When I first got chcikens I logged in to the library and took out everything that it brought up about chickens and that was one. I got it on audio and listened to it before sleeping. The woman who reads it is so good. The ending made me tear up. But it is one of my all time favorites.
Snow snow snow! Probably three inches here. The chickens are not happy.
SO FAR (knocking on wood here), the coop my DH thought had TOO much ventilation and that I left too much open space is turning out to be my best coop - no frostbite at all, not even the roo. And thankfully the snow is not getting in the coop.
We made the coop out of this and left those large two triangle areas on the top 'open' and covered it with hardware cloth. Just put a front on with some doors and window.
I'll have a bunch of free baby roos available in a week or two if anyone would like them - probably will be a few girls in there as well, since I am not all that good at sexing. If no one wants, next stop craigslist and then auction. Too many baby birds in the house and they neeeed to go. Can meet between Glens Falls and Albany.
Some one recommended "Open Air Poultry Houses for All Climates" by Prince Tannat Woods. I haven't ordered it yet but will. It looks really good. That's a very nice building you've got.
Don't need any chicks. I have 16 coming up. 8 SFH's and 8 Marans, 4 of which are roos. I'll have to keep them all to breed with before I get rid of them. Black Birchens
I have a friend with two hoop houses and she has nothing on the front of her. I can't believe it. Me I put felt but the humidity is high though the temp was 40*. The water in the run doesn't freeze only at night. Depending on how cold it gets.
I think a dirt floor is best though mine is up off the ground as it gets to wet here. I keep thinking of Ducks. Lord help me.
I am trying to find one - will take one when I go out there again today. It looks MUCH better. The doors aren't so hot, but it's got power and lights and an awning. Keep in mind we are geeks and not builders! =)
I am trying to find one - will take one when I go out there again today. It looks MUCH better. The doors aren't so hot, but it's got power and lights and an awning. Keep in mind we are geeks and not builders! =)
Utube is a great place to find instructions. That's where I looked for help putting in my dishwasher. Which I haven't bought yet! For what I spent on these last bunch of chicks I could have bought a dishwasher. I'll get one eventually.
Utube is a great place to find instructions. That's where I looked for help putting in my dishwasher. Which I haven't bought yet! For what I spent on these last bunch of chicks I could have bought a dishwasher. I'll get one eventually.
Heh. we DO do that. We put in a dishwasher and have built three coops. None pretty but functional. We've also done the floors and as soon as it warms up we're 'restoring' our 70's countertops (with a painting kit LOL). Youtube has been very helpful!
I wish we DID have a non geek friend out here tho - I am still a little nervous about one of the awnings if we get a big snowfall. I don't step under it without clearing any snow just in case - if it falls I am gonna be really really skinny.. or trapped in with the chickens for eternity.
I lost Tweety, my favorite little silkie hen, last night. Found her frozen in the nest box this morning. She was the one that always ran to hang out around my feet and talked to me the whole time I was in the coop. She was the smallest and skinniest of all and at the bottom of the pecking order. Thought she was doing okay because her crop was always full and she was bright eyed and active. (By skinny I mean she was slimmer and weighed less than her sisters.)
I feel bad but was so leery of putting a heat lamp out there unattended. The coop is dry and has good ventilation at the roof line. I can see the dusty spider webs on the rafters moving as the air flows. The lower 6 feet is double walled and stays about 10 degrees warmer than outside. Being silkies they pile up in the corner to sleep and for the past month the six hens and two of the smaller roosters started sleeping in the nest box. I left them alone because they seemed to be telling me they were needing to be in there to stay warm.
Had already decided not to get any more silkies and find some bantam cochins for a flock rooster and to have a few more hens. Will anyone have cochin bantam chicks later in the year when it gets warm enough to deal with my rooster problem? I know they need to go to freezer camp, but can't see myself plucking chickens in the house.
I am so sorry for your loss. I had silkies but they're too dainty for me. I moved Frenchy into the back room off the garage but still her little waterer freezes sometimes. I may move Buckwheat her DD in with her. They're both frzis and not laying right now. I'd like to get some more from them. Frenchy is the only one from my first order of chickens. I like Friz's but they're dainty too.
I think NY is too cold for Dainty unless you have a warmer area. The backroom has a heater in it so it's a little warmer. I have 5 wk old chicks there too with a heat light. Heat is ok if you can keep things dry.
I have humidity gauges in the coops and they are just too damp. Though the hoop coop stays warmer. I will work on the ventilation in the main coop.
Now you folks might like to know. I HAVE AN E-MAIL TO PAUL HARTER FOR CHICKS. I'm going to order some Dels and possibly some Partridge Rocks. His Dels appear meatier than my line and I plan to cross them and work on meatiness. Mine are great layers and I'm getting quite a few eggs for winter time. Most days more than 50% of my hens lay. I'm shooting for the end an Feb. delivery.
I don't have PR's so if someone is interested let me know. I will of course expect more than I pay for his chicks to compensate for my trouble. He has a minimum of 25 chicks, otherwise I'd order less.
I just don't have that much room for 25 more Dels. He does have BO's but I'm working with Lavs and Blues. I do have a pair of BO's but plan to put them with a couple of RIR's I have and see what develops.
Rancher: What made you think of ordering partridge rocks? I got 5 in with my MM order last year and am still deciding if I like them. They aren't as personable as the red stars and wyandottes, not as agressive as the RIR's (tho they are not obnoxious about it) and not as greedy as the austrolorps. They are kinda just quiet and easily pushed to the side. A little on the panicky side as they were the most flapping and squaking for the dewormer.
I also feel they took the longest to mature and I will be interested to see how they are by next summer. Probably by August I'll be all in love with them. I suspect that they are ones that consistantly lay mottled eggs.
If you are doing a project with them, I will be interested to hear about it.
Horsekeeper: So sad to hear about your dear Tweety. Perhaps just something was wrong inside and she suddenly died and then by morning was frozen. It's just no fun to find any of our birds that way, especially one that becomes close to your heart.
Feathers: I think good ventillation without drafts is the best possible thing for chickens. Looking forward to seeing the "done" pic.
Shyanne's blue eggs are now pretty consistantly larges. I have to thank Tigrlilly (Renee) for breeding her.
She still looks a little like a falcon.
I went down to close up the coop and there was blood EVERYWHERE....OMG....I thought something had gotten in the coop and hurt one of the birds.
Turns out the WHITE hen had torn her toe nail somehow and was roosting in the rafters dripping blood all over everyone. Bluekote is a wonderful thing, except if it is a WHITE bird. But she was picking at the blood on her own chest....you know, the blood she put there herself scratching her chest, her head, her wing. Poor thing looks terrible, but I am going to be gone for 2 days so I had to cover every spot of blood with bluekote or risk her being nude (or dead) when I got back. (had to put it on the spots that dripped on the other birds too. It's now a very purple spotted flock)
On a more serious note, can adult birds get wry neck? Randy the Roo has a twisted neck and falls off the roost at night. Otherwise he is acting fine and eating, walking and crowing like his neck isn't spinning around at odd intervals. I hope that is what it is, cuz I don't want Merek's in my flock and he's my main roo.
I lost Tweety, my favorite little silkie hen, last night. Found her frozen in the nest box this morning. She was the one that always ran to hang out around my feet and talked to me the whole time I was in the coop. She was the smallest and skinniest of all and at the bottom of the pecking order. Thought she was doing okay because her crop was always full and she was bright eyed and active. (By skinny I mean she was slimmer and weighed less than her sisters.)
I feel bad but was so leery of putting a heat lamp out there unattended. The coop is dry and has good ventilation at the roof line. I can see the dusty spider webs on the rafters moving as the air flows. The lower 6 feet is double walled and stays about 10 degrees warmer than outside. Being silkies they pile up in the corner to sleep and for the past month the six hens and two of the smaller roosters started sleeping in the nest box. I left them alone because they seemed to be telling me they were needing to be in there to stay warm.
Had already decided not to get any more silkies and find some bantam cochins for a flock rooster and to have a few more hens. Will anyone have cochin bantam chicks later in the year when it gets warm enough to deal with my rooster problem? I know they need to go to freezer camp, but can't see myself plucking chickens in the house.
The chickens are not happy.
Can meet between Glens Falls and Albany.
