people with house chickens

[subhanalah]

I had my chick's out all day yesterday, I missed them in the house. I wonder if I can just coop them inside the house at night. I have so much anxiety about leaving them outside, so paranoid that I'm gonna come outside and find one killed.
My dogs love protecting the chickens. They chased off a marauding plastic sheet flying around in the neighbor's yard yesterday and came back to me, I told him "good boy" and he bound his head up and down in excitement and understanding. Animals are amazing creatures and have so much to say if we just listen!

 

[Didymus]

None of my hens ever stay in their coop. They only lay their eggs there. They want to be out whatever kind of weather. They get sopping wet in the rain, and stay out even if there is 6 inches of snow. They all get very restless unless they a in their free range place. (our whole back yard). They dust bathe often in the human grade DE. How often do they molt? They are almost a year old.

 

[subhanalah]

I think they molt around 18 months of age? She may be going broody, is in a "V" shape on her chest/breast?

 

[Didymus]

I will check them all, and thanks.

 

[realsis]

Hi all. I wanted to ask my fellow folks with house chickens a question. How long do you let your birds out to exercise and get sun for. I have house silkies and I've been letting them out about two to three hours a day since the weathers been nice then they all come back in side to their room. I have a room that's theirs only. They stay in a huge box big enough for me to lay in length wise and width wise. Of course they come out to lay on my stomach and watch tv. But I was wondering about outside time. How much outside time do you give your house chickens? Mine will let me know they are ready to come in by gathering at the door of their run. They can't completely free range because of hawks. I planted a pasture in their run and they like that a lot!

 

[MalcolmHawkins]

Since mine are "house chickens" for the time now. I let mine out all day for the moment. Till i go to school until i leave then i pack them up. I make sure they have food and water available. Which i know you well and i know you provide. Leave them out to play and have a little fun then when night comes bring them in!

Sunrise to sunset! :3

 

[Tacampbell1973]

Welcome to the group. I'm a new chick mommy (they're still in a brooder) but am not new to losing other pets. I have a whole cemetary up in our woods. They take a piece of our hearts with them, but miraculously, our hearts must keep growing because we eventually have room for more. We never "get over it" but we do let others in eventually. Take care, and I hope you feel better soon by thinking about all the joy they brought to you.Hi Hi

Hi Sandy,
What you said, spoke to me....my yard too is a cemetary to my lost babies...for this reason I am hesitant to move away from our proprty. I had eleven Guinea keets born here and nine chickens that i acquired in the last year. "One day about four months ago a hawk killed one of my keets that i raised from birth. I felt like the worlds worst mother...I was entrusted to care for this creature and I fialed...miserably. I named it Courvossier and buried it up on the hillside where i had also buried the other nestmates that didn't make it through hatch ( all this clutch was named after alcohol: Guiness, Cognac, Bailey, Martini,Luna, Cuervo, Cabo,Patron,Yukon, Bacardi, and Sauza.all the good alcohols. Courvossier was the only dead baby that I named....but I still feel the loss of all the babies that didn't make it to be ableto play in the grass and chase each other and such....They are still in my heart and i think of them every day.

 

[Tacampbell1973]

Two unlikely allies joined together for one all-important goal:

Eat the pudding.

My vote is for Rosco.... go buddy! Hey Phantom, I am hatching chicks right now, my husband doesnt know, but i had a cchicken go broody and the time was right (for me) so here we go...I am still scared. I wanted to have an incubator in place incase the hen went to 20 days and said I give up....so now I check online and incubators are over $100. Hope my girls can do this.....

 

[duckncover]

That's funny! I can't get Sunni to eat bananas. She spits them out and looks at me like, "What is this? Where are my animal crackers?"

My Frizzle won't touch a banana for her life. She loves anything green, grapes, rasins, and cherry tomatoes best. But she'll pick at an apple slice. Can't keep her out of the dogs food bowl lol. For training I use cracked corn mixed with mealworms. She's actually starting to follow me around like a dog haha.

 

[duckncover]

This was Frizzle's visit back to the farm she grew up on. She's had a pretty good time
.

It was nice to see her meet her brother and sister along with a bunch of new friends.