Texas

[GFamily]

So, I haven't read through everything I've missed.

I have a question - Are chickens scared of the dark? It's getting hot so I'm not leaving the lamp on inside the coop at night and the girls do not want to go inside. I have to turn the lamp on then they all run inside, then turn it off and then close the door to keep them in for the night. When I close the door the are cussing me out in chicken talk, but I do not have a "non-heat lamp" and so I don't want them to get too hot. I'm just wondering if they're scared of the dark.


On a final note, we are almost done with the coop! Hallelujah! My DH enclosed the run completely this past weekend. Now we just need to add beauty boards to go over the staples of the hardware cloth and some touch up paint ont he run and coop. Also, the girls are using the pvc feeders for the first time. It works perfect and the feed fills up the spout on it's own. We don't really have to do much at all with it!

 

[PSJ]

So, I haven't read through everything I've missed.

I have a question - Are chickens scared of the dark? It's getting hot so I'm not leaving the lamp on inside the coop at night and the girls do not want to go inside. I have to turn the lamp on then they all run inside, then turn it off and then close the door to keep them in for the night. When I close the door the are cussing me out in chicken talk, but I do not have a "non-heat lamp" and so I don't want them to get too hot. I'm just wondering if they're scared of the dark.


On a final note, we are almost done with the coop! Hallelujah! My DH enclosed the run completely this past weekend. Now we just need to add beauty boards to go over the staples of the hardware cloth and some touch up paint ont he run and coop. Also, the girls are using the pvc feeders for the first time. It works perfect and the feed fills up the spout on it's own. We don't really have to do much at all with it!

i LOVE your coop! Send him my way to build one!!

 

[GFamily]

i LOVE your coop! Send him my way to build one!!

Thanks! He is already lined up to build a coop for one of the guys he works with. I'm just thankful it's almost finished and I love how it looks!

 

[PSJ]

This is what mean looks like. My broody Wyandotte.

 

[TexasLisa]

Good Morning Texans!

I hope everyone is safe out there. We got word late last night that my husband's parents, who live in Shawnee, OK, lost their home, outbuildings, and vehicles. They are okay. They were headed into the basement when the tornado hit. The walls of the house are still standing. My father-in-law wants to rebuild. I understand that that area is due for the same pattern of storms again today.

Stay safe!

Lisa

 

[GFamily]

Good Morning Texans!

I hope everyone is safe out there. We got word late last night that my husband's parents, who live in Shawnee, OK, lost their home, outbuildings, and vehicles. They are okay. They were headed into the basement when the tornado hit. The walls of the house are still standing. My father-in-law wants to rebuild. I understand that that area is due for the same pattern of storms again today.

Stay safe!

Lisa

Praying for your family!

 

[GFamily]

This is what mean looks like. My broody Wyandotte.

Uh Oh!

 

[GaryDean26]

... How do you tell the difference in a black copper Marans with no copper showing and a Black Marans?

Ernie has some real Black Marans. You can be sure that his Black Marans are the real thing and NOT just overly dark Black Copper Marans.

I know that all the breeding guides and Marans club people with tell you that Black Copper Marans are ALL Birchen based birds but the truth is that with the right modifiers you can build a Black Copper Marans on Extended Black. Birchen was the first mutation of the two from the wild type. It genetically is just a single does of black that covers up all the brown plumage. The Extended Black was a 2nd mutation that is just two dosages of black that is strong enough to cover up both the brown and copper plumage. With-in each of these based modifiers can intensify or diminish the melonizers (Black color). So...some of the black copper lines are actually extended black birds. The extended black birds require twice the amount of red modifiers for the copper to be expressed. You will have to have so much red in the extended black lines to show any copper on the pullets that the cockerels will have red stippling on their breast. The Birchen based lines will be able to maintain the proper amount of copper on the pullets without any red on the breast of the cockerels, but the problems is that most people have mixed line and they will end up with birds split for extend black and birchen and they will have both black pullets and cockerels (and pullets) with red on the breast from the same hatch. This make the variety very hard to breed. The chicks down is what my Marans mentor uses to distinguish the extended black from the Birchen, so part of telling the difference between he Black Marans and the Black Copper is the down patterns.

The other part is the difference between a gold base and a silver base. For a Black Copper Marans you need a Gold Based bird to produce the copper color (silver based as you probably know would produce a Silver Birchen Marans). For a Black Marans you need a Silver based bird. Gold based birds produce a green sheen to them. I am told the silver based birds will not have the green sheen.

Note: Bev Davis birds are notorious for NOT having the much need copper on the pullets. I have never worked with that line, but am guessing that it has a lot of extended black gold based birds in the gene pool. I don't think that Bev Davis has a Black Marans line (could be wrong) so if they are the Bev Davis line they are almost certainly going to my Black Copper Marans.

 

[Cockle-Dood]

So, I haven't read through everything I've missed.

I have a question - Are chickens scared of the dark? It's getting hot so I'm not leaving the lamp on inside the coop at night and the girls do not want to go inside. I have to turn the lamp on then they all run inside, then turn it off and then close the door to keep them in for the night. When I close the door the are cussing me out in chicken talk, but I do not have a "non-heat lamp" and so I don't want them to get too hot. I'm just wondering if they're scared of the dark.


On a final note, we are almost done with the coop! Hallelujah! My DH enclosed the run completely this past weekend. Now we just need to add beauty boards to go over the staples of the hardware cloth and some touch up paint ont he run and coop. Also, the girls are using the pvc feeders for the first time. It works perfect and the feed fills up the spout on it's own. We don't really have to do much at all with it!

Do you have more than just those 2 small windows on the coup? Mine tend to head inside just shy of 8 PM and there is enough light still in the coup to not be considered dark to my standards. I have 2 windows approx 2'x2' across from each other wich seems to let ample light in for my crew...

Perhaps u can look into one of those solar powered LED lights if you want to add some light in the evenings. I think i read somewhere that those lights will stay lit for a few hours (3-6) on a days sun charge...i plan on putting some up later

 

[GFamily]

Do you have more than just those 2 small windows on the coup? Mine tend to head inside just shy of 8 PM and there is enough light still in the coup to not be considered dark to my standards. I have 2 windows approx 2'x2' across from each other wich seems to let ample light in for my crew...

Perhaps u can look into one of those solar powered LED lights if you want to add some light in the evenings. I think i read somewhere that those lights will stay lit for a few hours (3-6) on a days sun charge...i plan on putting some up later

I told my husband I wanted bigger windows so he is now thinkin gof how he is going to go about to do that. There are 4 windows total on the coop, but they are all small. Due to living inner-city and having my wonderful dog and fully fenced in yard we don't have to worry about critters as much as we would if we were elsewhere. So I really think bigger windows on the side would be better. I didn't know chickens were chicken of the dark!