Show me your henhouse!!

[Captain]

Mrs Captain has taken us into the adventure of poultry...expanding her hobby farm into yet another species.  We took delivery of 25 chicks last weekend, and intensions are for both meat and eggs.  We will slaughter the roosters this summer, and try to establish the egg production of the hens.

We have predator problems (coyote, fisher cats, hawks, owls, fox, our own dogs...) so we need a yard as well.

So what do you think??  We need roosts sufficient for about 12 hens, probably more in the long run.  Show us what you do and tell me what you would do different!!

Thanks,  Captain

PS .. normally I would post pictures of the chicks, but Brendan broke the digital camera  >:(

[Sprucegum]

Mother Earth Magazine had an article about an A-frame skid unit that you could move around the yard to provide free range type fodder and still protect the little fellers from all predators. One end had a roost and a couple nests protected from the elements and the other end was wire mesh.

Don't kill all the roosters, the hens need a reason to lay eggs( its part of that story about the birds and the bees)

[IMERC]

Mrs Captain has taken us into the adventure of poultry...

see if ya can get Rancher's other half on the line... she doing well or so it seems and she started with just a few chicks..

[thecfarm]

Probaly a 10 foot square building would do 20 chickens.If you're not going to move it,you may want to bury some heavy wire into the ground around the bottom of your fence.Not chicken wire,this won't last.We do have all the predators too.The only problem we had was when we let the chickens have free run of the place.I only let them out once a week now.They go back in at night by themselves.The neighbors dogs paid us a visit and killed 3 turkeys once.That cost them $100.We got our dog as a pup and he'll protect the chickens from predators,if he close by.He'll even eat their grain beside them.I would have 3-4 nest boxes for 12  layers.I made mine a foot square,with a 3 inch board for a lip for them to land on before they enter the box and than 2 inch board to keep the savings in the boxes.I have a 12 foot area fenced in for my chickens to roam.I keep it shoveled out in the winter time.I use a 1½x3½ for the chickens to roast on at night.Good-luck

[Ernie_Edwards]

[
Don't kill all the roosters, the hens need a reason to lay eggs( its part of that story about the birds and the bees)

This reminded me of my first duck. Growing up in rural Pa. I had a paper route at a very young age. A lady on the route sold me a duck for 50 cents. I was at the local store, kinda like a old time general store and there were a bunch of guys sitting around talking. I told them about my duck and they told my that it was a hen cause the quacking was loud, drakes had a softer quack. I told them that was great, now I could have baby ducks. They told me I needed a drake too. I said Nah, the hen lays the eggs, why do I need a drake? They told me to go home and ask my parents. I told them they didn't know anything about ducks, they were from New York City, and I left. I can only imagine the chuckles when I was gone.

[Dana]

Here's a photo of our chicken coop. It isn't finished. I need to add the windows and will either side it in cedar shingles or siding. Either choice I will make on the mill. Inside I used an Ash tree that the M.D.A. girdled when testing for the Ash borer (none found) for a roost I still have to make the nesting boxes. The buiding is built on cedar 8x8's, walls are 2x6 and rafter plate 3 2x6's nailed together. A bit of over kill but I can move the building when ever I want and it shouldn't rack out of square. 

[Patty]

Wow that is pretty fancy, Dana!  8)   Don't let my chickens see that, they'll probably go on strike or something.  :  We have 14 hens, zero roosters. You only need the rooster if you intend to raise baby chicks. Fourteen hens give us and everyone we know more eggs than we know what to do with. Heck, we gave 4 dozen eggs to the UPS driver yesterday, and stillhave 7 dozen in the fridge! But I digress.....
Our chicken coop is in the saw shed. I had 6x10' kennel panals that I put up in one corner, one panal has a door. Then we topped the entire pen with woven chicken wire. The critters still try to get in, we had a couple coons kill a few hens last month, but the wire does slow them down. When we know a critter is trying to invade the coop, we set poisen out and that takes care of the problem for a few weeks. We just killed two possum last weekend...and I am sure there are many more where they came from. We gave up on the free range, I didn't like them in my flower beds, and once they discover the strawberry patch, you might as well get a gun and shoot them, as you will never keep them out of it. I just use a 2x4 as a roost for them, it sets up about 5' off the floor. As far as nest boxes, I use those plastic milk crates. They are handy as heck and the girls like all the pretty colors of the crates. ;D  Actually I have only two crates in there now. They all like to lay in the same box for some reason. It is funny, you can go in there and there will be 3 or 4 hens all trying to lay in the one box, while the one next to it sits empty. :   You will learn very quickly that hens are very easy to care for, the hard part is keeping them safe from predators.

[DanG]

If I ever build another hen house, I'm gonna copy one I saw a few years ago.  The fella had built the nest boxes along one wall and put in a little access door for each one, so he could gather the eggs without going inside.  Also, get one of those feeders that has a pan suspended under a cylinder, and hang it from a rafter, a few inches off the ground.  You can put several days of feed in it.  For water, I use a 5 gal. plastic bucket with a lid. Cut some slots about 8" from the bottom.  The water stays a lot cleaner that way.

[Fla._Deadheader]

Patty, leave 1 egg (mark it with a magic marker so you know which one) in the empty nest. Sometimes ya just gotta "prime the pump" so to speak.  ;D

  Roosters will only aggravate them hens. Absolutely not necessary.

[crtreedude]

FDH - are you trying to tell me that you have to show them chickens what it is all about? 

[Fla._Deadheader]

YEP.  Sometimes they's REALLY not too smart.  Laying aiggs is a natural thing, and settin on 'em is what it's all about. You interrupt the cycle when ya steal them aiggs outta the nest.  ;) ;)

[crtreedude]

I'll send Geraldo to do the stealing...

By the way, Geraldo spotted a big Tom Turkey at Monte Cristo recently.

His description sure will convince you it is a tropical turkey!

I would like to raise some turkeys and ducks - just for a change.

[CHARLIE]

I just finished building this chickenhouse out back. Nothing too good for my chickens.....when I get some. ;D  It meets all OSHA standards for chickenhouses. :  I didn't use plans but if you want a chickenhouse like this one I'll see if I can't sketch up something for you. :P

[MULE_MAN]

I guess I'm going to start wearing hip boots before I start reading the FF . It's
starting to get pretty deep around here   Charlie   :D  :D  :D  :D   ;D

[Dana]

Charlie, Now you got me thinking..... Here in Michigan you don't need a building inspection for any agriculture related buildings. I wonder if I could live with the chickens, say one room for them and ten for me?  ;)

[thecfarm]

I forgot to mention,I have a man door and a chicken door.The man door stays closed when it's raining or is snowing.I keep the chicken door open all the time.It's about a foot square. This is in their fenced in area.I also built kinda off a roof over their food.This keeps the thunder showers out of the grain.When it rains all day I move the feeder inside.I don't have a camera.Good thing too.This was all built before my mill.It's not pretty,but keeps the wind and weather out.I added on to it twice.This adds alot of character to it.I keep my chickens in their pen until about 1-2 o'clock.This way they will lay in the boxes and not out un the woods somewheres.

[wiam]

Captain,  This is a picture of my "chicken tractor"  It gets moved around out in the pasture.  This is where my layers live in the summer. With 14 Rhode Island Reds in it I moved it twice/day.  This saved about half on the feed.  Right now they are in the barn.

This is a picture of my nest boxes.  they can be moved into the barn in the winter and into the tracto in the summer.

I found that plastic fake grass is the best to prevent egg breakage and and to keep eggs clean.

The back side of the boxes opens so I do not have to go inside to gather eggs. 

 
OK OK it is so my wife does nt have to go inside to gather eggs.

Will

[Captain]

Mrs. Captain here.  Captain neglected to yell all of you that because we only ordered 15 chicks (5 of 3 different kinds) they threw in some roosters for warmth.  In addition, 5 of the birds we wanted ended up not being available so instead of calling us to change our order they threw in some more roosters.  All in all we ended up with 14 roosters and 10 of straight run chickens.  For those who don't know what that is it's a get what you get deal.  That being said who knows how many of those are roosters as well.  .  I guess we'd better figure out how to slaughter the roosters (by we I mean Captain).

On another note....
One of the roosters is having a problem with balance and using his legs.  If I put food and scratch in front of him he will eat it.  If you put him in front of the water he will drink (if he's thirsty) and when he's resting if he gets run into or run over he falls over and has difficulty righting himself.  Anybody have any ideas on his affliction?

[wiam]

I have seen that before in baby chicks.  Not a good sign.  Might be not warm enough.  They should be about 90 degrees for the first week and NO drafts.

Will

[Sprucegum]

When you go get your chicks you are 'sposed to keep them on the front seat beside you - so you can toss one into every other mailbox on the way home  ;D  ;D  ;D

I may sound crass and uncaring but I do love a good chicken dinner  ;)

It may be a good idea to" remove" the unfortunate one before the others learn how much fun it is to peck at him.   :-\

[Dana]

Like Sprucegum, I would remove him. If you don't he will get stepped on and then...       We nursed one of our turkeys chicks back to health by seperating him and having the kids feed him leaf worms. My thought was he wasn't getting enough nutrition from the starter feed. As far as feed, you are using chick starter feed right? They need that when first starting out.

[Norm]

Mrs. Captain the one with the bad legs is not going to get any better. Some breeds that grow very fast such as the meat birds have this tendency. Not to sound mean but I knock them on the back of the head with a hard stick to put them down humanely.

[Mrs._Stump_Jumper]

We also leave one egg in the nest so that the hens will keep laying in the same place .  Right now we only have 3 hens and 2 turkeys and we let them free range in the yard you just have to watch where you walk.  Because of the nuggets.

[Captain]

We are feeding medicated chick starter as well as scratch.  The heat lamp has been on since we received them and was at 90 for the first week.  We have reduced the temp 5 deg this week (since we were told to reduce the temp 5 deg / week until they no longer need the lamp).  We tried to isolate him outside the pen but kept him close enough to feel safe and to be able for him to use the heat lamp.  He continuously tried to get out of the box when we did that so we placed a small box with pine shavings in the cage with the others  to act as a "nest" for him and to try to shelter him.  The others have been good leaving him alone infact one of the smaller ones got into the "nest" with him and layed down beside him. 

He is very alert  when he is awake and is still eating and drinking when we bring the food and water to him but he does sleep alot.

[Patty]

Mrs. Captain, what kind of chicks do you have? We found that the meat  chicks  sometimes have leg problems, since they grow so quickly. Egg layers seem to be more hardy, and not so prone to leg problems. One thing that helped us the most was removing their feed at night when they are little. Good luck!