Red Laced Cornish X and project talk (pics p. 8)

[knjinnm]

Just found this on Craigslist.

http://albuquerque.craigslist.org/grd/2476063427.html

 

[Minniechickmama]

Why, they look good enough to eat!

 

[OSUman]

Quote:
Good thing it was only one, I lost two bantams and two large ducks last night. I think I have a gang coming through. Im building a pen for my CX right now and plan to make it the style that Joel Salatin uses but will put a skirt around it to prevent digging.

 

[Tracydr]

Quote:
I once had a peafowl chick grabbed out of a dog exercis pen by a hawk. My spouse actually snapped a picture of the whole thing. I was so mad that he watched, rather than scaring the darn bird off, but he really didn't believe the chicks were in danger, with a covered pen and 2" slats in the wire. That hawk took the 1/4-1/2 pound chick, grabbed it and pulled it through the wire cage. Poor chick.
Gave me a new appreciation for how predator proof I need to have my pens, especially with chicks. That was out in the country, in OK.
With my batch of jumbo crosses, here in AZ, figured I was pretty safe. But, I had a pit bull bust the very sturdy gate to my backyard and kill 7 chicks. Only my Doberman kept the entire group from being killed!
And, just the other day, my neighbor said her pug was picked up by a hawk, carried and dropped. Right here in the city! Hawks are a tricky predator to protect against. They all are, I guess. Snakes are hard, too, since they get through tiny openings.

 

[MobyQuail]

sorry bout your birds.

 

[NevadaRon]

Bummer, Steve! My runs are built like Fort Knox. Predators are a real problem here and can come from anywhere - above, below and from the side. Here you can see the smaller run (which is now the grow out pen) and the new, larger coop under construction.

The new run extends from the new coop to eight feet beyond the old one, and encompasses the front of the old one, too. The sides are 4x2 welded wire, extending one foot below grade. Additionally, hardware cloth extends one foot below grade to two feet above over the welded wire. Regular chicken wire extends from the top of the h/w cloth to the top of the run, which is 6 feet high. The top is also covered with chicken wire. The main posts are 4"x8"x8' sunk 2 feet into the ground. They're tied together with 2"x4"x8'. So far I haven't had any issues - and we not only have hawks, but golden and even the occasional bald eagles, plus rattlesnakes, raccoons, coyotes and the occasional mountain lion! This pic is before the addition of the h/w cloth on the old run - not snake-proof!

ETA: This cliff is where the eagles nest - if you look closely you can see white streaks where their droppings collect on the cliff face.

 

[SteveH]

Quote:
Very nice, and I hope they have a large picture window for that beautiful view.

 

[al6517]

The official tally is now at 53 day's with temps over 105 degrees here in SW Okla, with the average being 107-113 degrees. Rain has been non-exsistant, with no measurable amounts in 40 day's. I am realy lucky to have not lost any birds, I don't particularly fuss over them in the heavy heat and I think it has hardened them to the sweltering temps. I do like to turn the box fan's on for them every now and then to keep some air moving and they seem to relax more when I do that. I made the mistake of wetting down the pen's with the hose one day last week, I realized the mistake shortly after when I could barely breath in there afterwards from the humidity increase. I immediately put the fan's on high and the danger was averted, won't be wetting pen's down anymore LOL. The birds have pretty much shut down on there laying as expected, and I am just realy concentrating on keeping this years hatching progress from turning into compost LOL. I hope everybody is coping well through this summer.

AL

 

[SteveH]

Quote:
Summer is not my favorite season.

Our actual temperature right now is only 86, but with our humidity that's a heat index of 103. My birds seem to handle it much better than I do.............................. but I've never handled heat well and had several heat strokes before I learning to stop trying to push through it.

If you have to mist, it has to be misted continuously untill the air cools. Its usually better to establish a cross wind by venting; old barns had louvered vents near the top, and split stall doors to open for this purpose. I see old poultry coups that have a turbine vent, that looks like a chimney with a spinning top, and screened windows for the same purpose, plus kept trapped, moist air from causing frostbite in the winter, and improoved the breathing air year around.

While I typed, the temp rose to 92, heat index to 108.

 

[al6517]

I don't think the misting in my set up is very good idea due to the risk of bacteria build up and the constant moisture. I have numerous large vent's all over the pen's and windows that open wide, the fans work best for me and my set up. They do very well in the winter and I have never had any frostbite issues, the way the large openings are oriented the breezes get in real good.

It is just this high heat is just sometimes so unbearable, and it just goes on and on and on with no relief in sight, now I know why this part of the country turned into the dust bowl, very easy to understand after living these conditions for so long. very disheartning after so many day's of this S*** LOL, all in all I do my best by these birds and they are surely troopers through it all. In a few minutes they will get some over ripe melons, bread and some left over cooked rice as a treat, I have some ice frozen in milk jug half's I drop in their fresh water bowl's, they should have a good day.

AL