NY chicken lover!!!!

[B4chicks]

New guy here from New Haven,NY. Twenty Buff Orps from HinkJC out in brooder in our old milkhouse. Adding 20 RC RIR from Dick Horstman that are coming first week of June. Have a 10 x 16 secure pen built in our (formerly) freestall barn and am sawing hemlock now for a new coop with a secure run as free ranging on our farm would be a chicken feast for all sorts of predators I'm afraid. Just wanted to say Hi to other NY folks and say Thank You to all the members that give so much info. I lurked here for about a year studying in spare time before deciding it was time to jump in with both feet. Will be a big change from twenty years ago when I was introduced to my father in law's barnyard full of half-feral games.

 

[SAHchickenmom]

Hello B4chicks, I'm in Mexico. Have fun with your new chickens!

 

[B4chicks]

Fox is one reason I wouldn't think of free ranging birds here. The other is the constant threat from Red Tailed Hawks. Can't go into one of our hay fields without seeing one.Seeing a Cooper's Hawk taking a pigeon right from the end of the feed alley is one thing; not sure if a Red-tailed would attempt a full grown hen and I will try and not find out first hand.

 

[SAHchickenmom]

Hawks are crazy around here. I only let my birds out if I'm outside doing something. Stupid hawks always scream and announce themselves, the gun is never too far away.

 

[pharmchickrnmom]

Welcome B4chicks! You are going to love those reds! I got some hatching eggs this year from a breeder and love my chicks. Laid back and cool.

Raining again. An easy rain right now which is good. Hopefully my silkies went back into their runs so I dont have to chase them back in before work.

Rancher--thats good news about dw!

 

[LuvMyChicks1491]

I'm happy for you.

I've noticed or not noticed rabbits in the yard of late. Used to have a couple hanging about. Wonder where they moved to.

I have the opposite problem here. By this time last year the fox and her babies were out and laying in the upper field and no bunnies ever. This year there are rabbits all over the place and I haven't seen a fox at all. I'm not letting my guard down. Perhaps they just haven't made their way to this den yet. I thought I found it earlier in the spring. This weekend I'm going on a walkabout up in the woods to check things out so I'm going to check where I thought it might be to see if there are any signs. I'm going to collect some "liquid deposits" from DH & DS to take up and pour them around up in that corner. Maybe it'll help.

Glad that DW is feeling better. I still keep you both in my prayers and wishing for a great outcome.

Broodys still sitting strong. I made a new larger nest box that I wanted to move the BCM too (I figured that I'd start with her first), but tried to move her late last night and waited to see if she would stay there She waited a few moments and then got back in the nest box so put her eggs back too. So looks like that plan won't work, On to plan B. Turned the boxes 90 degrees and put the larger nest box in the front and add golf ball and egg to see if I can get the other girls to lay their eggs there instead of in the boxes that the broodys are in. I wish that my coop was 4 times bigger, but then again if it was that big I'm sure that I would need a second fridge to keep all the eggs I can't get rid of. So I guess that the smaller coop keeps me in check. Perhaps I can convince DH that next year I need a bigger chicken coop!

Finished the bantam fence this AM so I moved the silkies into the small coop and enclosed run in there. I will keep them confined in there for just a few days more to make sure that the LF girls and SS roo don't try to get in. I didn't have it up that great before and they would find their way in, but this morning I finished the fence better so that they shouldn't be able to get over, around, or through. I want to wait till I'm sure that my new little girls are safe before they are out and about especially with my little blue girl being so small. I may move Peppers and her eggs in there. May need to build another small coop for that though or figure out how to protect the dog crate from the elements a little better and use that. It is all in the confines of the larger run.

 

[rancher hicks]

I have the opposite problem here. By this time last year the fox and her babies were out and laying in the upper field and no bunnies ever. This year there are rabbits all over the place and I haven't seen a fox at all. I'm not letting my guard down. Perhaps they just haven't made their way to this den yet. I thought I found it earlier in the spring. This weekend I'm going on a walkabout up in the woods to check things out so I'm going to check where I thought it might be to see if there are any signs. I'm going to collect some "liquid deposits" from DH & DS to take up and pour them around up in that corner. Maybe it'll help.

Glad that DW is feeling better. I still keep you both in my prayers and wishing for a great outcome.

Broodys still sitting strong. I made a new larger nest box that I wanted to move the BCM too (I figured that I'd start with her first), but tried to move her late last night and waited to see if she would stay there She waited a few moments and then got back in the nest box so put her eggs back too. So looks like that plan won't work, On to plan B. Turned the boxes 90 degrees and put the larger nest box in the front and add golf ball and egg to see if I can get the other girls to lay their eggs there instead of in the boxes that the broodys are in. I wish that my coop was 4 times bigger, but then again if it was that big I'm sure that I would need a second fridge to keep all the eggs I can't get rid of. So I guess that the smaller coop keeps me in check. Perhaps I can convince DH that next year I need a bigger chicken coop!

Finished the bantam fence this AM so I moved the silkies into the small coop and enclosed run in there. I will keep them confined in there for just a few days more to make sure that the LF girls and SS roo don't try to get in. I didn't have it up that great before and they would find their way in, but this morning I finished the fence better so that they shouldn't be able to get over, around, or through. I want to wait till I'm sure that my new little girls are safe before they are out and about especially with my little blue girl being so small. I may move Peppers and her eggs in there. May need to build another small coop for that though or figure out how to protect the dog crate from the elements a little better and use that. It is all in the confines of the larger run.

I haven't seen any foxes thank the Lord. As for broodies I will make sure I have plenty of nesting buckets in the future. I did put two more together and moved on hen and she seems to be content. The other doesn't seem to want to take to the new bucket but share with another hen. I will try her again tonight.

I will need more buckets for the back coop as one hen has rolled herself and egg onto the floor and covers it there. Crazy birds.

 

[AQHAchick22]

I have fired 2 of my 3 broody hens. They kept moving boxes too often and not staying put so finally after having to toss the 10th egg I told them they are done and I toss them off the nest constantly...next step is the crate. I'm letting the sebright try with 2 eggs, she's been pretty good so I figure why not let her try.

The EE that was broody under my porch is done thanks to the help of what I think was a baby fox...maybe a raccoon or possum? At 3am there was horrible squawking coming from outside, my boyfriend luckily heard it and went outside to see what was going on, just in time to see something running off and my poor hen sticking her head up from under the porch. She was shivering and ran right up to him and stood in front of him to be picked up. She finally calmed down when he picked her up and brought her back up to the coop. She hasn't even attempted to go near that porch again and this happened on Saturday.

Hope nobody had much damage during the storms yesterday!

 

[rancher hicks]

I have fired 2 of my 3 broody hens. They kept moving boxes too often and not staying put so finally after having to toss the 10th egg I told them they are done and I toss them off the nest constantly...next step is the crate. I'm letting the sebright try with 2 eggs, she's been pretty good so I figure why not let her try.

The EE that was broody under my porch is done thanks to the help of what I think was a baby fox...maybe a raccoon or possum? At 3am there was horrible squawking coming from outside, my boyfriend luckily heard it and went outside to see what was going on, just in time to see something running off and my poor hen sticking her head up from under the porch. She was shivering and ran right up to him and stood in front of him to be picked up. She finally calmed down when he picked her up and brought her back up to the coop. She hasn't even attempted to go near that porch again and this happened on Saturday.

Hope nobody had much damage during the storms yesterday!

With nearly all hens in one marans coop it's not hard to keep someone on the eggs. Two hen I moved to a private room and there are no others to get in their places.

The trouble with other hens getting in while the broody is up to do her business and when she comes back she just gets in any nest that is open. Broody hens like their privacy and it's tricky business keeping them separate.

Too some hens like the same "spot" everytime they lay. I have six boxes in the Del coop and find most of the eggs in the same boxes, while others are empty and rarely used. Cheap, easy to make and easy to clean. I'll pull and store the extra buckets when I don't need them. Why pay $25 or more for a next box? The lids are sold separate so if you can score one from a dumpster or side of the road, that's cool.

Milk crates will work too I think. I've seen these on the side of the roads too.


I can't take credit cuz I got the idea from Tabs and Travis.

 

[Lynzi777]

Speaking of broodys, I thought a while ago my blue Orp hen wanted to go broody only to find her out of the nestbox a couple hours later after laying her egg. Thought the same thing this morning when I reached in for eggs. They were both in there, Stella got up and left the coop, Ella stayed in and hasn't laid an egg yet. Went back up there a couple of hours later, she laid the egg, I took it, she stayed on the nest. She didn't come out until a few minutes ago. I don't get it. I'm setting eggs aside in case she changed her mind.