***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[mjgigax]

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Ugh!!!!!!! Your day tops mine.
I've had a miserable day with quite a number of kids in each class that can't remember how to follow directions but that is better than sick chickens.

 

[mjgigax]

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My neighbor had a flock of 50 black Astralorps, a beautiful sight. I loved the huge, magnificent rooster.

 

[mjgigax]

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Thanks I'll try that. I have a plan for the okra plants for next year also. I plan on getting the very tall variety and planting a short (couple of plant long) okra wall and on the sheltered side plant my veggies that could use a little protection like peppers, beans, chard, greens, raab broccoli etc.... and on the sunny side plant things like bush squash that love the sun.

I also have decided to plant the garden in such a way as the east garden/run for each coop will be where the chickens are for the entire really hot part of next year's summer. I am arranging for a large trellis over part of the run that will be planted to provide shade, and then take those same very big okra (they say 10' tall) and plant several of them in that garden / run as early in the year as possible so they will be big enough by the time the girls go into that run that they can't hurt them, but they should provide additional shade.

The okra sunshade screen sound like a good idea. Okra sure does thrive in the heat so it can be counted on to grow like a tree. My plants are the only plant/tree in my yard that seems to not have had heat issues.

 

[Kassaundra]

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Ugh!!!!!!! Your day tops mine.
I've had a miserable day with quite a number of kids in each class that can't remember how to follow directions but that is better than sick chickens.

Sorry for both of your bad days, hope the ended better then they started.

 

[mjgigax]

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I have three pen/coop set-ups like that. I love them. Got to have head room, I like to hang out in the pen with the Cochins.

 

[NanaKat]

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that little cockrell may not fit through the door by the time he done filling out.... he is just a little guy right now he has a lot of width and some height to gain as well.

That's an easy fix. The boards are secured with screws...simple matter of taking them off, cutting the length and flipping the boards to the other side or sliding the support brace over a few inches and cutting the length of the boards. That would make the opening 14 x 14. So far it's just a trio of Columbian Wyandottes.

What would be a good size coop for the BLRWs?. Will they need a larger footprint...like 30 x 48 for the four of them? I have an idea for that one too. The wooden conure cage on it's side can be converted for them....it's the next project. A nest box could go inside or be attached outside depending on the footprint.

Then a winter home for the rest of the teens. I don't want to house them in the hen house just yet with the older birds. Hubby and BIL are tlking about moving the inside wall over to accomodate a larger hen house with a divider wall for two separate houses.

 

[sjarvis00]

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that little cockrell may not fit through the door by the time he done filling out.... he is just a little guy right now he has a lot of width and some height to gain as well.

That's an easy fix. The boards are secured with screws...simple matter of taking them off, cutting the length and flipping the boards to the other side or sliding the support brace over a few inches and cutting the length of the boards. That would make the opening 14 x 14. So far it's just a trio of Columbian Wyandottes.

What would be a good size coop for the BLRWs?. Will they need a larger footprint...like 30 x 48 for the four of them? I have an idea for that one too. The wooden conure cage on it's side can be converted for them....it's the next project. A nest box could go inside or be attached outside depending on the footprint.

Then a winter home for the rest of the teens. I don't want to house them in the hen house just yet with the older birds. Hubby and BIL are tlking about moving the inside wall over to accomodate a larger hen house with a divider wall for two separate houses.

You have plenty of Time on the Columbians, the males tend to slow growth considerably after 7-8 months and then add width till 18-24 months. He wont be as big as the BLR when they are both finished out.

The 30x48 sounds like it would work well for the BLR.

 

[NanaKat]

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How many birds are you going to house in that one?

Looking at a trio of Columbian Wyandotte teens. It's too small for the grown BLRWs...4 of them. The height is correct. They need room to stand up when on the roost bars.
It's more for winter shelter ....could hold 5 or 6 bantams.

 

[artsyrobin]

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I haven't seen those plants in ages my Gma used to grow them when I was a teen. I knew that about the seeds, but thought to whole plant was very poisonous? If the plants are in the runs w/ the chickens it won't hurt them? Wasn't sure if confined in the run would be different then free range choice for the chickens.

hey wayne, would they grow in rocky soil? we have more rock than dirt here.....


my nn kids of dragon are a friendly bunch- check out this show off...

 

[sjarvis00]

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I haven't seen those plants in ages my Gma used to grow them when I was a teen. I knew that about the seeds, but thought to whole plant was very poisonous? If the plants are in the runs w/ the chickens it won't hurt them? Wasn't sure if confined in the run would be different then free range choice for the chickens.

hey wayne, would they grow in rocky soil? we have more rock than dirt here.....


my nn kids of dragon are a friendly bunch- check out this show off...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/24037_100_6938.jpg

you know I am no Fan of teh appearance of a NN, but that is agood looking color on that bird. I thought it was a young guinie (I know I spelled that wrong) at first had look more than once.