Officialish Chicken Photo Thread!

[SpiritLifter]

Here's my non-bearded white silkie bantams. They lay all year since I put the infrared heat lamp in for them. We built the coop ourselves but they free range all day. We pen them up at night to keep them away from predators.

Notice the laying box on the outside left? That so we can just lift the lid and grab the eggs without having to walk into the coop. Our chickens have been raised by me since they were 3 days old in my living room. Only two shown here but their names are: Sweet Pea, Shasta and Cry Baby. Cry Baby earned her name since she was the little peep that wanted to be held 24/7. She's still likes to be held!

[GoWithTheFlow]

I love this thread ! I've been wanting chickens for while now . And just got up to asking my dad if me and my sister can get some next spring . (to give him some time to work on MY errr... OUR coop . As he has yet to finish my barn ,because he has alot going on .

Anyway I want a Silkie hen ,Bantams (my papa and cousins raise them) ,a polish hen ,different kind of layers ,guineas (papa raises those too) ,and EE's .

[Left Hand Percherons]

Another chick question

For those that let their chickens free range, how old do chicks need to be (supervised of course)? The yummy grasshoppers are all outside their pen.
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[Dreamcatcher Arabians]

Originally Posted by Left Hand Percherons    

Another chick question

For those that let their chickens free range, how old do chicks need to be (supervised of course)? The yummy grasshoppers are all outside their pen.
Posted via Mobile Device

I'm a little over protective but I don't let mine range until they are at least 12-16 weeks old. I like them to be almost full grown.

[Delfina]

Maybe 6 weeks? Pretty much as soon as they feather out, I stick them outside in the run around the big coop and even though they fit through the fencing, they usually stay right next to their food/water and I bring them back in long before it's dusk. They eventually get brave and start wandering.

The only predator I have is Coyotes, no loose dogs, hawks or anything else that would eat a chicken during the day.

[Dreamcatcher Arabians]

I have a well protected run that they can go in as soon as they're fully fledged but for actual free range, I like them pretty big. I have just about everything you can think of out here, for predation.

[FlyGap]

I wait until they are laying and used to their roost.
Then I let them start to venture out, I know they will come back in to their nests and barn to sleep at night where it's safe.

[lilkitty90]

Ok so my little Bantam hen, will not sit.. so far she has started sitting on 3 clutches. The first clutch, he looked at. Didn't touch, and was more then 20 feet away from the eggs, and 30 minutes later she scattered the eggs, and quit sitting.

She then found a new spot, layed eggs, and started sitting again. Again partway through it we accidently found it, and she quit sitting (her nest was hidden in a pile of old tires).

The 3rd time she layed eggs under the deck. No biggie. She was sitting and had been sitting about 16? Days. All of a sudden she just quits. We went and got the eggs, and cracked one open and it was completely full of yellow goop. I assume it was rotten?

What is wrong with this chicken and what can we do to get her to sit, and successfully hatch a clutch of eggs.

[Celeste]

I have six Plymouth Rock hens and two roosters in one area. I have my newer Americanas in a separate pen. They are almost grown now. I would really like to have them all in together. How hard is it going to be to get them together without any murders taking place?

[Dreamcatcher Arabians]

Originally Posted by Celeste    

I have six Plymouth Rock hens and two roosters in one area. I have my newer Americanas in a separate pen. They are almost grown now. I would really like to have them all in together. How hard is it going to be to get them together without any murders taking place?

Can they see each other the way they are now? If so, then I'd sneak the new chickens into the coop at night when the old group is asleep and let them all wake up together in the morning. If you let them out to range, they should be able to get away from each other fairly easily. You'll still have some pecking and order establishing going on but hopefully no murders taking place.