Wisconsin "Cheeseheads"

[Firstchic]

And very, VERY fuzzy.

So what is #9 Jim? Boy or girl? Did she come in the house yet?

Firstchic, how is your red doing? Any better?

Yes, the red does seem to be better or at least she does not collect as much poo around her butt, it seems. Gimpy is coming along good too, so see Jim, good thing I did not cull her, even tho I had no idea what cull was. So, I'm thinking, this summer, later on, maybe July, I will be looking for an already built coop, regular coop. to hold about 12 -15 chickens. I see alot of folks on here do not have good things to say about some of these coops sold at FleetFarm or that tractor place. How much would I expect to spend on one? and how big should it be?

 

[Celtic Chick]

Yes, the red does seem to be better or at least she does not collect as much poo around her butt, it seems. Gimpy is coming along good too, so see Jim, good thing I did not cull her, even tho I had no idea what cull was. So, I'm thinking, this summer, later on, maybe July, I will be looking for an already built coop, regular coop. to hold about 12 -15 chickens. I see alot of folks on here do not have good things to say about some of these coops sold at FleetFarm or that tractor place. How much would I expect to spend on one? and how big should it be?

As big as you can afford!

That is a dangerous question to ask here on what size coop to get. We are enablers, ya know. And we will help you fill it up in no time.

If you are looking for something already built, good luck. It will cost you.

Prefab anything is just junk, IMHO.

And those prefab coops are just a joke. I swear they use glorified cardboard & call it wood. Don't expect them to last very long out in the elements. They are also smaller than all get-out and really expensive too.

You can start out with a shed. Add a couple windows, some insulation & maybe an exhaust fan & you're good to go. It doesn't need to be fancy but warm in winter, cool in summer and easy to clean are all things to consider. Making them bigger than you originally planned will help with chicken math and give the ladies more room in the winter when they refuse to go outside.

I am glad they are doing better for you.

 

[JustJohn]

nice to see some chicken talk on here for a change. I thought we could change it to "back yard crab . com" for awhile there.

we have our eggs in lock down at the 4k class this week.
Hopefully they will be hatching some of Cuties BLRW chickies.

photos to come.

JJ

 

[Firstchic]

nice to see some chicken talk on here for a change. I thought we could change it to "back yard crab . com" for awhile there.

we have our eggs in lock down at the 4k class this week.
Hopefully they will be hatching some of Cuties BLRW chickies.

photos to come.

JJ

nice to see some chicken talk on here for a change. I thought we could change it to "back yard crab . com" for awhile there.

we have our eggs in lock down at the 4k class this week.
Hopefully they will be hatching some of Cuties BLRW chickies.

photos to come.

JJ

I do apoligize John, I did not know this was an only chicken talk forum as I saw dogs and duck and all sorts of other stuff. No more backyard stuff from me.

 

[wyoDreamer]

Backyard stuff is OK; although, it really did seem that the crab tree talk was taking over. Honestly, unless we can get good pictures of the bark, the leaves, and the fruit of the tree, identification is really hard. There are so many trees that bloom. Maybe your local extension office can help you with the tree identification...
And good luck with the coop plans. I second what @Celtic Chick says about starting with a shed. Nice thing about starting with a shed is that you can build some storage area into it as you set it up for chickens. A place to store your chicken first-aid supplies, any extra feeders, brooder equipment, bins/bags of feed, and what not. The rule of thumb tossed out there is to plan for 4 square feet of indoor space per chicken and 1 foot lineal foot of roost - so 15 chickens would like 60 square feet of floor with 15 feet of roosts as a minimum. In Wisconsin, extra indoor space will help reduce stress on the birds during the winter when they won't go outside.

 

[irishrovr]

I do apoligize John, I did not know this was an only chicken talk forum as I saw dogs and duck and all sorts of other stuff. No more backyard stuff from me.

We're all "dabblers" here and generally find some of the off-track discussions interesting. JJ prolly had his tongue in his cheek. No one is upset!

 

[babylady4]

Yup, we discuss a lot of topics other than just chickens.

 

[Celtic Chick]

Yup, we discuss a lot of topics other than just chickens.

You betcha!

 

[JustJohn]

I do apoligize John, I did not know this was an only chicken talk forum as I saw dogs and duck and all sorts of other stuff. No more backyard stuff from me.

nobody mentioned any names on purpose. no need to apologise. jokes, just jokes


I just received an email from the 4k teacher that the eggs are hatching early! Every year it is a struggle to have them hatch when the kids are there to see.

JJ

 

[Firstchic]

So, my son cannot pet my chickens without getting pecked. Especially the Black ones. I on the other had can pet a couple of them, Gimpy and one of the Black. The reds and Dinner are still kind of skittish yet.