand toward her and was treated to fluffing up and velociraptor noises. Now, what to let her hatch...

 

[Nuttyfrom6kids]

I have a broody! I suspected I might have had one this morning when I went to collect eggs and several were warm. Tonight when I went to lock up I caught her in the nesting box and I reached my hand toward her and was treated to fluffing up and velociraptor noises. Now, what to let her hatch...

No broodies yet this year but I have an Orpington who makes the best momma who I hope goes broody again.

 

[Metella]

If I can have the peeps - you can have 3 little Millie D'Uccle eggs - but I would love those little peeps ...You could have a sofia egg to keep as your own peep in exchange ....

ha ha


Hoop Coops ... Mine only cost $80 in total - most was the hardware wire ... I just used old scrap wood as the base ... and it has held up just fine in 80mph winds and a 3 foot snow storm ... no heat no electric and all the chickens did fine this whole long COLD winter. NO HEAT - it causes more problems than helps. It is really only for us humans to feel better. If you feed well during the cold - they will be fine.