Thanks. I just back from inside from painting the other wall. Hopefully, this weekend we can start working on the egg box. After that, I get my chicken fountain for the other side, a PVC feeder, set up the roost and the coop is essentially done. Then it is time to get the run built, then the big brooder box, and hopefully all be done by may when the 22 chicks show up.
This post just got my attention because of an ovation it just received.be very careful of chicken math.......
I started with just 2 coops.
1 year later
inside covered run open run
Coop A 8*8 8*12 8*12
Coop B 8*8 8*12 8*12
Coop 1 6*6 6*8 6*6
Coop 2 6*6 6*8 6*6
Coop 3 6*6 6*8 6*6
Coop 4 6*6 6*8 6*6
Coop 5 6*6 6*8 6*6
Coop 6 4*4 4*6 4*4
Coop 7 4*4 4*6 4*4
Coop 8 4*4 4*6 4*4
Coop 9 4*4 4*6 4*4
Coop 10 4*4 4*6 4*4
Coop 11 4*4 4*6 4*4
add to that 15 quail pens, chukar and guineas. my turkeys and muscovies are on there own and find their own place for the night
these birds are a dangerous thing.
How does the pullet shut door work for you in the cold, snow and freezing rain? I just ordered one and that was my worry with it. Do you have an awing over it?He might change his mind if it is his job to clean the poop off it. He'd say "Yep, they sure do prefer that single step outside the door!"
I don't know how long you've had chickens but in the 2.5 years I've had mine, two things have been consistent:
- The only place they don't poop is in the nest
- They poop wherever they are when they need to poop, including stopping for a few seconds on their way somewhere.
I initially made the chicken door out of a spare replacement double pane glass unit so the month old chicks could see out. I hinged it on the bottom so they would have a ramp. Very clever, no?? Then I hinged it on the side because they pooped all over it and couldn't see out anyway until I washed it. Now it sits latched closed because I got a Pull-it-shut door spring of 2013.
We don't need to hear about your unbearably hot weather. It was a comfortable -14F here a couple of mornings ago
Chuckles about the laying schedules of your hens. When we first got our Ameraucana she began laying in December at approx 6 m/o and layed 6-7 eggs/wk until her first adult molt. We got excited when she began laying again the next December but only 3 eggs and then stopped again. What a tease! Meanwhile my productive little 2 y/o Silkie has been non-stop laying 4-5 eggs/wk right through the darkest, coldest part of winter while her Silkie sister did a tease of about 5 eggs and stopped - yet as a pullet she layed like a dynamo up to 6 eggs/wk. My take on hens is that they are dynamos at laying as pullets and then it's a gamble as to how good they are as adults in their 2nd year regardless what breed they are. The better dependable breeds for year-after-year-laying seem to be the Mediterranean class especially Leghorns because broody is not in their vocabulary and lay very well into their 5th year and beyond (also Meds like Minorcas, Anconas, Buttercups, Andalusians, Spanish, Catalanas, etc) but I chose to disband our Med class since they were too assertive with my gentle non-combative breeds. I chose to give up my dependable egg layers since they tend to be less nurturing in a flock to being almost downright vicious bullies once they realize the gentle breeds won't fight back. Sexlinks are good producers their first two years and then they're exhausted. Not like Med class breeds that continue being good layers year-after-year losing only about 20% of their production each successive year. A Leg that gives 250 eggs her first year will give approx 200 the 2nd year, approx 160 her 3rd, approx 130 her 4th, etc. I know of so few breeds that can keep up that kind of production - except that after their 4th year about 45% of White Legs succumb to reproductive issues like tumors, cancer, etc, but if they get past that critical 4th year they continue laying well into their later years where other spent breeds are just foraging dowagers that might spit out 1 or 2 eggs a monthI have 6 breeds (see sig) and the EE and Australorps are my faves. The BIG BA isn't a great layer but the normal size one is and she is a forager par excellence! If I were breeding, she would be my choice. Never gone broodyso I'd have to put the eggs under the Partridge Chantecler or the Faverolles, even the big BA if she happened to be broody at the time. The smaller BA and the EE are my best layers, both 54% of the days since they first laid an egg. That includes, of course, the long dry spell after moulting and I don't add winter light. The EE that was taken by a predator in April was my 4th best. 3rd best is the PC at 48%, amazing since she goes broody at least 3 times a year. The big BA and the Anconas are running about 40% and the Anconas have never gone broody. The Faverolles and Cubalayas? Well, let's not talk about their productivity.
