Texas

[Ms Jellybean]

You want bigger. The one I pictured is I think the large size. It would hold three bantams and one nest box inside. I'm going to have two nest boxes. The door needs to be secure. I'll send close up pictures of how my husband is modifying it. He's building one to go inside one of my parrot aviaries--perfect for chicks!--but we have to replace the roof and make it so the parrots won't destroy it.

I had wanted to get rid of an expensive stainless steel aviary I have, but I think I'm going to set it up as a Cochin cockerel house. It is just sitting in pieces in my shed.
http://www.kingscages.com/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductID=605

Wayfair sells the one you have too. The one I posted in the large size is actually a little bit bigger - about 10 inches longer. But, the price on the one you have is quite a a bit less at Tractor Supply. About $55 less. That is significant.

So if I get one of these dog houses and add a secure door, what size run would I need to put around it for happy silkies? Since they don't fly I could let them out in the yard more during the day. my fence is chain link, would I need to worry about them getting out? Squirrels can fit under the gates with some ease, but they have to get really flat to fit.

 

[jajeanpierre]

Wayfair sells the one you have too. The one I posted in the large size is actually a little bit bigger - about 10 inches longer. But, the price on the one you have is quite a a bit less at Tractor Supply. About $55 less. That is significant.

So if I get one of these dog houses and add a secure door, what size run would I need to put around it for happy silkies? Since they don't fly I could let them out in the yard more during the day. my fence is chain link, would I need to worry about them getting out? Squirrels can fit under the gates with some ease, but they have to get really flat to fit.

I recommended the one I showed because it is so well built. A lot of the little pre-fab chicken pens/housing is really incredibly rickety and cheaply made. I wouldn't trust it to keep anything out. My husband screwed all the wire on with a screw that has a washer as part of it. Staples can pop off, even the long staples.

When I started out, I thought tractors were the way to go. My chicken keeping has evolved. They really want to be out running around all day in a big yard. My Silkies are in my back yard. They have lots of natural cover. I don't know how big a pen you want to make, but those little things they sell at the feed stores are not big enough. You could use a pre-fab dog kennel and put sunshade cloth over the top and down the sunny side. When you buy the mesh for the door, get the good stuff. If I have time tomorrow, I'll take a close up picture of a door and send it in.

I currently have two bantam Cochins housed (away from my other chickens, now in semi-quarantine) in an 8' x 4' covered pen. I'm going to clean that little dog-house coop I sent the pictures of (it was used for some Ameraucanas) and they will go in that attached to their little run. They'll stay in that until a month after their last show and then I'll move them to a big parrot aviary (20 feet by 8 feet). I still have to set up my 24 foot x 8 foot aviary that I might use as another breeding pen for Cochins. Or stick my macaws back in it since they have recently decided to snap off the 14 gauge wire. I don't understand how a beak can snap that gauge wire and still be in one piece.

 

[Silkiehen]

I'm in Central Texas! Anyone on here close to me?

 

[jockeyeba]

I'm in Central Texas! Anyone on here close to me?

from Selma-right outside of San Antonio.......where in Central Texas?

 

[jajeanpierre]

LOL - some days just keeping all the living creatures and plants alive is the best you can do! I won't say how I know this.

I hear you. I just took two Ameraucana pullets to the vet--I thought I was going to lose them both. I was planning on showing them March 1, so separated them from the cockerels and pulled broken feathers about a month ago. I had them housed in a vegetable garden. They were most unhappy to be confined. They'd been free ranging over two acres. When my new Cochins arrived, one had a little cough (shipping fever) from being shipped in a not very well ventilated shipping box. She went to the vet and was put on Tylan. A few days after that trip to the vet, we had that wicked cold front come in and I battened down my coops just a little too tightly.... When I opened it up that morning, I could just feel the warm moist air... A couple coughed. Everyone went on Tylan for five days.

One of the Ameraucana pullets had bright yellow urates two days after stopping the Tylan....

Then, the two stupid Ameraucanas decided to eat their hay bedding since they didn't have access to pasture....

I tried a few things to unblock their crops and started them on a prescription of oral Nystatin. I expected them to be improving by today but they just weren't doing well enough so off to the vet. Again.

Fortunately the vet is confident they'll recover and taught me how to tube fluid into their crops. Today I learned a lot about blocked crops and what to do about them. Did you know that spinach helped unblock crops? Who would have known! I thought soft food would be best, but he recommended cracked corn to help break things down and move them along. Right now, they are sitting in small show cages on bare flooring because they tried to eat their bedding--I tried both shavings and hay.

The two pullets who were the picture of health five weeks ago look like h *ll. No shows for them. At this point, I'm just hoping they'll live.

 

[jockeyeba]

Just wanted to say hi to the texas folks, I am Effie in San Antonio. I just bought 4 chicks, having wanted to have backyard chickens FOREVER.. They are still alive after five days so I must be doing something right.

What kind of chicks? &

Which side of San Antonio?

 

[jajeanpierre]

I'm in Central Texas! Anyone on here close to me?

I'm just a few miles north of San Antonio.

 

[jockeyeba]

 
LOL - some days just keeping all the living creatures and plants alive is the best you can do!  I won't say how I know this.

I hear you.  I just took two Ameraucana pullets to the vet--I thought I was going to lose them both.  I was planning on showing them March 1, so separated them from the cockerels and pulled broken feathers about a month ago.  I had them housed in a vegetable garden.  They were most unhappy to be confined.  They'd been free ranging over two acres.  When my new Cochins arrived, one had a little cough (shipping fever) from being shipped in a not very well ventilated shipping box.  She went to the vet and was put on Tylan.  A few days after that trip to the vet, we had that wicked cold front come in and I battened down my coops just a little too tightly....  When I opened it up that morning, I could just feel the warm moist air...  A couple coughed.  Everyone went on Tylan for five days.


One of the Ameraucana pullets had bright yellow urates two days after stopping the Tylan....


Then, the two stupid Ameraucanas decided to eat their hay bedding since they didn't have access to pasture....

I tried a few things to unblock their crops and started them on a prescription of oral Nystatin.  I expected them to be improving by today but they just weren't doing well enough so off to the vet.  Again.


Fortunately the vet is confident they'll recover and taught me how to tube fluid into their crops.  Today I learned a lot about blocked crops and what to do about them.  Did you know that spinach helped unblock crops?  Who would have known!  I thought soft food would be best, but he recommended cracked corn to help break things down and move them along.  Right now, they are sitting in small show cages on bare flooring because they tried to eat their bedding--I tried both shavings and hay.


The two pullets who were the picture of health five weeks ago look like h *ll.  No shows for them.  At this point, I'm just hoping they'll live.

Sorry to hear that hope they get well soon

 

[lovingmyhens]

Ahhh. Finally had some backyard time with the chickens after being sick for what seemed an eternity (dramatic).

Girls going to roost.
That is their little grove of trees. The pic looked better on my phone.:/

I'm really glad you are feeling better! I hope today was good!

 

[lovingmyhens]

I hear you.  I just took two Ameraucana pullets to the vet--I thought I was going to lose them both.  I was planning on showing them March 1, so separated them from the cockerels and pulled broken feathers about a month ago.  I had them housed in a vegetable garden.  They were most unhappy to be confined.  They'd been free ranging over two acres.  When my new Cochins arrived, one had a little cough (shipping fever) from being shipped in a not very well ventilated shipping box.  She went to the vet and was put on Tylan.  A few days after that trip to the vet, we had that wicked cold front come in and I battened down my coops just a little too tightly....  When I opened it up that morning, I could just feel the warm moist air...  A couple coughed.  Everyone went on Tylan for five days.


One of the Ameraucana pullets had bright yellow urates two days after stopping the Tylan....


Then, the two stupid Ameraucanas decided to eat their hay bedding since they didn't have access to pasture....

I tried a few things to unblock their crops and started them on a prescription of oral Nystatin.  I expected them to be improving by today but they just weren't doing well enough so off to the vet.  Again.


Fortunately the vet is confident they'll recover and taught me how to tube fluid into their crops.  Today I learned a lot about blocked crops and what to do about them.  Did you know that spinach helped unblock crops?  Who would have known!  I thought soft food would be best, but he recommended cracked corn to help break things down and move them along.  Right now, they are sitting in small show cages on bare flooring because they tried to eat their bedding--I tried both shavings and hay.


The two pullets who were the picture of health five weeks ago look like h *ll.  No shows for them.  At this point, I'm just hoping they'll live.

Oh my gosh you've been through it! You are fortunate to have a vet close. I wish I did, not that I need one now, but you never know. Crossing my fingers and toes that they pull through.