NY chicken lover!!!!

[rancher hicks]

We bought a new to us coop and the person we bought it from lined bottom with plastic and it was super easy to drag out and dump. Should I reline with plastic or is it not a great idea?

It is just a wood plywood floor unpainted. At one Seam I can see through a hairline gap. We live north of Oneida Lake so it will get snowy and windy soon. I would like to get them in the new coop as soon as possible.

It's really what works for you. I just have a plywood floor. Congrats on the coop.

Hang on. I was just thinking of you. Did you move? Weren't you over near me?

 

[demp4]

It's really what works for you. I just have a plywood floor. Congrats on the coop.

Hang on. I was just thinking of you. Did you move? Weren't you over near me?

Yes and Yes. I moved to Constantia in July and the funny thing is my "neighbor" just moved to East Syracuse... haha switching spots. We still have land (we sold house and 1 acre) in Bridgeport, just in case we don't like it up here we will build something. We have 92 acres up here and a nice pond.

The plywood won't rot? We had vinyl linoleum in the one we had before (at old house).

 

[rancher hicks]

Today was productive! I did a bit of pre-winter coop readying, although there's still a lot to go. I also moved my little flock of CCL, NN bantam, and silkie chicks from their brooder to a cordoned off area in the coop their brooder was in so that they had more space. With 27 chicks it was starting to get a bit crowded! They're loving the extra space and the darn CCL's are eating and growing like fiends. There has been some inbreeding problems in the breed causing bad hatch rates and weak chicks but I have none of that in my flock thank goodness. I also gave the flock the first dose of their before winter worming. Some of the girls are finally coming out of molt, of course, so now I'll get eggs that I can't do anything with

Still on the schedule is partially covering the coop fronts with plastic, installing some roof venting, and getting one last deep clean in before it starts to snow. I'd also like to get the run on the new hoop coop that's currently being used to house my chicks, assorted pullets, and my cemani flock until spring, but we will see.

Well I still have to much to do.

I managed to get the hoses rolled and ready to store. I also managed to put of two more tarps to protect the bales of shavings.

I've been painting the queens chair Pink. I bought it for $10 at an antique store. It's sturdy enough for an adult. Kids always want adults to have a tea party. Those cheap things are a waste.

We went to Joanns to buy somethings with coupons but most stuff is on sale. I did get some burlap for the roses. The thing with roses is you don't want to cover them to early. With the changes we get here it can be a hassle.

Watched part of the Alaska show and a woman had all her bees die, due to a January thaw. It was sad. Anyone here got Bees? There was a meeting at the Fayetteville Library but I missed it.

 

[BusyBearMama]

In everyone's experience at what age do most chicks still sleep like 75% of the time. I have an oddly small 6 week old ee and she just doesn't play like my other young birds. She moves slowly and falls asleep all the time. I got her from someone and am wondering... I'm trying to think... Maybe she is younger or cold? She's really small snd doesn't really play. I'm worried she should be in a warmer environment though she's fully feathered... Even just because she is so small... What do you all think? She might also be stressed because all the other chicks are 2x her size and very active... Stressing me out :-/ and the chick I imagine :-( I would prefer she stay alive and comfortable

 

[vmdanielsen]

It's just very odd. What's the strangest part to me is it seems to be the girls/guys in the same coop. I have two coops one with 1 year olds and one with the 2 year olds and it seems to be sticking with the 2 year olds. They just get very lethargic and stand around with their eyes closed and droopy. The rooster as well. Their poo looks fine except it's a little green. I'm at a loss...I'm going to try cornell today and see what they have to say. I'll get a box ready to ship a bird for a necropsy (hopefully).

This isn't what mine have had. Mine had leg issues and wasting. I hope you figure it out.

 

[Lapeerian]

In everyone's experience at what age do most chicks still sleep like 75% of the time. I have an oddly small 6 week old ee and she just doesn't play like my other young birds. She moves slowly and falls asleep all the time. I got her from someone and am wondering... I'm trying to think... Maybe she is younger or cold? She's really small snd doesn't really play. I'm worried she should be in a warmer environment though she's fully feathered... Even just because she is so small... What do you all think? She might also be stressed because all the other chicks are 2x her size and very active... Stressing me out :-/ and the chick I imagine :-( I would prefer she stay alive and comfortable

Do you have a "warm" side and "cool" side in the brooder? I hang the heat lamp over only one side, adjusting it up as they move away from it. That gives all the chicks options of how warm they want to be. That would give the little chick the option of being warmer without overheating the others. Do they have medicated feed? Was she the only outsider to the group? The others may have germs that the smaller one is having difficulty fighting. Maybe try sectioning off a small area within the brooder, where the chicks can still all see each other. Give her private food and water, add some Sav-A-Chick or other electrolytes to give it a boost. A few days of not being run over by bigger chicks while acclimating to the other's germs should help.

 

[BusyBearMama]

Thanks

Do you have a "warm" side and "cool" side in the brooder? I hang the heat lamp over only one side, adjusting it up as they move away from it. That gives all the chicks options of how warm they want to be. That would give the little chick the option of being warmer without overheating the others. Do they have medicated feed? Was she the only outsider to the group? The others may have germs that the smaller one is having difficulty fighting. Maybe try sectioning off a small area within the brooder, where the chicks can still all see each other. Give her private food and water, add some Sav-A-Chick or other electrolytes to give it a boost. A few days of not being run over by bigger chicks while acclimating to the other's germs should help.

this group all came together. I have a large 3x3 foot octagonal brooder that has a lamp on an adjustable stand over one side. They have not been on medicated feed, do you think that's a good idea? There are just 6 birds in there so I could easily partition off a nice chunk with some plastic chicken wire in the morning, I could give her her own feeder and waterer... My husband brought her home with the chicks I sent him to get. He said she just looked so small and he thought she would do better maybe in a smaller group. One of the birds had been itchy and I've been dealing with that so they no longer have any substrait but newspaper because I think she's allergic to pine shavings which is unfortunate but she's looking better. The little one just seems off. And makes this peeping sound like a very young bird if that makes sense. I can have my husband grab that electrolyte stuff tomorrow and if you think medicated feed would do any good or anything else? It seems she will be walking along and then is asleep mid step :-( I think there is a real chance this is just a younger bird or possibly she's eaten something she shouldn't have... Or is just a weak bird. :-/ my husband tends to try and save them. He said its cute though isn't it and she sure is. It seems under developed or something if that makes sense though. Maybe I will do that in the morning... Sigh ... Poor thing. I've never given medicated feed, what type of medication is in there? I watched her eat and drink so I know she's trying... Watch her be some random chick that hatched and got mixed in mistakenly and grows Into a huge rooster ... If she didn't look so much like one of the others I would be sure she was from a younger nest

 

[Lapeerian]

Thanks
this group all came together. I have a large 3x3 foot octagonal brooder that has a lamp on an adjustable stand over one side. They have not been on medicated feed, do you think that's a good idea? There are just 6 birds in there so I could easily partition off a nice chunk with some plastic chicken wire in the morning, I could give her her own feeder and waterer... My husband brought her home with the chicks I sent him to get. He said she just looked so small and he thought she would do better maybe in a smaller group. One of the birds had been itchy and I've been dealing with that so they no longer have any substrait but newspaper because I think she's allergic to pine shavings which is unfortunate but she's looking better. The little one just seems off. And makes this peeping sound like a very young bird if that makes sense. I can have my husband grab that electrolyte stuff tomorrow and if you think medicated feed would do any good or anything else? It seems she will be walking along and then is asleep mid step :-( I think there is a real chance this is just a younger bird or possibly she's eaten something she shouldn't have... Or is just a weak bird. :-/ my husband tends to try and save them. He said its cute though isn't it and she sure is. It seems under developed or something if that makes sense though. Maybe I will do that in the morning... Sigh ... Poor thing. I've never given medicated feed, what type of medication is in there? I watched her eat and drink so I know she's trying... Watch her be some random chick that hatched and got mixed in mistakenly and grows Into a huge rooster ... If she didn't look so much like one of the others I would be sure she was from a younger nest

Definitely sounds like she is fighting off some bug. Or weak in general. Chick starter comes as either medicated or unmedicated. I believe it is Amporillium that is added, it is to prevent coccidiosis. It is a personal choice, but I always feed the medicated because I know I can't keep the brooder/feed dish/waterer sparkling clean to prevent it. Just make sure it is the same brand as what you have now, so you dont add intestinal upset to the problems. If your brand does not come in medicated, you need to slowly transition to the new feed over a few days. And i do the electrolytes in the water the first few weeks, decreasing the strength until it is plain water. I get the yellow jug stuff at CountryMax, but know TSC has the sav-a-chick pack strip. Also check her for pasty butt. And yes, the ones you try hardest on turn into roosters. I almost lost one to pasty butt this summer, turned into a pretty Brown Leghorn roo.
As for the shavings, it is unlikely they are allergic to the pine shavings. Chicks scratch a lot as the Downey fluff falls out and get their first feathers, then replaced by juvenile feathers. Often see them scratching their head so much they fall over. As long as they are eating the feed and not shavings, you should be ok. (They will eventually scratch and peck the shavings, also completely normal). Will also give the chick something to retain warmth better than newspaper.

 

[Gramma Chick]

Quote: yes probably with time ... without something on it ...depends on how wet your bedding is ...& your preference
Plastic is easy to drag out..you probably wont be able to do it in the winter time it will be frozen .
you could try it for the winter ..if you dont like it put linoleum on in the spring

 

[Gramma Chick]

In everyone's experience at what age do most chicks still sleep like 75% of the time. I have an oddly small 6 week old ee and she just doesn't play like my other young birds. She moves slowly and falls asleep all the time. I got her from someone and am wondering... I'm trying to think... Maybe she is younger or cold
she sounds like a sick chick ..maybe she/he has birth defects ...they can still thrive with extra care ...
I heard scrambled eggs can give them a boost ..& a little apple cider vinegar in the water