Adding new chickens to our flock

[lcertuche]

@waretrop now that is the Taj Mahal of chicken coops! I only have 5 pullets now but am planning on ordering around 50 soon. I love the waterer and feeder. Do you feed Ferment Feed? It probably would need an open trench type thinking on it. Chickens probably is the easiest of livestock to manage. I do want some rabbits in the near future.

 

[NH Homesteader]

Love the waterer! I'm going to show that to my husband. Pond heater? Brilliant! We only have 13 chickens right now but 15 more coming in May plus whatever we hatch out.

 

[waretrop]

I have to fill and drain hose about twice or 3 times a week when the temp goes near 32 degrees and when it gets to 17 degrees I have to wrap the spouts of the waterer or they will freeze. I just use plastic bags on the lower area at night and take it away in the morning. The feed bin is topped off one time during the week. Our chickens don't take much time in a week. We clean the next boxes and floor every week and we can get it done, including hauling the old chips out to the farmers field, in 1 hour and half. Of course by the 6th day it is not really nice...I wouldn't want to invite anyone in there to visit them LOL. But it is pleasant after they are cleaned... they love it and so do we....LOL

 

[MoonShadows]

If you don't have a lot of chickens, another method is to use a heat tape around a bucket that has drinking nipples...similar to this.

If it gets real cold where you live, you can wrap the bucket with insulation, cut out the bottom of another bucket, and slip it over the insulated bucket. I used this method when I was working. Now, that I am home, I have a couple of those rubber livestock bowls, and I just change their water in the morning and mid afternoon.

Wow...I could not imagine cleaning a coop every week! But, then again, you have so many chickens. We clean the poop board periodically. I use Sweet PDZ on it, and that really absorbs the ammonia. Our bedding only gets changed once a year. We use the deep litter method, and just keep adding to it as needed. In fact, I need to clean it before I get the new chickens.

 

[waretrop]

I use pulverized lime in my nest boxes and on the floor before putting pine chips down..I never smell my chickens inlet the grazing area is very very wet..then I use lime on it and the smell goes away immediately.

 

[MoonShadows]

Brought home the new hens today....8 - 22 week old Red Sex Links. They are in the temporary run with temporary coop while they, and my old hens, get used to each other.

 

[waretrop]

Oh They look great.....

 

[MoonShadows]

Red sex-links are a cross between a Rhode Island Red Rooster or New Hampshire Rooster and a White Rock Hen. They can lay up to 300 eggs a year.

Rhode Island Red Rooster

New Hampshire Rooster

White Rock Hen

 

[waretrop]

I have many red sex links. I only care about the size and laying length. I have done the chocolates and greens and 6 foot tails and all the fancy ones but they don't sell like I need them to.....

 

[NH Homesteader]

300 eggs a year? Sheesh! Do they burn out young like a lot of the big layers do? I have mostly heritage dual purpose birds (mostly Dominiques) who lay 3-4 eggs a week.