***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[bardies]

Robyn...so sorry to hear about Traveler.

Kass...Rudy is truly a unique bird. Can you AI him with the dark skinned girls to make more?

Betsy...possums are crafty predators. Had one carrying babies in her pouch in the trap...she was after the juveniles.

We had a first time heifer deliver her calf during the rain this morning. He is doing great.

Four newly hatched Chicks in the Cochin coop have three mommas claiming them so I took another six from the hatcher out for them to share. Two of the hens gave up their eggs to help mother the chicks. It is a mass of feathers with little heads sticking out...will need to take my camera out for a photo session. There are a few more chicks hatching today so the three moms will get a few more.
I candled and moved the abandoned eggs under an eager broody in the barn...she is quite happy and will have chicks in about 10 days....lucky girl...won't have to work so hard to get hers.

Hope we get some more of the rain since we only have about 1/2 inch in the rain gauge. We did not get any hail. The garden gets watered every day .

Yay!

All kinds of happy on all fronts! Glad to hear about the first time heifer...you always worry more about those.

 

[greenbeetle]

David, lots of times when pullets 1st start laying they'll lay soft shelled eggs until their hormones straighten out. Is she still a pullet? If she's older than a year it may be something she's not going to outgrow. I don't think it's anything you're doing wrong in the least.

Thanks Mitzi, I think they are over a year old just because of the size and look. So hopefully she is just going through the stress of a new home and this is not a on going thing.

 

[bardies]

Wow, crop surgery....

I know this is kind of old news by now, but I am still so impressed. How is the patient doing? Still well I hope!

 

[TipihlowLadies]

Hi fellow Oklahomies! I'm in Tulsa!

I'm still very new to this chicken business and still in the research phase. I'm not really that handy (except with putting kit related things together like building furniture, etc) so I'm pretty sure I want to use this coop http://www.hayneedle.com/product/habitatshavenchickencoop.cfm unless someone can pretty please recommend something else. Would this coop work??

I'm also pretty sure I want Rhode Island Reds. I only need them for the eggs. I only want/need 2-3. Please recommend other breeds that would survive our summers and winters! I like Silkies too but they're eggs are quite a bit smaller.

Now, what do y'all do about our winters and ice storms?? I've been browsing some of the other posts and I've seen some people put shower curtains around their runs which I think is a great idea. I'm also getting concerned about tornadoes. How do I make sure my coop and run isn't gonna blow away? For summers I've seen people do little wading pools, spray down the dirt in the

I'm planning on having my coop in a 10'x22' run with some kind of peaked tarp or something on top which I'm hoping my uncle will help me build or looking into using a dog kennel possibly too. I would prefer to attempt to build a fence though because I think it would look a little nicer and the dog kennels I've looked at are really expensive. Also planning on using 1/4" hardware cloth about 12" down in the ground around the run. Foxes and hawks are going to be my main issues in my neighborhood I think. Maybe raccoons too.

I'm also thinking about having a chicken friendly "play pen" (with a cover) I can put them in during the day and then move around every once and a while. Good idea or no?

I'm planning on using DuMor 16% pellets for when my chickens are adults and the DuMor chicken starter/grower too.

PLEASE tell me this will be easier than it seems right now! I'm really REALLY excited to get started but doing this much planning is stressing me out a little! lol

Sorry this is a little long winded! Hoping someone can give me some advice!

Hi the coop looks fine other than it may need some vents added .I use a plastic Kidd pool with rocks in the bottom so they don't slip. movable tractor cage great plan. road island reds ok, red star ok sex link ok buff orpington easter eggers these are what I raise in a mix flock my red star's and ee's are my best layers. I started with dumor changed to fermented grains much better in my opinion. after start up its easy a lot to learn at first . happy chicken farming and good luck never quite learning and keep a open mind.

 

[Ksane]

Wow, crop surgery....

I know this is kind of old news by now, but I am still so impressed. How is the patient doing? Still well I hope!

Thank you for asking, Kim. She keeps picking at the glue on her feathers and wants some real food instead of scrambled egg soup. I've been waiting on her to poop a nice pile before feeding her any more to make sure her pipes are working. She finally did right before I had to leave a bit ago so I'm going to get her a sweet potato on my way home.

 

[iPeanut1990]

Hi the coop looks fine other than it may need some vents added .I use a plastic Kidd pool with rocks in the bottom so they don't slip. movable tractor cage great plan. road island reds ok, red star ok sex link ok buff orpington easter eggers these are what I raise in a mix flock my red star's and ee's are my best layers. I started with dumor changed to fermented grains much better in my opinion. after start up its easy a lot to learn at first . happy chicken farming and good luck never quite learning and keep a open mind.

Thank you so much!

 

[lonnyandrinda]

Hi the coop looks fine other than it may need some vents added .I use a plastic Kidd pool with rocks in the bottom so they don't slip. movable tractor cage great plan. road island reds ok, red star ok sex link ok buff orpington easter eggers these are what I raise in a mix flock my red star's and ee's are my best layers. I started with dumor changed to fermented grains much better in my opinion. after start up its easy a lot to learn at first . happy chicken farming and good luck never quite learning and keep a open mind.

X2, it is a cute little coop, but unfortunately those kits are not usually built to last, keep an open mind as you are putting it together as to what the quality is, you may want to sub some materials to upgrade and make it last longer.
Start with some cheaper chicks at first as you are learning, then get more specialized ones or "eye candy" 6 months down the road.

 

[TipihlowLadies]

X2, it is a cute little coop, but unfortunately those kits are not usually built to last, keep an open mind as you are putting it together as to what the quality is, you may want to sub some materials to upgrade and make it last longer.
Start with some cheaper chicks at first as you are learning, then get more specialized ones or "eye candy" 6 months down the road.

do you have any chicks for sale that didn't meet breed specs

 

[iPeanut1990]

X2, it is a cute little coop, but unfortunately those kits are not usually built to last, keep an open mind as you are putting it together as to what the quality is, you may want to sub some materials to upgrade and make it last longer.
Start with some cheaper chicks at first as you are learning, then get more specialized ones or "eye candy" 6 months down the road.

Great tips! Thank you!

 

[TipihlowLadies]

Is there any one with chicks for sale the reason I ask I have a customer that I gave eggs too and his daughter hatched and raised 10 months 36 pullets now one left . They found them all dead except the one pullet and she was all bloody but no wounds no visible way in the coop they swear it was locked so my ? is could this pullet go cannibal?