OHio ~ Come on Buckeyes, let me know your out there!

[cluckitall]

Ohh why do you have to be so tempting! where are you from again? I haven't had much luck with shipping

I'm in Mansfield, right off 71. From Mt. Orab it's a haul, darn it. I will be bringing some hatching eggs to the Delaware swap, though! Whatever I've got available that's already been incubator-tested

 

[cluckitall]

I forget how pathetically weak and out of shape I am..lol.
DH has been supposedly going to build me a huge, insanely secure run for my big coop for half a year now, but he's dragging his lazy rear. I've been letting the feather babies "free-range" (closely supervised and not allowed to go far) in small groups so they get healthy outside time, but this afternoon I was ranging a group of young silkies and had a VERY close shave with a dog (not mine). So I decided I'd build a (very..) temporary run myself, using the only materials I had on hand...a small piece of basic 5' fencing and a couple pieces of wood.

This pathetic thing took me HOURS and will likely fall in on everyone the first time a chicken tries to hop up on the fence LOL. I drank 3 bottles of water during, got a nice sunburn, and had a bout of heat exhaustion or asthma attack or something. I really need to work out.

..And I just realized the Seramas and young bantams can slip right through it..so I'll have to wrap some poultry netting I have here around the bottom.. but at least it will provide a teensy bit of hesitation against the numerous predators here. It's pretty unfair for them to be confined to this little 12'x15-18ish' area when there's over 100 beautiful acres here, but I know the first time I let them free, they'll all be critter chow within minutes.

(A crappy view of the hills/mountains out my front door. Almost half the acreage here is back there, although it doesn't look like much through an iPod camera)

Oh man, what a gorgeous "backyard", Shaybaby!!! I am sooo jealous! And look on the bright side -- chickens really don't give a darn about aesthetics. Whatever you build them, they're gonna poop on

 

[cluckitall]

Oh man, that is so tempting, cluckitall. Both my bators are full for a couple more weeks.

Yeah, that's my problem too, lol! Or I'd never have offered them for that little, honestly. But the idea of an isbar omelet just seems so wrong!

 

[OHhappychicks]

I forget how pathetically weak and out of shape I am..lol.
DH has been supposedly going to build me a huge, insanely secure run for my big coop for half a year now, but he's dragging his lazy rear. I've been letting the feather babies "free-range" (closely supervised and not allowed to go far) in small groups so they get healthy outside time, but this afternoon I was ranging a group of young silkies and had a VERY close shave with a dog (not mine). So I decided I'd build a (very..) temporary run myself, using the only materials I had on hand...a small piece of basic 5' fencing and a couple pieces of wood.

This pathetic thing took me HOURS and will likely fall in on everyone the first time a chicken tries to hop up on the fence LOL. I drank 3 bottles of water during, got a nice sunburn, and had a bout of heat exhaustion or asthma attack or something. I really need to work out.

..And I just realized the Seramas and young bantams can slip right through it..so I'll have to wrap some poultry netting I have here around the bottom.. but at least it will provide a teensy bit of hesitation against the numerous predators here. It's pretty unfair for them to be confined to this little 12'x15-18ish' area when there's over 100 beautiful acres here, but I know the first time I let them free, they'll all be critter chow within minutes.

(A crappy view of the hills/mountains out my front door. Almost half the acreage here is back there, although it doesn't look like much through an iPod camera)

Shaybaby, I did the same thing last Fri.!

Some sunburn, and heat stroke included!!

My little chicks I bought from minihorse927 at the swap are getting to big for their brooder and my DH is always having to construct or move or redo something for me, so I decided I was going to throw something together for them to get outside in the sunshine, so we had some of the fiberglass? fence posts so I stuck them in the ground and took some chicken wire and zip-tied it to the posts and added a chicken wire roof which was also ziptied, and thru a small tarp over it. It's not very big 3x6 maybe. I used about 30 -40 zip ties though! It is still standing and they love it outside, although It's been too cool to put them out this week. Hoping to get them outside thurs afternoon, my next time off from work. Hope to get them different housing too, as the others I got at the swap are all in my other tractors/pens in quarantine. Oh, btw, gorgeous view!! I think you did a good Job!! I couldn't have put real fence post up at all!!

 

[KirstenJL]

@ Shaybaby and OHhappychicks. I've discovered every single thing I plan for the chickens takes way more time and effort than I ever would have thought. I just automatically factor it in at this point! Your fencing solution is electronetting though. It teaches dogs to fly! And seriously, it does train all your big four-footed predators--think shock collar. I work full time, so come winter I never see my chickens in the daylight. I have to let them out before dawn and close them up after sunset. The only thing I worry about though is their water freezing.

 

[chickadee5002]

I'm in Mansfield, right off 71. From Mt. Orab it's a haul, darn it. I will be bringing some hatching eggs to the Delaware swap, though! Whatever I've got available that's already been incubator-tested

Well hello neighbor! I live 20 minutes from mansfield!

 

[Stevens21]

What color egg does a Silkie lay? I had one sitting in the box for well over a hour and didn't lay anything. I found a opps eggs in middle of the tire today though. I have 3 Barred Rocks with only 1 laying and 2 Silkies that should be any day.

The one I found was a light brown small egg.

 

[cluckitall]

@ Shaybaby and OHhappychicks. I've discovered every single thing I plan for the chickens takes way more time and effort than I ever would have thought. I just automatically factor it in at this point!

and costs more!!!

 

[cluckitall]

Well hello neighbor! I live 20 minutes from mansfield!

chickadee! Are you going to Delaware for the swap?

 

[ShayBaby]

Oh man, what a gorgeous "backyard", Shaybaby!!! I am sooo jealous! And look on the bright side -- chickens really don't give a darn about aesthetics. Whatever you build them, they're gonna poop on

True that! We try so hard to make everything look nice, and they don't give a cluck.

But the idea of an isbar omelet just seems so wrong!

It does, doesn't it. ಠ_ಠ

OHhappychicks, girl power. LOL. Or lack of it. Your contraption sounds nice! I may have to scrounge through the old barn for some more fencing to try something like that for the young'uns.

@ Shaybaby and OHhappychicks. I've discovered every single thing I plan for the chickens takes way more time and effort than I ever would have thought. I just automatically factor it in at this point! Your fencing solution is electronetting though. It teaches dogs to fly! And seriously, it does train all your big four-footed predators--think shock collar. I work full time, so come winter I never see my chickens in the daylight. I have to let them out before dawn and close them up after sunset. The only thing I worry about though is their water freezing.

Good idea. I'd love to use some electric chicken fencing, if I could get/afford it.

I think generally the eggs are a creamy color, Stevens, but can be darker depending on the bird.