NY chicken lover!!!!

[Gramma Chick]

3 days! That is how long my poor chickens have been cooped up! (coop, get it)

Ha Ha ....Whaaaaaattttt? You don shovel a path for them ? LOL

 

[Gramma Chick]

Greetings from The Champlain Valley. We just got into having chickens again we have 6 right now and 8 more on the way. Still working on coop and run designs. I have never done raised, but I might this time around.

Welcome !.

Are you talking about a raised coop ?
It works good as a space saver ...you can put the run around it and not lose that space

Where the Wood Door is ...was our original Coop ..now it is the hen house / nesting boxes
which we raised and put a run around it ..and so on...
More Details ?
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/our-chicken-coop-gors-through-changes

 

[Jena0507]

What does everyone do as far as protection from predators? Last summer I lost a duck to a fisher and another duck to an owl. My ducks were very stubborn and refused to go inside the coop at night. Some nights I was successful in catching them, others not so much, the entire property is clay and a hill so I'm sure you can imagine how slippery and difficult it was. When they allowed me, I at least got them to go into their run. From dawn to dusk they had free roam of property. In the morning they would enjoy scavenging the front lawn with the wild turkeys and then enjoyed their afternoon playing with the daycare kids.

We've been researching electric fencing, just concerned with the daycare. We will also be purchasing smaller wire fencing for bottom half of run, current openings are pretty big. Not sure if I'm comfortable free ranging these babies, a chicken tractor of course keeps me at ease. I didn't allow the ducks to free range until they were much larger in fear of all the hawks.

Our property is loaded with wildlife, but we expect it with our wooded rural location. Raccoons, possums, fishers, coyotes, hawks, vultures, owls, stray cats...

 

[baunlee]

Signed up for our free wildflower seeds yesterday to help keep our bees happy this year! Thanks Cheerios! What an awesome campaign! if you have land to plant extra wildflowers this season make sure to sign up and help keep the bee population strong!

http://www.cheerios.com/bringbackthebees/form

 

[boskelli1571]

What does everyone do as far as protection from predators? Last summer I lost a duck to a fisher and another duck to an owl. My ducks were very stubborn and refused to go inside the coop at night. Some nights I was successful in catching them, others not so much, the entire property is clay and a hill so I'm sure you can imagine how slippery and difficult it was. When they allowed me, I at least got them to go into their run. From dawn to dusk they had free roam of property. In the morning they would enjoy scavenging the front lawn with the wild turkeys and then enjoyed their afternoon playing with the daycare kids.

We've been researching electric fencing, just concerned with the daycare. We will also be purchasing smaller wire fencing for bottom half of run, current openings are pretty big. Not sure if I'm comfortable free ranging these babies, a chicken tractor of course keeps me at ease. I didn't allow the ducks to free range until they were much larger in fear of all the hawks.

Our property is loaded with wildlife, but we expect it with our wooded rural location. Raccoons, possums, fishers, coyotes, hawks, vultures, owls, stray cats...

Ducks can be difficult to 'herd' so people tell me...the new babies - are they chicks or ducks? For my hens when they are large enough I allow them to free range. They have access to the barn at all times, they have various areas where they can seek cover - shrubs, bushes etc. We have lost one rooster to a hawk and one miserable broody to a fox. We do have Beagles that 'free range' through the chicken yard, so I think that helps. We also have a few Niteguard lites - but you have to move they frequently to be effective. For the rabbits they have an enclosed shed as their 'colony' and an enclosure protected with electric fencing - so far so good. You can hang CD's so they swing in the wind, streamers etc. Good luck with your venture,

 

[boskelli1571]

Signed up for our free wildflower seeds yesterday to help keep our bees happy this year! Thanks Cheerios! What an awesome campaign!

if you have land to plant extra wildflowers this season make sure to sign up and help keep the bee population strong!

http://www.cheerios.com/bringbackthebees/form

I saw that - what a great PR item and it helps bees too - wonderful! How many hives do you have now?

 

[Pyxis]

I'm so excited, look what I got today!

Finally! First goose egg of the year! Unfortunately it froze solid so I'll have to put a heat lamp over the nesting house to keep it from happening again, at least until it warms up.

But, whoever laid it did lay it in the nesting house I built! So it looks like they've taken to it. Hopefully I get another egg or two before the 18th so I can set them for the hatch a long like I wanted to do.

 

[Gramma Chick]

My ducks were very stubborn and refused to go inside the coop at night...

Do you have chickens also ? My ducks would go in when the chickens went in . They lived with them part of their life .
Also You could try giving them a treat of Scratch or something in their coop at night to encourage them to go in there .
Or just feed them at night ..

 

[Jena0507]

@boskelli1571 @Gramma Chick HAD ducks, last year. Was given two unwanted ducklings. I became Mama Duck, they followed me everywhere. It was my first time raising birds. My heart was crushed when I lost them, about 4 months apart. My boy was never the same after he lost his female companion and luckily the daycare kids kept him great company. He would come up and knock on the sliding glass door to get them to come out and play. I now have 9 chicks and want to be much more cautious and better prepared for outdoor life once they're ready to go to the coop. I'm also very aware of sharing the property with the wildlife that was here first, but my duty is to protect my flock the best I can. Was interested in knowing if anyone used electric fencing, cover the top of the run with wire fencing. I'm very confident in the build of my coop, was given to me from an old farmers family.

 

[scole1967]

Ha what's up I'm new here