The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[armorfirelady]

@lalaland I agree about the tiny coops. I bought one for my first hens & while they fit in there as small pullets they wouldn't of fit in there now thru a winter. The nesting box I added to the hoop coop is from that tiny coop. I am going to take the other 2 parts & use them to cover the pop door entrances. That's about all they are good for now. Edie is probably the only one who could almost end up using it but even she would be cramped.

The coop only looks tidy because I just cleaned out the DL. I'm trying to get everything off the floor to give the hens more floor space during the winter. I used 3 cattle panels. 2 overlap to make the roof & sides and the one cut in half to make the ends.

The plastic I used was bought online. I don't have the website on my iPad but when I get to work I will post it.

 

[Leahs Mom]

About the little coops..
When I see them for sale in the TSC/Rural KIng/BigR it makes me feel sick to my stomach...just like I used to feel if I went into a pet store and saw the dogs stuck in tiny pens.

Like lala said, it's just not right that they sell them to new chicken people who just don't know. Imagine the havock in those during the winter...

Before we got chickens we went to look at a sample coop that a guy was making and selling. It was winter. Probably about 3x the size of those tsc boxes but still way too small. The guy opened the door and there were about 6 chickens in there, in the dark, in the winter. Stuck. Not able to get out. Just living in that box all winter long.

Makes me sick to my stomach to think about it even as I write this.

 

[tjo804]

The Hen House



Nursery / Grow pen only housing babies to 10 weeks.

I too would NEVER Jam a full size Hen even Bantam in here but it makes a Great Grow pen and will be a nice brooder box with some more tweaking.

 

[Leahs Mom]

@tjo804
I think that's a great use for one of those coops!

 

[heartsizedfarm]

I like my coops and think they're big enough. We built them under the run in porch of a big bank barn. What I wish is that I'd incorporated a secure feed room and sink a little handier because I have to go in and out of the barn with scoops of feed and tubs of water. And ever since I've been reading BYC my feeding has become more complicated! I'm going to Value Village tomorrow to get canisters I can label BOSS, flax, oyster shell, etc etc etc etc etc.

 

[Leahs Mom]

I like my coops and think they're big enough. We built them under the run in porch of a big bank barn. What I wish is that I'd incorporated a secure feed room and sink a little handier because I have to go in and out of the barn with scoops of feed and tubs of water. And ever since I've been reading BYC my feeding has become more complicated! I'm going to Value Village tomorrow to get canisters I can label BOSS, flax, oyster shell, etc etc etc etc etc.

I like the way that sounds! Could we see a photo?

 

[heartsizedfarm]

I like the way that sounds!  Could we see a photo? 

Coop or canisters?

 

[Leahs Mom]

Coops

 

[heartsizedfarm]

Massive windy rainstorm out there today. I'll snap a pic tomorrow and post it.

 

[taylynnp]

I have a first time broody hen. She's in a nest box on the floor separated with a small amount of floor space by fencing from the rest of the coop. I had to confine her because she switched nests the first week.


I gave her 7 new eggs 3.27 so they should hatch later this week. I haven't bothered to candle them. This am I found a bloody body of a formed chick outside the nest box. The rest of the eggs looked okay when she got up to eat. She was picking at some of the debris in the nest box from the opened egg. I couldn't tell if she was trying to eat it or just cleaning out the remains from her nest.

Do I give her the benefit of the doubt that she knows what she's doing, in other words she removed a chick that wasn't going to make it or had already died?

I will say that her comb was looking pale last night and noticeably redder this morning... I fed her more scrambled eggs and plan to make her some up each day from here on out just in case she needed more protein. I feed a fishmeal based ration so she was getting animal protein.



My other question is what should I do about the separation once the chicks are hatched? Allow mom and chicks free range like the rest of the flock? Keep them isolated for a while? Fix up a space that the chicks can take cover from the flock? I would prefer that she raise them with the flock if at all possible but I obviously want them to be safe too.