Wisconsin "Cheeseheads"

[Firstchic]

Oh, Big question......do I need to feed my babies grit/oyster shells if they were hatched April 27?

 

[Cindlady]

Hi Firstchick..... I think Jim was talking about if they were in a coop. If you have them in a tractor then 1 roost is OK. You do want at least a foot parallel from a wall though so they have room to sit.
If you are feeding chick food, it does contain a small amount of grit. If you wish you can spread a little out in the run. They will pick up what they need. They won't need extra calcium until they start to lay.
I would pinch off the top of the tomato and see if that stimulates it.

 

[babylady4]

This was part of my day yesterday; hanging out in BigZ's backyard........

 

[glarnerchicks]

Thanks for the reassurance, CC. They seem healthy and happy so i wasn't too worried.

 

[wyoDreamer]

@Firstchic I think Jim was talking about a number of roosts being put up for your birds in the coop. One rule of thumb is 1 foot of roost space for each bird. If you need more than one roost to get that length, then hang them in a stair-step way so one bird does not poop one the one underneath it.

 

[glarnerchicks]

Anyone looking for a young speckled Sussex roo? Friend has one to rehome.

My aunt and uncle brought a tub of mulberries - pie and oatmeal now! Yum.

 

[jvls1942]

I have not had a notification for days....thought everybody was sleeping. My son and I in our good ole Redneck way got the run and shed/coop ready for the young girls/and boy. They were quite traumatized. would not come out of the shed. We will put up roost for them today. I checked late yesterday and they were just venturing out into the run. I remember Jim told me that the roost needed to be for the top roost 1' away from the wall and the bottom 3'....my son said that did not make sense (no offense Jim) because no way was the tractor roost to those measurement.
Too many threads to recheck what Jim was saying especially since I missed quite a few from not getting notifications. Can you give me a reason why the roost have to be at these dimensions?
.

I have a regular coop,, you have it backward..
the bottom roost is 1 foot high and 1 foot from the wall,,
the second roost is 2 feet high and 2 feet from the wall..
the 3 rd roost is 3 feet high and 3 feet from the wall..

the reason:
the chickens can use the roosts like stairs to get up to the top roost and back down to the floor..
the horizontal spacing is so the higher chickens do not shlt on the lower ones..

by having the higher roost farther from the wall, I can get a shovel under the roosts and all the way to the wall without having to remove the roosts..

however, all the roosts can be the same height..
In my other coop, the 3 roosts are the same height.. about 30 inches off the floor,,
the whole thing can be removed easily for cleaning the coop..

in my two mobile coops, the 3 roosts are all the same height and 2 feet high..

your chickens are not traumatized,, many chickens act that way in new surroundings..
they are not adventurists,, they do not like to go where no one has gone before ..

 

[jvls1942]

Nice sunny day today, I just got off work and am heading for a short nap. Hopefully, out on the Bay this afternoon.

Jim, too bad I am so far away - I would buy those volunteer tomatoes off you... looks like the ones I planted may not make it.

Off to clean the guinea coop and the chick coop. Compost away coop poop, my garden needs it.

they are volunteer Potatoes in my tomato garden,, hence they are weeds..

 

[45ishChickenMom]

Good morning, CelticChick~
Quote: I can't have roosters in town. It would be a gamble to keep him with a no-crow collar AND not knowing if he's going to be hellion or a gentleman.

 

[Celtic Chick]

Good morning, CelticChick~
I can't have roosters in town. It would be a gamble to keep him with a no-crow collar AND not knowing if he's going to be hellion or a gentleman.

Good morning to you too. If you are in town & can only have a microscopic number of hens, then I would definitely rehome him & get another pullet. Roosters don't serve much purpose other than for breeding.

If he does turn into a hellion, it does make the decision easier about what to do with him.