Fatjay picks up chicks!
- Thread starter fatjay
- Start date
Fun with chickens continues...
I hung extra linoleum on the wall so their projectile turds would be easier to clean rather than scraping the wall. But as it turns out, they just sat on the linoleum and crapped down behind it. So I cut slots on the studs and stapled the thing to the wall at an angle, so if they tried to get up there they'll slide down. They're still getting up to the rafters.
Went to tractor supply today to return some posts that I didn't need, wife ended up with 14 new chicks. 4 olive eggers and 10 prairie bluebell eggers. She asked for 8 bluebell's, but there were only 10 and the guy threw the extra 2 in at no charge. Whoops.
I hung extra linoleum on the wall so their projectile turds would be easier to clean rather than scraping the wall. But as it turns out, they just sat on the linoleum and crapped down behind it. So I cut slots on the studs and stapled the thing to the wall at an angle, so if they tried to get up there they'll slide down. They're still getting up to the rafters.
Went to tractor supply today to return some posts that I didn't need, wife ended up with 14 new chicks. 4 olive eggers and 10 prairie bluebell eggers. She asked for 8 bluebell's, but there were only 10 and the guy threw the extra 2 in at no charge. Whoops.
EddieWalker
Epic Contributor
Your wife sounds like my wife. Somehow we went from a dozen chickens in one coop to a hundred in 3 coops.
Be sure to have a plan if some of those chicks turn out to be roosters. Nothing is more evil then a rooster. He will be fine until the day he turns into the devil, then you have to kill him or get rid of him. He will only get worse every day that he exists.
Be sure to have a plan if some of those chicks turn out to be roosters. Nothing is more evil then a rooster. He will be fine until the day he turns into the devil, then you have to kill him or get rid of him. He will only get worse every day that he exists.
EddieWalker
Epic Contributor
We sell some, we eat some, and our 6 dogs eat a dozen every day. One with breakfast, one with dinner.
Not all of our hens lay regularly. After they turn 2 years old, they slow down. The older they get, the fewer eggs you get.
We free range, so some of the hens lay their eggs in odd places. It's always a surprise when you find several dozen eggs in a bucket or the cement mixer or a tunnel under the hay bale. Some also seem to drop an egg while wondering around. Totally random where we might find an egg. On a food day, we might get 4 dozen eggs. 3 dozen is pretty common. In winter, we will drop below 2 dozen.
Not all of our hens lay regularly. After they turn 2 years old, they slow down. The older they get, the fewer eggs you get.
We free range, so some of the hens lay their eggs in odd places. It's always a surprise when you find several dozen eggs in a bucket or the cement mixer or a tunnel under the hay bale. Some also seem to drop an egg while wondering around. Totally random where we might find an egg. On a food day, we might get 4 dozen eggs. 3 dozen is pretty common. In winter, we will drop below 2 dozen.
Chickens are getting along well, but they eat a lot. My 5lb feeder needs refilled every other day, as well as the 1 gallon waterer. So while picking up feed today, I picked up some sawhorse brackets and a 30lb feeder, and cleaned up my 2 gallon feeder.
Put together the saw horse so it'll hold 3-4 feeders with an 8' 2x8". Strung up some paracord and hung the feeders. Chickens took to them right away. I'm going away for 2 weeks in october, my parents will be checking in on the chickens and collecting eggs. I don't want them to have to be adding food and water every day, maybe once or twice a week. And there won't be 12 chickens in the run then, there will be 26, so I imagine food and water consumption will go up considerably.
I'm going to add a piece of plywood or something over the new hanger to provide cover. It's supposed to rain tomorrow night, so I'll probably need that sooner rather than later.
Put together the saw horse so it'll hold 3-4 feeders with an 8' 2x8". Strung up some paracord and hung the feeders. Chickens took to them right away. I'm going away for 2 weeks in october, my parents will be checking in on the chickens and collecting eggs. I don't want them to have to be adding food and water every day, maybe once or twice a week. And there won't be 12 chickens in the run then, there will be 26, so I imagine food and water consumption will go up considerably.
I'm going to add a piece of plywood or something over the new hanger to provide cover. It's supposed to rain tomorrow night, so I'll probably need that sooner rather than later.
BoylermanCT
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- Barkhamsted, CT
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- Montana R2844, New Holland TC29D, Hustler X-One
How is your wingless chicken doing? Did she recover fully?
We added 13 chicks this Spring, and they just started laying a week or two ago. We are getting 6 half size eggs a day from them. That brings us to 25 chickens, 1 rooster, 8 mallards and 4 pekins. We sell 1-2 dozen a day at our road side egg stand.
We added 13 chicks this Spring, and they just started laying a week or two ago. We are getting 6 half size eggs a day from them. That brings us to 25 chickens, 1 rooster, 8 mallards and 4 pekins. We sell 1-2 dozen a day at our road side egg stand.
One winged chicken is basically completely recovered. Aside from a protruding bone. The wounds seem to have healed around it, fully feathered, no signs of infection. I'm honestly shocked.
Do you free range or have a run? The wife wanted ducks but I said no because of the no water thing. She sugested a kiddy pool but I reminded her it snows and freezes here, it would be an ice rink. And 11x28 is a bit cramped if we get any more chickens.
Do you free range or have a run? The wife wanted ducks but I said no because of the no water thing. She sugested a kiddy pool but I reminded her it snows and freezes here, it would be an ice rink. And 11x28 is a bit cramped if we get any more chickens.
BoylermanCT
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2013
- Messages
- 1,507
- Location
- Barkhamsted, CT
- Tractor
- Montana R2844, New Holland TC29D, Hustler X-One
I do both free range and have them in a run. They have a 15x15 run completely fenced in with a roof over it attached to the 12x16 coop, and I let them out each day for 3-4 hours into a 1/4 acre open air run with 4' high electric net fencing. My ducks are content with two 2 gallon bowls of water to swim in. They have access to a 2 acre pond 20' on the other side of the electric fence, and my mallards can fly, but they aren't interested in the pond! Ducks definitely make a mess but I enjoy having them around.
26 chickens go through a good amount of feed and water, my 3gal waterer and 30lb feeder are empty in 2-3 days. Which I'm fine with filling, but I'm going on vacation and will have my elderly mother coming over a few times a day to check on them and feed the cats. I don't want her to have to deal with feeding and watering, especially those 50lb feed bags, it's to much for her.
So I picked up a 16 gallon heated water tank and a 27 gallon tub for feed. Picked up some feeders and waterers off amazon.
Started off with the feeder. Ordered 8 feeders, drilled 8 holes, received 6 feeders, turns out i picked hte wrong one. So I covered the holes on the inside with plexiglass and taped the outside so I could see how much feed was in there. Made a triangle out of cardboard to prevent feed from piling up in the middle that wouldn't be able to be reached by the chickens. And made a roof thing so the chickens can't stand and crap all over the top.
So I picked up a 16 gallon heated water tank and a 27 gallon tub for feed. Picked up some feeders and waterers off amazon.
Started off with the feeder. Ordered 8 feeders, drilled 8 holes, received 6 feeders, turns out i picked hte wrong one. So I covered the holes on the inside with plexiglass and taped the outside so I could see how much feed was in there. Made a triangle out of cardboard to prevent feed from piling up in the middle that wouldn't be able to be reached by the chickens. And made a roof thing so the chickens can't stand and crap all over the top.