Spring 2017 first timers post!

[IdyllwildAcres]

Congrats Gary! What a big project; it turned out gorgeous. I'm sure your chickens will love it!

Thanks TR
If they don't love it the ingrates will go to freezer camp! Lol, and they better produce LOTS of eggs because they have some serious rent to pay for me to ever recoup on the coup!


Gary

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

Make sure you run a magnet-on-a-stick or something around the construction area too. I didn't and lost the most gorgeous EE to a bit of wire she got caught when she tried to eat it. That was months after we had the setup built and they'd been in it. What a waste of beautiful and sweet bird and I got no one to blame but myself.

That is great advice and we have already ran the magnet around the other day and I am still picking up screws and staples and whatnot and I have not even raked out the inside yet (dirt floor) Don't blame yourself for that EE dying, its nearly impossible to get up all the nails and metal they seem to get buried then work their way back to the top no matter how much you sweep with the magnet. When we built our house the framing crew was great, except for one thing they could not be bothered to bend over and pick up a nail when they dropped them, which was like every time they pulled one out they dropped two! My driveway was dirt back then and I swept with the magnet all the time and FOR YEARS every time I swept the dirt drive with the magnet I would find more, once I concreted it all I finally solved it. Somehow I never got a flat tire or injured anyone.

Gary

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

Congratulations, Gary(formerly MUST. FINISH. COOP.) must be a relief to see the end of the tunnel. We, too, are nearing the end. Our babies scheduled for this coming Tues or Wed. Have been putting in long hours on our coop/run and things are coming together nicely (fingers crossed). Our "brooder" is pretty hillbilly, using corrugated kraft paper for the perimeter but only for a rfew days till we can go to the coop, ala, Blooie. Many things already in place, tub of meal worms for treats, small perch for practice, a plexiglass window in brooder for the chicks to look out, and maybe some toys if BB can get some time to shop! Exciting times be a commin'! BB

Thanks Birdbrain! It is a great relief to see the end is near, I haven't done anything inside yet, the "brooder" will be a couple of bales of hay partitioning off a section of the coop (once they figure out they can fly over it I will just move them and give them the whole coop) I am using a Premier heat plate and brooding in coop, I don't see the point in starting inside or in the garage even for a couple of days, I will put a nanny cam on them I can watch from my phone, the first few days I will be out there a lot I am sure
I am getting mine a week after you, they are shipping out a week from Monday.

Thanks again

Gary

 

[trsutton82]

Well, my chickies are growing fast! 3 weeks old now and getting tons of feathers! Funniest thing happened today. We put our chicks out in the pen while it was sunny and 73 for about an hour this afternoon. The little twerp we thought was a cockerel decided that he would try to CROW at my kids while they were playing a harmonica and a horn. He didn't make a sound, but the movements were all there! I was DYING!! I can't wait to hear him actually crow. It's going to be hysterical.

On a side note, I'm ****** about our coop that is supposed to "hold 8 to 10 chickens". Ends up the one we bought is more like 4 to 5 instead. So, now we've decided it is our grow out pen and are building a larger one ourselves. I still feel like we wasted money though.

 

[ADVaughn]

On a side note, I'm ****** about our coop that is supposed to "hold 8 to 10 chickens".  Ends up the one we bought is more like 4 to 5 instead.  So, now we've decided it is our grow out pen and are building a larger one ourselves.  I still feel like we wasted money though.

By chance was the coop one from tractor supply? The red barn one, perhaps? I almost bought that one, then I saw it actually built and was like there's no way our ten will make it in there. We have bought one more than double the size.

 

[trsutton82]

It

By chance was the coop one from tractor supply? The red barn one, perhaps? I almost bought that one, then I saw it actually built and was like there's no way our ten will make it in there. We have bought one more than double the size.

It was. http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/pr...luxe-farm-house-chicken-coop-up-to-8-chickens This is the one we got. I had looked at the red barn and saw it said 8 chickens, and this was originally stated on the website as 8 to 10...yeah right. We picked it up for under $200 though. I wrote a review about the coop and the deceptive nature of their claims. Plus I am not fond of the construction overall.

 

[bbecca]

My babies have arrived! This is my second time with chicks and I'm a lot less nervous this time around. Kids are having so much fun with them. I got americaunas and speckled Sussex. 8 total. Here's some pics of the fluff balls

 

[Wavechickens]

It
It was. http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/pr...luxe-farm-house-chicken-coop-up-to-8-chickens This is the one we got. I had looked at the red barn and saw it said 8 chickens, and this was originally stated on the website as 8 to 10...yeah right. We picked it up for under $200 though. I wrote a review about the coop and the deceptive nature of their claims. Plus I am not fond of the construction overall.

Yes the TSC prefab coops are dramatically over exaggerated on the chicken holding capacity. It is quite disappointing if you've bought one and then realize it's not nearly big enough (we have one from a previous purchase too)

 

[Wavechickens]

Well, my chickies are growing fast! 3 weeks old now and getting tons of feathers!  Funniest thing happened today.  We put our chicks out in the pen while it was sunny and 73 for about an hour this afternoon.  The little twerp we thought was a cockerel decided that he would try to CROW at my kids while they were playing a harmonica and a horn.  He didn't make a sound, but the movements were all there! I was DYING!! I can't wait to hear him actually crow.  It's going to be hysterical.

On a side note, I'm ****** about our coop that is supposed to "hold 8 to 10 chickens".  Ends up the one we bought is more like 4 to 5 instead.  So, now we've decided it is our grow out pen and are building a larger one ourselves.  I still feel like we wasted money though.

Ours are almost 4 weeks. They grow so fast is right! We ordered a blue Ameraucana rooster, though he's shown no signs of being a rooster yet. All our girls seem to be girls so far so I'm happy about that, hopefully they'll continue to stay that way!
I'm so envious of your warm weather and being able to put them outside, we live in Vermont and it's been cold, with snow, sleet, rain and hail, even on days when it gets warmer (30-40s) it's still not warm outside. Can't wait till spring.

 

[trsutton82]

We're in WV, so quite a bit south from you! My dad is in upstate NY and it's still pretty cold up there too. We could still get a cold snap before May though.