Wisconsin "Cheeseheads"

[Dr HaHa]

Choo Choo has left the building!

About 5 minutes ago. Black with a half black beak, and black legs. She's a beaut! Strong lil cuss too already up right and lifting it's head. Only 3 1/2 hours to pop out. Glad I added gas to the tractor it's been warming up for half an hour. Guess I gotta do some reading already have 2 pics.

 

[Dr HaHa]

Guess I was cited. Not the Choo Choo! It is to be now forever known as Sambo!

 

[Bigfamily4me]

Bbbbrrrrrrrr cold is right! Not a horrible amount of snow but the wind is yuck!

I am listening to all your sage advice of chickies and coop. We have a steel pole shed with a concrete slab next to it. My plan is to build my coop inside the pole shed. I am planning on building it 12 ft long by 8 ft wide and 6 ft high. It will have a door to the concrete slab which is already fenced in from our past dogs. It's 30 ft long by 18 ft wide. I need to put chicken netting or something over the top of the run though to protect from predators. I am also planning on chickies having free range time everyday, but inside for the night!

According to what I've read, this should accommodate 36-48 chickens based on the 2-3 sq ft per chicken rule. The building inside the pole shed will keep them cooler in summer, warmer in winter, and protect them from the elements very nicely. There is a window in the shed to let in light, but I'm thinking of having part of the coop roof have skylights or plexiglass to let in as much light as possible.

What say you? Sound good? Any changes or ideas you have?

I just can't wait to have chickens and my own farm fresh eggs everyday!
Heather

 

[FrenchToast]

Gonna be a long day !!! With not going to bed until after 5am then to be woken up by OM after he left for work, comes back in the bedroom to tell me that "The truck won't start" Like I needed to know right then and there !!!

So unless we get it started I don't have a vehicle to go get 1000 lbs of my feed !!!

Congrats on Sambo DrHa !!!! Must be a boy !! Now you have to name the next little black chick Oprah !!!

I have a black donkey named Oprah. The guy I got her from said one day he looked out there and there was this little black thing out in the field with the two donkeys he bought. Little black girl so he named her Oprah ! We call her Oppie for short or Ope.

Weather doesn't look good here. Windy, cold and it still looked like it was snowing a bit.

TO they say that the vaulted skulled birds have the brain basically pushed out of the skull making them more vulnerable to injury. I have know idea if there is a dead air space underneath that vaulted skull or not?? Good question. I got some chicks from someone on BYC two years ago and one hatched with such a big vaulted skull it never developed an eye on one side and the other was basically pinched shut from huge skull. I obviously never used those bloodlines to breed to.

Bf4me I'd say you have allot of room. I'd get a couple chicks of each breed that you like and try them. Don't get to carried away at first because I see you have been forewarned, chicken math WILL take over.
I would just stay away from breeds that are know to be aggressive or timid to avoid stress on them. Also some breeds handle confinement better then others.

Feel like taking a nap and I just got up not to long ago ! Can't remember what else I was going to say. Did you all check out that like I posted to the old man ? It's good !

 

[FrenchToast]

A mixed flock consisting of faverolles and cochins would be wonderful. Actually, that's the two breeds of bantams I have. The cochins don't lay a ton of eggs, but they are very sweet chickens. If you are interested in cochins and don't mind that they don't produce a whole lot of eggs you should get them. They are my favorite breed. A lot of people go with wyandottes because of their cold hardiness and laying ability.

I still haven't found a way to get this computer monitor to Tiki. I've been doing a lot of running around lately delivering roosters and don't have the motivation or the $ to run to Menomonie anytime soon.

Glad you found one for her. Did you call her to see if she can come and get it ?

 

[Dr HaHa]

Was thinking the other day that I really should have another bator. It really bothers me that the hatched chicks run a muck over the other eggs changing their orientation. Bf4 Ha now have a bl4 and a Bf4. That's a good thing to build it inside your pole building lots of room for expansion.

Forgot to say good job Cind on the hen!

Hope she's OK! There's a lot more but my head is elsewhere. Come on FT say it. Jim would. Samborena is runningamuck! Really want another bator! The Fijord did an excellent job on the driveway and in half the time. What a day!

 

[FrenchToast]

Was thinking the other day that I really should have another bator. It really bothers me that the hatched chicks run a muck over the other eggs changing their orientation. Bf4 Ha now have a bl4 and a Bf4. That's a good thing to build it inside your pole building lots of room for expansion.

Forgot to say good job Cind on the hen!

Hope she's OK! There's a lot more but my head is elsewhere. Come on FT say it. Jim would. Samborena is runningamuck! Really want another bator! The Fijord did an excellent job on the driveway and in half the time. What a day!

Samborena !!!

Sure keep rubbing it in that your tractor is running !!!

I'm just reading the reviews on different ducks. Looks like the Kakhi Campbell and Welsh Harlequin are good layers. I'll have to check CL.l

 

[bigzio]

Sunny Afternoon All....Had trouble with the yahoo provider today. Just able to get on now. I caught up on the reading and have a little brain overload...doesn't take much some days.

Congrats on the hatch so far Doc. I have the same problem with the smileys. I don 't know how many differnt ways I tried to fix the blinkin deal on the wrong side of the road.

Glad you saved the hen Cind. Hope the limp clears up.

Bf4, one needs to consider that during the winter, if the flock isn't using the outside run your square feet are truly reduced. Large fowl confined to only the coop need 8 to 10 sq ft per bird to avoid stress and picking. Some keep more than that, however flocks with extra room do much better. In my opinion.

The blower got the job done today. We had 6" of the nasty stuff. My tractor runs like yours FT.

I need to win the lottery so I can trade the misfit off!

Later... bigz

 

[GhostRider65]

Good day y'all
We got about 5 or 6 inches hard to tell for sure cuz its all blown all over in drifts by the wind...some are 3 feet high....hubby is out plowing them down now.... I got up to feed the babies opened the pop door, and no one went out LOL too much snow, and they stayed in all day yesterday.... so got me a shovel and dug out the entire run and threw some hay down to keep there little feeties warm.... then everyone came out. They are all taking a dust bath under there windbreak lean too. so they seem happy enough, I'm half frozen to death so thought I'd warm up inside for a bit before finishing the horses dig out, mostly that's just near the door where the wind whipped it around the corner. Poor babies are covered with icicles this morning. Butthere the silly things that stand out in it instead of coming in the barn. Goofy things. So anyway Just thought I'd say hi to everyone. Kim

 

[Terri O]

Home from work with some feed for the chickens...I am sure they will be happy to see me today!
DrH--I am confused about the bird that hatched...is it from the HO egg or the B egg? If the chick came from the HO egg and doesnt have feathered legs then the Dad isnt my cochin! (DUH) The only other Roo bird that goes in there is the Phoenix. So I guess if that is the case then you have a black hen and a Phoenix for you parents. BUT....if it is a B egg then I have no idea which of those chickens start out black in color....

Well I better get on out there and feed some hungry critters! Later all--Terri O