NY chicken lover!!!!

[Tab's chicken obsession]

frost

 

[County Boy]

frost

y the snowman

 

[Child of Noah]

I'm really not sure how this spiraled into a free range or not debate. I know I personally really don't care how any one chooses to raise THEIR birds. It is their choice. What I do care about is being told, and I quoted it earlier and will paraphrase now, that I don't take individual lives seriously and that loss of life doesn't bother me.


With that said, as I always say, I report what works for me and has worked for me. Not what I read. You are reporting what works for you as do most others. This gives newbies to chickens options from real life experiences and ways to raise their birds. Heck I started out with 7 cooped and penned birds. I was PETRIFIED to let them out and freerange. I evolved.

I know exactly how it spiraled into a debate. Everyone here got all hyper-offended and defensive over what it is we personally do for our chickens because we all love our chickens and want to do what is best for them. Nobody here is operating a factory farm I am certain. THAT is something I would care about in how another chooses to raise THEIR birds.
I am confident that we each do the very best we can based on our resources (of land/time/guard animals/guns/building supplies/zoning/carpentry skills/etc.) to make sure our chickens are happy, healthy, and safe. If I lived in town, I couldn't rely on my dog and guns, so I would be here asking advice on the most secure run ever. If I didn't have my dog, I would be trying to figure out some kind of fencing.

Well the power is out here! 400+ in my area without it. The ducklings have no lamp, ugh! And I just took them out the tub too! That's their place to play while I clean their brooder. The minute I placed them back in their brooder the lamp went out with the rest of the house. Supposed to be back by 2, we shall see....

I have never had so many power failures in all the places I have lived as I do in New York.

I hope it is at least warm for you (and your ducklings). It's over 70 here.

It never occurred to me to use something else for water other than the metal chick waterer. I'd prefer to leave them where they are as I have two brooders, a crate and pool with chicks. I figure between all that and broody hens I've got over 20.

I expect someone to come thurs for three del roosters. I can't incorporate the new BM roo into the coop as there are four hens sitting on eggs. One has a chick but she's reluctant to leave her unhatched eggs. If they each hatch one chick I will pull all other eggs.

I used a rabbit water bottle for my baby chicks to keep them from spilling or dirtying it. They caught on to it within minutes and it was such peace of mind for me that they would have access to clean water when I wasn't there for extended periods of time.

 

[Glasshen]

I agree with you, Child! We are all doing the best, and struggle to reach the best balance we can for our situations. I really like the idea of evolving. I feel myself doing so.

And yesterday I got some new chicks. 5 SS 3 BO. They are adorable, and all I can have this year. The woman I bought them from stressed that if there are Roos, she will exchange them for hens the same age. How cool is that? There are bound to be Roos, we made no attempt to tell, since last time we were so careful and 66% wrong. And the wyandots are almost ready to go out they are almost fully feathered and are getting stinkier by the minute. Will repair the little extra coop and get it ready for them to use. Must also make some creep houses to scatter about. The big girls are not to be trusted...pecking order and all. Yesterday there were only 3 eggs, but today by 12:30 there were 7. Perhaps they were upset by the carpentry work done over the weekend on the coop?

 

[featherz]

The mad march of broodies continues.. It's almost as if they know I am downsizing and feel the need to make more!

And to make matters worse, I now have a broody LEGHORN.. Yikes! She's as sweet as can be, but she's been in that nest for three days so I am calling it.

 

[stonykill]

I know exactly how it spiraled into a debate. Everyone here got all hyper-offended and defensive over what it is we personally do for our chickens because we all love our chickens and want to do what is best for them. Nobody here is operating a factory farm I am certain. THAT is something I would care about in how another chooses to raise THEIR birds.
I am confident that we each do the very best we can based on our resources (of land/time/guard animals/guns/building supplies/zoning/carpentry skills/etc.) to make sure our chickens are happy, healthy, and safe. If I lived in town, I couldn't rely on my dog and guns, so I would be here asking advice on the most secure run ever. If I didn't have my dog, I would be trying to figure out some kind of fencing.
I

as long as everyone does what they think is right, it's all good. Even if it isn't. Live and learn

 

[JLaw]

So now that the coop is pretty much done besides some paint and nest boxes I'm looking to make a incubator figure i'm going to want one later down the line any ways. So far i have acouple supplies but not sure if one will work or not. I have a little i mean little fridge kind you put in college or next to desk for beer wich i did for beer lol. i think like 3.5 cubic feet. I have a house thermostat like newer digital one and some wire for that and wire for running electric in the house. And i have old computers for fans. heres my plan.

Turn fridge on back and use door as lid since the bottom of fridge isn't as deep as the upper part this will then give me a ledge to put lights/fan, screen that in with hardware cloth.
put thermostat on other side of fridge at egg height. Try to find a relay that it can trigger to fire up the lights. no luck on that at homedepot today. Cut hole in fridge door to mount plexiglass to see into, also mout some led's on the door to see inside. Thinking of getting an egg turnner if it will fit cause i know wife wont want to turn eggs while i'm at work. thought of putting a rheostat on the fan so i can turn the speed up and down if needed.

main things i dont have/cant find is a relay that my thermostat can trigger the 110v for lights and a transformer for the cpu fans. Anyone have any ideas? I know i can use a hot water thermostat but figured i have the house one and i like the idea of digital read out and easy to adjust 1-2 degrees at a time. I may hit radio shack tomorrow even though i dont plan on building for a few months i want to plan it out unlike what i did with my coop.

I could just go buy one but no fun in that

well back to work and try to find the mechanic who works on appliances before working here see if he has any ideas also.

jlaw

 

[vmdanielsen]

I honestly don't know anything about macs. I haven't touched one in about 16 years I think if not longer. Closest thing I come to is ipad and it's different. I pad runs on the mobile site and don't do it the same. When I try the ipad on the desktop website it wont even let me pick an image from the ipad it just wants a url.

Ipad click the image button. A window comes up says embed and image. This window you have the option to click uplaode from my device ----or------ from a url. I click my device.Then it gives the option of take photo or choose existing. I clicke choose existing. then it let me pick picture I want I don't see a way to do multi pics on ipad beside opening the load screen but when I do that it wont load them all when I hit submit at the end of my post.

sorry not much help with macs.

jlaw

macs, either you love them or you hate them. Reliable though.

 

[pharmchickrnmom]

Evening all. Welcome to the newbies. You will be assimilated and afflicted with morehens disease. It is inevitable. Resistance is futile.

Jlaw---seems to me that on the incubator page there is one there made out of a small fridge and they explained what they did to make it. Try looking there.

Featherz--I feel your pain. Looks like I have some wannabe broodies starting in.

So after much thought, I think I have a way and a plan on how to incorporate the tots into the diva coop without the divas being able to kill them. The tots will be 8 weeks old on the 26th. I have a puppy pen that will probably fit inside the divas coop so the girls can look but not touch. This way they all get used to each other and then I can let them out together. I am hoping that works. My silkie tots will go into Legolas coop. They seemed okay on the first meeting so I will try it this weekend. If it all works, I get my basement back!

Started another blanket Keeps the hands busy.

 

[stonykill]

So after much thought, I think I have a way and a plan on how to incorporate the tots into the diva coop without the divas being able to kill them. The tots will be 8 weeks old on the 26th. I have a puppy pen that will probably fit inside the divas coop so the girls can look but not touch. This way they all get used to each other and then I can let them out together.

that is a fine plan