NY chicken lover!!!!

[horsekeeper]

I had to give up from sheer exhaustion. Yesterday the cage wire went on the top half of the run. Nasty stuff to work with, but will probably keep out everything but bears. Today I spent the entire day building a door for the run; wire sandwiched between 1x4. Too bad I had to use three kinds of wire, no way am I going to buy a whole roll if I don't have to. And then - ever try hanging a door by yourself? Anyway, just have to put boards in the gaps between the rafters and close up the gable end above the wall and it's as predator proof as I can make it. Then the ten little cuties I got from Travis and Tab can go out and enjoy the sun and air.

So paranoid because we have bald eagles and saw one just a hundred feet away picking at some carcass in the neighbors field, huge pack of coyotes, lots of hawks, and surely racoons and fox. And then there's all the dogs running loose and some hungry looking feral cats.

On the lighter side, there was a blue jay in with the big girls eating scratch and if the chipmunks get any bolder they will be eating out of my hand.

 

[vmdanielsen]

While you guys were enjoying the day I WENT TO WORK!! AAUUGGHHH. Didn't have to but someone wanted the day off and he has covered for me. Had a great ride on my horse before work though. Oh! and moved one coop and electric netting.

 

[Cass]

Sooooo I go down to the coop to check on the chicks and the Silkie Momma is sitting on the ground outside the area I set up for her and her chicks and one of the D'uccles is in the nest box...nothing unusal with that, the D'uccle has laid her egg in the Broody's nest for weeks now. So I pick her up to remove her and out drops a chick. OH Nooo....just ONE chick....where are the other 2? So I pick up the silkie to put her back with the now distress peeping chick and double Oh No, 2 chicks fall out of her feathers. LOL. Round up the chicks, put them back in the nest box and wonder how the heck I am going to solve THIS ONE. The D'uccle seems determined to be in that box and the chicks are gonna get squished if she insists. (that's what happened to 2 of the first group this silkie hatched last Oct and the were on the ground last time, so I thought the nest box would protect them. NOT!!)

I know what the answer is, but I can't convince Ray to build me a itty bitty broody set up, apart from the other birds. I'll keep working on it tho.

 

[brahmapapa]

Everyone! Back up in Syrcause. I really wanted to get my chicks out this weekend but doesn't look like that's happening! My coop isn't due to come until Monday. And by then I'll be back in Albany so my DH will be taking care of the chicks for me for 3 days. Lets hope he can handle it.

I guess it's too cold anyway to put them out there, although I keep getting mixed reviews on that whole issue!


Went to TSC today - that totally ticked me off. Since it's still too cold to put the chicks outside permanently I was going to purchase this rabbit cage to put them in for the next week. Right now they're in a rubbermaid bin for a brooder and they're running out of room. I figured I would purchase this cage - http://www.tractorsupply.com/home-rig-house-trade-complete-hutch-kit-24-in--2179457 use it for a week or so and put it away because my son has been asking for a rabbit. So why not buy something that would be put to use later anyway? Well as you can see the price online for the "complete kit" is $44.99. Well I get to the store, just the cage sides, top and bottom was $24.99. Then you have the buy the "kit" if you don't want the cage resting on the floor that was $14.99. The drop pan? another 10 bucks or so, plus the cage clips to hold everything together, I think those were $3.99 and then their little "tool" which I would have bought because knowing my luck I would have gotten all the way home and wouldn't have been able to get this thing together with out them - those were $8.99. So that would have been a total of what? $63 bucks not including tax?? Where are they getting this $44.99 from? So I leave there buying a chicken magazine for my son and a rabbit magazine for my daughter. Who are 5 and 2 by the way. You can only imagine how the rest of my shopping adventures went today!

Got home and brought the chicks outside for a good amount of time. They love it out there and I'm surprised at all the flying around they do to get away my from dog! LOL My dog loves to play mother hen out there and follows them around everywhere!

So anyone have any suggestions for a larger brooder to get me thru the next week or so that won't cost a fortune?

i bought one sheet 4x8 white smoothe tile board from home depot plus about 6- 8' pcs of 1x3 firring and a pkg of3/4" utility screws and a pkg of 2" utility screws. have them cut the panel into 4 pcs 24" wide and 48" long, then cut one of the 48" pcs into two pcs 24x24.for the ends..... using the firring on the outside as a frame you can make a brooder thats 24" wide, 48" long and 24" high.stretch some poultry netting (chicken wire) over the top and you have a cheap brooder.

 

[Henicillin]

I have another BO wanting to go broody. I should say nope, you're out of luck, but part of me wants to grab some hatching eggs from someone else and let her have at it.

The ducks crowded themselves into the corner of the run by the ramp to the pop door this evening, looking sort of lost. So, I switched on the coop lights, much to the annoyance of the chooks, and did some duck-popping. Once I put seven through, the eighth got it into her little head that hey! I belong inside with the others! So, she waddled up the ramp and went in on her own. Now, little duckeh, teach the rest of your flock that and we'll be styling!

 

[brahmapapa]

Just been out trying to shore up the coop. Heard some weird noises the other night and moved my game cam that I had watching our resident skunk (the skunk has been there for years and has never been a problem).. Lookie what I found =(. Whaddya think? Fox or coon? Not looking forward to trapping another animal - it's too hard to get someone to take it and my husband won't even kill spiders. =(



(anyone else not getting topic or PM notifications?)

no question about it, thats a fox.

 

[marquisella]

Interesting, my fox only comes around during the day...

no question about it, thats a fox.

 

[stonykill]

I'll have fawn and white Indian Runner ducklings available over the weekend if anyone is interested! PM me!

 

[Lynzi777]

Oh how I wish I could take some ducklings! They look so cute, but I need to take things one at a time!

Still learning with the chicks. I was heading out this weekend and drove by someone's property and there were three white ducks walking across the front yard, so nice and in line, just following one another. They were so cute. Maybe one of these days I'll add a few.

Question...Now that my chicks are outside, how much longer should I keep them on the chick starter? They'll be 5 wks this coming weekend.

 

[Framac]

Oh how I wish I could take some ducklings! They look so cute, but I need to take things one at a time!

Still learning with the chicks. I was heading out this weekend and drove by someone's property and there were three white ducks walking across the front yard, so nice and in line, just following one another. They were so cute. Maybe one of these days I'll add a few.

Question...Now that my chicks are outside, how much longer should I keep them on the chick starter? They'll be 5 wks this coming weekend.

I do Chick Starter/Grower until I get an egg, then switch.

Framac