The Heritage Rhode Island Red Site

[CalgaryFarmer]

 

[CalgaryFarmer]

 

[cmom]

They are shade tables, primarily shade for the birds but they also get under them when it rains. The netting keeps the hawks and owls out. Since I put netting over all of the pens I haven't had any loss from them. I have electric wire around the outside bottom of the pens to keep the digging predators from digging under the fences. We started out with one coop but over the years have added more. Here are some pictures to give you an Idea of how we are set up. The birds are let out during the day to roam around in the pasture but I am usually out there too doing something. I also put the cracked eggs out for the crows and if the crows see a hawk they usually drive it off. Once in awhile I find an egg on the ground and I usually give them to the crows too. The eggs keep the crows around and the crows chase away any hawks.

 

[CalgaryFarmer]

Thanks.

I have been trying to gets some ideas for a run. I will likely go with something similar to what you have, but on a smaller scale.

Have you had any problems with weasles?

 

[cmom]

No weasels. I haven't lost a bird to a predator in a very long time. My pens are 150' x 60', but the birds do get let out most every day into the pasture. Just go with what ever works for you. Some of the shade tables were made from a unfinished coop that was given to us and we took the coop apart and used the wood to frame the tables and the tin from the roof as covers for the tables. Originally the first shade tables we made were 2" x 4" wood for the frames that we put primed and painted plywood over for the tops, but they still got some rot, so now all of the tables have metal tops. Much better and I go out at least once a week and clean the poop and dirt off of them because the birds do get on them and carry the dirt up and they do poop on them too, so I clean them off. Not really a hard job. Good luck and have fun.

 

[CalgaryFarmer]

Thanks.

All of this information helps reduce mistakes and saves money and time and the chickens will be happier and perhaps live longer

We are hoping to get our heritage RIR soon.

Thanks again.

 

[cmom]

Eggs are in the incubator. Chicks due to hatch on April 23rd. I candled some of the eggs today and there may be some duds but all that I candled were viable. I'll candle again when I set them in the hatchers. As soon as these chicks hatch I will probably have eggs available. I want to see how well it goes for the first hatch for this year. I rearranged the birds and who is in what coop and pen a few weeks ago.

 

[CalgaryFarmer]

If you have some eggs available I will take some. I am new to this. Let me know how this works,

 

[cmom]

I am just waiting to see how they hatch and how many of the eggs are not viable. April 23rd is hatch day. I am going to put a few more eggs in this week.

 

[RedRidge]

Ok... here's a weird question. I've hatched chicks for years and never really had this happen...
I have 4 breeding pens of trios. I've finished hatching for the year and have 4 general age groups that I haven't combined yet. One group is about 4-7 weeks old and is simply spastic. They are still in the larger end of the brooder because I simply haven't gotten around to moving them yet. But from day 1 every time anyone walks by the brooder they fling themselves againdt the back corner and act like a hawk has gotten in the brooder. I mean super over reactive. And there are three different hatches in there from all the pens. The group adjoining them doesn't even react, even when the spastic group does.
Reasons? Is it just one chick who has created a problem? I'm about ready to chuck the entire batch. I'm so used to calm, quiet birds... this is really new.
Thoughts?