NY chicken lover!!!!

[Mcse4u]

Thanks! I just found the thread about Harpursville. Is there an address and time finalized yet? I would love to attend.

 

[Beer can]

Thanks so much!! We love it and our setup is not at all do e. We have some more work to do as well as add our other housing coop to the other side.

Check out the hoop coops, rancher has them, and many designs/ideas on here and kinda easy and economical. I like my big co-op 8x16 plywood 10' to the peak, but to reproduce it would cost $$, it came with house. Didn't like the hoop coop designs with tarps, couldn't see them as warm as a vented solid coop.
I built a small semi portable 4x8 coop with 12x50 run for a sorta/kinda chicken tractor, thought it was a good idea, breeder coop, not easy to move... Needed another, took a chain link dog kennel and in the spirit of a hoop coop surrounded it with tarps with part of a open side. Did not like it but it was either downsize and cull or try it. Figured they would freeze to death.
Trio of naked necks lived just fine in it with no problems no frostbite at all this winter. Goes to show cold isn't the problem for sure, but the ventilation, a completely open airy coop in subzero weather is better than any closed up (humid) coop that brings frostbite on.

 

[Gramma Chick]

Thanks! I just found the thread about Harpursville. Is there an address and time finalized yet? I would love to attend.

Welcome

Location : Harpursville NY
Date : May 20 2017
Time : 11:00 am until?
PM Chicken Girl

 

[Gramma Chick]

Thanks so much!! We love it and our setup is not at all do e. We have some more work to do as well as add our other housing coop to the other side.

I would wait a few more days as it is still pretty cold at night ...supposed to be down to 34 tonight again .
What do you have them in in the house ?

 

[Purple Iris]

Hi all, sad to report our first 'sudden death' of an older hen. Miss Pearl our Plymouth Rock was one of the original pair of chickens we got as a young chick 3+ years ago, and she was in charge of our little flock of 4. Even when our second pair of chickens were added a year later, and grew bigger than her, a smart peck on the head soon reminded them who was in charge around here!

Here she is at 3 months



She had bags of personality and was always front of the pack if I got home when they were out free ranging to run up to me and cock her head as if I was going to magically produce some scratch or other treat from my pocket!



She has been a great egg producer, laying almost daily, even through the winter (and we don't use lights) since she was 4 months old. Recently I had noticed she seemed a little skinny, bony feeling on her chest when I picked her up, and despite being fed layers pellets, and my adding free choice oyster shell, was always trying to pull eggshells out of the compost bin. Recently her eggs also changed from their usual shape to being almost the same width all the way down......



Putting all these things together, I'm now wondering if she may have had some kind of cancer? She was fine one day, eating, drinking, laying - then dead in the coop the next. Unfortunately she passed away while I was back in the UK visiting family, and my husband disposed of her body (he did check if she was egg bound, but she wasn't) so no way to do any kind of autopsy to look for a problem. I do not believe it was anything contagious, it's been more than a week now and our other 3 chickens are fine.

The remainder of our mini flock are Sylvia a Brown Leghorn who we got at the same time as Pearl, so she's 3, Fern, our Silver Laced Wyandotte, and Fern our Partridge Rock, who came from Nature Berry Farm and are now aged 2 years.

I could do with some advice on a replacement bird(s), obviously adding a younger chicken is what I'm thinking, however, I'm not desperate to raise tiny chicks. I'm wondering about trying to find an older bird(s) 2-6 months. I have an adjacent pen and a small ark that I can use for a temporary quarantine set up, and then move to the main area for a 'look but don't touch' introduction.

Would this be too stressful for a single bird, should I look at getting a pair? I think our coop could accommadate 5 birds.

I had a few thoughts about new birds, but do not have specific breeds in mind (I thought Catskill Homesteaders may be a good fit, but due to incubator problems no birds available at the moment) hence my appeal to this group. Nature Berry Farm has closed down, and the neighbor I got my original 2 chickens from lost the rest of her flock to a fox. So I'm hoping someone out there may be looking to sell a few young birds.

Wish List - with just 4 birds, it's been great to try and track who is laying and how frequently, Sylvia gives us white eggs, and Pearls were a darker brown, sadly the younger 2 actually lay almost identical color eggs, but slightly different shapes so I can tell them apart. So I'd like the new addition(s) to lay something that looks different, maybe an olive, blue or green egg, or something very dark, or speckled. Here's what the current colors look like:


I also hadn't realized, until this week without her, how much I relied on Pearl's white coloring to find the gang when they were free ranging in the scrubby areas of our garden - the 3 dark ones disappear now once they get in the bushes. So I'd like to add a different color bird(s) maybe lighter, like buff or lavender coloring, or another white one.

I'd welcome any advise from the group, although we lost a week old chick that we'd had for just a few days before, this is our first time losing an adult hen that we've spent time with on a daily basis, for 3+ years and I miss that boss lady getting 'in my face'



I'm not able to make it to Chickenstock, I live 3+ hours drive away, between Buffalo and Warsaw, and have to work that Saturday until early afternoon, so couldn't get there till everyone was already heading home. I am willing to come and pick up birds if anyone within a few hours of Bflo has anything available. Sorry this is a long post, so I'll summarize my questions....

One bird or two - given it/they will spend time in quarantine pen initially?
Suggestions for breeds that could help the 'eye candy' aspect of our mini flock, lighter color for spotting when out free ranging, and different egg color to what we already have would be nice, not too flighty, and would fit with our existing breeds OK
Does anyone have anything suitable, female 2 - 6 months

Thanks all

 

[Nikkis Chickies]

I would wait a few more days as it is still pretty cold at night ...supposed to be down to 34 tonight again .
What do you have them in in the house ?

[/IMG]

 

[Nikkis Chickies]

Check out the hoop coops, rancher has them, and many designs/ideas on here and kinda easy and economical. I like my big co-op 8x16 plywood 10' to the peak, but to reproduce it would cost $$, it came with house. Didn't like the hoop coop designs with tarps, couldn't see them as warm as a vented solid coop.
I built a small semi portable 4x8 coop with 12x50 run for a sorta/kinda chicken tractor, thought it was a good idea, breeder coop, not easy to move... Needed another, took a chain link dog kennel and in the spirit of a hoop coop surrounded it with tarps with part of a open side. Did not like it but it was either downsize and cull or try it. Figured they would freeze to death.
Trio of naked necks lived just fine in it with no problems no frostbite at all this winter. Goes to show cold isn't the problem for sure, but the ventilation, a completely open airy coop in subzero weather is better than any closed up (humid) coop that brings frostbite on.

Thanks so much. We are only putting a tarp on the top to prevent rain from dripping all over since the trampoline will let is leak through everywhere. The coop is very well ventilated. I just wish i could put them out now, our daughter has asthma and yhe dander from the dust from the hay and alfalfa is going all through the house but it still gets low to 36ish twice a week which should stop soon. There are 12 so i know they can keep each other warm...

 

[tao chick]

Hi all, sad to report our first 'sudden death' of an older hen. Miss Pearl our Plymouth Rock was one of the original pair of chickens we got as a young chick 3+ years ago, and she was in charge of our little flock of 4. Even when our second pair of chickens were added a year later, and grew bigger than her, a smart peck on the head soon reminded them who was in charge around here!

One bird or two - given it/they will spend time in quarantine pen initially?
Suggestions for breeds that could help the 'eye candy' aspect of our mini flock, lighter color for spotting when out free ranging, and different egg color to what we already have would be nice, not too flighty, and would fit with our existing breeds OK
Does anyone have anything suitable, female 2 - 6 months

Thanks all

I think a pair is a good idea. I think you could add silver or cream spangled birds (spitzhauben, hamburg, polish, and brabanter) for eye candy. Although, when it comes to calm and good natured I've found the bigger birds (brahma) or my easter egger/ameraucanas to be the best. I don't have anything to offer as I just sold half my flock to accommodate my group of upcoming chicks. I'm also 4 hours away from you. Good luck!

 

[rancher hicks]

I am in search of a bcm roo for a man who breeds them. I only have 1 and Mr McGoo is not for sale. Hes such a goofy guy he is a permanent here.

Always keep a spare incase something happens to one.

 

[tao chick]

[/IMG]

I agree with Gramma. By the weekend you could try a couple nights. They look big enough tp handle it. Pick the warmest night forecasted and try it. While they're out there scrub the dander but be prepared to bring them back in if needed. Chickens are quite resilient but dampness can be rough. Make sure they have dry areas with ventilation.
You're doing great. Welcome to chicken addiction.