AMA: Chickens

[Deleted]

Sooo, what do you guys want to know? Chickens are really easy to take care of. I had them as a little girl, shared a flock with my land lord, and now we have our own.
Mypetchicken.com is a great place to start, but I'm happy to answer any questions you have!

[sahara78]

Late, but I'll start.

What breeds do you have? Do you have a favorite kind? What kind of fencing do you have? I would need to keep them separate from my dog, so I'd need something they wouldn't get over.

[Deleted]

Mar 10, 2016 11:55:10 GMT -5 sahara78 said:

Late, but I'll start.

What breeds do you have? Do you have a favorite kind? What kind of fencing do you have? I would need to keep them separate from my dog, so I'd need something they wouldn't get over.

[br
Sorry I forgot about this thread after I started it!

We have a silver laced Wyandotte, Delaware, and Rhode Island Red. I chose them because we have them in the backyard and they are smaller breeds (not bantam sized, just on the small end of regular chickens) and anecdotally quieter (which they have turned out to be). They each have their own personalities and I love them all. The Wyandotte is beautiful and really calm, the Delaware is the watchdog of te group and the only one who always let's me pick her up, and the Red is just a really good chicken.
We have a dog too and ordered a small coop kit online. We added an extension to it and also got a small run that we can move around the yard. The wire is like half inch hardware cloth - really sturdy. If you have predators (possums, raccoons, etc) you'll want to add an underground barrier around the coop, like buried wire (we used pavers set vertically in a trench like a foundation).
Oh, and if you're going to have an open top to the run, you'll need to clip their wings and make sure there's no aerial predators in you area, like large hawks.

[lilki]

Do you know of any diseases they're prone to? We had some a few years back and, one by one, they came down with some sort of nuerological disease that affected their ability to stand. It was awful.

When we first got them we lost a few to predators almost immediatley. Raccoons broke into the latched coop and stole them. We had to put a lock on it.

We also had to put an electric fence around our koi pond because of marauding raccoons. That was really upsetting, as we'd gotten them as tiny fish, and they were a good foot and a half when they were eaten. They got our turtles as well. I do not like raccoons!

Sorry that my chicken post turned into a raccoon rant.

[Deleted]

lilki, I think it depends on the breed and the breeder. What did you have?
Raccoons are very clever. We have carabiner type latches on every place the coop can be opened.

[bonzo2012]

Any tips for getting chicks? I think we're planning on bringing home chicks next week.

[Deleted]

Mar 22, 2016 0:09:49 GMT -5 bonzo2012 said:

Any tips for getting chicks? I think we're planning on bringing home chicks next week.

Shoot I keep forgetting to check this thread.
Do you have a brooder set up for the chicks already? I think that's the main thing, just make sure they have a home ready. I can go into more detail if you like, just tag me.
I also researched what breeds I wanted and read reviews on the chick supplier. Some places seem to have a reputation for duds.

[bonzo2012]

Mar 27, 2016 22:54:37 GMT -5 @rocknrollfriend said:

Mar 22, 2016 0:09:49 GMT -5 bonzo2012 said:

Any tips for getting chicks? I think we're planning on bringing home chicks next week.

Shoot I keep forgetting to check this thread.
Do you have a brooder set up for the chicks already? I think that's the main thing, just make sure they have a home ready. I can go into more detail if you like, just tag me.
I also researched what breeds I wanted and read reviews on the chick supplier. Some places seem to have a reputation for duds.

Yes, we have a brooder set up with the heat lamp on already, since i read that you want the heat lamp going a minimum of 24 hours before the chicks come home.

I keep reading about the dangers of pasty butt -- what do you do to prevent this? Just check them and wipe them with a damp cloth?

[Deleted]

Mar 28, 2016 8:35:36 GMT -5 bonzo2012 said:

Mar 27, 2016 22:54:37 GMT -5 @rocknrollfriend said:

Shoot I keep forgetting to check this thread.
Do you have a brooder set up for the chicks already? I think that's the main thing, just make sure they have a home ready. I can go into more detail if you like, just tag me.
I also researched what breeds I wanted and read reviews on the chick supplier. Some places seem to have a reputation for duds.

Yes, we have a brooder set up with the heat lamp on already, since i read that you want the heat lamp going a minimum of 24 hours before the chicks come home.

I keep reading about the dangers of pasty butt -- what do you do to prevent this? Just check them and wipe them with a damp cloth?

Yeah I just checked their little bums a few times a day, but never had to do anything for them. I also heard you should wipe with a damp cloth.

[bonzo2012]

Well I came home from the feed store with chicks today! Two Araucanas and one Welsummer. They seem to be doing well so far!

[sahara78]

bonzo2012, pics?

@rocknrollfriend,thanks for the info! I thought I replied, but it never showed up. We have raccoons & opposums in the area, plus the area where we'd put the coop has overhanging branches. I think we'd need to have a really heavy duty enclosure.

We often buy eggs from someone with a backyard flock. One dozen I picked up had (what I assume is) a bantam egg, in addition to a duck egg. Last week I got eggs at the store & DD asked for the little egg. She was disappointed store eggs were all the same.

[bonzo2012]

Haha, I posted them on GKU earlier but totally forgot to XP in the chicken thread! Here ya go:

[bonzo2012]

sahara78, that's so cute that your DD wants the little egg!

[bonzo2012]

We've actually already had our first "chicken parent" mistake. The package of electrolytes had me add way too much to the water, and this morning one of the babies was lethargic and not really opening her eyes. After talking to the people at the feed store, I've switched them to plain tap water for the rest of the day, and soaked their food with water. The lethargic one is perking up, so it seems to be working! But I'm so glad I work from home so I was able to check on her constantly!

[Deleted]

Cute!! Congrats on the babies bonzo2012 ! We loved watching our little chicks grow up. When they were tiny, the best was watching them fall asleep standing up.

p.s. what breeds did you get?

[sahara78]

bonzo2012, they're cute! Good luck with them!

[bonzo2012]

@rocknrollfriend, we ended up getting two Araucanas and one Welsummer. DH really wanted an Orpington, but there weren't any. Apparently the hatchery has been a bit off because the hens aren't laying at the right time or something due to the weather!

[Deleted]

sahara78, yes, you'll definitely want a secure, covered coop with those predators around, at least where they roost. It might be ok to have an open run if they are secure at night.

[bonzo2012]

@rocknrollfriend, how do you know when it's safe to move the chicks outside? Most of what I've read says around 6-8 weeks, and we're there, but we've still been getting some very cold night time temps so I'm cautious about moving them outside since it's only the 3 of them.

We did take them outside with us one afternoon when we were working on the coop and it was warm, and they loved it, so I know they'd be happy to move out of the basement!

[Deleted]

May 17, 2016 14:08:25 GMT -5 bonzo2012 said:

@rocknrollfriend , how do you know when it's safe to move the chicks outside? Most of what I've read says around 6-8 weeks, and we're there, but we've still been getting some very cold night time temps so I'm cautious about moving them outside since it's only the 3 of them.

We did take them outside with us one afternoon when we were working on the coop and it was warm, and they loved it, so I know they'd be happy to move out of the basement!

If you're worried about night temps, could you put a heat lamp in the coop at night? I would make sure it isn't heating up the whole coop too much, and that they have space to move away from the heat if they want to. We actually moved ours onto the patio at around 4 or 5 weeks old, with the heat lamp inside the roost, because they were getting to big for our little indoor set up.

[bonzo2012]

May 17, 2016 14:50:00 GMT -5 @rocknrollfriend said:

May 17, 2016 14:08:25 GMT -5 bonzo2012 said:

@rocknrollfriend , how do you know when it's safe to move the chicks outside? Most of what I've read says around 6-8 weeks, and we're there, but we've still been getting some very cold night time temps so I'm cautious about moving them outside since it's only the 3 of them.

We did take them outside with us one afternoon when we were working on the coop and it was warm, and they loved it, so I know they'd be happy to move out of the basement!

If you're worried about night temps, could you put a heat lamp in the coop at night? I would make sure it isn't heating up the whole coop too much, and that they have space to move away from the heat if they want to. We actually moved ours onto the patio at around 4 or 5 weeks old, with the heat lamp inside the roost, because they were getting to big for our little indoor set up.

We might be able to try that. Who knows, by the weekend when we're able to finish putting everything together, the temps might be warm again. Colorado weather is so confusing!

[Deleted]

May 17, 2016 16:11:42 GMT -5 bonzo2012 said:

May 17, 2016 14:50:00 GMT -5 @rocknrollfriend said:

If you're worried about night temps, could you put a heat lamp in the coop at night? I would make sure it isn't heating up the whole coop too much, and that they have space to move away from the heat if they want to. We actually moved ours onto the patio at around 4 or 5 weeks old, with the heat lamp inside the roost, because they were getting to big for our little indoor set up.

We might be able to try that. Who knows, by the weekend when we're able to finish putting everything together, the temps might be warm again. Colorado weather is so confusing!

I mean, if they have real feathers and you put lots of straw or other bedding in there, they'll probably be fine. It's not like, snowing, is it??

[bonzo2012]

May 17, 2016 16:24:20 GMT -5 @rocknrollfriend said:

May 17, 2016 16:11:42 GMT -5 bonzo2012 said:

We might be able to try that. Who knows, by the weekend when we're able to finish putting everything together, the temps might be warm again. Colorado weather is so confusing!

I mean, if they have real feathers and you put lots of straw or other bedding in there, they'll probably be fine. It's not like, snowing, is it??

Last night there was a chance of snow, but it only rained. It's been known to snow as late as June here, though it hasn't yet in the time we've lived here.

I'm probably just being over protective! But I'm also so ready to get them out of the basement so I think they'll be moving out this weekend and we'll just pay attention and figure out the temps as we go.

[lilki]

No chickens yet but I do have two ducklings. We got them a week and half ago after we took a wild one we found to the rehabber. It seems like these ones are growing faster than the one we rescued, and I'm wondering if they're true Mallards or if they're actually Rouens.

One question I have since ducks and chickens are probably pretty similar: do you give your chickens treats? If so what and what age did you start? We've been giving our duckies romaine lettuce so far for treats. It doesn't sound very exciting but they go wild for it. That's pretty much the only thing I've read you can give them before four weeks of age.