Washingtonians

[LovemyBabies]

Hey, things are great, moving about 700 birds a week and having none of the health or overcrowding problems from last year~ Rory left for california in september, so no more resident chicken expert, unfortunately.

hahahahaha I just moved UP from there... blaaaah... spent 30 yrs too long living in Cali... thank goodness I dont really have to see that place anymore (well except for daughter).. so much better here

--- do u know where abouts in Cali?

 

[KMoran]

Hey guys I have a quick question... I am making plans for a new coop I am doing a large coop with separate pens for each of my breeds. I am not sure which breeds yet but I know I want at least 3... I also want to have a Roo for each breed so that I get pure eggs to hatch. My question is does the roo have to stay with his girls 100% of the time? I know you dont want more then 1 roo in the same pen but I would like all my girls in the same pen and then removing them and putting them in with the Roo when I want fertile hatching eggs. Is this a good idea or do I need to keep them together at all the time? I have heard that if you separate them the roo will beat up on the hens or kill them? Ideally I want around 25 hens of 3 - 4 breeds. Thanks

 

[MonFeed]

Actually, there was a mix up on the Iowa Blues... was yours a light yellow or a dark blue? We had it mixed up with the blue sumatras originally.... I still have like 3 or 4 of the actual Iowa's left. Hopefully it'll get worked out!
Regarding Rory, he moved to the Sacramento area.
Kmoran, 25 hens is way too many for 1 rooster. I cant think of the right ratio but i think its like 1 rooster to 8 hens? I might be way off.

 

[KMoran]

I know thats why I said I want 1 roo for each of the 3 or 4 breeds... Ideally there will be 1 roo to every 5 -7 hens of same breed for a total of about 25 hens for all breeds.

 

[MonFeed]

Ah sorry, misunderstood. Sounds like a pain, but I wonder how actual breeders do it. I'll watch for a real answer too

 

[LovemyBabies]

Actually, there was a mix up on the Iowa Blues... was yours a light yellow or a dark blue? We had it mixed up with the blue sumatras originally.... I still have like 3 or 4 of the actual Iowa's left. Hopefully it'll get worked out!
Regarding Rory, he moved to the Sacramento area.
Kmoran, 25 hens is way too many for 1 rooster. I cant think of the right ratio but i think its like 1 rooster to 8 hens? I might be way off.

we got the Sumatras as well... Rhonda was there that weekend... so we got the right bunch -- I was just wondering if the Iowa's managed to be a lil older ..due to some what size difference. I'm guessing chicks arent exactly a day old when they arrive... depending where they get shipped from?... Do u know which Hatchery u go through?

 

[TrystInn]

Hey guys I have a quick question... I am making plans for a new coop I am doing a large coop with separate pens for each of my breeds. I am not sure which breeds yet but I know I want at least 3... I also want to have a Roo for each breed so that I get pure eggs to hatch. My question is does the roo have to stay with his girls 100% of the time? I know you dont want more then 1 roo in the same pen but I would like all my girls in the same pen and then removing them and putting them in with the Roo when I want fertile hatching eggs. Is this a good idea or do I need to keep them together at all the time? I have heard that if you separate them the roo will beat up on the hens or kill them? Ideally I want around 25 hens of 3 - 4 breeds. Thanks

First off, from the sounds of your build, that's not going to work. 75 (update edit below) in 1 pen isn't going to be enough room unless you are building massive pens - also, where are you going to put those 3 or 4 roosters when they aren't with the hens? And yes, re-introduction to a rooster can be an issue, depends quite a bit on the breed and the personality of the individuals. Its also incredibly depressing for the poor roosters who aren't really meant to live solitary lives.

Pardon: I misunderstood you - okay, 25 in one pen is still a hell of a lot unless you're building a huge pen. What's the dimensions you're talking about?

Secondly, why don't you want the roosters in with their ladies except when you want fertile eggs? I'm trying to figure out what's behind the mindset there. Roosters are a marvelous addition to the flock and are generally a bonus, not a detriment unless you have an insanely aggressive roo, in which case you wouldn't want him anyway for your breeding program as that behavior is genetic.

 

[ChickenLisa3]

Hi there!

My family and I are 3-weeks new to the chicken thing, and have about a month before we're moving our growing chicks into their snazzy coop outside. We live in Seattle, and are not quite sure how to cover the floor of the coop. I've read a lot of comments on here about sand vs gravel, but I'm wondering what other chicken lovers are doing in this area of the country.

Is sand a bad idea in the rainy climate? Is gravel a better idea? Any tips for the best floor covering (on top of dirt that, until a few weeks ago, grew only moss and weeds) for our 3x10 foot run?

Thank you for your help!

Lisa

 

[MonFeed]

The Iowa Blues came in on Friday the 13th, were hatched on wednesday the 11th. This is true with all of our friday arrivals, as far as I know. We got those from Privett hatchery, I believe.

 

[LovemyBabies]

Hi there!

My family and I are 3-weeks new to the chicken thing, and have about a month before we're moving our growing chicks into their snazzy coop outside. We live in Seattle, and are not quite sure how to cover the floor of the coop. I've read a lot of comments on here about sand vs gravel, but I'm wondering what other chicken lovers are doing in this area of the country.

Is sand a bad idea in the rainy climate? Is gravel a better idea? Any tips for the best floor covering (on top of dirt that, until a few weeks ago, grew only moss and weeds) for our 3x10 foot run?

Thank you for your help!

Lisa

I've read sooo many Do's & Dont do's with what to use for chicks.... if it's not one thing it's another....... We were going to use Hay for ours... but while I was in the process of putting it down, before placing them in their room... I had a reaction to it (not good).... so there blew that idea... We've been using Pine Shavings & Pine Pellets with ours... Some say no newspaper, others say u can use...Pine shavings its cuz they eat it... but then if u use the Pellets & they get wet, turns into a dusty mush... so winds up being same case... ours so far are doing great with the shavings & pellets... I have no choice but to really use the Pine stuff, plus i also read it helps them build up immunities.... just DONT use Cedar from everywhere that I read. Guess it all depends really..