NY chicken lover!!!!

[Lynzi777]

Not normal for a roo...At least ...My Roo...he has to be in control ...If the hens take off from him ....He will run ahead of them so it looks like it was his idea to go there .
He is always calling the hens to him ..too ..Even when he has nothing for them ...nothing I can see ....a blade of grass ?
My young Sumatra Roo sometimes tries to woo me ...picks up a stick or something ..and does a Roo come hither sound pouu poouuu..
pretty funny ...he will let me pick him up when he is ranging sometimes ..I love their size ..just right for a hug
Could Gru be sick ? or injured ? have you examined him ?

I have no idea. I just noticed this yesterday. I'm going to keep a closer eye on him today. Once he's out it would be nearly impossible for me to get my hands on him. So if he acts the same way today I'll have to try to grab him tomorrow on his way out of the coop in order to get a closer look at him.

Try this next time grab some treats and what should happen is he should call the girls and they should come running, it seems that he is more comfortable and is exploring. how old is he?

I could try that. problem is, it would difficult to give him treats without the girls knowing about it. Once my side porch door opens they all come running! LOL But I'll be working outside today since my netting is due to arrive, so once they wander off from me I'll try giving him treats if he sticks around and doesn't wander off with the girls.

 

[marquisella]

When we were building the coop we were given the suggestion by a local friend with chickens to add some insulation to our coop. So when we built it we put foam board insulation in the walls. The ceiling and the floor are not insulated. We didn't mind cause it was free. I had planned on closing up the windows, but on your suggestions I will keep them open. As for the duck hut, again I had left over insulation that I just put under the tin, the rest is very open and is more of a shelter then an actual coop I can always take the insulation out of the hut if I wanted to. The coop is another story. I'll see how the coop does and can always add more vents if needed, but it is pretty airy when the big windows are open. I'm just so proud of our coop It only cost us just under $50 to build the whole thing. We just bought a few 2x4's and the hard ware, the rest was recycled from our barn or was given to us from our parents.

You can insulate, but make sure there is ventilation, which actually negates the whole idea of insulating. Making sure there are not drafts is more important.

I have a board & batten barn, and sometimes a little snow actually blows in, and they are ok. Lots of air holes.

 

[rancher hicks]

My chickens have been known to eat insulation. I covered mine with that thin plywood(luon?).

Be sure to check HD from time to time. They have pieces of both that are cheap. I stock up until I have enough to do what I need doing. I just passed on four pieces of 1/2" 2 X 4' cuz I have some already waiting to be used.

 

[houseofknauss]

Just a thought I've been chewing on for a while that perhaps you could advise me on. The Fair. I am very disappointed, irked etc that the poultry exhibit is so horrible. I would like to contact the director of the fair to complain and request that they make changes so that the birds brought for exhibit are healthy, in good plumage, their quarters are clean, and spacious enough that excessive pecking doesn't happen, and if it does, the owner deals with it. (I saw one being pecked bloody a couple of yars ago.and people said there was a dead bird this year, I saw several very sick looking birds, maybe some with mites...) it also seemed like a couple of people brought huge numbers of birds, not just their best.

I hear people say that other shows are clean and show good quality healthy birds. I want that for the Fair. What they have is not good for the birds and gives a bad impression of chickens dirty, smelly, disgusting. It can't be good for people to see poorly kept birds.

How should I proceed? I haven't gone to other shows...perhaps I should for research. Can't bring money.

start with a phone call to the state fair--as I was also disappointed and appalled at the conditions of some of those animals. the owners of the animals should have to clean and maintain their animals a minimum of 3 times during the day. it is a small cage they are in and they cannot do what they should be doing--(out pecking grass, bugs and taking dirt baths) people who bring multiple birds should be limited to the amounts they bring. that assures they only bring their best and brightest. I could go on and on...........I would never ever bring my birds to a place like that where they are in contact with god knows what......................

 

[houseofknauss]

Any names?

I have a granddaughter who is 3 months old. my daughter used a name she liked and 2 family names in honor of those people--Miranda (she liked) Margaret(my moms name)Marie(her mother in laws middle name and my step moms middle name)--hence Miranda Margaret-Marie...

 

[rancher hicks]

My hoop coops are covered with tarps and they seem just fine. My birchens have cardboard covered with feed bags on the back and fleece on the front. Best layers in the winter. I just can't see the added expense of insulation.





the portion on this coop without fleece remained with out fleece all winter. They were fine.



My BR roo did not get frost bit in this coop. Humidity, not the cold can lead to frost bite, I think. Only one side of this coop has fleece. The side without it is where they roost. Plastic over the run keeps the snow out most of the time. I do put more half way up.

 

[houseofknauss]

So excited.

I just went out to close up the coop for the night and encourage the ducks to go in the duck hut. And to my surprise the ducks were already snuggled into the hut. I was so proud of them that they went to bed without me having to make them. I think about not closing the door, but I'm always worried.

Do those of you that have ducks lock them up at night. This is my first time with ducks as an adult. I had them growing up when I was really young. At that time the only thing that I did was pour their food over the fence once a day when my dad let me. I'm kinda learning on the go. I have the big wall of the hut insulated. The one that is tin is the big wall. I wanted to make sure that it stayed somewhat warm. I have also added a nice bed of straw thanks to the farmer down the road. I traded a dozen eggs for some straw. Will that be enough for winter? I don't want them to freeze. I figured that if there was a night that was super cold I could put them in the coop with the girls. The coop is well insulated. What else do you all do to get ready for winter. I am going to get the coop scrubbed clean next time I clean it out, but it isn't that bad since it is new this spring. This will be my first winter with chickens and ducks and I'm worried. I have a feeling that it is going to be a bad winter and I want to make sure that I'm as ready as possible if it is going to be bad. So any advice on what else I should be doing or should have ready.

ok, so,...I have my chickens and ducks in the same coop--hardware cloth separates them in the winter when they are closed up. deep litter method works in the coop for the chickens but not the ducks they are too messy and makes it harder to keep clean and then horrible to clean out in the spring. I am in the process of switching over to sand method. I had to dig out the entire coop inside and replace with gravel due to the flooding this year(the ducks didn't mind it) ---- due to having a heat lamp in the coop this winter, the ducks layed all winter. I had crap loads of duck eggs. I use to give them away at work but now having no job I will be scrambling up the eggs and shells and feeding to the chickens for food. im trying to be less reliant on layer pellets.
I lock everyone up at night--they all go in by themselves. previous to having chickens, I would only put a heat lamp out in the duck pen when it got below zero degrees for several nights--it would raise it about 15 degrees. note---In the 6 years I have had ducks, they have never layed eggs during the winter until I became the chicken whisperer and we built a large coop for both flocks to live in and it was a bit warmer and they eat the same as the chickens now.

they also have lots of light from 2 windows and 2 strips of clear roofing in between the metal roofing. ok, I have blah, blah enough--- I always lock everyone up. everytime the ducks stayed on the pond at night, I would lose 1 or 2.

 

[houseofknauss]

I am Sooooo Excited!! The Hubster got the cameras hooked up and running in the Coop and Run~ Now we can check on them all hours of the day and night!!! Super cool...as if I wasn't obsessed enough?!? Haaaa

very cool

 

[miquwid]

My hoop coops are covered with tarps and they seem just fine. My birchens have cardboard covered with feed bags on the back and fleece on the front. Best layers in the winter. I just can't see the added expense of insulation. the portion on this coop without fleece remained with out fleece all winter. They were fine. My BR roo did not get frost bit in this coop. Humidity, not the cold can lead to frost bite, I think. Only one side of this coop has fleece. The side without it is where they roost. Plastic over the run keeps the snow out most of the time. I do put more half way up.

Rancher I love your coops, this is my first winter with a hoop coop, and I didn't cover the front but now that I see yours I will and I leave room for ventilation. I will post pictures after work and you can give me some suggestions if you don't mind. Thanks

 

[rancher hicks]

Rancher I love your coops, this is my first winter with a hoop coop, and I didn't cover the front but now that I see yours I will and I leave room for ventilation. I will post pictures after work and you can give me some suggestions if you don't mind.

Thanks

Thanks, not knowing how long I'll keep chickens I can't see the expense of those fancy specifically for chicken coops they build now. With hoops or garden sheds you can convert it back or use it for something else.

I've plans to build a ground level hoop for storage of shavings and hay/straw. Hoops have also been used for sheep and pigs.