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Errant Gin Monks
Oct 2, 2009

"Yeah..."
- Marshawn Lynch
:hawksin:
Alright so I am beginning to build my backyard they way I want it and was wondering, anyone in here have ducks? I love duck eggs and they are quieter, we are building a pond anyway with a bio filter and all that good stuff, so they could use it.

I was thinking of getting Indian Runner ducks since they dont really fly that much, the research says they are easier on the vegetables in the garden and they are friendly and good layers.

Any sugestions?

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Errant Gin Monks
Oct 2, 2009

"Yeah..."
- Marshawn Lynch
:hawksin:
It has begun!!



Edit: I will add some info. We got these little buggers this afternoon. They are week old Cuckoo Marans. The wife has named the Belinda, Henrietta and Prissy. They are already hysterical. I love their little cheeping noises. Henrietta had some vent blockage so we cleaned her off and will be watching them all closely over the next few weeks.

The coop and run will be built next weekend, so it will be ready for them when they get old enough to live outside,

We are really excited about our mini-flock.

Errant Gin Monks fucked around with this message at 01:02 on Mar 11, 2013

Errant Gin Monks
Oct 2, 2009

"Yeah..."
- Marshawn Lynch
:hawksin:
So the chicks are doing good. We are handling them as much as possible to get them used to us. They already will just sit in our hands and snuggle down and cheep, but they dont run away from us anymore or try to hop off as soon as we open our hand. So thats god.

I was also looking at chicken coop plans and the sizes are odd to me. Maybe im not getting perspective but I was going to make a 4 foot by 6 foot coop with a 10x6 run. This seems to be rated for like 12 chickens, I assume my 3 girls will use all that space and be happier for it. But a few questions.

2 nestboxes or just 1?
How many watering thingies should i get?
What about feeders? Are the big metal 2 gallon gavity feeders good enough? I was planning on buying 2.
Plans say to bury the welded wire down 12 inches, is this enough?
I was also going to line my run with painted cinderblocks on the outside and plant herbs and flowers in them so they could reach through and eat the little bits they can get to, is this a good idea?
Aside from feeders and waterers what else does the run need?
CHICKENS!! AARRRGH!!!

edit: Also even with a 10x6 run I assume the girls will turn it into a blasted moonscape. Can anything survive them?

Errant Gin Monks
Oct 2, 2009

"Yeah..."
- Marshawn Lynch
:hawksin:
Yes 1/4 in ch hardware cloth is what we are thinking. When I say reach out I mean as the plants grow into the run through the wire they can stick their little beaks through and rip off pieces.

Errant Gin Monks
Oct 2, 2009

"Yeah..."
- Marshawn Lynch
:hawksin:
I gave them a few mealworms and they freaked out

Errant Gin Monks
Oct 2, 2009

"Yeah..."
- Marshawn Lynch
:hawksin:
It's really amazing how much they do on hard wired instinct. They preen, clean feathers, dust bath, scratch, shake mealworms in half and scratch around without any nurture example.

Pretty amazing things for being really really dumb,

Errant Gin Monks
Oct 2, 2009

"Yeah..."
- Marshawn Lynch
:hawksin:
So my chicks are growing and having fun. I bought them a Chick Stick treat, which is a hanging chick cake. Are those things good for them? Because today they finally realized what it was and are decimating it,

Errant Gin Monks
Oct 2, 2009

"Yeah..."
- Marshawn Lynch
:hawksin:
Holy crap these things grow fast! It's been 5 days and they are trying to fly, they have cute little mini tail feathers and are seriously twice as big as when we bought them!

We ordered a large wire plastic bottom dog kennel to transfer them to. I am going to line the inside with cardboard or coroplast to keep their bedding in. But they need more room. The one we bought is 10 sq feet so it should be big enough.

CHICKUMS!!!

Also their beaks are constantly caked in chick cake. So they look retarded.

Errant Gin Monks
Oct 2, 2009

"Yeah..."
- Marshawn Lynch
:hawksin:
So the Cheeps (their collective name) have discovered their wings. As soon as we remove the top from their bin they begin bouncing up and down and flap to the top edge and sit there looking smug. They are so :3:

Errant Gin Monks
Oct 2, 2009

"Yeah..."
- Marshawn Lynch
:hawksin:

Muffy_the_Diver posted:

Inara died this afternoon, RIP little girl. You were almost one. :smith:
I'm a complete wreck right now - she was far and away my favourite girl. Not sure if I'll be able to do an autopsy, or even what I should do with her body.

I found her lying facedown outside a nestbox, no signs of struggle or injury but a bit of clear pinkish (bloody?) fluid seeping from her vent. She was just fine this morning - when I found her rigor mortis had set in but she was still warm. We had some particularly strained lay-cackling happening earlier in the afternoon - I know I shouldn't but I keep going back to the thought that if I'd checked on her then, she might still be alive now.

I already miss her so much and am falling apart bawling as I type. Oh god :(

Aww. I'm sorry. She was a beautiful chicken. What kind was she? :sympathy:

Errant Gin Monks
Oct 2, 2009

"Yeah..."
- Marshawn Lynch
:hawksin:

Lynza posted:

Mealworms are chicken crack.

My husband has taken to feeding them from hand so much that even putting my hand in to take out and rinse their water dish is an event for the Ladies.

In other news, my husband loathes crickets now, and we probably won't be getting any more of them for the girls. Which is a shame, because they are the most fun food the girls have had so far. But crickets are kinda gross to keep. Stinky. I never thought I'd say it, but the mealworms are perfect. Not stinky, easy to capture, and they don't escape. God how the crickets escape.

I just set the little container they come in in the cage and they go crazy digging through it.

Errant Gin Monks
Oct 2, 2009

"Yeah..."
- Marshawn Lynch
:hawksin:
Almost 3 weeks old!



Edit: they are in their new enclosure. A metal dog crate 4'x3 and 3 feet tall. As they are getting used to it they have taken to "zooming" back and forth where they beat their wings to propel them quickly without leaving the ground, this is new behavior and hysterical. Are they trying to fly or just figuring out how these wing things work?

Errant Gin Monks fucked around with this message at 03:24 on Mar 22, 2013

Errant Gin Monks
Oct 2, 2009

"Yeah..."
- Marshawn Lynch
:hawksin:
Uh oh. The chicks are almost 4 weeks now. One of them is way lighter in color with much more white to "her" than the others and has a comb twice as big.

This is bad I think. I think Henrietta might be a Henry.

Errant Gin Monks
Oct 2, 2009

"Yeah..."
- Marshawn Lynch
:hawksin:

Velvet Sparrow posted:

Pictures...? And is it the one in the middle in their 3 week old photo?

Yes thats the one. Now the comb protrudes more and has little "fingers" sticking up higher, if that makes sense. She's also light grey as compared to the really dark grey of the other two.

Oh well. I guess I will probably get to see if my neighbors go batshit about a rooster or if I will first.

If we have to replace her after finding her a home how do you raise a solitary chick? Same as raising 3? It seems like it would get lonely and have issue.

Errant Gin Monks
Oct 2, 2009

"Yeah..."
- Marshawn Lynch
:hawksin:
Alrught, we will probably buy two Ameraucana's then and partition the big brooder we have going and just let them get aquainted through the wire for a few weeks until they are big enough to play.

Im pretty sure Henrietta is really Henry because of the feather color and the comb. I will get a picture of them in natural light so you all can see better. Hopefully if they are only 3 weeks apart we can put them all out together and they will be a happy little flock o' chickens.

edit: Although I am tempted to get some leghorns because fuzzy yellow chicks are just so drat :3:

Alright here are the girls


Here is Henry




He is much lighter and he won't loving stay still to get a good photo.

Errant Gin Monks fucked around with this message at 01:54 on Mar 27, 2013

Errant Gin Monks
Oct 2, 2009

"Yeah..."
- Marshawn Lynch
:hawksin:

Ahahaha he looks so giant.

Errant Gin Monks
Oct 2, 2009

"Yeah..."
- Marshawn Lynch
:hawksin:
Since we got ourselves a roo we went back to get some hopefully hens to finish our flock.



Rhode island red and a white Australorp. :3:

Errant Gin Monks
Oct 2, 2009

"Yeah..."
- Marshawn Lynch
:hawksin:
So this new Rhode Island Red, her name is Strawberry, won't shut the hell up. My rabbit is getting sick of her already and as soon as she gets really loud she thumps, which quiets her down a bit for a few minutes. So this is my house now.

cheep cheep cheep cheep CHEEP CHEEP CHEEEEEEP CHEEEEEEP!!!!CHEEEEEEEP! THUMP!!.............. Cheep cheep cheep and so on in an endless circle.

It's 95 degrees under the lamp so I know she isn't cold. She has a friend, the white Australorp we named Sunshine, but still won't shut up unless I am in there and my hand is in the brooder. Then she runs up and rubs against me like a cat.

Definitely different then my Cuckoo Marans.

Errant Gin Monks
Oct 2, 2009

"Yeah..."
- Marshawn Lynch
:hawksin:
These new chicks are poo poo machines. Immediately, I mean 2 seconds after I pick them up one of them inevitably shits on me. It's amazing.

Errant Gin Monks
Oct 2, 2009

"Yeah..."
- Marshawn Lynch
:hawksin:

Chido posted:

lol you get used to it :D. Good thing is that as they get older, they tend to stop making GBS threads on you when you hold them..

yeah my other 3 never did it but they were a week old when we got them, these are day olds.

Errant Gin Monks
Oct 2, 2009

"Yeah..."
- Marshawn Lynch
:hawksin:
Happy Easter Goons! Here are two new baby chick photos.

Strawberry

Sunshine

Errant Gin Monks
Oct 2, 2009

"Yeah..."
- Marshawn Lynch
:hawksin:
So the cheeps are now about a month old and are showing some new behavior. They run around for a bit and then one will turn and fly at another one claws forward and just smash into them, knocking them down to slide a few inches across the enclosure. The knocked down one will pop up and promptly do it right back. This then turns into a frenzy of flapping and then they are all snuggled together in a big chicken feather ball.

Is this normal chicken behavior?

Errant Gin Monks
Oct 2, 2009

"Yeah..."
- Marshawn Lynch
:hawksin:

Chido posted:

Yep, they are sparring. Chickens do that to establish the pecking order and see who's going to be the top chicken and who's gonnaa be at the bottom. Once they sort it out they'll calm down :).

It looks like this right?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rYB0XAKBuE

Yep. A bit more flapping since their house is smaller than that room but that's about it. I hope they don't hurt the new two too much since there is a 3 week age difference, they won't be mixed together for at least 2 more weeks.

Errant Gin Monks
Oct 2, 2009

"Yeah..."
- Marshawn Lynch
:hawksin:
That drat rooster is massive.

Errant Gin Monks
Oct 2, 2009

"Yeah..."
- Marshawn Lynch
:hawksin:
Any Texas goons want a cuckoo maran rooster? He is free!

Errant Gin Monks
Oct 2, 2009

"Yeah..."
- Marshawn Lynch
:hawksin:
Found an add on CL for someone looking for a Cuckoo Maran Roo. I called them and they are out in the country and have a flock of 10 young 4 month old girls and they want a boy to make them happy. They are interested in picking up my Henry.

On the plus side I think he will be happier out on some ranchland with a gaggle of hens to call his own, but I will be sad to see him go since he was one of our very first and had paste butt and I had to handle and clean him multiple times a day. I hope they give him a good home if they take him.

edit: Also I have a question. The first three, "The Cheeps" are about a month and half old now and are getting pretty big, almost fully feathered and quite heavy compared to the new 2, "The Peeps." The peeps are currently about 1/3 of the size and still only have wing feathers and some tail nubbins. How big do they need to get to be before we can move them over to live with the other ones once Henry is rehomed? Right now they wouldnt be able to reach the waterer or feeder sine they are suspended a bit in the air to keep the idiots from kicking pine shavings into them but the Cheeps are growing so drat fast the Peeps wont be able to keep up until they are about ready to go outside and they might be able to stay inside the brooder for another week max. We moved the other ones out at 3 weeks into the big cage.

Errant Gin Monks fucked around with this message at 21:27 on Apr 9, 2013

Errant Gin Monks
Oct 2, 2009

"Yeah..."
- Marshawn Lynch
:hawksin:
Meeting up with the family after work to deliver Henry to them. They seem to be nice people and want a roo to take care of their girls on 3 acres in the country, so Im sure he will be fine. And after the giant poo poo fights they are geting into lately maybe removing a roster will let the girls calm down a bit before they go outside.

This weekend is coop time. Im going to build the "Garden Coop" style. I really like it and I think it will work well in my backyard. If I can get the foundation down and get it framed up and ready for the boxes and hardware cloth I will be a happy man.

Errant Gin Monks
Oct 2, 2009

"Yeah..."
- Marshawn Lynch
:hawksin:


Here is my rooboy Henry, getting ready to go off to his new home, judging me. He was a little aggravated at first until he noticed his carrier was full of giant meal worms. Then he ignored me and ate all the mealworms.

Art, the guy that took him, was awesome. His face lit up when he saw Henry and he picked him up and started stroking him talking about how pretty he was and how happy he should be with his new 6 hen harem. Asking me if he was on medicated feed and all sorts of other good questions,

I'm satisfied Henry will be going to a good home and make a bunch of little baby Henry's to terrorize people with their judgmental attitude.

Errant Gin Monks
Oct 2, 2009

"Yeah..."
- Marshawn Lynch
:hawksin:
Framed up the coop and run today.



Tomorrow I finish adding the supports and put the roof on, then wrap it in hardware cloth. After that it's Coop finishing time!

So one or two more weekends after this one.

Errant Gin Monks
Oct 2, 2009

"Yeah..."
- Marshawn Lynch
:hawksin:

piscesbobbie posted:

This looks awesome. What are your dimensions? Is it going to be high enough to walk in? This looks like something I would like to have. Also, how many chickens do you plan to have?

It's 10' long, 5'6" wide and 6'4" tall. So I can stand up with 2 inches to spare. My wife is 5'2" though so she thinks it's massively tall. It was a fun day working, but it sure does take a long time to do all this crap.

Right now we have 4 chickens. 2 Silver Cuckoo Marans, 1 Rhode Island Red and 1 White Australorp.

Also I think my Australorp is a friggin rooster. She's 3 weeks old and is starting to grow a comb just like the maran rooster. That's 2 Roos and 3 hens. I don't have good odds with this chick picking thing.

Errant Gin Monks
Oct 2, 2009

"Yeah..."
- Marshawn Lynch
:hawksin:
Alright the coop and run are fully framed out. I didn't get the roof on but I will take care of that this week. The it's hardware cloth time. I need a bunc of poultry staples.

This is going to take me a while to finish. Luckily I have another 3 weeks before i have to shove the chicks outside.

Errant Gin Monks
Oct 2, 2009

"Yeah..."
- Marshawn Lynch
:hawksin:
I've always loved the silver sebright. They are beautiful. I just have no need for health delicate bantam chickens that aren't very good layers and can fly pretty well.

Too bad too since they are incredible.

Errant Gin Monks
Oct 2, 2009

"Yeah..."
- Marshawn Lynch
:hawksin:
#27 on Chickam is beginning to bust out!

Errant Gin Monks
Oct 2, 2009

"Yeah..."
- Marshawn Lynch
:hawksin:


Almost done. Got the bottom screened in, the door up and the hard part of the coop is finished. Tomorrow I should get close to finishing. I need to finish the screening, put the roof on and finish the coop and storage box.

I have to say this hardware cloth isnt as strong as I thought it would be. I hope it's up to par. I might reinforce the bottom 3 feet.

Errant Gin Monks fucked around with this message at 05:08 on Apr 21, 2013

Errant Gin Monks
Oct 2, 2009

"Yeah..."
- Marshawn Lynch
:hawksin:

Chido posted:

Well, Baba died today while I was away. She went downhill pretty fast yesterday, so I had my BiL help me bring the crate downstairs so the girls could see her and say goodbye. She lasted a long time and tried so hard not to give up, but whatever she had was most likely congenital, and as hard as I tried, there was no fixing it :(. I'm glad one of Chickam's chicks got the name Baba, the girls felt better after I told them that, but boy did they cry, and they had calmed down by the time I got home, but then the younger one told me about Baba, and she started to cry again. I couldn't help but cry too and hug her, she was so heartbroken.

:sympathy: sorry Chido! That's awful. But she had a good life and was well cared for.

Errant Gin Monks
Oct 2, 2009

"Yeah..."
- Marshawn Lynch
:hawksin:
Today's coop update



Fully wrapped in hardware cloth. Doors to coop and run in and hardware added. Some trim added and vents added to front side.

Left to do.

-wrap and lay hardware cloth around to keep diggers out.
-finish adding trim to hide and protect mesh seams.
-cut and add walls on inside and backside for coop.
-finish ramp by adding the 2x2s to ramp.
-make egg box (I'm doing this later since it will be a long time until they are laying.)
-add roosts to run and coop.
-build and install galvanized steel roof structure.
-fill holes in ground.
-cover mesh in mulch.
-build flower boxes around run and fill with dirt and flowers (this will be later, I'm getting cooped out.)
-stuff chooks in coop and clean room they are in.

Errant Gin Monks
Oct 2, 2009

"Yeah..."
- Marshawn Lynch
:hawksin:

piscesbobbie posted:

ERRANT GIN MONKS That looks amazing! Great job! May I print a copy to show my brother in law?

Yeah go ahead. It's based on the Garden Coop design.

Errant Gin Monks
Oct 2, 2009

"Yeah..."
- Marshawn Lynch
:hawksin:
Those names are amazing. Fascist chickens.

Errant Gin Monks
Oct 2, 2009

"Yeah..."
- Marshawn Lynch
:hawksin:
We got our girls integrated yesterday. No issues at all. The two older cuckoo marans are slightly afraid of the 3 week younger half thier size rhode island and australorp. Stupid chickens.

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Errant Gin Monks
Oct 2, 2009

"Yeah..."
- Marshawn Lynch
:hawksin:
Soooooooo close. I have to trim the bottom to seal up the seam in the hardware cloth and then put the metal roof on.



3 weekends. I can finish if I can get one of my loser loving friends to help me lift this drat thing onto the top and screw it in. The mulch is pecan shell, an entire yard. The hardware cloth goes out 3 feet under a layer of dirt and then mulch. Every seam in the mesh is sew together with wire, screwed in with large metal screws with built in washers and covered in wood trim screwed into the 2x4s with 3 inch coated screws.

Is 8 inches wide big enough of an opening for the chooks to walk out or should I make it bigger?

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