Spring 2017 first timers post!

[bajabirdbrain]

AERIAL ATTACK! I was sitting in the run enjoying the sun and the show. For the first time ALL 11 girls walked down the ramp from the coop by themselves. They were running around being chicks when either a Cooper's Hawk or a Sharp Shinned Hawk crashed into the fencing less than 10 ft from where I was sitting! Chicks froze in their tracks and so did I. The cover over the run is clear poly chloride corrugated roofing and the top 2-3 ft of the walls is chicken wire, bottom 4 ft is 1/2" hardware cloth, thankfully.!

This makes me VERY nervous about taking the chicks out when they are a bit bigger to the lawn and let them explore around while I watched over them. This was planned to be in a non fenced area. I "thought" that if I were sitting with 20 ft of the chicks a predator would not attack. This episode makes me rethink this, sadly. I dislike the thought of some kind of "tractor" coop to allow them some very limited free ranging. TBC, BB

 

[AlynaD]

^This is Half Pint random bantam chicken no idea if its a pullet or a roo these pictures were taken 2 weeks apart

^These are short round also 2 weeks apart they don't even look like the same chicken

 

[ADVaughn]

Ok so it has been awhile since I've posted and I'm seeing some discussion about what to feed and when. I have my birds on high protein starter feed and was planning to switch to layer feed once I get the first egg. Is this more or less a good plan?

Also, I just added our first round of birds to the coop. They've adjusted ok except for their tendency to sit and poop in the nesting boxes. I used pine chips in their brooder and on the floor of the coop and straw in the boxes. Will they learn to distinguish better when they start laying?

 

[cholland]

Ok so it has been awhile since I've posted and I'm seeing some discussion about what to feed and when. I have my birds on high protein starter feed and was planning to switch to layer feed once I get the first egg. Is this more or less a good plan?

Also, I just added our first round of birds to the coop. They've adjusted ok except for their tendency to sit and poop in the nesting boxes. I used pine chips in their brooder and on the floor of the coop and straw in the boxes. Will they learn to distinguish better when they start laying?

Yes switch when they start laying. And put out some oyster shell, free choice. If you put the shell out you can finish off the starter feed then switch to layer. The main idea is you can lower the protein and need to give calcium.

Might consider blocking access to the nest boxes at night until they get the idea of eggs in the nest and sleep on the roost.

 

[rainee63]

I would love to have a buff orpington!

I got 6 at tractor supply. I think the kid who got them for me picked out 5 boys! I'm holding out that maybe there are 2 pullets instead of just one, but they're only 5 weeks old so it's hard to tell. I know 1 for sure is female because of her lighter color and smaller comb, and oh - she has manners! There's a stop movement order on birds in my state so I'm stuck with these rowdies for a while. They're very fun tho. ♡♡ and way more affectionate than my other chicks.

 

[ImportTheBest]

I had to assemble a FAST pen for the 5 week old layers today. I found Amelia limping (Silver Gray Dorking) and though it doesn't appear anything is broken and nothing is bleeding, I didn't want to risk her staying with the huge broiler chickens another night. So all 7 of that group of layers are now in their own pen...That currently fits inside the coop we're building, lol! I can keep using it on the garden beds and as an introduction pen for the 4 little babies in the run, and even as a quarantine pen should it be needed.

Later today I am going to soak Amelia's feet in luke warm Epsom salts water and clean them properly. Then I'll be able to see what is going on. I suspect the crusty cracked poop on her feet from the meaties is causing it. Their poop level jumped up this past week in size and quantity and I hadn't checked their feet often enough.

Once she's sorted out I'll clean and check each of the other layers one by one over the course of a few days.

And last night was their first night outside, all of them (besides my 4 tiny babies in the schoolroom brooder), and they all did beautifully! Full time outdoors from now on!

 

[Honora]

AERIAL ATTACK! I was sitting in the run enjoying the sun and the show. For the first time ALL 11 girls walked down the ramp from the coop by themselves. They were running around being chicks when either a Cooper's Hawk or a Sharp Shinned Hawk crashed into the fencing less than 10 ft from where I was sitting! Chicks froze in their tracks and so did I. The cover over the run is clear poly chloride corrugated roofing and the top 2-3 ft of the walls is chicken wire, bottom 4 ft is 1/2" hardware cloth, thankfully.!

This makes me VERY nervous about taking the chicks out when they are a bit bigger to the lawn and let them explore around while I watched over them. This was planned to be in a non fenced area. I "thought" that if I were sitting with 20 ft of the chicks a predator would not attack. This episode makes me rethink this, sadly. I dislike the thought of some kind of "tractor" coop to allow them some very limited free ranging. TBC, BB

Sorry to hear that; hawks suck. I had a chick taken by a hawk a couple of weeks ago. It was one of my female chocolate orpingtons, too. Why couldn't it have been one of my 6+ cockerels??? Now mine are all mad at me cause I am keeping them in the run now with the big mean hens. I am still letting them out for a supervised hour before bedtime though, cause "my" hawk will not come if I am there.

The good news is that hawks will usually not attack adults, so when they grow up they should be ok. Also, try and make sure there is lots of cover in your yard for them to hide under, like bushes, chairs, etc.

 

[Honora]

I had to assemble a FAST pen for the 5 week old layers today. I found Amelia limping (Silver Gray Dorking) and though it doesn't appear anything is broken and nothing is bleeding, I didn't want to risk her staying with the huge broiler chickens another night. So all 7 of that group of layers are now in their own pen...That currently fits inside the coop we're building, lol! I can keep using it on the garden beds and as an introduction pen for the 4 little babies in the run, and even as a quarantine pen should it be needed.

Later today I am going to soak Amelia's feet in luke warm Epsom salts water and clean them properly. Then I'll be able to see what is going on. I suspect the crusty cracked poop on her feet from the meaties is causing it. Their poop level jumped up this past week in size and quantity and I hadn't checked their feet often enough.

Once she's sorted out I'll clean and check each of the other layers one by one over the course of a few days.




And last night was their first night outside, all of them (besides my 4 tiny babies in the schoolroom brooder), and they all did beautifully! Full time outdoors from now on!

The white ones are so big! Are they the meat chickens? How old are they?

 

[Honora]

^This is Half Pint random bantam chicken no idea if its a pullet or a roo these pictures were taken 2 weeks apart

^These are short round also 2 weeks apart they don't even look like the same chicken

The top one looks male and the bottom one looks female. How old are they?

 

[ImportTheBest]

The white ones are so big! Are they the meat chickens? How old are they?

They are meaties! They are also 5.5 weeks old!! The size difference is astounding! They're about 3x the size of my biggest 5.5 WK old layer, my Easter Egger!