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Homesteading Chicken Coop Build, Chickens, Pond, Garden & Projects

Discussion in 'Hobbies and Interests' started by Well Seasoned, Mar 25, 2018.

  1. bogieb

    bogieb

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    That looks great DaveGunter . Obviously the inspectors made sure you did things right and it is now puppy approved.
     
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  2. Well Seasoned

    Well Seasoned Administrator

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    That's an egg-cellent job! Great idea running that linoleum up the walls a bit and your girls will be thankful for that window section during heat like we've been having!

    Although the girls for the most part stay out of the coop during the day, except to lay.... yesterday the temps in the got to 95°F in the coop here!

    Some organic apple cider vinegar every few fills in their water is great for them! 1+TBSP per gallon is what we do.

    Also we add food grade diatramacious earth to their feed about once per month as well as sprinkling it around the coop, nesting boxes, & the run to keep the flies & mites down. Mites can cause health problems.

    We added an area in the run they can take a bath. It's a sand, soil, & ash ratio which will also help prevent mites.

    Looking forward to pics as you go. If you fre range them, you'll get a hoot watching them. They are great entertainment!
     
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  3. MikeInMa

    MikeInMa

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    Probably almost as entertaining as watching the owner chasing them around after they flew over a retaining fence that was too short. :rofl: :lol:
     
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  4. DaveGunter

    DaveGunter

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    Thanks for the tips, I'll pass them along to Mrs DG, she has really taken to the chicks...named a few. Not sure whether we are going to be able to free range, the Hounds are showing waaaay to much interest, maybe in the evening when the Hounds are in for the day. The plan is to turn that greenhouse you can see in the background into a chicken tractor, similar to what Chvymn99 made it has a nice galvanized tube frame but the covering is shot and we are looking to upgrade the greenhouse anyway.

    Do you feed and water your flock inside of the coop or out in the run?

    :rofl: :lol: Sorry man, did not pick up on that at all!
     
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  5. Chvymn99

    Chvymn99 Moderator

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    In the winter time feed & water in side... summer time feed in inside & water outside...
     
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  6. Well Seasoned

    Well Seasoned Administrator

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    The food and water stay in the run.
     
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  7. FatBoy85

    FatBoy85

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    We’re nearly there. The chicks are now mingled with the rest of the hens and younger chicks. Noticed one of Sugarbug87 sisters hens had some ‘free range rash’ thinking a coyote got a few sharpies to graze her but her sister said this is more of a mating issue. So we confined the hens to the coop and afterwards confined Fully grown Roos to the Run. Did some ladder and Nesting box work in the coop as well.

    B9D267F4-D16D-4302-8327-840FD041E38F.jpeg 66D15747-0441-4A6D-9301-253B7247E38A.jpeg 384D69BE-4F88-4C6B-9E54-E5AB83240837.jpeg 36CC14EC-208F-4CBA-858A-5B91919B838A.jpeg 75C18046-05CC-4074-8508-1DFB8125F774.jpeg
    Side note on the turkeys: we brought them in the coop thinking they were going to be fine as they were constantly pecking at the smaller chicks we have back at the house. Not so, they were attacked sadly and one of the Browns passed.:( A lesson though. We had told her sister to put them in the former brooder box In the coop, unfortunately that didn’t happen she was free ranging them after they had been attacked with day or two of healing and may have been subjected to high heat as we recently had some 80°ish weather. One of the white ones wasn’t looking great(dehydration...:headbang:) so we took that one home and seems to be recuperating fine. The two back in the coop have the brooder box and lid. We’ll turn them loose when they are in better shape and bigger. We also hope to acquire blue slates next week as heritage birds are going to be more of the goal later. I like meat birds but I’m gonna have to figure out a bin system where we can keep birds coming in without making them pressured from others in the flock.
     

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  8. Well Seasoned

    Well Seasoned Administrator

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    They can get pretty violent establishing a pecking order. One there's blood the pecking can continue and worsen. We've used blue-Cote here with success.
     
  9. Chvymn99

    Chvymn99 Moderator

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    what’s that?
     
  10. Well Seasoned

    Well Seasoned Administrator

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    It's a veterinary antiseptic spray, the color tends to turn off other birds to attacking the wound. Cleans and helps congeal the wound
     
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  11. JWinIndiana

    JWinIndiana

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    Turkeys on chicken feed will eventually develop "swollen heads" and die due to the antibiotics in the chicken feed.

    Generally is deadly so keeping turkeys and chickens separate is a good idea.
     
  12. Chvymn99

    Chvymn99 Moderator

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    I got attacked last night. I think from a kitty kat... a bird (two or three) got scratched up... all were alive when I left and moving... but those two or three were pretty bloody... may have try to get some of that stuff...
     
    Last edited: Jun 3, 2020
  13. FatBoy85

    FatBoy85

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    Ok How do we fix this?
     
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  14. JWinIndiana

    JWinIndiana

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    Best bet at first, get them separated. Feed turkey feed to turkeys, chicken feed to chickens. The older the birds, the longer it takes to develop and get rid of if they survive it. I had students mix up the feeders and fed chick starter to young turkeys, less than an hour, the turkeys were drenched in sweat like they had been hosed down. Lost 3/4 of them.
     
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  15. Chvymn99

    Chvymn99 Moderator

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    Well... :headbang::headbang::headbang:...a total of 5 birds were injured... I ended up butchering 2... one I only got breast meat off of... the other one had a good gash on its rear end... Then the 3 others had scratch marks and a toe taken off... :headbang:... hopefully the DYI concoction works... If not I may be butchering the other three in the coming days.... Currently about the size of a cornish hen.... I went and gave more space on the bottom to keep the predator at bay... Thinking more in the lines of coon? Not sure a cat would do that kinda of damage... :confused:
     
  16. FatBoy85

    FatBoy85

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    Dislike, I’m new to this so want to just get the information on what to do when this happens
     
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  17. Well Seasoned

    Well Seasoned Administrator

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    That's too bad. Thre bloody one's will get pecked alot. Yes, try that stuff.
     
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  18. Well Seasoned

    Well Seasoned Administrator

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    It happened overnight? Whatever it was will likely be back. Do you have a game camera you can setup?
     
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  19. Well Seasoned

    Well Seasoned Administrator

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    Any space an inch or bigger weasels can squeeze into.

    Raccoons are super smart and can open latches ect.
     
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  20. Chvymn99

    Chvymn99 Moderator

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    . I clean up the wound as best as possible... blotched them with the DYI stuff... will see....


    :whistle:.... yep... and climb & reach vertical walls...


    Yes, overnight. Game camera’s are reset. But the security camera caught something with reflective eyes and the short burst of speed attack... But the resolution on that camera with it being as dark is it in that area... so I’m gonna get a motion light up...

    I need to figure how to protect the bottom 8-10” of the perimeter of the fence. They like to sleep right against the fence... Ain’t very bright...
     
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