Wisconsin "Cheeseheads"

[momgille]

My Stacy, you missed your calling as a framer! A little time, paper and pencil and wahlah...will enjoy seeing the project develop...

Magnificent... I had one slow pullet that didn't want to go into the coop at night and kept taking to the top of the coop. Captured her 3 nights running and not she is in the habit of going it... I agree with the others, the heat and pecking order can make it difficult for the last one or two to head to bed... Maybe if you had waited another 20 minutes they would have made their way in... I also have noticed if I have recently cleaned and changed the bedding in the coop none of the them like to go in... They are especially fond of a soiled coop it seems! Must not smell like home I guess

 

[Magnificent5]

Thanks guys for the replies. The nights they would not go in the coop they stayed out all night. I do think it is the heat and humidity. All five were sitting together in the light breeze. I put them in last night and closed the door. This morning two were on the perches and three were in the bedding. All seemed ok. I will put them in the next couple of nights and leave them to their own devices over the weekend when we are gone.

 

[jvls1942]

Thanks guys for the replies. The nights they would not go in the coop they stayed out all night. I do think it is the heat and humidity. All five were sitting together in the light breeze. I put them in last night and closed the door. This morning two were on the perches and three were in the bedding. All seemed ok. I will put them in the next couple of nights and leave them to their own devices over the weekend when we are gone.

you mentioned that all 5 of them would not go in,, since that is all you have, it is not a pecking order issue..

try putting a light inside the coop.. when it gets dark, they usually gravitate toward the light..

as long as you are confident with your covered run, leave the free range door closed while you are gone and let them decide if they want to go in,,

I could smell skunk last night,, the dogs were barking so I didn't get too concerned ..
all is well this morning..

after butchering another 12 pullets yesterday, we still have about 30 more to do..
two batches of 15 will take care of that ..

I am tempted to order 25 more and butcher them just before Thanksgiving..
maybe by then I will have my chicken plucker built ..it is started, I just have to get back at it.

...........jiminwisc.......

 

[bigzio]

Summer Day here for sure....we did another 10 quarts of V8 today...that makes 40 so far, and more to come yet.

The cockerels are looking good and the jousting is growing daily now. I'll prolly keep two just to be sure that a culprit doesn't ruin my plans.

I shoulda cut grass today, but it can wait....it's such a thankless job.

Stay Safe.... bigz

 

[momgille]

Yep we should have cut the lawn too, but instead a neighbor came and removed 2 -3 inches of top soil from the rear of the house.... After 30 years the soil and grass have grown above the level of the patio so in a good rain storm the water comes towards the house... Prevention better than hind sight in this case... so we leveled and rototilled, raked and seeded...sprinkled and will wait for the grass to grow... An entire huge yard with grass and bugs and those chickens want to re-arrange grass seed... they are under house arrest for a week till in germinates. Raspberries coming in droves... love em but haven't cleared the freezer of all of last years. Gave a try at raspberry wine but that was a fail... guess I will just keep the neighbors happy!

 

[Celtic Chick]

Hello,

I need some advice. For the last four days our 5 chickens ( 3 black aust. and 2 buff orps) will not go into their hen house at night. They will go up the ramp and sit on the porch of the house. They are about 4 months old now. The hen house is plenty big, the bedding is clean and fresh. It is well ventilated but not drafty. There are two perches in there with plenty of room for all 5. Due to the fact that there are some times when we have to go out of town overnight I was hoping that I would not have to shut the door on them every night. For several weeks prior to this they went in every night on their own with the door open. Tonight I shooed them into the house and shut the door. The enclosed run has a nice roof and is completely enclosed with poultry mesh around a chain link fence so I am not worried about predators. My question: Is there anyway to correct this or am I going to have to shut the door every night when I am home?

Do you have any windows in the coop? Have you tried putting a fan in the window to either pull some air in or to blow the hot air out? If no window, try to hang a fan inside to circulate the air, just don't point it at the roosts. That might help.

If you still have the same problem after it cools off a little, try locking them in the coop for a day so they learn where to sleep at night (just don't do it on a hot day). Sometimes it may take more than one day, but they get it eventually. I agree with everyone else that it is probably too hot inside your coop. If you have to be away often overnight, I would suggest that you try to make it more comfortable for them inside so they go in at night. No run or coop is completely pred proof unfortunately, and as the temps start falling, those wily creatures will get more desperate for a chicken dinner. I hope it never happens, but an ounce of prevention.......

Good luck!

Irish, maybe try PMing TerriO for quail egg prices?

All I can say Staci is oh my, that is going to be awesome.

You rock! I wish I had half of your talent & know-how. Please keep us updated on your project with pics if possible.

 

[Cindlady]

Hi All!

Nothing new.

Night All.

 

[Daethen]

Just stopping in to say hi from a fellow Wisconsinite. It will be nice to narrow some of the posts to my fellow Cheeseheads. I am also looking for 1 or 2 Pekin duck hens. I have 4 boys and 1 poor hen. I am in the process of finding some of the boys a nice retirement home and would like to have another hen or 2 to keep the flock happy. Can't wait to catch up on this thread.

 

[jvls1942]

Hi new people .

and to the cheeseheads,,
we are so happy you found us .

I don't have anything planned for today,, I am thinking I will go to the shop and work on the plucker..
I have most of the frame done, just have to put some corner braces on it.. then have to make the housing for the chain and sprockets..

still have 30 chickens to butcher, would be nice to be able to try it out on some of them,,

.........jiminwisc..........

 

[corewassen87]

Good afternoons everybody in WI! I'm in the antigo area and it's been mid 80's. Anyone else's chickens turn off the production a bit ?! Good luck getting that plucker done. I hope to raise some Cornish x next year for butcher. They're unbelievable compared to store bought