Hi Diane, I would love to see a picture of the feeder that your girls can sit on whilst they eat :) Jane & CO
--- In CHICKENS-101@yahoogroups.com, "Straight" <straight6@...> wrote:
>
> You are going to have to fence off around the bottom of the coop so they can't get under there, or you'll lose them all very soon to predators. They'll try to get in the same place at night and will snuggle right up to it, so that's when you go out, pick them up and put them inside. At night, in the dark. Just pick them up, tuck heads under your arm, put them inside. They're very dopey at night anyway, and if they can't see, they stay quiet.
>
> The young ones are getting big enough to hold their own against the old layers, although there will be some fighting.
>
> Yes, it's a lot of traipsing back and forth in the dark, and you can only carry 2 or 3 at a time, but the sooner you can do it, the better. The longer they roost in one place, the harder it is to change their minds. Once you get them inside, I'd keep them there for at least a week, maybe two weeks. Yes, all day too. Don't let them out at all. By then they might have the dominance issues sorted out and it resettled in their little minds that this is home.
>
> They will all need to be inside when the weather turns hard cold anyway, so they might as well get used to it. They're flock animals, they'll work it out. Might lose one or two in the process, but it's not something you can do for them. If those young ones stay outside, you'll lose them ALL.
>
> This really is a second very critical time of year. The first is when the wild animals have young ones to feed. But now they are trying to put on fat to get ready for winter, and are especially hungry. Day length triggers it.
>
> If you can, make an inside door. Just a simple frame set inside so you can open the outside door and they can't all run out. Then you open the inside one to get in to feed and water. Like a screen door, but framed a couple of feet in so you can get in and close the outside door first.
>
> My husband made a chicken wire partition all the way across, which let me get in and gave me a place to store extra feed. Board across the bottom, board across the top, couple of uprights, covered it with chicken wire, framed in a simple door on a couple of hinges. Worked perfectly. Kept the bedding from falling out every time I opened the door too.
>
> I have a feeder that's up on legs. X shaped, long metal trough fits in it, sticks down each side for them to sit on while they eat. Makes more floor space. And roosts in some kind of a wide ladder shape also make more floor space.
>
> Diane S.
>
>
>
> Diane S.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Ray & Nancy Blanchong
> To: CHICKENS-101@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Thursday, September 05, 2013 6:35 PM
> Subject: [CHICKENS-101] northern chicken people...
>
>
>
>
> We have 19 chickens that are about 13 wks old. (including 7 Lt Brahmas, 4 Dark Brahmas and 4 Buff Cochins) Currently they just don't seem that interested in sleeping in the coop at night. They sleep UNDER the coop! We are in north west Ohio.
> We are wondering if there is anyone here who lives in northern climates who have Brahma's and/or Cochins. We are wanting to close off the underneath of the coop for the winter in order to keep the coop warmer. Should we concerned? Will these little Ladies go inside the coop when it gets cold or will they want to continue to stay outside?
> We have 8 Production Red hens that are laying every day. They seem to think that the coop belongs to them. They do sometimes chase the younger ones out. Will this stop once the Brahmas and Cochins start laying? Will the B&C's get a bit more aggressive about getting into the nests? We have plenty of nests available and the coop is plenty big for everyone.
> THANKS so much!
> This is our first year with chickens. We have a total of 29 birds consisting of 7 different kinds. I think we have done just about EVERYTHING wrong according to the 'experts', but we are getting eggs every day and for the most part, everyone is happy and healthy and we are loving every minute of it!!
>
>
> Nancy Blanchong
> www.blanchongblueacre.blogspot.com
> nrblanchong@...
> Look to the Lord and His strength,
> seek His face always. Ps. 105:4
>
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