Raising Chickens: Baby Chicks to ½ Grown
- Thread starter dlgoff
- Start date
Join the discussion
Registration is free. Ask a follow-up in this thread, or start your own.
188 replies · 32K views
Ms Music
- 119
- 1
Any spurs visible yet?
Even if you got lucky and have 6 hens, there is always one dominant hen that decides to pretend to be a rooster.
Science Advisor
Gold Member
- 4,458
- 3,265
dlgoff said:
I've been building an 8' X 8' cage attached to the chicken coop where they can get outside when they want to sun. I've been letting them out while I'm working on the cage and it's clear that Roger is the dominating hen. Whatever she does or wherever she goes the others follow. Today she decided to peck around on my shoes and all the others wanted a piece of the action.
Perfect choice Evo. Everyone loves her.
Evo
Staff Emeritus
- 24,114
- 3,277
Don't give her a banning gun!dlgoff said:I've been building an 8' X 8' cage attached to the chicken coop where they can get outside when they want to sun. I've been letting them out while I'm working on the cage and it's clear that Roger is the dominating hen. Whatever she does or wherever she goes the others follow. Today she decided to peck around on my shoes and all the others wanted a piece of the action.
Perfect choice Evo. Everyone loves her.
Evo
Staff Emeritus
- 24,114
- 3,277
Does Roger have an air conditioned coop? I don't want my baby keeling over from the heat, what with all of those feathers she's wearing. Maybe let her sleep with you at night.
Science Advisor
Gold Member
- 4,458
- 3,265
I'm really careful about that. There are two screened windows on the coup and if I ever think that they are getting too hot, I will put a fan in one to circulate the air. So far, on the hot parts of the day, I let them out. But the coop so far hasn't gotten hot enough to cause any problems.Evo said:
My uncle use to raise chickens in Arkansas where it gets really hot and humid. He had 7 houses with ~50K chickens in each. He had large fans and misters that worked well.
Don't worry Evo. I look after them like they are my children.
Edit: There's a nice elm tree for shade next to the coop also.
Last edited:
Staff Emeritus
Science Advisor
Gold Member
- 8,252
- 2,666
dlgoff said:
Why did the chicken cross the road?
dlgoff's place was on the other side!
Staff Emeritus
Science Advisor
Gold Member
- 8,252
- 2,666
dlgoff said:
I'm just a lowly fryer.
Staff Emeritus
Science Advisor
Gold Member
- 8,252
- 2,666
dlgoff said:You are here by now my road crossing flyer. Spread the word.
No, not flyer, fryer!
You know, like friar. Now you've completely ruined my witty pun.
Staff Emeritus
Science Advisor
Gold Member
- 8,252
- 2,666
dlgoff said:
Just call me Fryer Puck.
Science Advisor
Gold Member
- 4,458
- 3,265
OMG. Evo's going to sh*t. Guinevere was killed last night or this morning. RIP
Something dug under the pen (made a 1" high X 3" wide hole) and managed to grab her and pull her to the pen; close enough to bite. I just buried her. Must have been a raccoon.
I am so pissed off.
Ms Music
- 119
- 1
That is horrid news! That is one of my big fears.
I hope the raccoon doesn't come back. Were you able to get the hole repaired and reinforced?
Science Advisor
Gold Member
- 4,458
- 3,265
Ms Music said:
I've temporally placed concrete blocks there. I going to put rail-road ties around the entire bottom of the pen. I'll try to post pictures later. I can't believe how the chicken could have let him reach in through such a small opening, considering the pin is 8'x8'.
Damn raccoons.
rhody
Gold Member
- 680
- 3
Time to break out the night vision googles, rifle, traps and do some late night varmit trapping and/or hunting Don, don't go down without the good fight. May Guievere RIP.dlgoff said:
Rhody...
Science Advisor
Gold Member
- 4,458
- 3,265
Let's see. With two chickens, next summer we should get ~2 dozen eggs/week. Or ~32 dozen eggs/summer. So far it's cost $100 for the pen (not to count a broken nose from the construction) and $60 in feed cost. Next summers feed @ $60 gives $[STRIKE]320[/STRIKE] 220/32 dozen=$[STRIKE]10[/STRIKE] 6.88/dozen. They better be good.
Maybe eating raccoon would be more cost efficient.
Edit: Can you tell I was upset and chugged 3 beers? See line out above.
Last edited:
Evo
Staff Emeritus
- 24,114
- 3,277
Noooo.dlgoff said:
Guinevere. How horrible, what a terrible thing. Poor baby. At least she knew she was loved and treated with respect.
I think I'm going to throw up.
rhody
Gold Member
- 680
- 3
Don,dlgoff said:Me too.
Look closely, it is coming out of his neck, not his MOUTH !
Rhody...
Ms Music
- 119
- 1
Don, right after I posted, I found this article in my email. http://www.grit.com/livestock/chickens/predators-of-chickens.aspx It has some good ideas. One I found interesting, was putting sand around the cage at night to find out what comes by to visit. Sounds like weasels and opossums are also likely to dig, so if you have any in the area, consider them on the roasting list too.
I think I will print the article for when I build my first coop.
Last edited by a moderator:
Dembadon
Gold Member
- 660
- 88
dlgoff said:I have plenty of these around here. I've never seen anything like it. This is the first time I've ever heard them hollering in the middle of the day and flying around in broad daylight.
Beautiful bird!
Science Advisor
Gold Member
- 4,458
- 3,265
Yes they are. My mother and I raised one that had fallen out of it's nest. It only had pinfeathers and was as large as an adult. We bottle fed it until it was old enough to let loose. It stayed around the area for years scaring people as it swooped down to sit on their shoulder.Dembadon said: