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

[SowdersHomestead]

Is there any Delaware breeder's in Ohio?

Thanks

 

[12lilfeet]

The coop is going up!!

Good thing because these girls are getting big!!

 

[12lilfeet]

 

[cluckitall]

That's wonderful, 12 lilfeet! Great pics!

SowdersHomestead, I'm hoping to eventually have breeder-quality Dels. My son's down in Richmond VA so next time I got down I'm hoping to stop at Whitmore farms in Maryland and pick up some of their chicks to start a breeding flock from. Meyer Hatchery carries them as well and I can say the MH ones are sweet-tempered birds -- I've got two, and they're hardy and healthy (as have been all my birds from there), but not exactly ideal conformation for the breed Still, if you're not worried about breeder quality or show quality, I wouldn't hesitate to suggest Meyer.

 

[SowdersHomestead]

I seen Meyer's had some but not available until March. I was hoping to fire up the brooder after the first of the year so I could be incubating by med summer.

Thanks

 

[FatBottomGirls]

Hi there! I tried reading all the posts here, but there's a lot! LOL

I'm in Portage County. Anybody close by?

 

[12lilfeet]

Welcome FatBottomGirls! Not sure if we are close or not... I'm still too new to OH! Tell us about your flock!

I have a few question about coop design to ask if you OH natives don't mind answering! I looked on the ventilation page but am still trying to figure out just how much to put in. The coop is 4x8 with a slant roof - I guess it will look kind of like that prefab one they advertise on the coop pages but without the pop-out nesting boxes. I figured we would leave the top end of the roof open under the overhang but not sure about the lower edge.. that roost will be under that and I don't want there to be a draft. In the summer the windows on the front of the coop will open and there will be a vent slot in the back to provide a cross breeze so I think we have that covered but it's the winter ventilation that I'm concerned with. As they are still young we will have a heat lamp on them this first winter but don't want the dreaded drafts to get them either. Anyone have any insight to share? We are housing a flock of 10 birds in that space. Thanks a bunch!

 

[JoshU]

Welcome FatBottomGirls! Not sure if we are close or not... I'm still too new to OH! Tell us about your flock!

I have a few question about coop design to ask if you OH natives don't mind answering! I looked on the ventilation page but am still trying to figure out just how much to put in. The coop is 4x8 with a slant roof - I guess it will look kind of like that prefab one they advertise on the coop pages but without the pop-out nesting boxes. I figured we would leave the top end of the roof open under the overhang but not sure about the lower edge.. that roost will be under that and I don't want there to be a draft. In the summer the windows on the front of the coop will open and there will be a vent slot in the back to provide a cross breeze so I think we have that covered but it's the winter ventilation that I'm concerned with. As they are still young we will have a heat lamp on them this first winter but don't want the dreaded drafts to get them either. Anyone have any insight to share? We are housing a flock of 10 birds in that space. Thanks a bunch!

You can not have TOO much ventilation. As long as there is no draft on the birds. I personally would not recommend a heat lamp if the birds are over 3 months old. At that age they are perfectly capable of keeping warm under feather. The draft is the only thing that would be a problem.

 

[12lilfeet]

Ok... good to know. The roosts will be about 2 feet below the roof edge. They are about 6 weeks now. Hope to move them out there in a week or two - still waiting on the coop's completion and also for the PRs to fully feather in. The EE and BA seem to be nearly there. So maybe just the lamp for the transition period?

 

[Marengoite]

Welcome FatBottomGirls! Not sure if we are close or not... I'm still too new to OH! Tell us about your flock!

I have a few question about coop design to ask if you OH natives don't mind answering! I looked on the ventilation page but am still trying to figure out just how much to put in. The coop is 4x8 with a slant roof - I guess it will look kind of like that prefab one they advertise on the coop pages but without the pop-out nesting boxes. I figured we would leave the top end of the roof open under the overhang but not sure about the lower edge.. that roost will be under that and I don't want there to be a draft. In the summer the windows on the front of the coop will open and there will be a vent slot in the back to provide a cross breeze so I think we have that covered but it's the winter ventilation that I'm concerned with. As they are still young we will have a heat lamp on them this first winter but don't want the dreaded drafts to get them either. Anyone have any insight to share? We are housing a flock of 10 birds in that space. Thanks a bunch!

I agree with what JoshU said. You cannot have too much ventilation. My Buckeyes and Barred rocks are roosting in an A-frame that is covered with a tarp and they have been doing fine. I have Silver spangled Hamburgs in a coop built on a pallet that is open on the bottom and has a screen front. They roost in that and have shown no ill effects. Here are some pics of what I have:




This is what the A-frame has for shelter. The birds roost under the tarp and huddle up pretty close, so they stay toasty warm all night even though it's fairly open. There is a wooden roof under the tarp which provides insulation and helps break the wind. The tarp acts as a vapor barrier and keeps rain and snow off. Even though the covered area is 7' long, they actually compete to sleep clear out on the open end instead of in under the shelter.




This is the inside of my pallet coop showing the (lack of) floor and the nesting boxes. This will make sense with the picture below.



This is the view through the back end of the A-frame. The nesting area is accessible through a hinged door. You can see the roosts up front.



This is some of the girls settling in. As you can see, they prefer to be up front rather than in the back. This was before I had the tarp on in the summer and you can see open sky through the peak. Hence the need for the tarp.



This is the pallet coop when it was under construction. I have about two times as much nest box headroom as I need. If I build another one, it will have smaller nest boxes. Note that the front has hardware cloth for the screened window. There are two perches running side to side about a foot off the floor. The birds prefer this to roosting on the pallet itself. I've found that chickens prefer tight headspace to wide-open headspace at night. Makes them feel safer. For my next one, I would probably leave the sides the same, but raise the pallet up instead of using it for a floor. I keep my bottoms open because all my coops are movable (I rotate pens and pasture a lot) and I use the droppings and litter for gardening.