TSC Pullets New Hampshire Reds and Golden Comets

[vanalpaca]

Ok, so I am new to chicks and got New Hampshire Reds and Golden Comets from Tractor Supply this last weekend. My chicks are 2 weeks, 1 week, and a few days old from whatever hatchery TSC uses in Ohio.

I have figured out from this site what the Comets should look like (all hens), but I am a bit confused about what the New Hampshire Reds WILL look like. Anyone else have photos of the reds that TSC sells?

Also, how TALL do each of the breeds get, as I am building chicken tractors, nest boxes and an inside winter coop in Zone 5 Ohio for them. I read that I need 2 square feet of inside space and 3 square feet of outside/run space, but nothing on heights and nest boxes YET.

Photos of chick growth/ages ALSO APPRECIATED. They are under brooder lights in the basement in cardboard boxes and I'm thinking to build the coop part of the chicken tractors for their basement/growing space until temps are higher and they can go outside, but have to make them small enough to fit through the doorway, so maybe just a larger box for brooder now.

Thanks for your advice!

 

[Fred's Hens]

A New Hampshire (not a NH Red) is a large, orange/red bird. They are reasonably rare, if one is being picky about a show level bird. What hatcheries call NH Reds are a blend of various strains. Hens will still go 6.5 - 7.5 lbs, and 18" tall, at full erect, so they aren't tiny birds. The Comets will be somewhat smaller.

Since deep snow cover will keep them "house bound" for long, long winter periods, I'd forget the 2 square feet and double that. Sincerely. Crowding leads to boredom and other issues. We should give them as much space as possible.

Tiny side rant and please, take no offense. If we do not provide them space to stretch their wings, jump up to roosts, scratch about and so forth, we've very little room to be so critical of the caged chicken industry. OK, tiny rant over.

Photos of your birds are easily googled. Lots and lots of them out there. Have fun with your new adventure.

 

[flgardengirl]

I got a Golden Comet from Tractor Supply last year. I didnt mean to but there was this chick in the bin crying with a golf ball sized poo stuck to its butt. I knew it would die sooooo. Yeah I'm a sucker. I also had to get it a friend which turned out to be a white leghorn. Between those two girls they are about the best layers I have (besides the key west hens). I now love GCs!! Mine is so sweet

If I could find some more I'd get them.

 

[vanalpaca]

Noted on the doubling indoor WINTER space. I'm going with the 2 square foot for the 'covered nesting area' inside the Chicken Tractor, which will be their mobile SUMMER home. I figure I can make the sides as hinged panels, lengthwise for the summer tractors, then take them apart and use them upright as sides for the outside run area of the winter coop/shed.

I used to have aviaries outdoors for parrots and a 10x12 foot shed worked really well with an outside flight area attached to it. So If I plan on that size for the winter coop, that would be 120 square feet of indoor space, and I currently have 18 chicks.

I'm thinking of 3 chicken tractors and the panels that would be hinged and repurposed would give a shed a 8x8 or 64 square foot outdoor run area. I haven't built it yet.

I'm also thinking of doing a 2 foot high panel then putting the 4x8 hinged to another 4x8 as the A-frame top. Then the ends would be solid wood coop/nest box areas. Trying to make the tractor lightweight enough to move around the yard. Then use the hinged parts for the outdoor winter coop space.

I'm currently on an acre, may be able to just set it all up in the barn for the winter time and run lights.

I am limited inside a chicken tractor, but figure to put a roost in that is 2 feet high besides the nesting area. How high do you normally put roosts? I remember a shed that had 2x4 roosts in it at 3 different heights when I was a little kid. It was abandoned and not being used at the time, but it had Holes for windows with wood covers that could be propped open and closed at night. Guessing they were free range chickens and locked in at night as there wasn't any caged in area.

Thank you for the heights on the TSC type New Hampshire Red's, sex-linked pullets. It will be interesting to see what kind of hens they feather out to be. I found some nice photos here on the comets, but no dimensions. I seriously doubt that they will be really pretty like the ones bred in Germany, more of a duller, plainer red bird?? But that is ok.

Would love to see a growth chart on chickens!! My alpaca pasture currently has 3 visiting roosters from across the road that decided to come over to my barn/pasture and see if they could find extra grain, etc. They spent the days all last summer on my farm, then when I would come out to feed, they would high tail it back across the road to their own farm.

How big should the nest box be? Do they need to be different sizes for the NHR than for the Comets? THANKS.

 

[chickendales]

my nexting boxes are 12\\10\\16 chicken need about 2 ft to stand up in a coop

 

[chickendales]

Quote:
nhm and commets are same size
if i make the coop 6ft tall it easier too clean and to get in to

 

[SassyKat6181]

I also picked some up from TSC yesterday and today. They said they get them from Mt Healthy Hatchery.

 

[booker81]

Reds from TSC, a couple months old:

Comets aka red sex links (with SLW and the reds in the back):

My coop is 10x10, about 8' tall, and their roost is about 5' up. They have nest boxes about 1' up, but they lay there or in the corners of the coop.

They have a 10x30 run, but they lived in the coop ALL winter. They didn't go out at all -didn't utilize the run at all. Wimps

I have 14 chickens in that size, and I wouldn't put many more, since they needed the space to get around and be chickens.

ETA: My red rooster, same from TSC

He's a big 'un

 

[vanalpaca]

Nice photos! Thanks! I'm trying to be small and unnoticed through the summer and hoping to be moving come fall, but we will see! Then I can think in terms of larger sizes. Do they just sit in their coops/roosts all winter then? My pit greenhouse has windows on both walls but I figured I'd still have to screen the inside so they don't break out the windows (very old glass/1935).

Rooster is good, too. You can send the green cheeked conure photos to me at my hotmail account ([email protected]) and keep this site free of chatter (I used to raise them and even got magazine coverage!)

So it looks like I am looking at some really big African Ground Parrots here......

I'm figuring the tractor will be about 5 feet high, 9 chickens per, 2 tractors.

I'm also thinking TSC gets them from different hatcheries, hadn't thought to ASK! Mine were labeled New Hampshire Reds.

It is my understanding that this is a hybrid breed. Confusing that it could also be standardized. Fun to figure it all out. Chicks are almost through 20 lbs of feed. Got 6 on day 1, 6 on day 2, waited a week and saw that TSC got another load in of the Comets and so to make sure I did have some comets, I picked up 6 of those.

I drove by a farm that had their flock of chickens out, they were REALLY PRETTY and looked to be a variety. On the way back, the chickens were put away and a police car was visiting, musta been for something else as they were country and legal for chickens. They were full grown chickens.

Looked up the chicken nipples, so I will be getting those in a few weeks to set up their buckets.

How do you feed to reduce the costs of buying that 50 lb bag of chicken feed per month per 6 chickens? I have composting worms, red wigglers, and I am considering getting a bucket of meal worms set up and growing (my girlfriend used to raise them for her finches). I have lots of leaves left on the ground where I want to put the tractors and I am hoping they tear the ground up really well because wild chinese mustard likes to grow there and I don't want to have to pull the weeds.

Thanks for all the help and advice as I NEED IT!!