Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[chippysmom327]

Who set duck eggs for the Easter HAL? I set 6 call duck eggs

ETA I ALMOST FORGOT We had a singleton hatch earlier this week! There were 3 alive at lockdown, but only 1 hatched. I named her Tulip

. Her mom is a chicken, since we happened to have a broody.

She is adorable! Are ducks easier to sex at hatch than chickens or is it breed dependent?

Thank you! Well, large fowl ducks are easier to vent sex because they have bigger vents. Call ducks have teeny tiny vents so it's not impossible but it's very very hard so I don't even try. I just name them girl names and hope they're girls, which is an extremely bad strategy

.

 

[fisherlady]

Thank you!

Well, large fowl ducks are easier to vent sex because they have bigger vents. Call ducks have teeny tiny vents so it's not impossible but it's very very hard so I don't even try. I just name them girl names and hope they're girls, which is an extremely bad strategy

.

It is the 'optimistic strategy', lol... and we do the same with the barnyard mix chicks, most are just 'hopefuls' until quite a few weeks old!

 

[barbiegirl]

Hi everyone. I haven't been on since January, not going to be able to catch up with the reading I missed. Hello to all the new people!

I was wondering if anyone has a young Partridge silkie pullet or hen for sale.

 

[chxmama]

Could start an independent thread for this question, but my question is targeted for PA chicken owners so hope it's not a problem to ask it here . . .

We are needing to build another coop to house our growing chicken population and intended to build a traditional wood structure with attached run and then a separate hoop style tractor for protected day pasture ranging. While researching movable hoop style pens, I realized that maybe we could do the hoop coop and design it to be used as year round chicken house for laying hens. Does anyone here currently have a set-up like this and if so, how do you make it work in winter? Pros and cons?

 

[chiques chicks]

Could start an independent thread for this question, but my question is targeted for PA chicken owners so hope it's not a problem to ask it here . . . 

We are needing to build another coop to house our growing chicken population and intended to build a traditional wood structure with attached run and then a separate hoop style tractor for protected day pasture ranging. While researching movable hoop style pens, I realized that maybe we could do the hoop coop and design it to be used as year round chicken house for laying hens. Does anyone here currently have a set-up like this and if so, how do you make it work in winter? Pros and cons? 

I use one for my turkey, just have a tarp over half of it. They survived the winter even when it collapsed under the snow. Mine is not very structurally sound, not movable, but it works. It's 13x30 feet.

 

[fisherlady]

Could start an independent thread for this question, but my question is targeted for PA chicken owners so hope it's not a problem to ask it here . . .

We are needing to build another coop to house our growing chicken population and intended to build a traditional wood structure with attached run and then a separate hoop style tractor for protected day pasture ranging. While researching movable hoop style pens, I realized that maybe we could do the hoop coop and design it to be used as year round chicken house for laying hens. Does anyone here currently have a set-up like this and if so, how do you make it work in winter? Pros and cons?

pro- it can be moved when you want/ need
Con- it can move when you don't want/ need it to, compliments of high winds..... make sure it is well tied down and the open end doesn't face prevailing winds.
they are certainly doable, but definitely upgrade materials to deal with Pennsylvania snow and ice loads.

 

[BullChick]

I spent way too many hours doing a 20 minute job. I moved the chicks out to the coop. I could have done it so many ways, but I chose the most difficult thinking, "Oh, this will be so much faster!"

I have to go check on them now.

 

[chxmama]

I use one for my turkey, just have a tarp over half of it. They survived the winter even when it collapsed under the snow. Mine is not very structurally sound, not movable, but it works. It's 13x30 feet.

Is yours made from cattle panels? I'm thinking something smaller would retain it's strength better? We're considering something around 8 x12.
How was yours tarped for winter?

And LOL at your siggy. We try to avoid Rt 30 (Rockvale, etc) on our way to visit family in York throughout the summer. Too many tourists and oh, the traffic!

pro- it can be moved when you want/ need
Con- it can move when you don't want/ need it to, compliments of high winds..... make sure it is well tied down and the open end doesn't face prevailing winds.
they are certainly doable, but definitely upgrade materials to deal with Pennsylvania snow and ice loads.

How would you upgrade materials? Our thoughts are 3 cattle panels, fenced over with welded wire fencing and hardware cloth down low.

I spent way too many hours doing a 20 minute job. I moved the chicks out to the coop. I could have done it so many ways, but I chose the most difficult thinking, "Oh, this will be so much faster!"

I have to go check on them now.

How old are your chicks? I did something similar yesterday, but it was the brooder move from basement to garage so I can still use the supplemental light for another 2-3 weeks before moving them to the coop.

 

[BullChick]

They are two weeks. They have a heat lamp.

 

[chiques chicks]

Castle panels are far better than what I used.

I used a cheap tarp held on with write tires. It stayed on, surprisingly.

Turkey seem far better at handling cold and wind than turkey. The wild type strays that live here just hunkered under a tree, then went about their normal business.