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Kays chickens said:
Does anyone use the coops from tractor supply and are they any good
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Wouldn't recommend them. I haven't personally used one, but I hear they are small and not very sturdy. And they are too small, because you will want more chickens!
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Auroradream26 said:
Working on it
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I haven't managed to run out of room in the bator yet though. I'm glad I figured out who the egg eater in that pen was. Now I'm actualy getting a lot more.

I haven't had much luck with fertility on the silkied lavenders. It looks like the first couple eggs didn't develope. I'm thinking about before I stop for the season, putting the silkied lav roo over the smooth feathered girls and the smooth roo over the silkied girls to try to get some splits and get some new blood in to them. Then maybe after our trip in July, seperating the splits with the silkied and seeing what I can get.
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That's a good plan. I set 4 silkied eggs 3 weeks ago and 1 has developed enough to go to lock down tonight.
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I have 2 silkied roos with 5 blacks and black split to lavender pullets. The resulting black and lavender pullets will be double splits (lavender and silkied) and crossed back to a lavender silkied roo next year to give 50% silkied and 50% smooth feathered (but split to silkied), and the colors of the chicks should be at least 50% lavender, but some blacks. The pullets I'm using to produce the splits lay lots of nicely shaped, large eggs, whereas all my silkied pullets lay small, oblong eggs. They definitely need new blood.
I should have done this last year, but I'm kind of glad I waited to use these pullets I got from John Blehm, they are much more impressive than the older strain of blacks.

You should keep back some of your smooth lavender chicks and use those pullets to breed back to a pure JB roo. Or, I can send some pure JB lavender eggs on the chicken train if you are still setting eggs then.
 
Kays chickens said:
Does anyone use the coops from tractor supply and are they any good
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I've looked at them and was NOT impressed. I don't see them surviving a winter here in PA unless you can move the whole thing into a garage or shed. See if you can get a used shed that is in reasonable shape structurally. That will be a far less worrisome shelter in winter and you can store feed, bedding and supplies in there too.
 
I am going to build one cause I thought they looked a little iffy myself and I want something to last. Is 4x8x4 big enough for 10 chickens, I am new to this and starting out. Thanks
 
Kays chickens said:
I am going to build one cause I thought they looked a little iffy myself and I want something to last. Is 4x8x4 big enough for 10 chickens, I am new to this and starting out. Thanks
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If you can do this, I would recommend what I did. Last time, I built my own coop. Not expensive, but I immediately wished it had been bigger.

When I moved, I called up local shed companies. Asked if they had any used sheds in stock. I was able to find an ugly 10x12 for $375 including delivery. I had to re roof it and paint it, but it's nice and big. You may be surprised when you start purchasing materials, how it can add up quickly. Here are some pics of my before and after. For reference, I am a young(ish) woman with no previous building skills. Thank God for Youtube!





 
AnneInTheBurbs said:
Attention all poultry hoarders! Pottstown TSC has all of their chicks half price. It took all of my strength not to bring some home...
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Hi @AnneInTheBurbs , what breeds did they have left? We are still on the look-out for a replacement for our MPC Super Blue Egg Layer that was taken by a hawk after growing up from a chick and laying 3 "super blue" eggs. My son won't know the difference, but it has to be a white one. (And of course she will need a bodyguard to grow up with).

@dheltzel CCL and Welbar are doing well and approaching 7 months, the Silver Welbar really stands out in the flock, her salmon breast, grey feathers and neck pattern are so pretty.
 
Blarneyeggs said:
I can NOT sleep! Heard coyotes VERY close to my home Monday Night and I keep thinking I'm going to wake up to a catastrophe. My hoop coop is not secure, my heard Queen "Lily' is going to kid very soon, and our pup, Mark is no match for a coyote... We keep locking Mark inside, and keeping Bella with the goats, but I just don't think she could take on a pack. Is it too early for wine?

My daughter manipulated this picture of Mark...
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B:
Keep your pooches locked up....Bella could handle any one of them but not a pack....don't know if it'd would work, but noise/radio may make the coyotes move off a bit...(will disturb everything else too).....
 
kie4 said:
AnneInTheBurbs said:
Attention all poultry hoarders! Pottstown TSC has all of their chicks half price. It took all of my strength not to bring some home...
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Hi @AnneInTheBurbs
, what breeds did they have left? We are still on the look-out for a replacement for our MPC Super Blue Egg Layer that was taken by a hawk after growing up from a chick and laying 3 "super blue" eggs. My son won't know the difference, but it has to be a white one. (And of course she will need a bodyguard to grow up with).

@dheltzel
 CCL and Welbar are doing well and approaching 7 months, the Silver Welbar really stands out in the flock, her salmon breast, grey feathers and neck pattern are so pretty.
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They had a bunch actually. Cornish cross, leghorns, BSL, RSL. I think they may have had BOs. They also had bantam mixes, looked like mostly silkies, I think. Go check it out! :lol:
 

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