Spring 2017 first timers post!

[Flight4761]

http://estheremery.com/homestead-how-to-raise-chicks-electricity-if-do/

Very interesting and useful artical.

 

[trsutton82]

Most people wait until birds are older before clipping wings. Right now they're full of energy and testing their abilities.

One of my EE's was an escapee from the temporary pen we had but once they moved to the coop she doesn't try to escape. More fun and interesting things to do outside.

Consider the birds need to escape from a predator before clipping wings, especially if they will free range.

I always clipped both wings on pet birds. Allows them to keep their balance when they do fly and have a controlled fall rather than go helter skelter all over the room.

Thank you! I wasn't planning on clipping yet. I know they're a little cramped and flapping around escaping their box. Oddly enough, my EE is the first escapee and the 2nd was a RIR. Thanks for the tip on one vs both wings. I wondered about that because they may need to escape a coon or a snake now and then. My dog should keep cats at bay.

 

[Wavechickens]

http://estheremery.com/homestead-how-to-raise-chicks-electricity-if-do/

Very interesting and useful artical.

Great article thanks
We use a heat lamp for our chicks as we had them arrive in the last week February. Once they feather out we'll start slowing transitioning them to outside but will still use a heat lamp in the coop until spring since they'll be so young still. We did buy a thermostat controlled digital device that we plug into the outlite and set the temp we want the brooder to be at so when it gets warm enough it auto shuts off and auto turns on when it gets to cold. We'll be moving it into the coop when we move them. It worked really good. We also have a few breeds that are not cold tolerant though.

 

[ewerbos]

My husband and I just picked up our very first chicks on Saturday! I've been reading many, many posts here, plus a couple of chicken books, but there's so much I haven't absorbed yet. Here's our setup:


Brooder was supposed to be https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/amferro103s-homemade-chicken-brooder, but we cut the plywood too small. So, the parts don't come apart.

We're using peat moss for bedding--The chicken book said it was good, and we like how soft and absorbent it is, and the chicks seem to really like digging and pecking at it.

We're using ceramic bulbs for heat--We first put up one, but it didn't seem to be getting warm enough, so we got a second fixture and set it up with our spare bulb the day we were picking up the chicks. The chicks don't seem to spend much time under the bulbs except (sometimes) when they are napping. The farm told us they were 3-4 days old when we got them, but we suspect they are slightly older (these photos were taken the day after we got them, so 4-5 days old if they were accurate).

We _were_ going to make a super cool PVC waterer with vertical nipples, but it leaked. So, we're using a water dish until we make a new one (I also ordered a normal chick waterer like the feeder from Amazon, in case it doesn't come through).

My husband has already started farming mealworms and found a website about all different kinds of bugs to farm, also... But we still need to start the actual coop.

 

[igorsMistress]

Thank you! I wasn't planning on clipping yet. I know they're a little cramped and flapping around escaping their box. Oddly enough, my EE is the first escapee and the 2nd was a RIR. Thanks for the tip on one vs both wings. I wondered about that because they may need to escape a coon or a snake now and then. My dog should keep cats at bay.

Yea my one EE is very flighty. I found her on the screen we put on top of their brooder so we had to use 2. Also found that she'd been on the window sill. I found poop there when I cleaned up after they moved outside. Smh.

She is by far the friendliest of them all and will perch on our shoulders or knees to chatter away or preen.

 

[Blooie]

I'm thinking of an insulated coop.
Any views on this?
I know that ventilation is most important.
I live in Idaho, and this previous winter got -20°F. Usually doesn't get that cold, though.
Summers can get around 100°F.
Leaning towards a pallet coop. (Planning for Ameraucanas)

I'm in Northwestern Wyoming, so I know about extremes - hot and cold - too!

But my coop isn't insulated or heated...just extremely well ventilated - and I've never had a problem - not even raising Silkies out there from tiny chicks we hatched out to now. We have a hoop run (fantastic for space, cheap, ease of building, snow and wind loads) and we mostly cover it during the winter with clear, reinforced greenhouse type plastic. Works great! I raise chicks out there when it's in the teens and twenties with just heating pad cave.

If I were rebuilding, I still wouldn't insulate. Leaves a nice bunch of hiding places between the inside walls and the outside walls for rodents <shudder> and unless there's a heater in there there's no warm air to try to keep inside. You want the warm, moist air to flow out at the top of the coop and it sounds like you already understand how critical that is. The final choice is, of course, up to you. But I'm glad now that I was talked out of it. Dry and well ventilated seems to be key...

 

[GaChicklette]

Well...........I have a question! My first flock has expanded. I've dealt with a very sick lil chica with pasty butt who is finally doing well. Had to move her to a small group...but that ISN'T my question!

Teaser!

I picked up these two chica's in early March.
They were identified as two different breeds: Tetra Brown and White Leghorn. One had a solid back, the other had two darker stripes down her backside.(1st pic)


This is them over the last few weeks:




and.....




and today..........



Any clues on them? They seem to have the exact same coloring now..........and no real discernible difference! Help? lol

 

[Wavechickens]

I'm in Northwestern Wyoming, so I know about extremes - hot and cold - too! But my coop isn't insulated or heated...just extremely well ventilated - and I've never had a problem - not even raising Silkies out there from tiny chicks we hatched out to now. We have a hoop run (fantastic for space, cheap, ease of building, snow and wind loads) and we mostly cover it during the winter with clear, reinforced greenhouse type plastic. Works great! I raise chicks out there when it's in the teens and twenties with just heating pad cave. If I were rebuilding, I still wouldn't insulate. Leaves a nice bunch of hiding places between the inside walls and the outside walls for rodents and unless there's a heater in there there's no warm air to try to keep inside. You want the warm, moist air to flow out at the top of the coop and it sounds like you already understand how critical that is. The final choice is, of course, up to you. But I'm glad now that I was talked out of it. Dry and well ventilated seems to be key...

This is very important advice she brings up. If you insulate you need to make sure that all access to the inner insulation is 100% inaccessible to not only rodents, but bugs, and especially chickens, they love to eat insulation and it is dangerous to them as it can actually mimic estrogen in your hens body which can cause extra egg production and make them sick. This is one of the reason we used solid pink board instead of another variety. We pushed it right up tight to the outter facing walls and then placed the inner walls tight to it as well. We have no chance of getting rodents or bugs and the hens getting to it, but this is sometimes complicated to make sure happens, it was a little tricky for us. We had intended to have some non winter hardy birds ahead of time so we went for it, but with adequate ventilation it's usually not a big issue with most breeds. Like the states it's entirely up to you.

 

[Wavechickens]

In the past my parents never insulated the coop, In fact for the first 10 years we used a old ice fishing caddy shack my dad use to use for ice fishing (back in the good old days he'd say) and never had trouble (well except animals getting it, it was old and shabby). This time around when we decided to get birds we asked him to help us build one and with lots of time and care we built a lovely coop. It ended up over the top because he kept adding to it. It's all wired for electricity (was to help with the water warming pad we bought for the winter months, though it's warm enough inside that the water never freezes, and with a window down during the day we've never had problem with the humidity. Plus we run a electic fence off it because our coop is a little close to our woods. Overall I'm very happy with ours even though it was a series of changes, compromises with dad, and boat loads of work!

 

[Wavechickens]

Here's a pick of the front (it's weirdly the only pic I have) there is a second smaller building we are putting up behind it that will be accessible from their chicken door on the other side for extra space during the winter when they don't want to roam in the snow.
It's on a car trailer bed so we can move it around our acres. Keep them happy to have new ground to forage, also we move it to places we like them to clean out for us.

Pardon the horrible red on the door, dad thought it was brown, he was trying to paint a tree for the door with some leafy looking foliage on the side. Didn't go according to plan.