RD & Gwyn's In-Town Homestead

[Dode]

Those are beautiful birds! Are they laying, yet? Just a tip here, do NOT leave the dogs in the yard w/o supervision. They will dig under the fence before you know it.

[Gwynmael]

They are 9 1/2 months old, so been laying for 2 months. We'll see if I get any eggs in the morning. I'm not expecting any due to the travel upset, new home, and getting ruffled by the dogs attention.

I've taken them out individually twice now. Max did a whole lot better the second time around. The first time he repeatedly charged the fence, even gave me a friction burn blister from the leash. All three dogs got doses of discipline from the "white stick" (it's what we call the pvc tube we use). Usually we just have to show it to them to correct behavior, but the birds are too new and INTERESTING.

So it will be at least a week before they will be unsupervised for any period of time in the yard while the birds are out of the coop and in the run. Will just have to play it by ear.

[Gwynmael]

Oh! Sorry - the hens are Barred Rocks.

[Dode]

Just to warn you. If a dog gets in the chicken run, he will kill every chicken there, because it is so much fun. All it takes is one time... You need to fortify the bottom of the fence. Lay some fencing on the ground and let it bend and go up the fence for a foot or so. Wire it in place or use hog rings to secure it. Let there be about 18" of it extend past the bottom of the fence line and use some tent stakes to secure it to the ground. You have big dogs. I've seen a big coon hound rip a rabbit hutch apart with his teeth. When you aren't there, they will do whatever they can to get to those chickens.

[doublel]

They are so pretty! I love them! You will have to let me know how loud they are, I am not exactly supposed to have chickens here...and only keep reasonably quiet ones...

[tk]

That's the way to get chickens . No messing with peeps and getting eggs right of the bat. I liked my barred rocks . Always went back to Rhode island reds for no reason what so ever. My dogs would stay away from the chicken pens but if I seen them buy it I would wack them on the ass and tell them get. Their new to your dogs now but the dogs and the chickens will get used to each other. Nice looking birds. I didn't see a rooster so there shouldn't be any noise. I like to hear roosters but their worthless unless you plan on hatching out eggs. They beat up your hens and eat feed that the hens need to produce eggs and chicken feed aint chicken feed no more . I usually killed all my roosters after they got big enough to fry. I always ordered sexed peeps all hens but they always threw in 3 or 4 rooster's . Have fun and start having your friends save egg cartons your going to need them. Also on the feed subject I cant remember if your new to this or not. Chickens will eat anything I split all my table scraps up between the dogs and the chickens. If your pulling weeds in the garden throw it in the chicken pen . They will scratch thru and eat what they want and shit on the rest then scratch thru that. Clean that coop out once a week it will get dusty as hell in there and start to stink if you don't. My old neighbor would shoot ground hogs in the summer and throw them into the chicken fence they love meat to but it adds to the smell and finally make sure you give them a grit pan . I always just filled up a chicken waterer filled with grit inside the coop and hung it 4 or 5 inches off the ground they couldn't get in it and scratch it out and waste it but they can always get as much grit as they want. That's my advice use of it what you want and feed the rest to the chickens. TK

[RD]

RD, I hope that you feel better soon.

Thanks Kick, trying to with the sinus infection, will find out Friday on what doc thinks needs to be done with my other leg.


RD

[junior125]

Raven was the calmest, but she was also the only one drooling! LOL

just clobber her if need be

[Tex]

Congratulations, Gwyn. You will really enjoy being able to have your own eggs and raise your own chicken.



Tex

[Gwynmael]

Correct tk - NO rooster. They aren't allowed in the city limits where I'm at. So no breeding chicks of my own.

DL - the hens are fairly quiet. Until I had to catch them to put them in the coop. That was interesting.

[Dode]

This evening, make a tiny trail of chicken feed into the coop. They will follow it inside the coop. Be sure to call them while you're making the trail. In a few days, all you have to do is call them and they will hurry into the coop, looking for the feed.

[Gwynmael]

One egg this morning. That was actually more than I expected with all the "upset" for them yesterday. Although I did see several of the hens go back into the coop. So there may be more when I get back from taking C this morning.

[Gwynmael]

tk - I am completely new to this. Yesterday was the first time I had EVER held a live chicken. RD has experience from when he was a kid.


I tried the feed trail, put a lit flashlight into a nesting box (so they'd be attracted to the light as it was getting pretty dark), until I finally had to start catching them and tossing them in. It went better after I started closing the chicken door after each addition. LOL

Will be working today on exactly how I want to put some screening over the large double door opening, it needs to be easily removable (by me) as that's my cleaning access, and adding additional security to the bottom of the run fencing.

[DMH]

Does RD get the first egg?

psst. Fathers Day is right around the corner. Are you going to ask him what he wants? Lol

[tk]

Ok my advice to that is leave them in the coop for a few days they will discover that is their safe place and head there on their own at dusk. Leave and egg or 2 in the nesting boxes they will learn that's the place . If you take all the hay off the floor and leave it only in the boxes that will attract them to the boxes also. Glass eggs in the boxes as well as golf balls will attract them also. The more adjusted and less disturbance they receive will let them get back in to their normal egg laying cycle. That is one disadvantage of not having a rooster . A lot of times the hens will go into the nesting boxes just to get away from them and also a good protective rooster will herd his hens into the coop at dark or if there is a threat but you will be fine with out one. Again this is just my opinion from experiences I have encountered over the years . I don't have a chicken on the place at this time but my neighbors all do on the farms around me so there is no egg shortage here at the present time. I get to enjoy all the farm animal sounds with no cost or work to me. I love it. TK