some questions just for fun

[hereachick]

Hi I thought it might be interesting to see what everybody else is doing or facing with their chickens so I thought I'd ask a few questions about everyones flocks just for fun:
Here we go -
1.) what kind of chickens do you have? and how many? Are they pets or food?
2.) Did you build your own coop?
3.) what does your run look like? what do you use for the floor of your run? Hay, grass, stones,sand,etc.
4.) what about the inside of the coop do you use hay, shaving,wood chips,etc?
5.) Have your chickens ever been sick?
6.) what meds do you use?
7.) have any special foods you feed them?
8.)where do you live?
9.) how are your winters do you do anything special for your chickens in the winter?
10.) how about wet weather do you have any protective covering over your run to keep chickens dry?
11.) are you getting eggs? If so do you sell them? How much do you ask a dozen?
12.) Have you run into any differculties with your chickens that others may be interested in?

Ok, that's it! Here are my answers. I hope everyone enjoys reading these answers as much as I do.

1.) I have many types of chickens:RRI,deleware,silkies,white rocks,buff orps,golden polish,cuckoo marans,mille fleur,partridge cochin,araucana,buttercup,white faced spanish,and ducks.All are pets
2.) No I brought my coop, I cheated -have no building talents
3.) my run is enclosed with chicken wire with a top of plastic netting to keep out pretators and keep ducks in.They share coop & run.Run floor is dirt /grass with hay to help fill in holes chickens make.
4.) Inside coop floor ismade of wood with feeder hay spread around on top seems to work ok ducks seem to eat other stuff
5.) I've had 2 sick chickens both with balance problems 1 has fully recovered (a yr ago) the other is currently sick and not doing well ( I suspect mareks?)
6.) I use mineral water, tetracycline,baytril, meloxicam (NSAID),panacur (wormer), and special mixes of feed: clear gatorade,pedilyte,plain yogurt,rolled oats,honey,dry catfood and starter crumble
7.)listed above and veggies (lots), weeds,bead,spaghetti
8.)I live in northern massachussetts
9.) Nothing special in winter maybe a heat lamp if it gets too cold,frequent water changes, and shovel out their run
10.)none currently but hope to at least get a lean to type covering to prevent some elements and give some added protection beside the dog houses I have in run area
11.) Yes we get about 8-9 eggs a day now with more expected as chickens mature,We currently just give them to family
12.) Our main differculties have been keeping the fighting roo's from jumping up and into duck swimming pools and the larger chickens from stampeding the littler ones on the way out of the coop so far we've been lucky everyone gets along for the most part.

ok, I hope everyone has fun with this! It should be very interesting!

 

[PotterWatch]

1.) what kind of chickens do you have? and how many? Are they pets or food?
I have 2 BRs, 2 Australorps, 1 EE, and 1 RIR. They are for egglaying and then dinner when they are past their egglaying prime.

2.) Did you build your own coop?
Yes, but it isn't big enough for all our birds so we built a second one. It isn't an ideal arrangement so I have plans drawn up to build a new larger one to house all of them.

3.) what does your run look like? what do you use for the floor of your run? Hay, grass, stones,sand,etc.
We currently don't have a run. They are either in their coop, or out in the yard. We have landscaping being done this month and will be putting in a run when that is done.

4.) what about the inside of the coop do you use hay, shaving,wood chips,etc?
I use pine shavings.

5.) Have your chickens ever been sick?
Nope.

6.) what meds do you use?
None yet.

7.) have any special foods you feed them?
Not really. They get treats of course, everything from lettuce to fruit to spaghetti.

8.)where do you live?
Southern California

9.) how are your winters do you do anything special for your chickens in the winter?
I don't expect to have to do anything special since our winters are very mild.

10.) how about wet weather do you have any protective covering over your run to keep chickens dry?
We don't have wet weather much. I think there has only been one rainy day since we got the chickens. I don't plan on covering the run with anything other than shade cloth of some kind.

11.) are you getting eggs? If so do you sell them? How much do you ask a dozen?
I get one egg a day. I have four chickens old enough to lay, but only one is so far.

12.) Have you run into any diffirculties with your chickens that others may be interested in?
Not really. It's been pretty easy so far. We lost one chicken because we had too big of a gap between our coop door and the ceiling. We think it was a feral cat that took the bird right off her roost. Making sure your coop is predator proof from the beginning is definitely important.

 

[basicliving]

1.) what kind of chickens do you have? and how many? Are they pets or food?
1 Silver Gray Dorking roo, 1 Phoenix roo, 4 Phoenix hens, 7 Golden Penciled Hamburg hens, 4 White Faced Black Spanish hens, 6 Silver Gray Leghorn hens

2.) Did you build your own coop?
Yes - and I wish we'd made it bigger.

3.) what does your run look like? what do you use for the floor of your run? Hay, grass, stones,sand,etc.
Our run is around the coop and it's field fencing all around - reinforced with chicken wire at the bottom. The bottom of the coop also has chicken wire around it to keep the chickens from getting underneath it. A shrimp net over the top to keep chickens in and predators out. The run used to have grass in it - but that is quickly disappearing.

4.) what about the inside of the coop do you use hay, shaving,wood chips,etc?
The coop floor is wood - and we use the deep litter method for the floor of the coop - pine chips my husband makes with the wood chipper.

5.) Have your chickens ever been sick?
No - knock on wood.

6.) what meds do you use?
None yet.

7.) have any special foods you feed them?
They get kitchen scraps - and I also give them one special treat a day - anything from watermelon, yogurt, whole wheat corn bread, etc. OH - and I give them meal worms I raise for them.

8.)where do you live?
Shenandoah Valley in Virginia.

9.) how are your winters do you do anything special for your chickens in the winter?
It gets cold here, but not often below 30 - and if it does it's usually only for a few days. I don't know if we'll do anything different in the winter other than leave a couple of heat lamps on for the chickens.

10.) how about wet weather do you have any protective covering over your run to keep chickens dry?
No - my chickens LOVE the rain.

11.) are you getting eggs? If so do you sell them? How much do you ask a dozen?
Not yet - but expecting them any day now.

12.) Have you run into any diffirculties with your chickens that others may be interested in?
I don't think so. Mine have been really easy to raise and have not really caused any problems.

 

[KingsCalls]

#1..Mostly Orpingtons....bantams and standard......a few bantam Dominiques
Total= 55 birds 32 call ducks 6 wood ducks 4 mandarin ducks 7 turkeys
They are pets and a source of eatting eggs and eggs to sell
#2...Yes, I built my own runs and coops
#3...My largest run is 16'x20'..then comes an 8'x 16...an 8'x8' .....then my bantam pens that are 8'x2' with a 2'x2' box on the back of each one (6 of these)
#4...I use wood shavings on top of a treated wood floor
#5 ...had 2 sick turkeys....no chickens
#6....teramycin.....crumbles in their feed...seems to work better than in the water
#7...Special feed......table scraps.....watermelon, green beans, scrambled eggs, grasshoppers, worms, grapes, and fresh cut grass
#8...I live in east Tn...18 miles east of Knoxville
#9...I do not do much in winter......sometimes I will wrap bantam pens with plastic or a tarp because wire is 3 feet off the ground
#10...All my coops or pens are covered and the birds can get out of the weather any time they choose
#11...Yes I'm getting eggs...(some are giving it up more than others)
I do sell hatching eggs.......price is basicaly $2 per egg
#12....Our biggest difficulty was going thru the beginners goof ups!
How to keep out coons,, opposums, skunks........best wire to use....coop set up for ease of use......etc.....

I can't wait to see Cyn...(speckledhen) answer this post.....I honestly think she sleeps, showers and eats with her birds!!!!!LOL

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

1.) what kind of chickens do you have? and how many? Are they pets or food?

I have Lt. Brahmas, Salmon Faverolles, Silver Sebrights, Silkies, 1 barred cochin rooster, and 1 booted bantam. plus 7 silkie chicks. I have around 15 call ducks. 8 geese. 4 mandarin ducks.


2.) Did you build your own coop?
Yes. I built all 4 of my chicken coops.


3.) what does your run look like?
I use sand for the run.

4.) what about the inside of the coop do you use hay, shaving,wood chips,etc?
I use shavings, and straw.


5.) Have your chickens ever been sick?
Now, I had a silkie chick that got sick and I had to cull.

6.) what meds do you use?
Terramycin, and Aueromycin, plus 1.87% ivermectin paste for worming.

7.) have any special foods you feed them?
not really. they get table scraps for a treat.

8.)where do you live?
Upstate NY

9.) how are your winters do you do anything special for your chickens in the winter?
If it gets too cold, below 32 degrees, I use a heat lamp. I also put down more bedding in the winter.

10.) how about wet weather do you have any protective covering over your run to keep chickens dry? Most of the run is covered.



11.) are you getting eggs? If so do you sell them? How much do you ask a dozen?
I sell 1 dozen eggs for $3.00


12.) Have you run into any differculties with your chickens that others may be interested in?
Not really. Everybody is healthy and pest free. I dont really have anything that anybody would be interested in.

 

[Teresaann24]

1.) what kind of chickens do you have? and how many? Are they pets or food?
I have Silkies and they are just mine and my kids pets.

2.) Did you build your own coop?
Yes, Didnt think I could do it because I am not much of a builder but I think I did a wonderful job turning an old rabbit hutch into a 2 sided chicken coop.

3.) what does your run look like? what do you use for the floor of your run? Hay, grass, stones,sand,etc.
My run is a 12X5 it is split down the middle so I can house 2 different set of chickens that don't get along on both sides. The floor is sand and just regular dirt.

4.) what about the inside of the coop do you use hay, shaving,wood chips,etc?
I have hay inside the coop.

5.) Have your chickens ever been sick?
No, and I hope none become sick.

6.) what meds do you use?
Havent had to use any yet.

7.) have any special foods you feed them?
I feed My chicks medicated starter and grower my adults Laying mash and cracked corn.

8.)where do you live?
I live in Kentucky

9.) how are your winters do you do anything special for your chickens in the winter?
I am making there coops draft free so they can go inside there coops in the cold winters so they can be warm.

10.) how about wet weather do you have any protective covering over your run to keep chickens dry?
Yeah I use tarps or plastic homing matrials.

11.) are you getting eggs? If so do you sell them? How much do you ask a dozen?
Right now I am not getting any eggs but before I have hatched all my eggs and have fed some to my kids they love eggs.

12.) Have you run into any differculties with your chickens that others may be interested in?
Learning how to secure a cage/run to keep out dogs and other things that wanna eat my chickiepoos.

 

[Frizzledhen]

what kind of chickens do you have? and how many? Are they pets or food?

I have blue/black/splash bantam cochins, Standard RC RIR, Porcelain Belgian Bearded Duccles. All are pets.

2.) Did you build your own coop?

I built 4 10X12 coops in an existing pole barn.

3.) what does your run look like? what do you use for the floor of your run? Hay, grass, stones,sand,etc.

My run is 50 x 70, fenced with chainlink and welded wire. It is grass.

4.) what about the inside of the coop do you use hay, shaving,wood chips,etc?

I use shavings.

5.) Have your chickens ever been sick?

NO, been pretty lucky. Knock on wood.

6.) what meds do you use?

none but they do get DE and flaxseed once a month in there feed.

7.) have any special foods you feed them?

I raise mealworms for them. They love them.

8.)where do you live?

In a small farming community in MI.

9.) how are your winters do you do anything special for your chickens in the winter?

Our winters are cold. I use the deep litter method and have to use water heaters.

10.) how about wet weather do you have any protective covering over your run to keep chickens dry?

They stay in their coops if it is raining.

11.) are you getting eggs? If so do you sell them? How much do you ask a dozen?

I am getting a few from my bantam cochins. The others are too young. The RIR will start laying in about 5 weeks. I will be selling hatching eggs from my blue/black/splash cochins yet this year and RIR next spring.

12.) Have you run into any differculties with your chickens that others may be interested in

No, there are pretty normal chickens

 

[Dipsy Doodle Doo]

Hi! Fun Q&A!
1.) what kind of chickens do you have? and how many? Are they pets or food?
both
Some are pets and 'just pet chickens', some are hatched 'for sale', and some are for food.
200 is a good round number and that's all I'll admit to

2.) Did you build your own coop?
Yes, I build everything here.
3.) what does your run look like? what do you use for the floor of your run? Hay, grass, stones,sand,etc.
Sand
4.) what about the inside of the coop do you use hay, shaving,wood chips,etc?
shavings, straw, or whatever is available
5.) Have your chickens ever been sick?
no
6.) what meds do you use?
none, except medicated starter for chicks
7.) have any special foods you feed them?
Yes

8.)where do you live?
South Carolina
9.) how are your winters do you do anything special for your chickens in the winter?
Winters here are mild.
10.) how about wet weather do you have any protective covering over your run to keep chickens dry?
If it rains, they get wet (they can go in the coop when it rains, but they usually don't).
11.) are you getting eggs? If so do you sell them? How much do you ask a dozen?
$3.50 for 'table eggs', $12. -$15. for 'eggs for hatching'.
12.) Have you run into any differculties with your chickens that others may be interested in?
Every predator in the world appreciates a free chicken dinner.

Lisa

 

[fowltemptress]

1.) what kind of chickens do you have? and how many? Are they pets or food?
I have eleven chickens. This is my first year of keeping only bantams . . . there are 4 silkies, 2 japanese bantams, 2 cochin bantams, 1 NN, 1 japanese cochin cross, and 1 standard polish that somehow found her way into the bantambin at TSC. So far, they're pets, but any silkies proving to be roos will be eaten.

2.) Did you build your own coop?
I helped my SO them.

3.) what does your run look like? what do you use for the floor of your run? Hay, grass, stones,sand,etc.
No run, just two tractor type coops. I let them free range through the yard all day. I don't bother with anything special for the floor of the coops, it's just whatever ground I rest them on.

4.) what about the inside of the coop do you use hay, shaving,wood chips,etc?
There's linoleum flooring that I sweep out every day and hose off once a month. I find substrate to be too much of a hassle.

5.) Have your chickens ever been sick?
Nope . . . two silkies had mites when I bought them, but those were easily taken care of.

6.) what meds do you use?
None

7.) have any special foods you feed them?
I raise roaches, which they love

8.)where do you live?
Texas

9.) how are your winters do you do anything special for your chickens in the winter?
Winters are mild . . . I wear flip flops year round, if that tells you anything.

10.) how about wet weather do you have any protective covering over your run to keep chickens dry?
The coop is built over a small run, but they usually choose to wander the yard in the rain.

11.) are you getting eggs? If so do you sell them? How much do you ask a dozen?
Only four of my hens are laying so far. I give what I don't eat to my friends for free.

12.) Have you run into any difficulties with your chickens that others may be interested in?
One of my Japanese bantams blew up with air like a balloon as a chick. She acted normal, so I let her be and a couple weeks later the air escaped naturally. I had never heard or seen of such a thing, so I was quite panicked at first and had trouble finding any information on what I should do. Someone else on BYC suggested it might be subcutaneous emphysema, and that I could poke the skin with a needle and gently squeeze the air out. I opted not to do that unless the swelling caused her distress, and I kept needles on hand just in case I saw any signs of distress. I never did.


Edited because the filter system changed one of my words to "jerk," when I meant to use a word synonymous with "poke." Obviously, jerk was not a proper substitution in this case, and I completely resent the fact that society has somehow managed to turn perfectly normal words into "bad" words.

 

[hereachick]

Hi - Thanks for answering everyone! I'm having a good time reading everyone's answers and learning alot at the same time. As I'm sure others are too.

I hope everyone else is enjoying this too! Hopefully more people will answer this and it'll keep on going.