Utah!

[Stands With A Fiddle]

When would you guys stick your fuzzy-butts outside full-time? Mine are about 7 weeks old, and I'm getting a little tired of having my house trashed with their flinging bird poop (this is the first time I'm raising them).

I don't have a heater in the coop. The electrical system in the entire house is a little bit arcane, so it's not an option.

I'm in Sugarhouse.

 

[Domestic_goddess]

Quote:
They sound ready....but it depends on how draft proof your coop is! They may need a heat lamp for a little while.... If no drafts, you might be able to put them out now. I have 3 weekers I'm ready to put ouside myself.....but I would only do that with a heat lamp.

 

[Stands With A Fiddle]

We got it quite draft proof for the winter.

I'm thinking of cleaning it out this Sunday, and putting them out next Friday when the weather is a bit nicer.

 

[Domestic_goddess]

Quote:
sounds like a good plan!Good luck....

 

[hen-thusiast]

Quote:
Welcome! Glad you joined us!

We just got back from IFA and they had golden campines, a breed I would not recommend. They hate being handled, are flighty and very aggressive. We love our dominiques and our sex-link, both incredibly friendly, good layers and didn't mind winter.

 

[kimbobim]

Quote:

Welcome!

As far as breeds go, what is the most important to you? High egg production? Temperament? Cold Hardy? Personally, our best layers are RIRs. Ours have been handled as long as we've had them, they're friendly, nice personalities, not too loud. Our Black Stars, on the other hand, celebrate every egg laid like they've invented the process - long and LOUD. They also don't like to be handled much. Our Silver Laced Wyandottes and Australorp have very sweet personalities, love to beg for treats, but don't lay as much. Barred Rocks were bred to be good foragers, so supposedly they need less feed - ours love to free range and find ways to squeeze out of the run if we don't let them out of the run every day for at least a few hours. They're all pretty cold hardy (that was one of our criteria). We didn't heat our coop, but it was insulated, and they all did just fine this past winter (I'm in Highland/N. Utah Cnty, so we get some wicked cold winds).

 

[Stands With A Fiddle]

Kimbobim -- My RIR's celebrate every egg laid before AND after they lay it. They are LOUD.

My white crested black polish goes insane when she is about to lay an egg. It's pretty funny, because she'll run around the yard, screech, fly into the trees, etc. And the thing is, she's a good layer, so it's not like she's celebrating a rare event.

 

[kimbobim]

I just tucked my four kids in bed and can hear them crying. We just had to tell them that our sweet little SLW Poppy died last night. She was the runt of our flock, with the malformed vent that I posted about last summer. With her problems, I've been afraid she would end up egg bound - last night we found her under the coop instead of inside it with her flock mates, and this morning when DH found her she had broken shell and egg on her rear. I feel just sick about it. I don't know if we could have saved her even if we'd found her in time - she just wasn't formed properly. She'd lay eggs all over the yard, it seemed almost like they fell out and she had no control over it. Her poop was never normal - she didn't digest her food thoroughly, so she was always smaller/bonier than our other SLW.

Ah, but she was such a sweet, friendly little thing. Since she was smaller than the others, she became a special pet. She loved to sit on your knee and beg for treats. She enjoyed baths in our metal birdbath (her rear was always messy). She had the manners of a lady, and the prettiest lacing pattern on her feathers (even though she never grew true tail feathers). The kids are all heartbroken.

R.I.P. sweet Poppy. You were loved, and you will be deeply missed.

I'm going to go hug my kids again.

 

[PacsMan]

Quote:
Welcome CaryAnn...

Commenting on what Domestic_goddess said...
Quote:
Agreed on the Barred Plymouth Rocks, 100%
I'd add Red Sex links with those. Both breeds are great layers that lasted through the winter just fine.
My RIR got picked on last year, so I never got to see her lay, or go through a winter. (I'm trying 3 more this year)
Buff Orpington are great birds, gentle, good looking, and Utah winter hardy. But they are only fair egg layers. (3-4 eggs/week in my experience)
IMHO? My best bird is my Black Australorp, Midnight. She's the best layer I've got. (when she's not broody... She did hatch 2 out of 13 eggs her first try. Hmm… let’s see, what percentage hatch is that???)

This year I'm adding 8-10 Delaware chickens when my selling is done. They’re supposed to be good weather hardy birds, good layers, and docile.
I'm also adding 3 RIR's, 3 Golden Sex Links, and a Silver Laced Wyendotte.

When looking for a new breed this year, I couldn't find a nice, all inclusive list that I could sort. So, I made my own! Download a copy here (sorted by egg laying productivity).

Good luck!
Marty

(p.s. By the way, I'll have some "point of lay" 18 week old, hand raised, kid loved, Barred Plymouth Rocks and Delaware’s ready the week of July 12th. I'm putting them on KSL for $17.50 each. We'll see what happens by the end of that week.)

 

[PacsMan]

Quote:
Sorry about Poppy.

I still haven't told the kids that I sent "Ducky" (the Buff Orp Roo that we hatched), to freezer camp. (myself!) I did it 2 days before our 10 day cruise.
When we got back, my 12 year old hounded me how I got rid of Ducky. All I'd say is, "Get your grades up and clean your room, and I'll tell you." Guess what. He still doesn't know. (*sigh*)