***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[bridget-rdh]

No, I just can't read.

RobertH

LOL!

 

[KrisH]

LOL!

you know just like those word problems in math...

RobertH

 

[artsyrobin]

i have rearranged their set up so many times! finally got it set up where they aren't jumping hard down- i discovered that even if i give them a ladder, in their haste to get going for the day they will jump straight down, so i lowered the main roost, then made roosts a bit lower that they use as a step- i'll have to get pics of it- the heavier birds can really mess up their feet jumping down

 

[artsyrobin]

ok, found a pic of the first set up-



in the revised version i lowered the roosts, so even if they jumped down, it would be less of a chance of hurting themselves- rule number 1 with chickens- they haven't read the books on how they are supposed to act...LOL!

 

[bridget-rdh]

Lol! We don't have any heavy breeds..yet

. So do you think 4 ft for roost height is ok? We haven't even got the building moved here yet and we were talking today about making the run bigger.. I think its never ending-- changes and improvements!

 

[artsyrobin]

i am convinced that it is a never ending project- i am always tweaking this or that- if i was going to do it over, i don't think i'd make roosts higher than waist high- for one, you will need them at a comfortable level for routine checking of the birds, feet, health etc- i have heard for birds like brahmas, cochins heavy breeds no higher than 18 inches- the problem i found too is once they get used to a higher roost, they don't like them lower! and once they are set in their ways, they can be very stubborn!LOL!

 

[Poco Pollo]

Joe - I finally snapped a few pictures of my EO roo. He was out with his girls looking for bugs. Every picture I took of the girls was blurry. They don't stand and pose the way the rooster does. He's filling out nicely : )
.
My cream Brabanters are laying well (finally). I'm tempted to set a clutch. I'm researching backup generators. I don't want to have eggs in the incubator if we have a power outage due to inclement weather. It's odd to say that, with the beautiful weather we had today, but I remember snow in November a few years back. I'd hate to lose a group of chicks if the power fails.

 

[jcatblum]

My roost are like Robins, except mine are stair stepped about 12 inches or so apart. I know some don't like lower roost, but as I integrate smaller birds into the coop they need the lower roost to make it up top. My highest roost is about 8ft I think. Of course they all sleep on the top 2 roost.

Robin I have 1 girl (Taron) who loves farm life, then my darling dear Alexis would prefer to fix her hair, paint her nails & pick out accessories to match her favorite outfit. Alexis would prefer we be back in town. The only reason we moved out here before we were ready to build our house is so the kids could experience farm life. It's been worth it, the rest of us prefer being out here in the old single wide over our nice big house in town. Keep thinking Alexis will learn to love it, but it hasn't grown on her yet.
Poco I really like the bird in the 2nd pic. Dnk how you are having time to milk goats & tend to the farm while working full time. The farm is a full time job on its own.

 

[bridget-rdh]

i am convinced that it is a never ending project- i am always tweaking this or that- if i was going to do it over, i don't think i'd make roosts higher than waist high- for one, you will need them at a comfortable level for routine checking of the birds, feet, health etc- i have heard for birds like brahmas, cochins heavy breeds no higher than 18 inches- the problem i found too is once they get used to a higher roost, they don't like them lower! and once they are set in their ways, they can be very stubborn!LOL!

Good thought.. I'm tall so 4 ft wouldn't be too high to reach them, but I may go a bit lower. Mine are roosting in nest boxes now so breaking that habit is going to be a challenge for some of them I'm sure. I think I'll just cover them up in the evening so nests aren't an option.

 

[erinszoo]

Erin I struggled with Humidity last yr. have you tried putting a sponge in your water container?

We keep a towel in the water container but I finally got the humidity up by spraying the walls and putting a folded wet towel on the shelf between the heat source and the eggs ... but now the temp dropped.

I am determined to get this right ... or pull all my hair out trying ... whichever comes first! (thank God I have thick hair)