[Food] Production - Poultry (was Backyard Chickens)

DomusAlbion

That is the best chicken hotel I've ever seen, HL. Kudos.

Are you going to pinion your birds? You may be surprised as to how far and high they can fly. I could see them getting onto the roof of the coop and from there to the top of the fence and over.

I'm totally jazzed and pleased to report that two of my hens have gone broody. One is sitting on a clutch of eggs in the poultry palace while another, the odd sister, has made a nest in the gravel just inside the garage. Both have been ensconced in their nests for 2 days now and give me warning clucks if I get too close. So in three weeks there should be a collection of new chicks to increase our flock. We've been hatching eggs this spring but this will be the first "all natural" births. It will be fun to see the hens taking care of their young ones.
_________________
"Modern Agriculture is the use of land to convert petroleum into food."
-- Albert Bartlett

"It will be a dark time. But for those who survive, I suspect it will be rather exciting."
-- James Lovelock

Hagakure_Leofman

wisconsin_cur · Moderator Joined: May 10, 2007 Posts: 2968

The temporary chicken brooding area is done and it is 3/4. If there are twelve eggs this morning and another broody I will fill it up.

_________________
"Mit der Dummheit kaempfen Goetter selbst vergebens" -Friedrich von Schiller

coffee

"Got farm?" -MD

Pops

wisconsin_cur · Moderator Joined: May 10, 2007 Posts: 2968

The temporary chicken brooder is built and in use. I noticed last summer that the chooks became a lot less broody not too long after the days started getting shorter so I am trying to employ their mothering instincts as soon as possible. They are in the half-built barn.

By next year I will hopefully have something a little more permanent set up.
_________________
"Mit der Dummheit kaempfen Goetter selbst vergebens" -Friedrich von Schiller

coffee

"Got farm?" -MD

Hagakure_Leofman

DomusAlbion

I'm a grandfather ... err ... well that is, one of the hen's clutch of eggs has hatched! Very Happy

This is the first batch of eggs that we've hatched by the natural method. Mother and chicks are doing well and it is going to be very exciting to see her maternal behavior unfold over the coming weeks.

One worry I have; the nest is elevated by 18 inches. I'm worried that a chick may venture out and fall to the floor below.

What will she do in such a situation?
Will the chick get pecked to death by the other hens and pullets that come into the coop?

All suggestions are welcome.
_________________
"Modern Agriculture is the use of land to convert petroleum into food."
-- Albert Bartlett

"It will be a dark time. But for those who survive, I suspect it will be rather exciting."
-- James Lovelock

CarlinsDarlin · Moderator Joined: Jul 02, 2004 Posts: 1395

Congrats Gramps! Smile

How many eggs is she sitting on? Over the next few days, they should continue to hatch and you'll have a bunch of grandchicks Smile

. The babies can live off their reserves (they eat the last of the egg before they hatch) for a couple days. The chick probably won't venture too far from her mama for at least a couple days. Once the hen gets a nestfull of babies, though, they'll be running everywhere. Watch her closely for a couple days. At this point if you try to move her, she'll probably abandon the rest of the eggs to take care of her one chick.

Once the rest of the eggs hatch (or all that are going to), OR the baby gets adventurous, she will come out of the nest. And 18 inches is a bit of a fall for a little one.

The only time we've had trouble with the older chickens picking on the babies (and yes, kill some of them) was when they were penned in a run. If your chickens are free range, then the mama will keep them away and/or protect them. If they're all penned together in a run, though, I'd separate them out into their own little run area.

Let us know how it goes. And congrats again Smile

Kathy

DomusAlbion

Kathy,

Of course there is a nice thick cushion of straw and litter under the nests so any fall will not be deadly.

The chicken yard is surrounded by fence but all the chickens do jump to the second rail and move out into the yard and garden. The chicks will not be able to get out of the chicken yard though, so they be protected somewhat. At least from the dogs.

We have another hen that got the crazy idea to lay in the garn (garage/barn) and she is sitting on a clutch in there. I'm more worried about them because our cockapoo Monk can get in there even with the doors closed. We trained him with a shock collar to stay away from the chickens but who knows with delicate little chicks.
_________________
"Modern Agriculture is the use of land to convert petroleum into food."
-- Albert Bartlett

"It will be a dark time. But for those who survive, I suspect it will be rather exciting."
-- James Lovelock

CarlinsDarlin · Moderator Joined: Jul 02, 2004 Posts: 1395

Yeah, watch that cockapoo. My dogs don't bother the adult hens much, but they obsess over the chicks. Something about the peep...peep...peep they make, I think.

SpringCreekFarm · Intermediate Crude Joined: Mar 03, 2006 Posts: 888

Finally! Finished this coop good enough to get the chicks to a bigger space. It took about 20 hours and $600 to do this much so far. The run will add to it but it should last for years to come.

As I've said about this building; it was our chicken coop when I was a child. I did countless chores in this shed and then one day dad decided it was better off as a shed for a manure spreader so he ripped the front off of it. It has been used as a shed for the last 25 years or so. Now it's back to being a coop again.

Anyway...here is how it looked a week or so ago.

Now here is the one I took tonight. It still needs the run and bit of a cleanup but that can wait until the weekend. I'm taking the rest of the week off... I wish!

I still have to build roosts and nests but that is not so important right away.

We moved the little darlings in right away. Here is my new brood settling in.

DomusAlbion

Wow, SpringCreekFarm. What a change!

I'm sure your cluckin' darlins' are loving their new digs.
_________________
"Modern Agriculture is the use of land to convert petroleum into food."
-- Albert Bartlett

"It will be a dark time. But for those who survive, I suspect it will be rather exciting."
-- James Lovelock

ohcomeon · Heavy Crude Joined: Jun 10, 2006 Posts: 122 Location: USA

SpringCreekFarm I am jealous! I wish for a large coop like that.

We are getting ready to put ours up this weekend probably but it's just a metal building... Right now I've 21 chicks, but I may be about to lose one.

Here's a question for you all: I have an Ameracauna that is about 6 weeks old. I have 2 other chicks from the same hatch who are fine, but this chick appeared to have stopped growing a week or two ago. She is one of the older ones, but is now one of the smallest chicks I have out of all in that age range. In fact, I have some two weeks younger who are larger. I did isolate her 2 days ago and have fed her some scrambled eggs for the protein and have kept her well supplied with food and water. She is eating a good deal, poop looks normal. Crop does not seem overly full or empty, and her is not pasty. But she just sits. She has made little or no noise. She has not attempted to fly out of the very shallow box she's in. She just looks fluffed up and unkempt all the time and just sits. She can stand, and does not appear to be injured. Anybody got any ideas of anything I can do for this chick?? Or what might be wrong? I took out from with the others because although they were not pecking or being mean they were running over her. Now I wonder if she's depressed from being alone (if a chicken gets depressed...)

Sorry for so many details and questions, but this is my first flock and they are all young, so I am learning.

Lumpy

SpringCreek -
Way cool! Nice accomplishment in such a short time, too.

Think we are going to take a tip from you, and put our waterer up on concrete blocks. Will keep the poop and straw out!

Congrats to you Very Happy

Lumpy
_________________
Dean Karnazes : "Run when you can, walk when you have to, crawl if you must; just never give up." --- Jackie Joyner-Kersee: "It is better to look forward & prepare, than to look back & regret."

Hagakure_Leofman

SpringCreek!

That's a great upgrade. Kudos Cool

There is nothing like resurrecting and old building and giving it new life. My next project in that regard is breathing new life into an old dairy for our milking cow. I'll have to post photos when I get to it. We could almost have a thread on this kind of thing. I think Pops might have even started one from memory, but i can't remember the title.

Well done Smile