Yeah, yeah, yeah...it's been awhile since I've updated the blog. Not much happens in the chicken world from day to day that warrants a post.
Egg production
All the girls are laying now. A 'slow' day is eight eggs. An average day is ten-eleven eggs. Record day so far has been fourteen. I've gotten that a few times. I'm waiting for my first 18 egg day (it would have been 19 until recently), but the girls can't seem to all sync up their productivity yet.
Roosters
Red is still living in the basement. He's pretty miserable down there. Chickens are meant to be social animals (or so I'm told), so he's not digging his bachelor pad. He's been molting (i.e. losing feathers) and his once proud tail feathers are frayed.
One of the many updates I promised back in April that I never got around to is about the three new chickens I was getting. I picked up three straight run (i.e. non-sexed) Blue Laced Red Wyandottes. Guess how many ended up being roosters? No, not all of them. Two. And guess what happens to boy chickens at five months old? Yep, they start sexing up the ladies. Oh, and they start crowing.
For now, only one of the two 'upstairs' boys is making noise. Unlike Red, he is not as loud nor does he crow as long (Red could go for hours in the morning; new boy only for 10 minutes at a couple of different times and i've only heard him crow later than 7am once.)
Depending on his behavior, Red may be getting a room mate soon. Or they may all end up at freezer camp. I'm not sure yet.
Light and Winterizing the Coop
It's October, and that mean crap weather coming soon. I added an additional light source to the coop already so the chickens don't slow down production. The light is on in the morning from 5 - 7 then again from 6-8 at night. It's weird in that the chickens are 'up', but don't really want to be outside until there is natural light.
For winterizing, I do have a heated waterer, but shouldn't need to plug that in for a few week yet (I hope). The coop walls were insulated when it was built, but the roof wasn't, and there is open air up there. My initial intent was to leave the eaves open, but to insulate the roof, so there isn't a build up of condensation in the coop. Damp coop leads to frostbite in the winter. That's still the plan, but I haven't gotten around to execution yet. Soon.
Nesting boxes
Oh the nexting box. I'm about as far from handy with tools as you can get. The nesting boxes I built looked great, but they fell apart when it got hot. I used particle board and glue to build it. Not the smartest thing, but live and learn.
First, the interior walls fell apart. Great! One big box that multiple chickens can use at the same time. That lasted maybe a couple of weeks. Then the whole thing fell down. Hmmm...all that weight, hot weather, glue, and no support. Wonder what could possibly happen? Luckily, no chickens or eggs were harmed due to my negligence.
I've been meaning to rebuild them, but the chickens seem content laying on the floor in two 'community' nests - one under the nesting box bottom (which is still attached to the wall) behind the feed, the other behind the nesting box boards that collapsed. Apparently, as long as they feel safe, the chickens will lay where ever. I'm good with that solution.
So now the chickens just use the bottom board as a night time roosting spot. I'm good with that. Easy clean up.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
RIP Effie - December 2010 - October 8, 2011
Well, he finally did it. I had plenty of warning, but thought he outgrew this behavior. Kenny finally killed a chicken..and it just happened to be my favorite one - the grey naked neck, Effie (short for favorite chicken).
She was my first to lay an egg. She was the chicken that was tormented and almost pecked to death (a story for later), but I nursed back to health.
She was always happy to see me and would follow me around the yard, would always come up to me and want to be hand fed, she would always let me pick her up, all-in-all the perfect pet chicken (I even decided I would let her hang around after her egg laying days were over.)
I got home Saturday from the St Paul Oktoberfest and Dachshund races (no, none of my dogs raced - but I may start training for next year). As with most days, the dogs were let out upon getting home, they chase around, do their dog thing, then go back inside. Meanwhile, I go let the chickens out and collect the eggs. Effie was, as usual, hanging out in the coop/run after the other chickens run out and start doing their chicken thing in the yard. I hand fed her some scratch and she went to lay her egg (or at least she sat on the nest of eggs.)
A little while later, as the dogs were eating their dinner, I went out back to do something in the gardens and i recall hearing a dog go outside (the front door doesn't shut tight, so they can push the door open and let themselves out). This is part of the routine so I didn't think anything of it. I came back inside a few minutes later (maybe 5 minutes?). Kenny wasn't at the front door, so I went out and called him. He wasn't responding, but I could hear him. The noise was coming from the behind a bush, next to the garage. I thought he was chasing a chipmunk (it's where they hang out and all the dogs go mental back there from time to time). I turn the corner and there's Kenny on top of a very dead Effie. I'll spare the readers the state she was in. Needless to say, I picked Kenny up off the carcass, loudly scolding him and putting him back in the house. I grabbed a bag and bundled her up while I thought about what to do with her.
Kenny knew he did something wrong. Normally, he's all over a person (usually me) looking for attention. But on Saturday night, he was just laying on the floor, cleaning his paws, not looking at people. Even at bedtime, he didn't even put his chest on someones foot (his signal to let him out). He did come to bed, but just burrowed at my feet.
Sunday morning, he was acting like nothing happened. In his dog world, it was so long ago, that the murder was old news. I, on the other hand, was still annoyed, but really, what could I do? It's in his nature to hunt prey.
Anyway, Sunday was yard work day. (Back story: Saturday morning I had dug out a bunch of overgrown bearded irises and day lilies but didn't know what I was going to do with them or where to put them.) I pulled out all the dead/dying annuals from a few gardens and decided this is where a good number of the plants could go. I paired an iris bulb with a group of the day lilies and circled the gardens. I'll put something else in the center in the spring - or i'll do annuals again - whatever...not really relevant to the story at hand.
Why do you care about gardening? You don't, but it was while I was preparing the garden at the mail boxes that I decided on what to do with Effie. I couldn't just put her in the garbage can to be picked up on Thursday. Instead, I buried her in the garden. I made sure it was deep enough and hopefully compacted enough to keep predators from digging her up (the dogs can't get there, but wild predators could).
My hope is that she will be able to give back to the flowers I have planted/will plant in that spot. I may even put up a sign "Effie's Garden - Dogs not allowed."
She was my first to lay an egg. She was the chicken that was tormented and almost pecked to death (a story for later), but I nursed back to health. I got home Saturday from the St Paul Oktoberfest and Dachshund races (no, none of my dogs raced - but I may start training for next year). As with most days, the dogs were let out upon getting home, they chase around, do their dog thing, then go back inside. Meanwhile, I go let the chickens out and collect the eggs. Effie was, as usual, hanging out in the coop/run after the other chickens run out and start doing their chicken thing in the yard. I hand fed her some scratch and she went to lay her egg (or at least she sat on the nest of eggs.)
A little while later, as the dogs were eating their dinner, I went out back to do something in the gardens and i recall hearing a dog go outside (the front door doesn't shut tight, so they can push the door open and let themselves out). This is part of the routine so I didn't think anything of it. I came back inside a few minutes later (maybe 5 minutes?). Kenny wasn't at the front door, so I went out and called him. He wasn't responding, but I could hear him. The noise was coming from the behind a bush, next to the garage. I thought he was chasing a chipmunk (it's where they hang out and all the dogs go mental back there from time to time). I turn the corner and there's Kenny on top of a very dead Effie. I'll spare the readers the state she was in. Needless to say, I picked Kenny up off the carcass, loudly scolding him and putting him back in the house. I grabbed a bag and bundled her up while I thought about what to do with her.
Kenny knew he did something wrong. Normally, he's all over a person (usually me) looking for attention. But on Saturday night, he was just laying on the floor, cleaning his paws, not looking at people. Even at bedtime, he didn't even put his chest on someones foot (his signal to let him out). He did come to bed, but just burrowed at my feet.
Sunday morning, he was acting like nothing happened. In his dog world, it was so long ago, that the murder was old news. I, on the other hand, was still annoyed, but really, what could I do? It's in his nature to hunt prey.
Anyway, Sunday was yard work day. (Back story: Saturday morning I had dug out a bunch of overgrown bearded irises and day lilies but didn't know what I was going to do with them or where to put them.) I pulled out all the dead/dying annuals from a few gardens and decided this is where a good number of the plants could go. I paired an iris bulb with a group of the day lilies and circled the gardens. I'll put something else in the center in the spring - or i'll do annuals again - whatever...not really relevant to the story at hand.
Why do you care about gardening? You don't, but it was while I was preparing the garden at the mail boxes that I decided on what to do with Effie. I couldn't just put her in the garbage can to be picked up on Thursday. Instead, I buried her in the garden. I made sure it was deep enough and hopefully compacted enough to keep predators from digging her up (the dogs can't get there, but wild predators could).
My hope is that she will be able to give back to the flowers I have planted/will plant in that spot. I may even put up a sign "Effie's Garden - Dogs not allowed."
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Eggs
The younger batch of chickens have started laying. I'm not exactly sure which ones are all laying yet since I'm not home during the day to witness the act. However, I have my suspicions on which ones they are.
How do I know they younger ones are laying? I'm getting 6-7 eggs daily now yet about half are smaller than average - not that there's anything wrong with that. Smaller eggs or double yolked eggs are very common in newly laying chickens. Here are some fun facts about eggs.
Smaller eggs are the chicken god's way of preparing the chickens for pushing something large through the vent.
Double yolk eggs tend to occur when ovulation occurs too rapidly or when one yolk gets 'lost' on the way to the shelling station and is joined by the next yolk. Basically, the newly laying chicken is still figuring out what's going on with its body. I saw a lot of these with the first batch of chickens. I've only seen one so far with the second batch
No yolk, or fart eggs, can seen in the very first egg a chicken lays. The chicken decided to try laying before the body actually sent down a yolk to be enveloped. Luckily, I haven't seen this yet.
Okay, 12 year-olds, here's another fun fact about no-yolk eggs. Back in the 'olden days' (like when the Office Skeptic was a child), no yolk eggs were called cock eggs because it was thought that these eggs were laid by roosters.
No shell eggs are 'normal' in young hens. They may lay a shell-less egg or two right as they begin to lay eggs for the first time, before their systems have "gotten into the groove" of laying. The inner membrane is all that is around the yolk/white. The hard outer shell didn't form. I have actually seen two of these this week. The first one was outside on the ground under where the window sleeping chickens are. So I'm guessing it is one of them. The second one was in the nesting box yesterday. The first one was still in tact, but the shell was really soft - it felt like a water balloon. The one yesterday, there was a partial shell and then a gooey mass in the shaving. Kind of gross.
The other time this can happen is if there is a calcium deficiency. I don't think this is the case as all the chickens are on layer fee, which has extra calcium. To be safe, though, i am going to put extra oyster shells in the coop for a few days. Supposedly, if a chicken is missing something from its diet, it will go searching for a source for the deficiency.
How do I know they younger ones are laying? I'm getting 6-7 eggs daily now yet about half are smaller than average - not that there's anything wrong with that. Smaller eggs or double yolked eggs are very common in newly laying chickens. Here are some fun facts about eggs.
Smaller eggs are the chicken god's way of preparing the chickens for pushing something large through the vent.
Double yolk eggs tend to occur when ovulation occurs too rapidly or when one yolk gets 'lost' on the way to the shelling station and is joined by the next yolk. Basically, the newly laying chicken is still figuring out what's going on with its body. I saw a lot of these with the first batch of chickens. I've only seen one so far with the second batch
No yolk, or fart eggs, can seen in the very first egg a chicken lays. The chicken decided to try laying before the body actually sent down a yolk to be enveloped. Luckily, I haven't seen this yet.
Okay, 12 year-olds, here's another fun fact about no-yolk eggs. Back in the 'olden days' (like when the Office Skeptic was a child), no yolk eggs were called cock eggs because it was thought that these eggs were laid by roosters.
No shell eggs are 'normal' in young hens. They may lay a shell-less egg or two right as they begin to lay eggs for the first time, before their systems have "gotten into the groove" of laying. The inner membrane is all that is around the yolk/white. The hard outer shell didn't form. I have actually seen two of these this week. The first one was outside on the ground under where the window sleeping chickens are. So I'm guessing it is one of them. The second one was in the nesting box yesterday. The first one was still in tact, but the shell was really soft - it felt like a water balloon. The one yesterday, there was a partial shell and then a gooey mass in the shaving. Kind of gross.
The other time this can happen is if there is a calcium deficiency. I don't think this is the case as all the chickens are on layer fee, which has extra calcium. To be safe, though, i am going to put extra oyster shells in the coop for a few days. Supposedly, if a chicken is missing something from its diet, it will go searching for a source for the deficiency.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Chickens and Heat - Follow Up
All the chickens ended up surviving the extreme heat waves over the past month. Buffy ended up breaking her broodiness almost immediately. I took her inside and placed her in the basement where it was about 20 degrees cooler than it was outside. She still was panting heavily for about an hour or so before she was able to relax and take some water. I left her inside until just before dusk - her bedtime. She was back to her normal self and had even laid the egg she was struggling with in the heat.
The Man is Keeping the Chicken Down
The inevitable has finally happened. The 'man' stopped by yesterday. Red has got to go. Can't say I blame them. The past week or so, he's been pretty noisy. Usually, it's just in the morning and at random intervals throughout the day. But lately, he was crowing pretty much non-stop. With the weather a bit cooler this past week, I'm guessing the neighbors had windows open and finally had enough.
After the man left, I had to chase Red around the yard (he knew something was up because I usually just ignore him, even when he tries challenging me for dominance.) I chased him around the big oak a couple of times, then down into the pines, then finally got him corralled into the coop/run. Once he was cornered in the coop, he kind of gave up and let me pick him up. He had to move into chicken jail in the basement. He is not very happy down there. He was crowing very early this morning - well before the sun came up.
Not only did the man not like the crowing, but apparently, he doesn't like free ranging chickens, either. Again, it's not as though I blame him. As the chickens have become more
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| Free-ranging in the front yard. |
Even before the man stopped by, I noticed a four-pack of chickens wander across the street. They didn't stop at the trees like they normally do, but rather were running through their yard near the kid's play set. I can see that being very irritating to non-chicken owners because the chickens will poop wherever they feel like. They won't care if kids are barefoot in the area.
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| Mmmmmm....chicken. |
So the man is going to make me stick to my permit by not allowing the chickens to free range any more unless someone is home to keep them contained the yard. That's going to be tough, but I'm going to try to keep them in the back yard somehow. There are plenty of trees and stuff for them to keep entertained with. During the day, though, they are going to have to be contained to the run. The run is plenty big enough, but I think they'll get bored easily. I need to expand the run so I'll be in the market for dog kennel fencing this week.
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| Hanging out under the oak. |
Monday, July 18, 2011
Chickens and Heat
Here in the Twin Cities, we're having our second severe heat wave of the summer. It's been in the mid-90s for the past few days with dew points close to 80. The heat index has been hovering around 110. You can just walk from the building to your car and break a sweat.
Now put on a down coat.
The chickens are doing their best to stay cool. They hang out in the shade, dig holes into the dirt under trees, flap their feathers, and drink lots of water. I do my best to make sure their water stays full and cool (I put ice filled water bottles in their waterers).
I keep the coop as wide open as I can, both day and night - even when they go to bed. But there just hasn't been a decent breeze - except when storms blow through. Then I can't keep the windows open for fear of getting wet litter or chickens.
If you're a hen, and you're ovulating, well, you have to push out an egg in this weather. In the coop. In a nesting box. Now, today, all the chickens did this - I got six eggs today. However, Buffy seems to have decided today was the day to go broody - that's when a chicken decides she wants to become a mom and sit on a bunch of eggs.
When I got home from work, I went to check on the chickens and there she was in the nesting box, panting up a storm. I thought maybe she was just trying to push an egg out in this weather. Hard work, I imagine.
An hour later, she's still in there. So I reach in and under her to see what's up. That's when I found four of the six eggs (one was on the floor, one was with Basement Chicken; aka Favorite; aka Effie; aka Grey Naked Neck). From what I read on the message boards, I should immediately take her off the eggs and not let her back in the box.
Fear set in for about a minute, as Buffy is the HBIC. She's pecked at me before when I tried to mess with her when laying. I slowly reached in and she let me pick her up. Uh oh. This doesn't seem right.
I tried to get her to drink some water, but to no avail. She just wanted back in the coop, and specifically into the nesting box. I wouldn't let her. I shut it down. I wanted to force her to be outside where it was a little cooler and where the colder water was. Nope. She wasn't having it.
Well, dumb chicken. If she wants to kill herself due to dehydration, who am I to stop her.
Really? You thought I would let that happen? Maybe with one of the unnam..., um un-descriptive chickens.
After dinner (my dinner, not hers), I reopened the coop. She went right back in like I knew she would. But I had a plan. I picked her up and brought her to the basement. Now she can cool off and she and Effie can rebond. Or fight to the death. One or the other.
But seriously, my hope is the cool basement (it's like 72 down there) will allow here to stop panting, drink some water and get over her brooding tendencies. I'll let her back out in the morning if she seems better. I don't want her gone too long. She worked too hard to be Red's number one girl.
Now put on a down coat.
The chickens are doing their best to stay cool. They hang out in the shade, dig holes into the dirt under trees, flap their feathers, and drink lots of water. I do my best to make sure their water stays full and cool (I put ice filled water bottles in their waterers).
I keep the coop as wide open as I can, both day and night - even when they go to bed. But there just hasn't been a decent breeze - except when storms blow through. Then I can't keep the windows open for fear of getting wet litter or chickens.
If you're a hen, and you're ovulating, well, you have to push out an egg in this weather. In the coop. In a nesting box. Now, today, all the chickens did this - I got six eggs today. However, Buffy seems to have decided today was the day to go broody - that's when a chicken decides she wants to become a mom and sit on a bunch of eggs.
When I got home from work, I went to check on the chickens and there she was in the nesting box, panting up a storm. I thought maybe she was just trying to push an egg out in this weather. Hard work, I imagine.
An hour later, she's still in there. So I reach in and under her to see what's up. That's when I found four of the six eggs (one was on the floor, one was with Basement Chicken; aka Favorite; aka Effie; aka Grey Naked Neck). From what I read on the message boards, I should immediately take her off the eggs and not let her back in the box.
Fear set in for about a minute, as Buffy is the HBIC. She's pecked at me before when I tried to mess with her when laying. I slowly reached in and she let me pick her up. Uh oh. This doesn't seem right.
I tried to get her to drink some water, but to no avail. She just wanted back in the coop, and specifically into the nesting box. I wouldn't let her. I shut it down. I wanted to force her to be outside where it was a little cooler and where the colder water was. Nope. She wasn't having it.
Well, dumb chicken. If she wants to kill herself due to dehydration, who am I to stop her.
Really? You thought I would let that happen? Maybe with one of the unnam..., um un-descriptive chickens.
After dinner (my dinner, not hers), I reopened the coop. She went right back in like I knew she would. But I had a plan. I picked her up and brought her to the basement. Now she can cool off and she and Effie can rebond. Or fight to the death. One or the other.
But seriously, my hope is the cool basement (it's like 72 down there) will allow here to stop panting, drink some water and get over her brooding tendencies. I'll let her back out in the morning if she seems better. I don't want her gone too long. She worked too hard to be Red's number one girl.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Why did the chickens cross the road?
They didn't...they got scared by traffic and ran back into the yard. Luckily.
The experiment in letting the chickens free-range is going (mostly) well. They are most active first thing in the morning - they have a few favorite spots under some trees where there are lots of ants and other bugs. They scratch around and do their chicken thing.
By noon time, they are hot and tired. The younger chickens rest under the cedar trees that line the east side of the run/coop area. The older ones hang out in the run or the coop itself. Then by late afternoon/early evening, everyone is ready for another bug run.
Here's where the experiment is failing me - or rather, the chickens are starting to make a nuisance of themselves in the neighborhood.
There is a line of trees on the south side of the property. lots of shade, most ground, dead leaves, etc for them to scratch around in. They love it under there. However, it is also right next to the street. Granted, I lived on a dead end so the only traffic are the people that live up the street. With the decreased traffic, the kids in the neighborhood tend to come off of Robert St pretty fast and start barrelling down the road. If they are coming south, they can round the corner and plow into a chicken pretty easily. Chickens are pretty dumb.
Yesterday (Sunday), this almost happened - except it wasn't a kid. The car slowed down and the startled chickens ran back up into the yard. After a few seconds, they didn't know what happened and went back to doing their chicken thing. But it gave me one more thing to worry about.
I hope I don't see dead chickens when I get home tonight (other than the ones in the freezer, of course).
The experiment in letting the chickens free-range is going (mostly) well. They are most active first thing in the morning - they have a few favorite spots under some trees where there are lots of ants and other bugs. They scratch around and do their chicken thing.
By noon time, they are hot and tired. The younger chickens rest under the cedar trees that line the east side of the run/coop area. The older ones hang out in the run or the coop itself. Then by late afternoon/early evening, everyone is ready for another bug run.
Here's where the experiment is failing me - or rather, the chickens are starting to make a nuisance of themselves in the neighborhood.
There is a line of trees on the south side of the property. lots of shade, most ground, dead leaves, etc for them to scratch around in. They love it under there. However, it is also right next to the street. Granted, I lived on a dead end so the only traffic are the people that live up the street. With the decreased traffic, the kids in the neighborhood tend to come off of Robert St pretty fast and start barrelling down the road. If they are coming south, they can round the corner and plow into a chicken pretty easily. Chickens are pretty dumb.
Yesterday (Sunday), this almost happened - except it wasn't a kid. The car slowed down and the startled chickens ran back up into the yard. After a few seconds, they didn't know what happened and went back to doing their chicken thing. But it gave me one more thing to worry about.
I hope I don't see dead chickens when I get home tonight (other than the ones in the freezer, of course).
Monday, May 9, 2011
Babies Having Babies
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| Can a girl have some privacy, please? |
Why could I be wrong? Well, today when I got home from work, I found two eggs in the nesting box. So another chicken is also laying. My guess is it is the other naked neck. But I'm not sure - just a guess. Educated guess, though, since they are both two weeks older than the other girls.
I do need to figure out the nesting box situation, though. So far, they only seem to like having the pine shavings in the box. I tried straw and hay, and both were no-go's. They just kicked the stuff out - and with the hay, they ate it all (i'm guessing they had help from the rest.)
The reason I have to figure it out is one of the eggs was cracked again. I'm guessing that the second chicken to lay today dropped the egg onto the wood floor of the next box. Again, just a specualtion, but it was cracked on the narrow end. I'm guessing that the narrow end comes out first when the chicken pushes it out the vent.
I don't think I'll be able to confirm this until I get the remote camera installed to watch them during the day. Yes...I do plan on doing that sometime soon.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
I'm a Real Farmer Now
I got home from a work conference tonight. I went out to check on the chickens; lo and behold, there were three eggs in the nesting boxes.
On the drive home from the airport, I asked the chicken sitter if there were any eggs. I was told no - just the ceramic ones I had put in the boxes to teach the chickens where to go.
So I check on the chickens and everyone is outside scratching around except for the gray naked neck. But she usually hangs out inside anyway, so I didn't think anything of it. She was in there eating - a lot. I had to refill the food and threw out a bunch of treats for her. Again, didn't think too much of it as this is kind of her routine.
I then looked in the nesting boxes to check on the cermaic eggs. Didn't see them, but did find three other eggs. One had a big chunk missing out of it...I'm thinking someone may have been pecking at it. But hte interior membrane wasn't broken. This is very good news as it means they haven't gotten the taste of raw egg. That can be a very bad thing.
One of the other eggs had a crack in it as well. Again, is someone pecking at them? Don't know. The third egg was just right. They are a little smallish, but that is supposed to be normal for the first couple of eggs.
I don't know if these all came from the same chicken or if multiple chickens are actually laying. Hopefully wiht the sun coming up earlier now, I can catch one in the act some morning.
This also means a change in food for the chickens...they will be going to a layer feed as soon as the current batch of grower feed runs out this week.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Aussie - 12/25/10 - 4/11/11
I lost one of my girls on Monday.
I got home from work and started my new after work routine - let the dogs out, put the dogs in, let the chickens out, let the dogs out again (because they never do all of their business right away the first time.)
After opening the chicken door intot he run, I started the head count to make sure everyone was accounted for. I only come up with 10. I open the coop door, see the naked necks hanging out eating and talking to each other. Hmmm...I must have counted wrong. So I rechecked the outside chickens, sure enough, only 10. As I'm heading back into the coop, the two stragglers headed outside. One is still missing.
I go into the coop, and see one of the girls laying in the corner. It was one of the Australorps. They were all fine when I checked on them in the morning - or at least they were all still huddled together in a corner (stupid things still don't roost at night).
I picked her up and started looking for any trauma. No pecking wounds and no bite marks (I'm fairly confident it had nothing to do with Kenny's terror spree). Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. It doesn't seem like an illness, as I should have noticed something in the other chickens. I'm not sure what happened. Only thing I can think of is maybe she ate something or was just born with bad genetics. Either way, I'm not sure I'll be able to find out short of a chicken-topsy. I'll just chalk it up to a mystery death and keep an eye on the rest.
**Update - at first I thought this was a random chicken, but then it turned out to be Aussie. **
I got home from work and started my new after work routine - let the dogs out, put the dogs in, let the chickens out, let the dogs out again (because they never do all of their business right away the first time.)
After opening the chicken door intot he run, I started the head count to make sure everyone was accounted for. I only come up with 10. I open the coop door, see the naked necks hanging out eating and talking to each other. Hmmm...I must have counted wrong. So I rechecked the outside chickens, sure enough, only 10. As I'm heading back into the coop, the two stragglers headed outside. One is still missing.
I go into the coop, and see one of the girls laying in the corner. It was one of the Australorps. They were all fine when I checked on them in the morning - or at least they were all still huddled together in a corner (stupid things still don't roost at night).
I picked her up and started looking for any trauma. No pecking wounds and no bite marks (I'm fairly confident it had nothing to do with Kenny's terror spree). Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. It doesn't seem like an illness, as I should have noticed something in the other chickens. I'm not sure what happened. Only thing I can think of is maybe she ate something or was just born with bad genetics. Either way, I'm not sure I'll be able to find out short of a chicken-topsy. I'll just chalk it up to a mystery death and keep an eye on the rest.
**Update - at first I thought this was a random chicken, but then it turned out to be Aussie. **
Dogs Will KIll a Chicken - No Really
In thinking back to when the first set of eggs hatched, I knew there may be issues with the dogs. Exhibit A, B, and C. Yet, I didn't factor in Kenny's determination to get to the chickens.
There was a perfect storm of ineptitude that occurred while putting up the run. Not being an expert in chicken behaviors yet, I didn't really think about how the chickens were going to react while the run was going up. Once the panels were in place and the locking mechanisms were finger-tightened, the chickens were invited into the run.
Well, there were still people in the run holding up the panel that hadn't been affixed to the coop. So the chickens were just milling about doing chicken things, but on the other end of the run.
Then the dogs were let out. The yard has an invisible fence. The bad dogs (Kenny and Izzy) had their collars on, the old dogs (Betty and Bailey) didn't as they panic when they get buzzed. Anyway, Kenny ran towards the coop/run area, stood and barked at the chickens. But only because there's a line where the invisible fencing cuts across the yard. The chickens are all "what? you can't touch us".
Well, Kenny doesn't like being tormented like that. And he bolted through the invisible fence. It was at this point that it was learned that the battery in his collar was out. Oops.
So now Kenny is right up at the run barking at the chickens. Remember, there are still people in the run area, too. So the chickens were trying to get as far away from two different sets of danger. They ended up crowding next the fence in the corner where it was currently being held up and not attached.
Oh no. Easy pickin's for a tenacious dog who's nose can fit through a kennel fence. Sure enough, Kenny got himself a chicken. I'm not sure which chicken he got, but he pulled out a mouthful of feathers. The non-captured chickens ran to the opposite corner of the run and pressed themselves against the fence. Oh Lord. I'm sure you know what's coming.
Lots of screaming and kicking at the fence ensued. Rat-bastard dog would not relent. Finally, the chicken got away and ran to join the rest of the flock.
Being a fast little dog, Kenny ran to where the chickens were and got himself another (same?) chicken and pulled out another mouthful of feathers. They got away from him and settled in the middle of the run so they couldn't be reached.
I left the run, swearing at Kenny, picked him up and put him back in the house.
Lessons learned:
If Kenny is outside being a jerk, people can't be in the run
Little dogs - specially badger dogs (that's English for Dachshund) - are bred to hunt. And will (see exception below)
Little dogs with pointy noses can get said nose through chain link very easily. This tells me I need to put the predator proofing netting a little higher up that I originally wanted. In fact, I may even electrify the fence - that'll teach him.
Yelling at a determined dog will not deter him from his task.
Old dogs can't be bothered with hunting.
There was a perfect storm of ineptitude that occurred while putting up the run. Not being an expert in chicken behaviors yet, I didn't really think about how the chickens were going to react while the run was going up. Once the panels were in place and the locking mechanisms were finger-tightened, the chickens were invited into the run.
Well, there were still people in the run holding up the panel that hadn't been affixed to the coop. So the chickens were just milling about doing chicken things, but on the other end of the run.
Then the dogs were let out. The yard has an invisible fence. The bad dogs (Kenny and Izzy) had their collars on, the old dogs (Betty and Bailey) didn't as they panic when they get buzzed. Anyway, Kenny ran towards the coop/run area, stood and barked at the chickens. But only because there's a line where the invisible fencing cuts across the yard. The chickens are all "what? you can't touch us".
Well, Kenny doesn't like being tormented like that. And he bolted through the invisible fence. It was at this point that it was learned that the battery in his collar was out. Oops.
So now Kenny is right up at the run barking at the chickens. Remember, there are still people in the run area, too. So the chickens were trying to get as far away from two different sets of danger. They ended up crowding next the fence in the corner where it was currently being held up and not attached.
Oh no. Easy pickin's for a tenacious dog who's nose can fit through a kennel fence. Sure enough, Kenny got himself a chicken. I'm not sure which chicken he got, but he pulled out a mouthful of feathers. The non-captured chickens ran to the opposite corner of the run and pressed themselves against the fence. Oh Lord. I'm sure you know what's coming.
Lots of screaming and kicking at the fence ensued. Rat-bastard dog would not relent. Finally, the chicken got away and ran to join the rest of the flock.
Being a fast little dog, Kenny ran to where the chickens were and got himself another (same?) chicken and pulled out another mouthful of feathers. They got away from him and settled in the middle of the run so they couldn't be reached.
I left the run, swearing at Kenny, picked him up and put him back in the house.
Lessons learned:
If Kenny is outside being a jerk, people can't be in the run
Little dogs - specially badger dogs (that's English for Dachshund) - are bred to hunt. And will (see exception below)
 |
| Bailey not bothering with instinct. Unless that instinct is eating poop. |
Yelling at a determined dog will not deter him from his task.
Old dogs can't be bothered with hunting.
Many Many Updates
I have been remiss in my duties as a blogger by not providing timely updates for my faithful readers.
To summarize the past few weeks (full details will be added as individual posts):
1.) The coop is "done"
2.) The chickens have moved outside
3.) The run is up and the chickens get outdoor time every day
4.) The boys are getting ready for freezer camp - they haven't packed yet, but they are demonstrating interest in going every day.
5.) Two out of four dogs would kill a chicken if given an opportunity
6.) I'm turning into a chicken hoarder (but I promise to stop at my max)
7.) One of the original girls died.
8.) Non-chicken related stuff, too
To summarize the past few weeks (full details will be added as individual posts):
1.) The coop is "done"
2.) The chickens have moved outside
3.) The run is up and the chickens get outdoor time every day
4.) The boys are getting ready for freezer camp - they haven't packed yet, but they are demonstrating interest in going every day.
5.) Two out of four dogs would kill a chicken if given an opportunity
6.) I'm turning into a chicken hoarder (but I promise to stop at my max)
7.) One of the original girls died.
8.) Non-chicken related stuff, too
Monday, March 21, 2011
Coop Building - Part 2
Time to raise the roof. What, what?!
The roof was built to have a one foot overhang around the entire structure - so it is 12'x10'. It was built with a 2" over 12" rise (or about a 9 degree rise). In hindsight, this probably should have been a steeper pitch to handle snow and really gusty winds. I guess we'll find out how it handles the snow load next winter. For the wind, each rafter had hurricane ties attached to both ends. But I'm getting ahead of myself...the roof has to be put into place first.
We brought the roof frame out to the coop building from the driveway. Weather was still mild and sunny. The plan was to have two people push the roof up. The other two would grab on and pull into position. To make sure we were "square", each rafter was marked one foot down the length.
Lifting the roof into place was surprisingly easy. Even making sure it was
Once the sheeting was in place, Penny and Jason had to head home to tend to their dogs. Couldn't have gotten the roof up without their help. It was much appreciated. Beers will be offered at a later date.
This was essentially the end of day one. All that was left was to put a tarp over the roof. Tar paper and shingles will be added in about a week (after the rain and snow this week).
Next up is adding the siding and insulation. More on that tomorrow. Only a few more days before the chickens get a much bigger better home.
The roof was built to have a one foot overhang around the entire structure - so it is 12'x10'. It was built with a 2" over 12" rise (or about a 9 degree rise). In hindsight, this probably should have been a steeper pitch to handle snow and really gusty winds. I guess we'll find out how it handles the snow load next winter. For the wind, each rafter had hurricane ties attached to both ends. But I'm getting ahead of myself...the roof has to be put into place first.
We brought the roof frame out to the coop building from the driveway. Weather was still mild and sunny. The plan was to have two people push the roof up. The other two would grab on and pull into position. To make sure we were "square", each rafter was marked one foot down the length.
Lifting the roof into place was surprisingly easy. Even making sure it was
 |
| Jason working on the roof. |
in the proper position was not as bad as I thought it could have been. However, we did find one issue. When framing the roof, the first studs in were place at 12" on center. Good in theory, but this didn't take into account that the frame of the building /would have been at 12 7/8" over...so roof isn't squarely on the coop building...it overhangs by half the width of a 2X4 on both side. This will be handled by adding 7/8" supports sometime later on. The chickens won't care at this point...assuming the whole thing doesn't collapse on itself.
Lesson learned. Time to move on to adding the roof sheeting. This
was also relatively easy. Just throw up 3 4' x 8' exterior grade roofing sheets along with 3 4' x 2' sheets, square them off and pound them into place. Once the sheeting was in place, Penny and Jason had to head home to tend to their dogs. Couldn't have gotten the roof up without their help. It was much appreciated. Beers will be offered at a later date.
This was essentially the end of day one. All that was left was to put a tarp over the roof. Tar paper and shingles will be added in about a week (after the rain and snow this week).
Next up is adding the siding and insulation. More on that tomorrow. Only a few more days before the chickens get a much bigger better home.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Coop Building Has Arrived
Well...the coop building has finally commenced. In fact, it's about 75% complete - at least complete enough for the chickens to move in.
My intent was to have the coop ready for moving day today, but underestimating old age and weather played factors against that goal.
The building plan finally started on Friday after work. The final location was selected previously, but I finally went out to make sure the location was going to work. I cleared out some snow and then measured the space.
I previously mentioned this, but I had to make sure that the structure was going to be within 6 feet of the house so it didn't count as an accessory building. By not being an accessory building, I didn't have to pay for additional permits or have to have the land surveyed again.
So the space chosen is five feet from the house. The structure runs 10 feet wide by 8 feet long. The run will be added later once all the snow is gone and the ground becomes more stable - so I'm hoping by mid May this can be accomplished. Lets see how realistic that is. I'll let you know what the odds are once the Office Skeptic harasses me on Monday.
Where was I? Oh yeah...Friday afternoon. I cleared some snow away and measured the space. Then it came time for setting the foundation. That was a cold mess. It involved a trip to Home Depot and working with cold, wet paver base.
The plan was a cluster-f@#$. I didn't take the time to actually frame out the perimeter (first mistake). Instead, I just kind of placed the blocks where I thought they should go (I did measure for distance, though). I used the paver base to raise the blocks on the sloped side of the space and to even out the other blocks. The first row went fine using this method. The blocks were even and spaced apart correctly. The second row, however, is when things went to hell.
The first block got placed (seemingly) correctly. It was level to itself and to the neighbor block already placed. Then came the block on the end. Again, it level to itself and to the neighbor block. When it was time for the middle block, everything fell apart. When it was level with its neighbor to the north and east, the south one was too short. When I tried to 'fix' that, then it got out of level with the other ones. Long story short, the attempt on Friday night was aborted as my hands started to freeze and it just wasn't coming together.
Let's sleep on it and revisit in the morning.
I like sleep.
On Saturday, the first thing to do was to go pick up the window and siding from the BMO and check out to see if there was any more interior siding to pick up. Nope. So home it was with the goods. Got them unloaded into the garage.
At this point, the idea was to just bring the floor frame out to the foundation supports and see how out of whack everything was. Surprisingly, it wasn't as bad as it seemed from the previous night. Sure, blocks had to move and be re-dug and centered. But with the frame there, it was much easier to see how everything needed to align and to check for level.
Now that that hurdle has been cleared, it was time to put on the floor sheeting. That was a relatively simple task that didn't take too much time.
Then it was off to Menard's for the side windows and other supplies. Originally, the roofing materials were going to be purchased there, but for a few cents more, the decision was to go to Home Depot instead. Off to Home Depot. Now at Home Depot, the roofing pieces were purchased - including all the framing materials and sheathing.
Back home, it was time to have lunch. Dang...lunchtime already and not much has been accomplished.
After lunch, it was time to start cutting wood and framing the roof. It was at this time that I had to head back to Home Depot to rent the framing nail gun again. What a time saver. It was also at this time that I started to panic about how the roof was going to get put on. So a few texts were sent out to friends and happily they accepted and came over a few hours later. Whew...load off my mind.
Once home, it was time to frame the roof and install the walls. This was very simple and didn't take too much time at all - less than two hours.
At this point, it was around 3pm and the friends showed up to help hoist the roof up. But first, they had to help put the windows in. That went pretty quickly. The little side windows took a few minutes each. The big window took a little more time, but was pretty straightforward, too.
Yea! Four walls and a floor done.
Then it was time for the roof. But that part of the story is going to have to wait. It's bedtime. More to come tomorrow.
My intent was to have the coop ready for moving day today, but underestimating old age and weather played factors against that goal.
The building plan finally started on Friday after work. The final location was selected previously, but I finally went out to make sure the location was going to work. I cleared out some snow and then measured the space.
I previously mentioned this, but I had to make sure that the structure was going to be within 6 feet of the house so it didn't count as an accessory building. By not being an accessory building, I didn't have to pay for additional permits or have to have the land surveyed again.
So the space chosen is five feet from the house. The structure runs 10 feet wide by 8 feet long. The run will be added later once all the snow is gone and the ground becomes more stable - so I'm hoping by mid May this can be accomplished. Lets see how realistic that is. I'll let you know what the odds are once the Office Skeptic harasses me on Monday.
Where was I? Oh yeah...Friday afternoon. I cleared some snow away and measured the space. Then it came time for setting the foundation. That was a cold mess. It involved a trip to Home Depot and working with cold, wet paver base.
The plan was a cluster-f@#$. I didn't take the time to actually frame out the perimeter (first mistake). Instead, I just kind of placed the blocks where I thought they should go (I did measure for distance, though). I used the paver base to raise the blocks on the sloped side of the space and to even out the other blocks. The first row went fine using this method. The blocks were even and spaced apart correctly. The second row, however, is when things went to hell.
The first block got placed (seemingly) correctly. It was level to itself and to the neighbor block already placed. Then came the block on the end. Again, it level to itself and to the neighbor block. When it was time for the middle block, everything fell apart. When it was level with its neighbor to the north and east, the south one was too short. When I tried to 'fix' that, then it got out of level with the other ones. Long story short, the attempt on Friday night was aborted as my hands started to freeze and it just wasn't coming together.
Let's sleep on it and revisit in the morning.
I like sleep.
On Saturday, the first thing to do was to go pick up the window and siding from the BMO and check out to see if there was any more interior siding to pick up. Nope. So home it was with the goods. Got them unloaded into the garage.
 | |
| Floor frame and sheeting begun. |
Now that that hurdle has been cleared, it was time to put on the floor sheeting. That was a relatively simple task that didn't take too much time.
Then it was off to Menard's for the side windows and other supplies. Originally, the roofing materials were going to be purchased there, but for a few cents more, the decision was to go to Home Depot instead. Off to Home Depot. Now at Home Depot, the roofing pieces were purchased - including all the framing materials and sheathing.
Back home, it was time to have lunch. Dang...lunchtime already and not much has been accomplished.
 | ||||
| Helper dogs. |
Once home, it was time to frame the roof and install the walls. This was very simple and didn't take too much time at all - less than two hours.
At this point, it was around 3pm and the friends showed up to help hoist the roof up. But first, they had to help put the windows in. That went pretty quickly. The little side windows took a few minutes each. The big window took a little more time, but was pretty straightforward, too.
Yea! Four walls and a floor done.
Then it was time for the roof. But that part of the story is going to have to wait. It's bedtime. More to come tomorrow.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Interesting Option
Something to consider when I have to send the boys to freezer camp. Any takers?
http://www.etsy.com/listing/64936426/lucky-chicken-feet-unseen-earrings-gold
http://www.etsy.com/listing/64936426/lucky-chicken-feet-unseen-earrings-gold
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Coop Construction Has Begun
Not much happened in the world of chickens this week. They are still growing and crowing. The growing part has me the most concerned. They have all effectively outgrown their current space. But I have no where else to put them....yet.
Today began the first phase of construction. After toying around with various ideas for what the coop would look like and where it would go, decisions have finally been made. I've settled on a 8' x 10' shed/coop design with a slanted roof. It will sort of look like this. The coop will end up on the south side of the house - originally, it was going to be on the east side, so it would be completely out of view unless you were in the yard. But after looking at space and reading about what's best, it was decided to put them elsewhere (truly, the main deciding factor was that the snow will be gone from the south side of the house later this week if the weather forecast holds.)
So yesterday, plans were drawn up on a post it note, a list of materials was compiled and shopping began. The day started out by stopping at the feed store in Rosemount. Mainly to pick up feed and look to see if they had chicks in yet. No chicks...whew. Not really ready yet, but I do need to think about replacing the boys soon. For such a small operation, they have the best prices on feed and supplies.
After the feed store, it was a quick stop at the Dakota County Library across the street. I had to pay a fine ($ 0.30) and pick up a book on building sheds. The book was mostly to get ideas/plan for the roofing part of the job.
After the library, it was time to go shopping for materials. If you've never been there, you should really stop at the Building Materials Outlet in Eagan if you are doing any sort of home improvement and want to find stuff on the cheap. You have to dig around, but there are some great finds.
I was going to the BMO primarily to find windows for the coop. From what I've read, I should be planning on one square foot of ventilation for each bird. Simple math tells me I need 20 sq ft of ventilation if I max out my permit. I think I went overboard. At the BMO, there was a 72" x 60" double slider window for $105. This was perfect. The chickens will have a great view, will get plenty of sun and will have ample ventilation when needed - they'll be the envy of all the other chickens in the area.
The decision to buy this window also presented me with which way to orient the coop - the 10' side will run parallel to the house. The big 'picture window' will be in the front along with the chickens pop up door (how they can get out during the day).
Then I decided that there should be windows on the sides to allow for cross ventilation. There were options at the BMO, but the prices were actually better at Menard's, so I will get those there.
However, I didn't actually buy the window on Saturday - I didn't have a way to get it home. So I'm going back on Wednesday and hoping it is still there....it'll truly suck if it isn't...more on that in a bit.
The only thing I did end up buying was the exterior man door. There was a decent plain white insulated exterior door that I got. About a third the price of one at the home improvement stores.
The exterior siding and interior wall coverings were also available for about a third of the price of buying new at a home improvement store. The option for the siding is limited to one style, but I don't think the chickens will complain. I know I won't.
That was it for Saturday.
This morning, it was off to Menard's again and Home Depot to pick up lumber. Anyone who has shopped at Menard's for lumber before knows there stuff is VERY hit and miss for quality. In fact, I didn't even buy any new lumber from there this morning - just insulation (since it was on sale) and a few other miscellaneous parts.
Quick aside...I had purchased some lumber a few weeks ago for an aborted attempt to start on the coop before the last snow storm. I used most of that, plus new stuff I got today.
So it was off to Home Depot to get the rest of the lumber. I ended up spending around $125 total on all lumber. I still need to get some of the roof pieces next weekend, though (the 12' lengths wouldn't fit in the car). So all in, I'll be at around $150 for lumber. I also rented a framing nail gun. Man, what a time saver that turned out to be.
Anyway, so once I got the lumber home, it was time for lunch - priorities, right? During lunch, the plan was refined to include the windows and door framing. After lunch, it was time to begin building.
The floor was the hardest part. The pressure treated wood was still pretty wet and heavy, so driving the screws into it took longer than expected. It was a good idea to use joist hangers, too.
Once the floor was done and put to the side, it was time to work on the walls. The first wall was put together pretty quickly. But! This is also when it was discovered that the plans weren't exactly accurate. A critical component was overlooked when drawing up the plans - you need to account for the width of the wood...d'oh! Oh well...lesson learned. The only place it really mattered was for the placement of the window studs. One of the studs had to be cut out and moved. Worst thing that happened is the chickens will have a window slightly off centered. I'm sure it will bug them to no end, but what are you gonna do?
After that small set back, the rest of the framing all went very smooth. It took around 2 1/2 hours to build all four walls and the floor. This is where the issue of not buying the window on Saturday comes in.
The front was was framed out taking into consideration the window that was at the BMO that will be picked up on Wednesday. If it is sold before then, I'm not sure what to do. The front frame is 70 sq feet - 30 of which will be holding a window. If that window isn't there, I'll have to come up with a new plan and re-work the opening. Re-work...ish.
So that's the update for now. I didn't take any pictures of the process as it really was quite boring without much to see. When the coop raising happens next weekend (come hell or high water, it's happening next weekend), I'll document the process.
Today began the first phase of construction. After toying around with various ideas for what the coop would look like and where it would go, decisions have finally been made. I've settled on a 8' x 10' shed/coop design with a slanted roof. It will sort of look like this. The coop will end up on the south side of the house - originally, it was going to be on the east side, so it would be completely out of view unless you were in the yard. But after looking at space and reading about what's best, it was decided to put them elsewhere (truly, the main deciding factor was that the snow will be gone from the south side of the house later this week if the weather forecast holds.)
So yesterday, plans were drawn up on a post it note, a list of materials was compiled and shopping began. The day started out by stopping at the feed store in Rosemount. Mainly to pick up feed and look to see if they had chicks in yet. No chicks...whew. Not really ready yet, but I do need to think about replacing the boys soon. For such a small operation, they have the best prices on feed and supplies.
After the feed store, it was a quick stop at the Dakota County Library across the street. I had to pay a fine ($ 0.30) and pick up a book on building sheds. The book was mostly to get ideas/plan for the roofing part of the job.
After the library, it was time to go shopping for materials. If you've never been there, you should really stop at the Building Materials Outlet in Eagan if you are doing any sort of home improvement and want to find stuff on the cheap. You have to dig around, but there are some great finds.
I was going to the BMO primarily to find windows for the coop. From what I've read, I should be planning on one square foot of ventilation for each bird. Simple math tells me I need 20 sq ft of ventilation if I max out my permit. I think I went overboard. At the BMO, there was a 72" x 60" double slider window for $105. This was perfect. The chickens will have a great view, will get plenty of sun and will have ample ventilation when needed - they'll be the envy of all the other chickens in the area.
The decision to buy this window also presented me with which way to orient the coop - the 10' side will run parallel to the house. The big 'picture window' will be in the front along with the chickens pop up door (how they can get out during the day).
Then I decided that there should be windows on the sides to allow for cross ventilation. There were options at the BMO, but the prices were actually better at Menard's, so I will get those there.
However, I didn't actually buy the window on Saturday - I didn't have a way to get it home. So I'm going back on Wednesday and hoping it is still there....it'll truly suck if it isn't...more on that in a bit.
The only thing I did end up buying was the exterior man door. There was a decent plain white insulated exterior door that I got. About a third the price of one at the home improvement stores.
The exterior siding and interior wall coverings were also available for about a third of the price of buying new at a home improvement store. The option for the siding is limited to one style, but I don't think the chickens will complain. I know I won't.
That was it for Saturday.
This morning, it was off to Menard's again and Home Depot to pick up lumber. Anyone who has shopped at Menard's for lumber before knows there stuff is VERY hit and miss for quality. In fact, I didn't even buy any new lumber from there this morning - just insulation (since it was on sale) and a few other miscellaneous parts.
Quick aside...I had purchased some lumber a few weeks ago for an aborted attempt to start on the coop before the last snow storm. I used most of that, plus new stuff I got today.
So it was off to Home Depot to get the rest of the lumber. I ended up spending around $125 total on all lumber. I still need to get some of the roof pieces next weekend, though (the 12' lengths wouldn't fit in the car). So all in, I'll be at around $150 for lumber. I also rented a framing nail gun. Man, what a time saver that turned out to be.
Anyway, so once I got the lumber home, it was time for lunch - priorities, right? During lunch, the plan was refined to include the windows and door framing. After lunch, it was time to begin building.
The floor was the hardest part. The pressure treated wood was still pretty wet and heavy, so driving the screws into it took longer than expected. It was a good idea to use joist hangers, too.
Once the floor was done and put to the side, it was time to work on the walls. The first wall was put together pretty quickly. But! This is also when it was discovered that the plans weren't exactly accurate. A critical component was overlooked when drawing up the plans - you need to account for the width of the wood...d'oh! Oh well...lesson learned. The only place it really mattered was for the placement of the window studs. One of the studs had to be cut out and moved. Worst thing that happened is the chickens will have a window slightly off centered. I'm sure it will bug them to no end, but what are you gonna do?
After that small set back, the rest of the framing all went very smooth. It took around 2 1/2 hours to build all four walls and the floor. This is where the issue of not buying the window on Saturday comes in.
The front was was framed out taking into consideration the window that was at the BMO that will be picked up on Wednesday. If it is sold before then, I'm not sure what to do. The front frame is 70 sq feet - 30 of which will be holding a window. If that window isn't there, I'll have to come up with a new plan and re-work the opening. Re-work...ish.
So that's the update for now. I didn't take any pictures of the process as it really was quite boring without much to see. When the coop raising happens next weekend (come hell or high water, it's happening next weekend), I'll document the process.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Uh oh
It was 5:50am as I'm heading out to work. It's still dark out. As soon as I open the door to the garage this morning, what do you think I hear? Crowing...damn.
Previously, when I would check on them before heading to work, everyone would still be sleeping, or at the very least inactive. This morning it was very obviously different.
 |
| Stop making so much noise. |
I head down to the dungeon where the chickens live and sure enough, he's making normal rooster crowing sounds in about 10 second intervals. He had all the girls (and other boys) up and looking around. They weren't eating or drinking yet, though. So he must have just started.
I had left the exterior door to the garage open when I went down to the dungeon. The dogs could then hear the crowing, too, and started barking. Gah. This is happening much sooner than expected. Still, I couldn't hear the crowing in the house, so that's good.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Cleaning Day
Chickens stink. I knew this going in, but the older they get, they get smellier faster than ever.
Two weekends ago was the first time I cleaned out the new growout box. Two weekends ago? Why am I only telling you about it now? I'm lazy and blog updates don't always rate high on the weekend to do list. In fact, I'm writing this about an hour and a half past my bedtime. But my co-workers keep harassing me about updates (especially the Office Skeptic, who doesn't even read these), so here they are.
Anyway, it was definitely needed. It was quite the production to move all the chickens out of the box. My intent was to let them outside to "graze" in the area where I thought there coop may go (more on that later). I threw some corn out there for them to peck at while their house was being cleaned.
Two weekends ago was the first time I cleaned out the new growout box. Two weekends ago? Why am I only telling you about it now? I'm lazy and blog updates don't always rate high on the weekend to do list. In fact, I'm writing this about an hour and a half past my bedtime. But my co-workers keep harassing me about updates (especially the Office Skeptic, who doesn't even read these), so here they are.
Anyway, it was definitely needed. It was quite the production to move all the chickens out of the box. My intent was to let them outside to "graze" in the area where I thought there coop may go (more on that later). I threw some corn out there for them to peck at while their house was being cleaned.
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| Hell no, we won't go! |
Nope. They wanted nothing to do with being outside - at least the ones that I could get out there.
For the ones I did get outside, they just huddled in a corner next to the house. The gray turken did try to venture out a little bit. He moved about a foot away from the rest so he could hide behind a shovel. Whatever...weird bird.
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| Brrr, its cold out here, there must be some Toros in the atmosphere. |
But being as it was February in MN, it was cold and a little windy outside. The birds have been spoiled for quite some time in there draft free and heat lamp heated growing box. So I could understand why they were hesitant to start exploring the yard just yet.
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| Its nicer over here out of the wind. |
As a side note (and again, this is two weeks delayed), cleaning day was before the last snowstorm. So there was bare actual grass and leaves on the ground.
So back to my point. Chickens stink and cleaning the box was not pleasant. I filled a 50 gallon lawn and leaf bag with shavings/poop. This will be used in the spring to help fertilize the gardens. But dang, that was heavy - much heavier than when the bag is full of leaves.
They Grow Up So Fast (part 4)
I'm behind on the baby pictures. I hadn't realized I skipped the 8 week old pictures. I'm a bad parent - good thing I don't have kids.
Buffy - yeah, she's got a name now, but mostly because I found out she's a Buff Orpington which is one of the breeds I want - the former Mystery chick, is being true to her breed. She's definitely at the bottom of the pecking order. When I give the chickens treats, I always have to trick the other chickens away from one dish so she can get the treats out of the other one before they start swarming it as well.
My brother and his girlfriend stopped by to take me to another brother's hockey game. They like to visit with the chickens when they stop by, so I brought them down to check in on them. During the visit, my brother's girlfriend started laughing at something, and the one boy decided to respond. He crowed three times at her. I was startled and amused at the same time.
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| Red - 10 weeks |
Here's Red at 10 weeks. He's a good looking boy. Too bad he's destined for freezer camp in a few months.
Here's Aussie at 10 weeks. She's still the smallest Austrlorp in the
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| Aussie - 10 weeks |
bunch, but she's still thriving.
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| Gray turken at 12 weeks. |
The turkens are still my favorites, even though some of my co-workers are less than impressed by them. The yellow-ish one is very docile and kind of skittish. She takes to hanging out under the roost so she gets pooped on quite a bit. It's grosss, but whatever. She cleans herself up. I also like the sound they make. It's almost turkey like - definitely more gutteral sounding than the other chickens.
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| Yellow turken at 12 weeks. |
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| Buffy at 10 weeks. |
Finally, one of the random male Australorps decided to start crowing already. He's only 10 week old, just like his clutch mates, but he started crowing last weeked (2/26).
My brother and his girlfriend stopped by to take me to another brother's hockey game. They like to visit with the chickens when they stop by, so I brought them down to check in on them. During the visit, my brother's girlfriend started laughing at something, and the one boy decided to respond. He crowed three times at her. I was startled and amused at the same time. When I was down taking pictures today, he crowed at me. Today's crowing I think was because of the clucking the girls made when I took them out for their portraits. Luckily, the crowing wasn't wasn't that loud and it wasn't heard in the house. He doesn't have to visit freezer camp quite yet. I'm not sure I'm mentally prepared to go there quite yet.
The picture of him isn't great. He was moving around alot and was actually crowing when I took the picture.
First Blood - Follow Up
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| Pecking scab on neck. |
Not much to say about the pecking incident other than it seemed to be very isolated. After monitoring the wound for a few days, it healed up nicely and there haven't been any incidents of blood shed since.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
First Blood
This morning when I'm checking on the chickens, I noticed that the buff/brown Turken had a spot of fresh blood on her neck. Looks like one of the other birds was being a little rough in determining pecking order.
I took her out of the pen, cleaned up her wound and put some anti-biotic ointment on it. When I get home from work tonight, I'll check to see if she's still being picked on. If so, I'll have to separate her for a few days in one of the old tubs until she heals. From what I've read, the omnivores can keep pecking at wounds until they kill the bird. I'd be bummed if that happened.
I took her out of the pen, cleaned up her wound and put some anti-biotic ointment on it. When I get home from work tonight, I'll check to see if she's still being picked on. If so, I'll have to separate her for a few days in one of the old tubs until she heals. From what I've read, the omnivores can keep pecking at wounds until they kill the bird. I'd be bummed if that happened.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
They Grow Up So Fast (part 3)
I'm still not sure which black ones are Jersey Giants or Australorps...they look the same to me. A little bit of research will tell me the difference, but I just haven't gotten that far yet.
You'll also notice in the picture that Aussie has jacked up toes. I guess I should have been paying attention while she was younger so I could have corrected that. But she gets around fine, so no worries. 
The turkens are still my favorites right now. They look cool and seem to have the best temperment. Not that any of them are mean or agressive (well, the roosters are all agressive, but not in a "I'm gonna cut you" kind of way).
Mystery chick is still a mystery. I'm going to post her picture on backyard chickens to see if someone can identify what she is. I'll update y'all later with the results.
Random Jersey Giant rooster. He was the calmest of all the chickens that got their pictures taken today. I think he was looking for a hand out. He got treats (meal worms and corn) when he was put back. Gotta fatten him up for freezer camp in a few months.
And here they all are in their home in the basement. Even with the cold weather it's been in the mid-30s in the room...and around 45-50 where the heat lamp is. Once it warms up this week, I think I'm going to test them without the heat lamp at night.
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| Red at 6.5 weeks |
Two weeks later, so that means new pics of the chicks. Nice rhyme.
It is pretty interesting watching them grow up, though. Hard to believe that just seven weeks ago I still only had eggs.
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| Red at 6.5 weeks |
Red has turned into a good looking boy. Too bad that means rehoming or sending him off to freezer camp in a couple of month.
Aussie is still the smallest chicken in the coop, so she's easy to pick out.
I'm still not sure which black ones are Jersey Giants or Australorps...they look the same to me. A little bit of research will tell me the difference, but I just haven't gotten that far yet. Well...that took about 15 seconds. The difference (besides adult size) is the foot color. The Australorps have black feet; the Jersey Giants are gray.
You'll also notice in the picture that Aussie has jacked up toes. I guess I should have been paying attention while she was younger so I could have corrected that. But she gets around fine, so no worries. 
The turkens are still my favorites right now. They look cool and seem to have the best temperment. Not that any of them are mean or agressive (well, the roosters are all agressive, but not in a "I'm gonna cut you" kind of way). |
| Chickens like using power tools. |
Mystery chick is still a mystery. I'm going to post her picture on backyard chickens to see if someone can identify what she is. I'll update y'all later with the results.
Random Jersey Giant rooster. He was the calmest of all the chickens that got their pictures taken today. I think he was looking for a hand out. He got treats (meal worms and corn) when he was put back. Gotta fatten him up for freezer camp in a few months.
And here they all are in their home in the basement. Even with the cold weather it's been in the mid-30s in the room...and around 45-50 where the heat lamp is. Once it warms up this week, I think I'm going to test them without the heat lamp at night. Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Crooked Leg - Dec 26 2010 - Jan 25 2011
Crooked Leg didn't make it. He had been getting weaker and weaker by the day. The move to the lower level didn't help, but I don't think he would have last too much longer anyway.
He was still alive when I got home from work, but wouldn't accept any food and only a little bit of water. I put him back in the brooder and went to have dinner and watched TV. When I went to check on the chickens a few hours later like I do every night (to tuck them in, so to speak) he was in the same spot, but he had died. When I took him out of the brooder he was still a little warm, so I'm guessing he passed some time around 8pm or so.
Over the past two days, I've been researching the fastest/most humane way to cull a chick. There are many ways to do it (some kind of gruesome, some not so bad). Ultimately, I didn't have to pick one of them. When the time comes to have to cull a chick in the future, I think I know which method I would use. I will definitely not wait so long as that is not really fair to the chick or me.
For the Office Skeptic - you can keep eating meat now. You don't have to think about what I may or may not have had to do.
RIP, Crooked Leg/Neck
He was still alive when I got home from work, but wouldn't accept any food and only a little bit of water. I put him back in the brooder and went to have dinner and watched TV. When I went to check on the chickens a few hours later like I do every night (to tuck them in, so to speak) he was in the same spot, but he had died. When I took him out of the brooder he was still a little warm, so I'm guessing he passed some time around 8pm or so.
Over the past two days, I've been researching the fastest/most humane way to cull a chick. There are many ways to do it (some kind of gruesome, some not so bad). Ultimately, I didn't have to pick one of them. When the time comes to have to cull a chick in the future, I think I know which method I would use. I will definitely not wait so long as that is not really fair to the chick or me.
For the Office Skeptic - you can keep eating meat now. You don't have to think about what I may or may not have had to do.
RIP, Crooked Leg/Neck
Sunday, January 23, 2011
They Grow Up So Fast (part 2)
The chicks I hatched are four weeks old and the turkens are now six weeks old. They are thriving and getting big (except Crooked Leg).
I've got them trained so whenever they see me, they start looking for food and treats. They are even to the point where they let me pet them and/or pick them up. Some are still skittish, but most aren't.
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| Mystery chick at four weeks. |
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| Aussie at four weeks. Still the smallest Australorp. |
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| Red @ four weeks |
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| Turkens @ six weeks |
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Random chick that though the
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Crooked Leg (nee Neck) Update
Crooked Leg isn't digging the new digs so much.
In the plastic bins, he didn't have to go far to get to the food, water and to stay warm. In the new brooder, these things are spread out more so he has to work a little harder to get what he needs. He peeps pretty much all the time (or at least I can hear him even before I go into the garage - yes, I can recognize his peep).
He has a really hard time getting around. My attempts at fixing his legs haven't worked. He's not strong enough to stand on the one good leg, and the other one just drags behind. He pulls himself around with the one good leg, and flaps his wings to help get moving. It seems like he expends a lot of energy doing this. He's about a third the size of his clutch-mates. All his intake goes towards the energy needed to get around.
I'm a bad flock steward and need to make a tough decision soon.
In the plastic bins, he didn't have to go far to get to the food, water and to stay warm. In the new brooder, these things are spread out more so he has to work a little harder to get what he needs. He peeps pretty much all the time (or at least I can hear him even before I go into the garage - yes, I can recognize his peep).
He has a really hard time getting around. My attempts at fixing his legs haven't worked. He's not strong enough to stand on the one good leg, and the other one just drags behind. He pulls himself around with the one good leg, and flaps his wings to help get moving. It seems like he expends a lot of energy doing this. He's about a third the size of his clutch-mates. All his intake goes towards the energy needed to get around.I'm a bad flock steward and need to make a tough decision soon.
Moving Day
The chicks are no longer living in the lower level of the house. The new brooder and chickens moved to the sub-garage on Saturday (1/22). They seemed to adapt pretty quickly after the initial shock of being shut into their plastic bins for the 90 second journey into the cold.
I was initially concerned about the temps down there. They were used to 70 degree temps in the house. It was a consistent 40 degrees with a heater running in the garage.
I rigged up the heat lamp, moved the heater next to the brooder, and blocked in the corner of the brooder where the chicks will hang out to try to keep the heat in. I checked on them every couple of hours over the weekend. The temp at the ground level is around 55 degrees in their corner. They huddle together when they aren't roaming around and scratching for food, jumping up on the roosts, and doing other chicken things.
With the move, all the chickens are now living together. It was interesting to note that the two turkens hang out together, and the other 12 hang out together. The only real exception so far is Mystery Chick. It goes and hangs out near the turkens from time to time. The turkens like to hang out in the right corner, opposite the heat. I'm not a chicken behaviorist so I'm not going to try to understand what's going on. As long as everyone is eating, drinking and not pecking at each other, then it's all good.
I was initially concerned about the temps down there. They were used to 70 degree temps in the house. It was a consistent 40 degrees with a heater running in the garage.
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| Brooder set up |
With the move, all the chickens are now living together. It was interesting to note that the two turkens hang out together, and the other 12 hang out together. The only real exception so far is Mystery Chick. It goes and hangs out near the turkens from time to time. The turkens like to hang out in the right corner, opposite the heat. I'm not a chicken behaviorist so I'm not going to try to understand what's going on. As long as everyone is eating, drinking and not pecking at each other, then it's all good.
Monday, January 17, 2011
New Birds
I think I may have started a new addiction. But I promise I won't get to the point of hoarding (see episode 40).
Last Saturday (January 8), I acquired two new chickens. They were 4
week old Turken (or Naked Neck) mutts. The best guess from the message boards is they were crossed with Leghorns based on some of the other characteristics. I don't know. Maybe. I just think they're kinda cool looking. Keep reading to find out why I know they are mutts.
How does one find Naked Neck chickens in the middle of winter in Minnesota? Craig's List. I was doing a random search for coops/sheds/playhouses - something I can get relatively inexpensively to house the chickens once they outgrow their brooder and keep them safe
from predators/etc. Instead of finding a home, I found new chickens.
The guy (I'll call him the Random Russian) said he had a few of the breeds I would like to have in my flock - Turkens, Chantecler (because they are very cold hardy), and Brahmas (I think they are cool because of the feathered feet).
On a side note, I've decided the direction for my flock is going to go in a different direction. At first I just wanted dual purpose chickens (both egg layers and good for meat) that were docile and good egg producers. Now, I've decided I want cool looking chickens. If I could have roosters, that would be much easier to accomplish, but with hens, they don't get the great coloring that the boys do.
The guy (I'll call him the Random Russian) said he had a few of the breeds I would like to have in my flock - Turkens, Chantecler (because they are very cold hardy), and Brahmas (I think they are cool because of the feathered feet).
On a side note, I've decided the direction for my flock is going to go in a different direction. At first I just wanted dual purpose chickens (both egg layers and good for meat) that were docile and good egg producers. Now, I've decided I want cool looking chickens. If I could have roosters, that would be much easier to accomplish, but with hens, they don't get the great coloring that the boys do. Back on topic....During the course of our e-mail exchanges, I asked if he had some Chanteclers, Turkens and Brahmas. He said he had Turkens and Brahmas. I thought, great. Two more breeds I wanted to add to my growing flock. He explained he'd have some Chanteclers in the spring. I told him I'd be interested when they hatched out.
After a few e-mail exchanges (which I am know discovering that the person I was dealing with did not use English as his first language), I told him I would like the Turkens and Brahmas. He said he didn't have any Brahmas. My bad, I thought, but I still decided to drive up to Blaine and pick up a couple of Turken chicks. Before heading up there, I was trying to figure out how he kept chickens in Blaine. Is there farm land? I didn't think so, but what do I know
After a few e-mail exchanges (which I am know discovering that the person I was dealing with did not use English as his first language), I told him I would like the Turkens and Brahmas. He said he didn't have any Brahmas. My bad, I thought, but I still decided to drive up to Blaine and pick up a couple of Turken chicks. Before heading up there, I was trying to figure out how he kept chickens in Blaine. Is there farm land? I didn't think so, but what do I know
I enlisted a friend of mine to go with me on the trip to Blaine. You never know with this Craig's List stuff who you may run into. I had to promise her I would go out for cocktails the night before, so she stayed in the guest room so we'd be ready to go early.
I readied a box with some pine shavings and we left on the 45 minute road trip at 8:15. I met the Random Russian at his home - which turned out to be just a regular house in the middle of a suburban sub-division - and he directed me to wait outside the garage. Ah...now it is making sense.
He opened the garage door, we slid in - keeping an eye on the neighbors so we didn't look too shady. In a corner of the garage was a pretty sweet set up for the chicks he was trying to sell. It's what gave me the idea for my brooder. Anyway, in the brooder are a bunch of chicks. Right away I noticed one of the Turkens had feathery legs. That's not right.
Then it dawned on me that when he was telling me what breeds he had, the Brahma was a rooster only. This lead me to the conclusion that all his chickens were actually mutts. The Random Russian confirmed this over a couple of exchanges about how he kept his flock - the boys/girls all roamed together - he didn't keep his breeds separate. No big deal. The chicks were still pretty cool looking.
Now I'm up to 14 chickens. Based on the size of the combs on some of them, I think I have five boys in my original batch(es). I'll know more in a couple of weeks as more feathers come in and I can post pictures on the message boards to get help from the experts.
To help feed my new addiction, I will be going to a chicken swap in New Ulm in a few weeks to see if anyone has any of the other breeds I'm looking to get. In addition to the Brahmas or Chateclers, I'd like to get Wyandottes (preferably Blue Laced Red), Black Copper Marans (they aren't very cold hardy, but if someone local has them, then I can ask questions about their line), or Ameraucanas (they aren't particularly neat looking, but produce colored eggs) or their crosses. Ameraucanas produce blue eggs, but crosses - called Easter Eggers - do produce blue and green shades. I also like Plymouth Rock (the Barred variety) and Opringtons (the buff one).
I readied a box with some pine shavings and we left on the 45 minute road trip at 8:15. I met the Random Russian at his home - which turned out to be just a regular house in the middle of a suburban sub-division - and he directed me to wait outside the garage. Ah...now it is making sense.
He opened the garage door, we slid in - keeping an eye on the neighbors so we didn't look too shady. In a corner of the garage was a pretty sweet set up for the chicks he was trying to sell. It's what gave me the idea for my brooder. Anyway, in the brooder are a bunch of chicks. Right away I noticed one of the Turkens had feathery legs. That's not right.
Then it dawned on me that when he was telling me what breeds he had, the Brahma was a rooster only. This lead me to the conclusion that all his chickens were actually mutts. The Random Russian confirmed this over a couple of exchanges about how he kept his flock - the boys/girls all roamed together - he didn't keep his breeds separate. No big deal. The chicks were still pretty cool looking.
Now I'm up to 14 chickens. Based on the size of the combs on some of them, I think I have five boys in my original batch(es). I'll know more in a couple of weeks as more feathers come in and I can post pictures on the message boards to get help from the experts.
To help feed my new addiction, I will be going to a chicken swap in New Ulm in a few weeks to see if anyone has any of the other breeds I'm looking to get. In addition to the Brahmas or Chateclers, I'd like to get Wyandottes (preferably Blue Laced Red), Black Copper Marans (they aren't very cold hardy, but if someone local has them, then I can ask questions about their line), or Ameraucanas (they aren't particularly neat looking, but produce colored eggs) or their crosses. Ameraucanas produce blue eggs, but crosses - called Easter Eggers - do produce blue and green shades. I also like Plymouth Rock (the Barred variety) and Opringtons (the buff one).
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