South Carolina

[Je33ieg]

I've pm'ed Red Bug so hopefully she can hook me up with some dom and dork eggs.  I'm excited!

In the meantime I need to figure out a way to keep my ducks safe on pasture at night. Right now I'm herding them into a small animal kennel and putting them up at night. I'd really like to train them to go to bed in some type of portable structure that can be left out on the pasture with the chickens and sheep. Has anyone seen anything that might help me?  I need design ideas. I keep everyone in Premier Poultry Net electrified with a solar charger already so its mainly owls that I'm worried about.

I do something similar to what you're referring. My chickens and coop are in a pasture with my goats. The coop that I have is a 2 story coop that is about 1.5 feet off of the ground before the 1st story. I have a ladder from the ground to the 1st story, and another from the 1st story to the 2nd. Not sure how different chickens and ducks are about their night habits. But I locked mine in the coop for about 3 weeks without letting them out, and then opened the bottom door on the coop do they could come out when ready. They automatically go back in at sunset.

Hope that can be helpful.

 

[theycallmevern]

Hey ya'll , just found this thread . I'm a fellow neighbor in loris . Just wanted to say hello. I have some white and brown leghorns , some bobwhites, and a trio of aseels .

 

[RedBugPoultry]

Hey ya'll , just found this thread . I'm a fellow neighbor in loris . Just wanted to say hello. I have some white and brown leghorns , some bobwhites, and a trio of aseels .

Welcome! We are sure getting a lot of new people on here!

We love to talk about our chickens and hear about yours so please share pictures and stories!

 

[RedBugPoultry]

Had to share! This is what I woke up to this morning! Yancy, these are my latest d'Uccles! Oh, and Australorp. There is actually another little d'Uccle in the corner just out of the shell but I left him alone for now as he had a tough time of the whole hatching experience. These are my first d'Uccles of the season! I hope my pen is big enough for more--hum, more room? They already have more room than some of the LF....

 

[mjanderson437]

Hey ya'll , just found this thread . I'm a fellow neighbor in loris . Just wanted to say hello. I have some white and brown leghorns , some bobwhites, and a trio of aseels .

Welcome from Early Branch!

 

[mjanderson437]

Had to share! This is what I woke up to this morning! Yancy, these are my latest d'Uccles! Oh, and Australorp. There is actually another little d'Uccle in the corner just out of the shell but I left him alone for now as he had a tough time of the whole hatching experience.

Very cute! An exciting morning...

 

[RedBugPoultry]

Had to share! This is what I woke up to this morning! Yancy, these are my latest d'Uccles! Oh, and Australorp. There is actually another little d'Uccle in the corner just out of the shell but I left him alone for now as he had a tough time of the whole hatching experience. These are my first d'Uccles of the season! I hope my pen is big enough for more--hum, more room? They already have more room than some of the LF....

A 3 little d'Uccle seem to be doing just fine and holding their own with the Dominiques, Australorps, RIRs and Marans chicks.

 

[gvilledh]

Hi everyone! I am still alive and kicking. Just busy and not finding the time to check in. Dealing with a little depression, too, and now that I realize that is what is going on, I will do something about it. There have just been so many changes in the last year with my mom getting dementia and us planning to move Randy's dad in with us, that I think I haven't taken the time to process it all. The good thing is my daughter has moved back to Greenville and is living with us through the summer until she finds her own place. She has a job she has wanted for a long time and I am thrilled to have her back here now. In the meantime, I have to survive adding a new bedroom and bath onto the house for my father-in-law. It is fun in a way, but stressful too. In the end, I finally get a new backyard and patio that I have been wanting for five years.
After a winter hiatus, and several molting, the girls are deciding to grace us with a few eggs again. We got six in the last five days from two or three of them. We still have two in a pretty hard molt. One of the Maran pullets started laying at Thanksgiving and then stopped about a month or so ago. She is finally squatting again and checking out the nest boxes. The other two pullets are just waiting until Spring or the mood strikes them. They are 36 weeks old and beautiful.
We are not planning to add anyone new this year, unless we have to replace someone. If that happens, we will replace them with a point of lay pullet. No babies this summer. Next year, our first girls will be three and we will start adding again then. We do have one that was laying shell-less eggs. If she continues, and we figure out who it is, she may be gone, it isn't good for her, or us. We have narrowed it down to two, and I think we may have figured it out for sure now. Once she starts laying again, we will know.
That is what is happening in my world. Lou Ann is in Disney this week, so I am in charge of the girls. At least it isn't 100 degrees like it was last summer when she was gone. I hope to go and spend some time spoiling them today. I have treats!

 

[lorrir]

Hello All,

It's been a while since I've been online. I have had a serious coyote/fox problem this winter and have lost most of my flock. I have patched my coop, reinforced my henhouse, installed doors I put concrete blocks in front of at night and for the past two weeks everyone is still alive.

So now I need more hens. I'm going to order some chicks from Crackle Hatchery next month but would like some laying hens to add back to my flock now. Does anyone have some extra hens they would like to sell? I'm not picky about color or breed, I have some great easter eggers I received from Enola that are still with me, but I'm down to 6 hens and need more.

I would be willing to drive 25-30 miles from Laurens SC.

Thanks,

Lorri

 

[Southern Bee Lady]

Quote: An electric fence wire run around the coop/run about 6 inches off the ground will work wonders to keep dogs, coyote, and any other predators away. If you don't have power available tractor supply has a small solar powered one.