Washingtonians

[Chicken Rustler]

Hello! I'm new around here... I'm completely new to BYC raising... we are building our coop starting tomorrow and getting our wee chicks in the afternoon (we picked out two barred rock and two RIR this morning)

Can anyone direct me of some good places to learn more about what I should expect with my 1 weekers coming home tomorrow??

It is much easier if you can ask the?? then we can try to answer. Also IF ya happen to be close to the Bonney Lake area I could put ya in contact with some one there.

 

[T Hi]

Hello! I'm new around here... I'm completely new to BYC raising... we are building our coop starting tomorrow and getting our wee chicks in the afternoon (we picked out two barred rock and two RIR this morning)

Can anyone direct me of some good places to learn more about what I should expect with my 1 weekers coming home tomorrow??

 

The first thing that you should know is.......... get DUCKS not chickens!!!!

Seriously....welcome! Lots of great info about those OTHER kinds of poultry. But if you ever want to know how to really live...... then just ask me!!! My name is T Hi and I'm a duckaholic!

 

[ErinMartin927]

We're setting it up just like how they're kept at the store we're purchasing them from (The Garden Sphere in Tacoma) - an aquarium with topper (chicken wire on a frame, HAHA), a heat lamp, and food/water feeders over newspaper. Does that sound about right? I'm designing a coop to build at the moment...

 

[ErinMartin927]

The first thing that you should know is.......... get DUCKS not chickens!!!!

Seriously....welcome! Lots of great info about those OTHER kinds of poultry. But if you ever want to know how to really live...... then just ask me!!! My name is T Hi and I'm a duckaholic!

I love ducks... I was looking at little ducklings on craigs list tonight (hey, they popped up even on my chick search!) and was wondering if they can live together in the same coop?

 

[RaZ]

As for lighting, I appreciate the wide array of insight from many different opinions on this thread. I will be doing supplementary lighting, but perhaps not the whole 14 hours all winter. I think that I will stick to setting it at 4-5am all winter and just see what happens.

If you PM me your town, I can calculate the minutes of natural daylight for your area. Then I can add the minutes of artificial light that you add. Then I can compare that to my area and make a correlation.

The only "real" problem is that some of my birds are not every day layers. And that is breed related, not light related. Still, it is fun to try to draw some conclusions.

 

[T Hi]

I love ducks... I was looking at little ducklings on craigs list tonight (hey, they popped up even on my chick search!) and was wondering if they can live together in the same coop?

 

Oh I will have you converted in no time then!! Yes ducks and chickens can live in harmony depending on the breeds.

 

[Chicken Rustler]

Quote: Be careful associating with dat T Hi ... She is a quack head

 

[ErinMartin927]

Oh.. I 'spose I should tell a little about myself?

My husband and I are celebrating our 8 year wedding anniversary this month (in about a week and a half, actually). My husband is a diesel mechanic and parts manager with a local lumber company, and I'm a stay at home mom/student. I am studying nursing (technically 'pre-nursing') and will graduate in the Spring and hopefully transfer on next fall to a 4 year establishment to finish up with my BSN. I'm also in the process of joining the Air Force Reserves.

We have a zoo full house... 4 children ranging in ages from 2-7, a boxer dog named Harlow, and 3 cats; Oliver, Sullivan, and Antonio (aka Tony). We were homeschoolers up until this year, now my two eldest are in public school. We hope to move to a more rural area in a few years, and add some horses, goats, and other livestock to our family; we would love to have a large garden on our land as well! First, I have to stop killing all my plants. LOL

Baby steps though... first, we start with chickens

 

[Cloverleaf Farm]

We're setting it up just like how they're kept at the store we're purchasing them from (The Garden Sphere in Tacoma) - an aquarium with topper (chicken wire on a frame, HAHA), a heat lamp, and food/water feeders over newspaper. Does that sound about right? I'm designing a coop to build at the moment...

Not newspaper, it's too slick and the chicks can slip tendons, causing spraddle leg. You want pine shavings.

 

[T Hi]

We're setting it up just like how they're kept at the store we're purchasing them from (The Garden Sphere in Tacoma) - an aquarium with topper (chicken wire on a frame, HAHA), a heat lamp, and food/water feeders over newspaper. Does that sound about right? I'm designing a coop to build at the moment...

 

I would be careful with using a fish tank and a heating lamp. if you lay the heat lamp right on the wire mesh top then it can get WAY too warm inside the tank. Glass holds heat. If you can..... I would have your set up running for 24 hours with a thermometer inside just to be sure the temp is ok.