In loving memory of Kenis D. Keathley 6/4/81 - 3/27/22 Loving father, husband, brother, friend and firewood hoarder Rest in peace, Dexterday

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

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

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  1. wildwest

    wildwest Moderator

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    Thank you. My flock has six, they are just over a year old. New flock is six too, they are just under one year old. I'll be very curious how the pecking order shakes out, the new ladies are much bigger birds than the ones we have now.

    Maybe we should put them in coop tonight after they go to bed? The new ones sleeping in the run and not in the locked up coop makes me nervous, two birds with one stone.
     
    wildwest, Oct 1, 2023
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  2. wildwest

    wildwest Moderator

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    GREAT! Opened them up to eachother and the ALL of them are in the coop tonight! The new one that was friendly was in the coop a few times today, late this afternoon another new one went in for awhile, we placed the remaining 3 in there right before dark. Tonight, full coop, they're all in! How funny, they avoid each other all day but sleep side by side tonight LOL. It's about 3 hours now and I haven't heard any scuffles or protesting in there. LOL, wait till they hear the rooster crow in the coop box at 2 am and again starting at like 4 am.

    I'll sleep easier tonight with the flock locked in the coop instead of just the chicken run or the inside the baby gate corral like Friday night.
     
    wildwest, Oct 2, 2023
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  3. wildwest

    wildwest Moderator

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    Still leaving the 5" x 7" windows open at night. Getting down to high 30's at night here, fortunately not windy or high breeze. I heard they need to acclimate til the colder weather and turn the heaters on there at 0*. Thoughts on that?
     
    wildwest, Oct 2, 2023
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  4. Chvymn99

    Chvymn99 Moderator

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    :yes:
     
    Chvymn99, Oct 2, 2023
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  5. Chvymn99

    Chvymn99 Moderator

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    Well darn it... Just got home from my trip and went to check on the chickens... and whats at the end of my chicken coop on the outside... :headbang: ... a coon... and while walking down I heard a metal ting... :headbang:... After invesigation I think I lost two birds... not sure how... will investigate in daylight hours.. since its 2 a.m....Kinda of weird only loosing 2 if they got in the coop... so not sure if the birds stayed outside or they got them during daylight hours...but war will be on...
     
    Chvymn99, Oct 2, 2023
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  6. wildwest

    wildwest Moderator

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    Oh no, I'm sorry.
     
    wildwest, Oct 2, 2023
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  7. woody5506

    woody5506

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    I just integrated 7 younger hens to my established flock of 5. The older ones are only 7ish months old though, the younger ones about 4 months. I kept them separated in the same run for almost 2 months. Young hens had a tiny little coop they'd all pile into at night. I took their fence down and gave them the full introduction on sunday....so far so good. Definitely some pecking going on but I expected that. Nothing too brutal, plus the 4 month olds aren't even that much smaller than the older ones.

    I did have to train them to go into the coop on the first night - although really I just took them out of their small chick coop and placed them in the big coop up on the roosting bar and they seemed quite content. It's funny how there's absolutely no bickering once they are all in their nighttime roost mode. So last night, all but one went in the coop on their own accord but only some got up onto the roost bar by themselves. one other thought she was gonna sleep in a nest box but I got her out and onto the roost. A couple others were just standing around like dopes trying to figure out how to get up onto the bar. All in all I think they are fairly quick learners, thankfully.
     
    woody5506, Oct 2, 2023
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  8. Chvymn99

    Chvymn99 Moderator

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    Me too... But thats kinda of the life with chickens...
     
    Chvymn99, Oct 2, 2023
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  9. wildwest

    wildwest Moderator

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    The coon got two confirmed? Better than all of them. Were they the beautiful ones with gold feathers bordered in black?
     
    wildwest, Oct 2, 2023
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  10. Chvymn99

    Chvymn99 Moderator

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    Got 3 ... Got my Silver Laced Wyandotte, and my two Americana's ...Feel blessed it was my old ladies and not my young ones... Yea, which is weird usually its a masicure.... I only found one little spot in the front of the coop... I reinforced yesterday...Will correct that whole front... since the inside of the coop to the walls has changed since it started with it being dirt... I keep game cameras around the property... Really hadn't seen any irregular activity for a couple of months... I've seen coons walk by and not even bat a eye... I wonder if this was a traveling coon... :sherlock:.... I'll probably check cameras tonight... To see the status...
     
    Chvymn99, Oct 3, 2023
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  11. Biddleman

    Biddleman

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    Sorry to hear about your chickens. I now leave mine out all day free ranging. I know Im playing with fire. They wait at the door of the run for me to open it and they come dashing out. Its pretty funny to watch.
    My 2 crazy dogs run by the coop at night when I check the ladies and early in the morning, Im not sure if that's helping keep predators away.
     
    Biddleman, Oct 3, 2023
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  12. Chvymn99

    Chvymn99 Moderator

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    This use to be ground up to the bottom of the siding… But the chickens have eroded it down…. I’ve just using wood to cover up that ground… undoubtedly not well enough for that coon… So modification…

    F2545B67-74C4-4C23-BCCF-B23B6E06EE4C.jpeg 277639F1-1148-48CA-A857-D91AFB3B0C30.jpeg
     
    Chvymn99, Oct 7, 2023
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  13. Chvymn99

    Chvymn99 Moderator

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    Sticking metal 2x4’s in from the inside and outside… Welding the bottom 2x4 to the top… 1x1 welded wire is sandwiched between the front 2x4 and pinned down with some scrap rods that we make out at work… Will be pouring concrete up on the front to seal it up…

    Hopefully that’ll keep the chickens “more” safe…. For a bit, anyways…

    4EB7F47C-6D96-451A-B9EC-ADA620E3DBB3.jpeg 84471D78-DF3A-4E07-9970-2692749EE5C1.jpeg 17181EF6-032D-4238-9134-E68D27594EDF.jpeg F26C2703-E66A-4FB6-882C-76C5077408AA.jpeg D444965A-3651-4175-A944-4DA5B5F069FC.jpeg F4C198FB-D537-4D2D-8FAA-7EA370E8E56F.jpeg
     
    Chvymn99, Oct 7, 2023
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  14. Chvymn99

    Chvymn99 Moderator

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    Went and put 2 more bags on it…. Got 2 traps set and move two game cameras out…. So I’ll see what happens over night…

    3927396D-E907-4A68-B6C2-647DF960AB4F.jpeg
     
    Chvymn99, Oct 7, 2023
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  15. wildwest

    wildwest Moderator

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    Well done :)
     
    wildwest, Oct 7, 2023
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  16. woody5506

    woody5506

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    Alright this is a good group to ask about my potential issue with my chickens and the wood stove chimney. Their coop/run is pretty dang close to the chimney. The prevailing wind tends to be out of the west, which will push smoke right toward them. My stove isn't billowing smoke typically but at start up it definitely throws some. At night when I pack it full then close it down for overnight burns it also might throw some smoke but the chickens will be in the coop and that's not much of a concern at that point.

    My question, quite simply, is am I going to pretty much kill my chickens if they are in the usual path of smoke? I have a hard time believing I'd be the first person to subject their flock to wood smoke but also can't help but wonder. Yesterday I had my first fire and some smoke was blowing at them, they didn't seem to care much but they did just wander into the coop after a bit.
     
    woody5506, Oct 9, 2023
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  17. wildwest

    wildwest Moderator

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    Oh this peculiar lady. Early 2022 she something like this to put in her gas fired fireplace. I did my best but she's convinced she'll be okay if she turns the gas off vents it through her appliance pipes in the chimney. So her and her chickens will be warm in an emergency.
    www.amazon.ca/Guide-Gear-Outdoor-Wood-Stove/dp/B0155324VO/ref=sr_1_43?keywords=camping+wood+stove&qid=1696950890&sr=8-43

    Todays made me chuckle though, water for her chickens
    upload_2023-10-10_9-20-19.png

    Reminds me of Horkn 's old signature, crochety crockpot (This is Us)
     
    wildwest, Oct 10, 2023
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  18. Biddleman

    Biddleman

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    :picard:

    Handwarmers and crock pots. Now I have seen it all
     
    Biddleman, Oct 10, 2023
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  19. Biddleman

    Biddleman

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    Not sure which hen laid this, but my guess it was one of the Jersey giants. Biggest egg Ive seen laid. 20231012_155929.jpg
     
    Biddleman, Oct 13, 2023
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  20. woody5506

    woody5506

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    I have an olive egger (i think) who started laying as of yesterday, she's only 17ish weeks old. Problem is, the younger ones in my flock have a "thing" for kicking nest box bedding all around, breaking eggs, possibly eating eggs....so her first egg was wasted. As well as others. If I end up having a flock of egg eaters with those youngins im not gonna be happy.
     
    woody5506, Oct 13, 2023
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