Spring 2017 first timers post!

[Titan]

First batch of chickens! Got 4 Rhode Island Reds, 1 Americaiana and 1 Black Sex link. Also picked up 2 turkeys and 4 ducks! Lol When you daughter wants to be a Vet you end up with crazy stuff! Lol

 

[Joannimal]

Will Spring Ever Come to Maine???? All good intentions for working on the coop today are lost in a surprise snow. This is the site, it is cleared down to the ledge and when it is not too cold out I am placing stones in the foundation. Lemme see if I can get a picture...
Okay so there's about four inches so far out there and the crocus I was so glad to see earlier this week are buried. But I went to the local landfill yesterday to get necessary parts and now I am working on weaving venetian blinds for coop siding and trying to figure out how to turn the skeleton of a big sun umbrella into the skeleton of a chicken tractor.


Any ideas out there? I have six day old chicks coming on April 27....AAAAAHHHH!!!!!! What was I thinking????

 

[lazy gardener]

Wow! You got your work cut out for you! Do you have a local Habitat for Humanity store that you can visit for building materials? Where about in Maine are you? I'm 1/2 hour south of Bangor. How many chicks? What style coop you building? Brooding outside or inside? Heating pad or heat lamp? Sadly, I think spring is going to by pass us here in Maine this year. We're gonna go straight from snow to summer. I have chicks hatching (hopefully) 4/11, and a shipment due 4/14.

 

[bajabirdbrain]

I am not worthy.....how did I ever doubt my chicken friends

Great set up. So happy I went with the MHP too. I just went out and put the linoleum down in the coop and Im still stumped trying to figure out how best to place the poop boards and roosting bars

Then the circular saw kicked back at me and scared me to death and I couldnt get it to turn back on so I decided to come back inside and watch some baby chick TV instead. Keep me posted on your babies

MM: Circular saws are very scary, be careful, after a scare, a glass of wine and a rest is helpful.

Here are a couple of pictures for you. One shows our "interim" perch/roost located underneath the big girl roosts and ramp. The other 2 pics show how I tried to support the poop boards and roosts. For the poop boards I used metal strapping and just bent them into a couple of "L's" and the poop boards just sit on top of the "L". For the roosts I used joist hangers which are very easy and you can just lift the roost up and out for better access for cleaning. I am sure there is a hundred different ways to accomplish the same thing but this is what popped into my mind.

 

[coddledeggs]

I wouldn't worry to much. You'll know by the time they are 5 weeks for sure. Did you buys crest cream legbar or another breed of legbar?

I bought crested cream leg bars and am happy to report that as of this morning, at 3 weeks and 4 days, you can really see the most adorable tiny crests beginning!

 

[Merrymouse]

MM: Circular saws are very scary, be careful, after a scare, a glass of wine and a rest is helpful.

Here are a couple of pictures for you. One shows our "interim" perch/roost located underneath the big girl roosts and ramp. The other 2 pics show how I tried to support the poop boards and roosts. For the poop boards I used metal strapping and just bent them into a couple of "L's" and the poop boards just sit on top of the "L". For the roosts I used joist hangers which are very easy and you can just lift the roost up and out for better access for cleaning. I am sure there is a hundred different ways to accomplish the same thing but this is what popped into my mind.

So my problem is more about how to fit everything in that I want and not about actually building the roost and poop boards. My coop is 8x4 with external nest boxes so bigger than 8x4 really if you count my 3 big nesting boxes. Anyway, I was told on this forum to make the poop boards 24" wide and I want as much roost space as possible so I was going to have an "L" shaped configuration. But with 24" poop boards there was not alot of open space left for the chickens just to hang out or even get up and down easily. I know I could add a ramp. So Im thinking of making my poop boards 20" wide placing them at 18" height and my roosts will have to be only about 4-6" above the poop boards in order for it to work I think. Also Im trying to make a little lip all around the poop board because I plan on using sweet PDZ and I don't want it spilling all over the place. There is a lot to think about. Im short so I want to be able to reach and see the poop boards for ease of cleaning too. The roost have to be higher than the nesting boxes etc. So Im going with the "L" shape but about 1 foot of the long sided roost will not have a poop board under it because that is where the pop door is and how much do you want to bet that will be the preferred place to roost and poop

Now if we can just get it to stop snowing we could actually work on it!

Thanks for the pictures and info. Are you enjoying chick TV? I got home last night after going out with some friends to find my son and his friends hanging with the chicks. They woke the poor chickie babies up just to check them out. I was not pleased.

 

[Joannimal]

Wow! You got your work cut out for you! Do you have a local Habitat for Humanity store that you can visit for building materials? Where about in Maine are you? I'm 1/2 hour south of Bangor. How many chicks? What style coop you building? Brooding outside or inside? Heating pad or heat lamp? Sadly, I think spring is going to by pass us here in Maine this year. We're gonna go straight from snow to summer. I have chicks hatching (hopefully) 4/11, and a shipment due 4/14.

Hi Lazy Gardener. yup, I am down in Bath. My sister lives up in Warren near you and she has chickens... I haven't told her this yet but I am hoping she can bail me out if the six chicks become too much for me. I have my brooder built with lots of old parts, some of them might well have come from one of the Habitat stores. I am using an old heating pad and thinking of putting the brooder in the mud room, it gets pretty chilly in there though--- what do you think? I guess I could put it in the kitchen or bathroom, but we're pretty crowded already. All of my abandoned DIY projects taking up every corner.... there's so much to do today that I appreciate the little reminder that we are, indeed, divinely created to do the work that is before us today!!!

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

So my problem is more about how to fit everything in that I want and not about actually building the roost and poop boards. My coop is 8x4 with external nest boxes so bigger than 8x4 really if you count my 3 big nesting boxes. Anyway, I was told on this forum to make the poop boards 24" wide and I want as much roost space as possible so I was going to have an "L" shaped configuration. But with 24" poop boards there was not alot of open space left for the chickens just to hang out or even get up and down easily. I know I could add a ramp. So Im thinking of making my poop boards 20" wide placing them at 18" height and my roosts will have to be only about 4-6" above the poop boards in order for it to work I think. Also Im trying to make a little lip all around the poop board because I plan on using sweet PDZ and I don't want it spilling all over the place. There is a lot to think about. Im short so I want to be able to reach and see the poop boards for ease of cleaning too. The roost have to be higher than the nesting boxes etc. So Im going with the "L" shape but about 1 foot of the long sided roost will not have a poop board under it because that is where the pop door is and how much do you want to bet that will be the preferred place to roost and poop

Now if we can just get it to stop snowing we could actually work on it!

Thanks for the pictures and info. Are you enjoying chick TV? I got home last night after going out with some friends to find my son and his friends hanging with the chicks. They woke the poor chickie babies up just to check them out. I was not pleased.

I would scrap the poop boards and go deep litter, but I am lazy and cannot imagine cleaning poop everyday

Gary

 

[GaChicklette]

I guess updates are in order...



Primrose- Austrolorp



Willow- RIR



Katniss--- has had a rough start but doing great now! Plymouth Rock Partridge?





Some of the gang with Primrose Flying in the center....my daughter's unknown ducks....



??? Waiting for inspiration and Dixie Chic (renamed since W4I is clearly not a White Leghorn)


And last but not least the smaller of the kiddos----


Not pictured is my little Red Cross who is hiding somewhere underneath someone! Still haven't named all of them- Katniss is the Partridge Plymouth Rock, the Front Lace is Belina, the RIR is Willow, Buff Orpington is Buffy....and there it stops....still working on names!

That's all though so far! (The ducks are Howard, Quack and Lelo)

 

[AlynaD]

First batch of chickens! Got 4 Rhode Island Reds, 1 Americaiana and 1 Black Sex link. Also picked up 2 turkeys and 4 ducks! Lol When you daughter wants to be a Vet you end up with crazy stuff! Lol

OMG!!!! I am a Veterinary Technician (nurse) and believe me its a known phenomenon! In addition to the flock we have cats dogs ferrets and a snake. How old is your Daughter?