[Ag-eq] new chicks

Fri Mar 22 15:53:41 UTC 2013

Susan:

I love the sound of the coyotes and the owls, but I know they could decide to
have a chicken dinner!

So far cats haven't been a problem; we don't have many strays out here because
the coyotes get them.  I've heard that owls will pick up cats too.

I keep waiting to find my bull snake in the chicken run, but haven't yet.  I
like for him to hang around because he gets the gophers.

I love that I live in the city, but still experience wild life.  Some of my
neighbors are always complaining, but I like it.  There's a huge park, over
16,000 acres, less than a mile from my house.  Some of the wild life makes it's
way from there into the neighborhood.

There's an irrigation canal at the end of my street and there are all kinds of
birds along there.  Ducks even live on it year round.  I love to take walks
there and listen to all the bird sounds.

When should I start feeding the chicks laying food?

Before I waited until they were 4 months old and started giving them the shells
and laying food.  Do you think that's o.k.

Nella

Quoting Susan Roe <dogwoodfarm at verizon.net>:

> Nella,
>
> Tell me about it, never a dull moment.  LOL
>
> We have hawks, owls, racoons, possums, hunting dogs and farrel cats.  I
> really had to laugh at Matt last year, when he came home from work in the
> morning hours, he was excited to see a gray fox cross our driveway from one
> field into a large thicket area.  He slowed the truck down and watched it
> for a few minutes, marvelling on how graceful it looked in the predawn light
> until it finally registered, "What the hell!  I've got chickens!"  He tore
> up the driveway and made a bee line for the coops and checked them out
> before coming inside.  We have only had two predators inside the coops.  One
> was a farrel cat that had taken a chicken.  She had evidently climbed up the
> framing of the pen fencing and slipped down past the netting and the coop
> wall.  That also was why I switched to chicken wire over the top.  The
> second was a large black snake or a black racer who was found between the
> hen boxes and the back wall.   He was looking for eggs and was hanging out
> until the hens left.  He wouldn't have ttried it with hens close enough to
> peck and kill him.  It was also interesting to find him in the coop that
> didn't have a rooster.  I have no doubt that if Big Red were still alive,
> that snake would have been dead before we even knew he was there.  Actually,
> dead and half eaten before we had found him.  LOL
>
> The youngest chicks we have ever had was 4 weeks and they were the
> absolutely cutest things.  I had 15 black austrolope hens and they were just
> a bunch of non-stop little pointy beeks.  They constantly ate and picked at
> everything.  I would go inside their little coop and they would run all over
> my shoes, with about 3 on each foot, pulling and tugging on my shoe laces.
> "Oh look, giant worms!"  Wait until they are about 4 to 5 weeks and you can
> start giving them soft vegetables like squishy tomatoes, wedges or strips of
> squash and things like that.  When watermelons and other melons start to
> come in, give them the rinds once you are done with them and watch them peck
> it down to just the outer darker peel.  We have always called them our
> feathered peranas because they'll eat everything.  Just remember not to give
> them any oyster shells until they are 15 weeks.  They have no way of
> processing the excess calcium into egg production until after then.
>
> Susan
> dogwoodfarm at verizon.net
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <nfoster at extremezone.com>
> To: "Agricultural and Equestrean Division List" <ag-eq at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Thursday, March 21, 2013 9:13 AM
> Subject: Re: [Ag-eq] new chicks
>
>
> >
> > Susan:
> >
> > It's good to know about the bird netting if I ever live where it snows.
> >
> > I suspect the heat here is going to break down the netting.  I'm not sure
> > what
> > it's made out of, but it feels like plastic.  Plastic things don't hold up
> > long
> > in our extreme heat.
> >
> > I've had 3 chickens killed by dogs, which is another reason I don't let
> > them run
> > free.  The neighbor dog killed 2 and one of my dogs killed 1.  A man down
> > the
> > street has had a chicken and a duck carried away by the coyotes.
> >
> > A couple of weeks ago a friend and I drove up to my home and a hawk was
> > sitting
> > on the top of the chain link fence that surrounds the chicken run.  I'm
> > sure he
> > was trying to figure out how to have chicken dinner!
> >
> > We also have a pair of large owls that live around here and they will
> > snatch
> > chickens if given the opportunity.
> >
> > So far my new chicks are doing well.  They have already gotten bigger
> > since
> > Friday.  They still have plenty of room in their big wooden box and like
> > running around.  I put some hay in the bottom and they like scratching
> > through
> > it.  I can't believe how much chick starter they are eating.  It has been
> > 85
> > degrees every day and they seem fine in the sun.  I'm still putting them
> > in the
> > tack room since the nights are about 60 degrees.
> >
> > Never a dull moment in chicken world!
> >
> > Nella
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Quoting Susan Roe <dogwoodfarm at verizon.net>:
> >
> >> Hi Tracy,
> >>
> >> Yes, chickens normally come when you call them especially when they
> >> believe
> >> food is involved.  If your hens are skiddish around you, then they may
> >> not
> >> be as willing, but always associating food with being around you will
> >> usually do the trick.  Chickens will instinctually go in their coops at
> >> night because they will roost in their safe place and they learn early
> >> that
> >> place is their coop.  I do not let my hens free range because there are
> >> far
> >> too many predators around here and I don't like feeding the wildlife.
> >> LOL
> >> All three flocks have a good sized coop with nesting boxes and pirches
> >> and
> >> an even larger outside pen that has chicken wire on three sides and over
> >> the
> >> top.  We had bird netting over the top, but we found it to be a big
> >> mistake
> >> when it snowed and collected on the netting, causing it to sag and tare
> >> in
> >> several places.
> >>
> >> Susan
> >> dogwoodfarm at verizon.net
> >> ----- Original Message -----
> >> From: "Tracy Carcione" <carcione at access.net>
> >> To: "Agricultural and Equestrean Division List" <ag-eq at nfbnet.org>
> >> Sent: Tuesday, March 19, 2013 12:58 PM
> >> Subject: Re: [Ag-eq] new chicks
> >>
> >>
> >> > Do chickens come when they're called?  I see people on TV, shaking some
> >> > corn kernels and saying chick-chick-chick!  Do you have to round them
> >> > up
> >> > to go in the henhouse at night, and, if you do, how do you do that?
> >> > Tracy
> >> >
> >> > ----- Original Message -----
> >> > From: <nfoster at extremezone.com>
> >> > To: "Agricultural and Equestrean Division List" <ag-eq at nfbnet.org>
> >> > Sent: Tuesday, March 19, 2013 2:17 PM
> >> > Subject: Re: [Ag-eq] new chicks
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >>
> >> >> Jody:
> >> >>
> >> >> I've been handling the chicks; I can't believe how fast they grow.  I
> >> >> have 5
> >> >> adult hens and they are all pretty gentle.  They usually let me pet
> >> >> them,
> >> >> pick
> >> >> them up and they will always eat from my hand.
> >> >>
> >> >> It sounds as if you have been very busy getting set up for the horses.
> >> >> I've
> >> >> discovered that nothing is ever very easy when it comes to horses.
> >> >> However, I
> >> >> think they're worth it.
> >> >>
> >> >> Have you thought of names yet?
> >> >>
> >> >> I had a great lesson on Cruiser Sunday.  We did a 3 hour group lesson
> >> >> with the
> >> >> woman who trained him. Both Cruiser and I were tired by the end.
> >> >>
> >> >> She had me really focus on just riding with my legs, so I dropped the
> >> >> reins part
> >> >> of the time and just used my legs.  Most of the time he did what I
> >> >> wanted, but a
> >> >> couple times I had to ad the reins.  We did a lot of smooth turns.
> >> >> She
> >> >> had us
> >> >> snaking and circling all over the areana.  We also practiced his gaite
> >> >> transitions.  Every time I ride Cruiser, I love him more.
> >> >>
> >> >> I hope you will let us know when your horses arrive.
> >> >>
> >> >>  Nella
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >> Quoting Jody Ianuzzi <jody at thewhitehats.com>:
> >> >>
> >> >>> Hi Nella,
> >> >>>
> >> >>> It is good to hear from you.  I'm glad you have new chickens.  If you
> >> >>> pet
> >> >>> them every day they will probably let you handle them when they get
> >> >>> older.
> >> >>> The chickens we got were older and only two of them let you pet them.
> >> >>>
> >> >>> I am still waiting for the horses.  The driver has been unavailable
> >> >>> until
> >> >>> yesterday but Tom had to take his mom to the dentist.  We are all
> >> >>> ready.
> >> >>>
> >> >>> We put in 13 replacement fence posts, added insulators to all and put
> >> >>> in
> >> >>> 700
> >> >>> feet of wire.  The charger is now working and then we fixed up the
> >> >>> tie
> >> >>> up
> >> >>> station so it is ready too.
> >> >>>
> >> >>> We have been going over to see the horses every day since the stable
> >> >>> is
> >> >>> only
> >> >>> 7 minutes away.  We have mucked out their stalls and brushed them.
> >> >>> They
> >> >>> recognize us and are happy to see us.  The daily trip is getting old
> >> >>> so
> >> >>> I
> >> >>> really hope the boys can come home soon.  Everyone in the
> >> >>> neighborhood
> >> >>> knows
> >> >>> we are getting them and they are ezxcited too.
> >> >>>
> >> >>> I want to thank everyone on this list.  I have been apprehensive
> >> >>> about
> >> >>> getting horses but knowing that other blind people can do it helps me
> >> >>> with
> >> >>> my own confidence to know I can handle them too.  I'm sure everyone
> >> >>> has
> >> >>> that
> >> >>> nagging feeling now and then questioning yourself about doing new
> >> >>> things.
> >> >>>
> >> >>> I will let you all know as soon as the horses arrive.
> >> >>>
> >> >>> JODY
> >> >>>
> >> >>>
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> >> >>
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