Okies in the BYC The Original

[okiemommy]

hmm I would say a closed coop would be best, but I'm a still a newbie about this stuff. The reason why I think that closed would be best, is b/c dogs and cats will almost undoubtedly get in the yard, and you may lose some chickens. And depending on where in okc you live, you also will come across the occasional possum, skunk and so on. Just my opinion though...some of you with more experience may be able to provide better insight.

As for the goats, I would love to get goats as well, but I have no idea where to start. I would like to try to shoot for getting them next spring, so I would like to start mild research now. I think I really need to get a better hang of chickens though at this point. I want Turkeys, and Quail, and goats, and more chickens, and ducks, and maybe some sheep, and a couple of cows. I feel like there is an overwhelming amount to learn!

ET to correct spelling

 

[chickensandmore]

Quote:
Well for me an open coop works,,,well kinda open I have a door opening facing east, my chickens free range and
most of our weather here comes from the north and southwest, so they know when they want to go out and when to stay in..They really are smart..
As for as predators you can't watch them all the time,, it was a long time before I cane to grips with that, I used to sit in the back window and just dare something to try and get my girls, then one day I was very tired and it was hot and guess what I fell asleep and when I looked up again a dog was walking around looking at everything, so now my thinking is to do the best I can to protect them, but in the end they are like kids you can't watch then 24/7...(course that dog won't be back) LOL..
Don in Spiro

 

[summerwindsfarm]

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In my experience the instant you have chickens you'll find that you have way more predators than you ever dreamed about! Its kind of like how you never see another dog around til you have a female in heat!

Id suggest building your coop so that you can close your chickens up safe and sound at night.

 

[luvzmybabz]

Momma - Are you talking about an open door coop within a run or are you planning on free ranging. I can not freerange right now due to lack of fencing around property and neighbor's dog. However for the last month or so I have left the coop door open at night due to the heat. My bizare birds wait until dusk to go out most days even with a mister outside. However my pens are chicken wire buried about 10 inches down then out about 6 inches then cemented in, with deer netting on top of the run, I have had a local dog try to dig before I saw so I watched and he did not get through.

Kasi

 

[summerwindsfarm]

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I sure do agree with this. I regularly see dairy doelings go through auction for around $20-30.. but you never know what you are getting. You dont know their health, or how their dam milked. You dont know their mothers birthing history. Or what disease the doelings been exposed to. What medications or vaccinations they've had. I gave $35 for one of my doelings and $40 for the other. Its well worth the extra $20 to me to get mine from a breeder (who also happens to be a friend) and KNOW what im getting.

Also if they are young enough to be on the bottle often times they have just been pulled off the mom. That means that they werent trained on the bottle and may well just flat refuse to take one. Then you either tube them or convince them to take a bottle..which isnt easy in an older goat..or they will starve. If they havent been given their cdt several weeks before they are pulled off mom the odds of losing them to toxemia is great also. Just not worth the risk to me when there are so many nice kids out there.

I have nubians and i absolutely adore them. I like most of the dairy goat breeds. Im not a big fan of most of the meat goat breeds.

And no i cant eat my goats. I know some ppl do and i dont have a problem with that. I just cant do it lol. My goats are sooo much like dogs personality wise! Its funny cause i have zero problems eating my lambs..even the bottle babies. But..well goats are different lol.

 

[nnbreeder]

You would be suprised at the predators that roam at night, it's true though your main problem will be stray dog. My MIL up on 74 hiway east of Cashion traps six or eight Bobcats every year. and where I'm at the coyotes get so loud at night it drowns out the tv. I built pens out of cattle panels covered with smaller wire and use dog kennels covered with netting.

 

[okcarla]

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For me personally, I can't let my chickens roam freely on my 5 acres. I have owls and hawks that live nearby, and I'm assuming an owl was what got the only guinea that I let stay out ... it like to roost on top of the chicken pen, and that's where a lot of feathers were the day it was missing, and just last week saw a fox following my creek. We also have dogs that won't leave a chicken alive if it's out. I had to re-home a little terrier that would kill every chicken she could reach ... and the last straw was when I caught her trying to get a freshly killed chicken back through our fence ... and I don't know of any neighbors raising chickens. Most dogs will go after & kill chickens. There's only a few breeds that won't and are good protectors of poultry ... and I'm hoping to get one soon! Another reason to not free range for me is that I raise pure-bred poultry, so they need to stay only with their variety. Not to mention keeping the birds away from wild birds, which could potentially carry diseases. Oh, I'd love to let my birds run around the yard, and I've seen people do it ... but it's not practical for me.

 

[okcarla]

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DutchChic, I just might need to see what goats you have available. I can tell by what you have written that you are a responsible animal owner, and that's important ... at least to me it is. Send me a pm on what goats you have for sale, the price & what you might be interested in trade. Maybe I can talk Gerald into getting a couple of goats

As for buying animals & poultry at auctions, it is definitely buyer beware ... I know there can be diseased livestock there, and many people sell their problems to others. However, there are many reputable breeds that do sell at auctions, because it's a good way to sell without advertising or having unknown or undesirable people come to your home, and it's a great place to pick up new bloodline and pick up the rare and unusual. It helps to know who is selling them, because I do trust some individuals to sell healthy, high quality stock. Auctions are where I take my birds, eggs & chicks when I have an excess.

Oh, and I don't think I could eat a goat if it had been a member of my critter family .... I get attached to my chickens that way, too. Although I've certainly thought about making a few roosters into chicken & dumplings!

 

[Buckguy20]

Quote:
It just takes one predator one time to wipe out a whole flock.
A big coon will kill just to kill and can wipe you out in one night.
Free roaming dogs will kill just for fun if if they are you neighbors most loved adorable pet.
A fox will take a chicken and come back everyday for an easy meal.

Even if you free range during the day, they need to be locked in at night.

If I free ranged all the tinme. I would have no birds left.
All of my pens have chain link tops.
Buck

 

[countyroad1330]

My old neighbors used to let there birds roam free. I kept telling them I thought they should keep them penned, but they said the birds were smart enough to get away from danger... Near the end of the summer a stray dog dog showed up and killed half their flock. The thing with free range is, you never know what could show up.

Carla, what time do the birds usually start at Maud? I'm going to try to go.

One of our kittens was diagnosed with FIP; since the other kitty is alone now, he and the bunny have become buddies! Supervised, of course.