# Looking for knowledge!



## Brothers

Hello,I have been lurking here for some time but just recently registered.
I could really use some serious hands on help here.I may need so mentor/teacher/sponser here.

My wife and I decieded to jump into the world of chickens and turkeys.3 months ago when we where just flying along with the full renovation of our new farm house,we called a very reputable farm and ordered 25 buff orpingtons and 4 turkey poults.We have been so busy everyday with the house and property that I am not ready for next weeks arrivals.
Now we did go to "the farm store" and bought a heat lamp,small feeders and water thingy's.We also bought a fairly large plastic kiddie pool.
We do have room in the house to keep them until I have the coop built.I still have to find a design that is nice enough looking for the wife and the appropriate size.
I will also have to build one for the 4 turkeys as well.

Sooooo,I guess what i am asking is, is anyone here in the know,willing to see me through with help from getting ready for day olds to building the coop and run...and everything in between
We have been saving for the supplies for the coop and as soon as I find a design I will be purchasing and getting started on building.

Thanks folks, I really appreciate any and all advise/help. 

Brothers.


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## Britt0623

If you are going to build a coop, I suggest buying a book on it. My husband & I built our coop in March of 2012. We bought books with different ideas. The books helped guide us in the right direction. We ended up using a template out of a book and just skewed a few dimensions to make it fit our needs.


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## WeeLittleChicken

I had a similar issue. I built the run first and just dragged everyone indoors at night (in rabbit cages) until I had the coop properly set up. This can buy you a little time if you're building runs (you didn't say if these were free range or not.) I don't know what you are looking for coopwise but besides books there are also a lot of templates for sale online. I suggest finding one you like that doesn't exceed your building skills (some are a lot more complicated than others!) 

As far as day olds they are easy. I use paper towels until the chicks are a week old - it makes their food bowls contrast nice and you know they won't be eating shavings. When you get them dip their beaks in the water bowl before setting them down and just let it go from there. Put the heat lamp somewhere where they can get under it if they're cold or away from it if they're hot and you should be fine. 

Good luck!


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## Brothers

Thanks for the reply's!..
My building skills arnt the best but I can bang nails as good as the next person.
So my plan will be to free range them as soon as possible but since im in Canada I will need a good coop to protect them during the crappy weather.
Also I dont plan on keeping roosters.I kinda figure since im getting 25 straight run chicks,I expect half to me roosters so Im going to build a coop and run suitable for maybe 15 birds.?
Is it advisable to keep the day old turkeys and chickens iin the same brooder?

thanks again.


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## ReTIRED

_Personally....._I prefer using various lengths of "dry-wall" screws in constructing something like a Chicken Coop. ( _rather than_ nails )
I think you get a more durable and stable result....and tighter.
There are plenty-enough _designs _shown in the Coop Forum here ....for you to determine WHAT you wish to build. ( It isn't "Rocket-Science" ! )
Specific Questions are much easier to answer than....Questions about "How to do it ALL"....in my opinion.

*Have FUN ....and ENJOY your Project !!!
*GOOD LUCK !!!
-ReTIRED-


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## hennypenny68

I would also like to suggest going on YouTube they have lots of videos on how to build chicken coops home made feeders and waters, nest boxes and perches the list goes on its worth checking out.


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## Brothers

Thanks again folks!!


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## overrunwithroos

Brothers said:


> Hello,I have been lurking here for some time but just recently registered.
> I could really use some serious hands on help here.I may need so mentor/teacher/sponser here.
> 
> My wife and I decieded to jump into the world of chickens and turkeys.3 months ago when we where just flying along with the full renovation of our new farm house,we called a very reputable farm and ordered 25 buff orpingtons and 4 turkey poults.We have been so busy everyday with the house and property that I am not ready for next weeks arrivals.
> Now we did go to "the farm store" and bought a heat lamp,small feeders and water thingy's.We also bought a fairly large plastic kiddie pool.
> We do have room in the house to keep them until I have the coop built.I still have to find a design that is nice enough looking for the wife and the appropriate size.
> I will also have to build one for the 4 turkeys as well.
> 
> Sooooo,I guess what i am asking is, is anyone here in the know,willing to see me through with help from getting ready for day olds to building the coop and run...and everything in between
> We have been saving for the supplies for the coop and as soon as I find a design I will be purchasing and getting started on building.
> 
> Thanks folks, I really appreciate any and all advise/help.
> 
> Brothers.


 You sound like me. Lol Since your starting with day olds that buys you time on your coop. My suggestion is to look on this forum in the coop section. That will give you some ideas. A book wouldn't be a bad idea either. And as someone else suggested you tube. I'm not positive how much floor space you need per chicken etc? But I do no that you need 1 nest box per 3 hens. They will share. Plus your roosts rods. I say build it to house more tha you plan on having because chickens are addictive and you may want more later. Do alot of research on how you want your coop. I did and once mine was done I thought I should have done this diffrently. I highly recommended poop boards under your roostes makes clean up so much easier. I also suggest a run. Even if you plan to free range its nice to have a fence just in case. And like someone said build it first and use it as a day pen while your building your coop. As for brooding your turkeys and chicks together. I no some people do but I perfer not to. 1 poults are bigger than chicks and grow alot faster. If they are anything like mine they will pick on your chicks. Plus they need diffrent food than the chicks do. And I have a question does anyone else use electrolytes in their chick water for day olds that were just shipped?


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## Chicka-Js

My suggestion would be start sooner then you think. It will take longer then you think it will and they will grow faster then you think they will.


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## GenFoe

We got our chickens before our coop was built and by the time it was finished I was desperate to get them outside! They are so incredibly dusty my allergies went haywire! 

I recommend making your nesting boxes outside of the coop. That's the one thing I don't like about ours. They are inside with a hatch to access them from the outside. 

We raised ours about 18 inches off the ground and built it like a little house. It is 8x4x8 with a pitched roof as we get tons if snow in the winter. 

We also use sand as our litter, I started using it when they were a week old and I love it. Much cleaner than the pine was. Super easy to clean out of the coop as well!


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## Brothers

Wow what a great fourm!
All great tips folks...Thanks you all so much.
I think we are going to go with a 10'x12' with a shed slope roof.We definitely will build the boxes on the outside to save space.Im pretty excited to get the chickens.It has been a long road trying to get the new farm up and running and the chickens will be the first "farm" animals on the property in over 40 years.
I know I have alot to learn but I should pick it all up fairly quickly.I am a avid gardener,outdoorsman,hunter,trapper,ect......chickens and livestock kinda fit right into our lives....I hope!

Thanks again
Brothers.


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## overrunwithroos

Ok now I have a question lol I assume when ypu say outside nest boxes you mean attached to the outside? With a hole on the inside for the chickens to go in? And then there's a door on the other side that you can access? I never thought about that? But I love the idea! Maybe I should do my 2 nd coop like that. My 1st has just the metal nest boxes and I don't care for them much but they were given to me and I'm thankful so I try not to complain.


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## GenFoe

Yeah built onto the coop but they sit outside. I think it would be way better. Our boxes take up so much space and we had to build little roofs for them so they would stop sleeping on the top. It's my #1 regret with the coop.


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## pjs

One word of advice. .... Build bigger than you think you'll need!! There is this thing called chicken math!!!!! We started with 6 and now have 15 and it hasn't even been a year yet lol! We had to build an addition to this so it's twice as big now. But we love this design. The run is attached and covered!


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## JC17

pjs said:


> One word of advice. .... Build bigger than you think you'll need!! There is this thing called chicken math!!!!! We started with 6 and now have 15 and it hasn't even been a year yet lol! We had to build an addition to this so it's twice as big now. But we love this design. The run is attached and covered!


Good advice. Chicken math affects the best of us....


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## Itsacutefuzzball

JC17 said:


> Good advice. Chicken math affects the best of us....


Tell me about it... 3=6 in chicken land


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## kjohnstone

Yet another person who has put the chicken before the coop (like me)...This is my first year w/chickens, and I have 8 pullets. I used big cardboard boxes for my brooder boxes. I built a tall pen (11'x8', 6' tall) with chicken wire all over including the top, and a door. Then I tied on an 8x10 tarp over the top with some hangdown on the south side, and lined the east, west and south sides with straw bales along the fence inside. I have 4 amber whites, 2 araucanas and 2 australorps. One of the Australorps has just had a growth surge with it's comb, wattles and earlobes. I read somewhere that when those all turn red the hen is going into lay, so I'm expecting my first pullet egg any time now. This aussie is fully red on wattles and earlobe and skin on face, with the comb still a bit magenta shaded but turning. I haven't built my henhouse yet (and right now it is too hot during the day) so I may not get that done until autumn. The girls seem to be doing well, have been in the pen for more than 3 weeks now. (4? almost). Oh, BTW, they love garlic chives!


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## Brothers

Thanks again for all of the tips folks! I sure am learning alot.When ever Im not busy landscaping,renovating,Im here learning.
Today I made a run to the "farm store" and bought 25kg's of "countryrite chick starter krums" and 2 big bails of "white pine animal bedding shavings in anticipation of Sundays arrival of the 25,1 week old buff orpingtons...oh ya and four turkey chicks.
If anyone sees any problems with what im doing please chime in and let me know.

Thanks
Brothers


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## Bee

Here's a few tips for your coop that will make it a place you can build once and then leave alone.

Windows...plenty and as big as you can. The light and air is invaluable and they can be covered with hardware cloth(or rabbit wire) to insure safety.

Ventilation above and ventilation below to draw in fresh air that can move upward through the coop and push out stale air, heat and humidity. You really can't have too much ventilation. If you have the big windows, you will have all you really need at the top of the coop.

Don't insulate your coop. Birds carry their own insulation and will do fine in a nice coop. Don't heat your coop..same reason.

Nest boxes should be deep enough to contain bedding and chickens seem to like a little privacy, so build accordingly. You won't need many nests for only 15 chickens~ 4-6 will do.

Arrange for feeding and watering inside the coop because there will be times when they are snowed in or need to be confined to the coop for awhile and you want to have your setup in place there. Explore water systems that involve poultry nipples and start your chicks on them now, in the brooder. You will be so glad you did! They keep your brooder bedding dry and your water clean. You don't have to teach them to use them other than to jiggle the nipples a little...after the first chick or poult does it, they will all follow along and try it.








You can get them on Amazon or Ebay fairly cheaply and they have directions for installation right in the package. You can mount them into just about any plastic receptacle for a quick chick waterer right now for your new chicks. Here's chicks drinking out of an ice cream bucket with the nipples mounted in the bottom...










My advice? Place a little apple cider vinegar in your chick water right off the bat...it will give vitamins, replace lost electrolytes and act as an immune system boost, especially if you use mother vinegar.

You'll be very happy if you arrange to have lighting in your coop...many of the things done with chickens is best done at night when you can calmly remove them from the roost and handle them without chasing and putting stress on the bird.

Make your coop big enough to store your feed there...makes life simpler all the way around. Also make an addition on your coop for isolating a bird or birds...broodies, roosters, young ones...you name it, you'll need it for this reason. Make it so they can see each other but not have contact. You'll thank me later for that bit of advice. 

The easiest and most versatile feeders are trough style. They can be hung or stood on the floor, they have enough space for birds to line up down their length on both sides, they can hold quite a bit of feed and hold wet or dry feeds. They can be made out of just about any material, they are easy to clean, fill and empty and they work for all ages with some adaptation. If you cover the top with a fencing wrap you can avoid feed waste from flicking or scratching in the feed and you can also control feed usage more by being able to gauge how much feed your birds eat in a day and adjusting feeds accordingly.

Ladder roosting takes up floor space and prohibits easy cleaning or working in the coop area, so try to mount roosting poles to the walls and give enough space in between the walls and roosts, and in between the roosts. They like different levels of roosting and you'll need at least 18 in. for each bird to sit comfortably on the roosts, get down, get up, shuffle around, etc.

Roosts pole width can be calculated by just using your wrist...the typical man's wrist~or wider~ is a good pole width for standard birds. Don't use doweling...too small. If you use 2x4s, try to use the flat side rather than the narrow side.

I advise you study up on deep litter systems....that info will make your life infinitely easier and your birds healthier, warmer in the winter, less bothered by flies and ammonia smells in the summer. If you've followed through on the big windows and ventilation, the deep litter will be even easier.

Bedding can be leaves, straw, pine shavings, pine needles or any combination of these~same with nesting. A little hay in the mix isn't the worst but it tends to be long and hard to move around once soiled or wet.

If you plan to free range, please read this thread http://www.chickenforum.com/f10/free-range-5144/ and particularly post number 8. Solid info there from one who has done it for many a long year.

Observe the birds, don't get to thinking they are humans and have human reactions...they have a unique social structure and life that is different from our own and you can learn much about livestock husbandry if you keep that in mind. Read, read, read and decide on your goals for the flock, your husbandry methods you want to employ and be open to advice from those with experience...they can teach you much if you want to learn.

Last piece of advice for this post....get tough. Keeping chickens isn't all about pretty birds on the grass or warm eggs in the nest. There is a side to it that takes fortitude and good common sense if you want your birds to have a good life and a good death.

Have fun!!!


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## Brothers

WOW!..now thats a reply!!..Thats alot of great info you have passed on Bee....thanks so much.


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## Bee

Anytime! It's just taking up room in my head, so thought maybe you'd get some use out of it!


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## Brothers

Well after a little brain storming here is what the wife, kids and I came up with for a brooder.We plan on putting cardboard down on the bottom and 1/2 way up the walls,then pine shavings.The over all length is 29"wide by 6' long.The larger section is for 20(ish) week and a half olds and the smaller section is for 4-1 week old turkeys.
Big day tomorrow!

Brothers


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## Bee

Cute...be prepared for shaving explosion on the floor!


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## GenFoe

They will quickly be able to fly to the top of that. You might get about two weeks before you find them roosting on the edges. We used a piece of hardware cloth across the top of our brooder to keep them in. It's very nice though! Also you may want to consider using sand. I switched to sand after the first week with pine shavings. I find sand to be an awesome litter choice.


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## Brothers

All right!...just got back with the chicks!..The farm dident have the number of Buff's we were looking for so we picked up 4 day old Rhode's,6 Americauna's and 13 buff's.% of the Buff's are a little over a week old and the rest are day olds.I have them together right now but will keep a keen eye,just to be sure the week olds dont bully the day olds.
Also we picked up 4 turkeys.They are also about a week old.They are eastern wild turkey x Royal Palm.

They have only been in there for a hour or so.Every one has found the water and feed.A couple day old chicks seem really sleepy.It was a 2.5 hour drive. The brooder room is about 22 degrees Celsius (71.6f) but should warm up now that the room is closed off.

here are some pics of the cute little things!


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## Bee

If you intend to continue to use that type of waterer, you might find yourself doing better by elevating it out of the chips by placing it on a platform of bricks or something similar. If not, you will find it constantly full of chips that soak up the water or you will find the bedding around it damp all the time. 

The advice about a wire topper on the brooder was good...even the little ones can hop a good distance.

You'll be glad you got those RIR...they will outlay the BOs by twice and consume less feed.


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## Brothers

Quick question regarding playing with the chicks.
My boys,(10 and 11) are fasinated by the chicks.What is the general rule on playing with the chicks.Like how much is too much?


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## Bee

Chicks bounce....it won't hurt them to play with them. Just like with any baby animal, everything in moderation.


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## Brothers

One of the Buffs died this morning.It was by far the weakest of the day olds.It could barly stand up and had a dried up thick black thing dangling from its body.I stayed up until 3 this morning trying to to get it to take some water but to no avail.The rest are so active and content looking! The day olds are scratching through the wood shavings,funny to watch.It is only 85 deegrees under the light and they do huddle up there when sleeping,but when they are awake they go for walks over to the feed and water then go for a scratch.I cant lower the light anymore as one light services both the turkeys and the chicks.(see pics).
I figure as long as everyone seems happy and they dont all stay balled up under the light all day long they should be fine.

FWIW...chick watching is my new favorite past time.


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## Bee

Yep...85 is fine. They'll feather out quicker the cooler you keep it and it lessens the chance of pasty butt. 

Here's some entertainment for you and the boys....throw some live worms in the brooder and watch the chick rodeo!!!! Never gets old to us, no matter how old we get....


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## PhoenixGirl12

My coop is made out of donated wood with isolation in the inside with cardboard covering it. And inside I have perches with sand underneath like a big litter box then once a month I clean it out. I also have 3 nesting boxes for 39 chickens, my chickens don't sleep in nesting boxes. I also highly suggest a window that opens. Hope this helped


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## chicken_coop99

I just used a shed that we didn't us and built a run on to it and it works fine


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## fowlmouthgirls

I too used a shed, I had a barn shaped storage shed so I cut a hole in the side and built the coop into the inside, leaving room for storage, I have an 8x8 run outside, they seem pretty content, but they free range most of the time.


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## Bee

My coop is made from cattle panels on a wooden base and has no run. Cheap and easy to build, can be moved if necessary, and is sturdy in all weathers.


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## ReTIRED

I think the _EASIEST.....and *QUICKEST *_.....and one of the _LEAST EXPENSIVE _*COOPS *that you can have.....
....is the one that *Bee *uses.
Take a LOOK at it *!!!

IT is GOOD !!!
*-ReTIRED-


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## Brothers

Quick question folks.
woke up this morning and checked on the chicks.All seem fine except one BO.She just cant stay awake.Her vent was almost glued shut.I cleaned her up.Put her beak in water and she drank.Then walked over to the water and drank herself.She then fell asleep almost in the water.When i picked her up again white runny poop came out.I put her down and again she immediately fell asleep again.Her wings are dragging as well.
Is all hope lost?Anything I can do to help her?
thanks.


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## Bee

Sounds like coccidiosis...there are meds and such if you want to go that route. If you don't, cull the bird and prevent such things from getting a foot hold in your coop/run/bird environment. Two choices.


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## Brothers

Thanks Bee...ya I culled her.I cleaned the area that had her runny pop.I keep the brooder clean.I scoop poop every night and yesterday I replaced all of the bedding.I replace the water every day with just a touch of ACV mixed in...Is there anything I can do to protect the rest of my chicks.Did I do something to cause this?....P.S. my chick food is non medicated I think.

Thanks again
Brothers.


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## fowlmouthgirls

Starting them out on medicated would help, I started mine that way and then as the bag had about 1/3 of it left, I mixed it in with my Pullet starter and that's what they are getting now. By the time they start laying the medicated should be out of their system and they will have had the protection they needed as chicks. Mine get DE in food and coop, and ACV in the water. I am about to start giving them garlic as well. Just my method!


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## Brothers

Thanks for the reply.What is "DE" and how do you give them garlic?


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## Brothers

one more question.I do have medicated turkey starter.Any thoughts on weather or not it would be OK to mix some in with my non medicated chick starter?

thanks folks.


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## Itsacutefuzzball

Brothers said:


> Thanks for the reply.What is "DE" and how do you give them garlic?


DE is diatomaceous earth.


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## Bee

Fresh soils and varied diet found on free range is best, so if you can give them a better soil underfoot it can be a life saver. 

If you simply cannot, developing a good deep litter system in the coop and run can help keep the soils and environment more healthy and prevent a build up of the wrong kind of bacteria in those areas. 

Open up big windows in your coop to allow fresh air to flow and natural light to come into the coop. 

Don't feed on the ground in your run...in essence, it just makes them eat cocci with every mouthful of food if cocci is rampant in your soils. Never feed medicated chick starter or medicated feeds. Never give medicine of any kind to the flock...unless you are a vet or have a medical background, you shouldn't dabble with medicating an animal on a routine basis. 

Culling each year for birds that are not producing at peak, do not have good feathering or appearances or those who are not fitting into the flock well will help you cull out birds with potential for illnesses. Pretty soon all you have left are healthy, producing, thriving flocks...no worry, no stress, no trying to always manage one illness after another.


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## fowlmouthgirls

Quote from a q&A on my pet chicken........
Medicated feed is formulated for chicks to help them combat coccidiosis, a disease that is found just about everywhere in the environment. Most medicated starter feeds contain the medication amprollium. Amprollium does not *treat* coccidiosis, but it helps the babies fight off cocci oocysts while they develop their own immunity. It is a preventative. If your birds have been vaccinated against coccidiosis, feeding them medicated feed will nullify the coccidiosis vaccination, although it will not hurt them. (We do not offer the coccidiosis vaccine, as it is too stressful on the birds--we offer the Marek's vaccine, which is not affected one way or the other by whether you use medicated feed.) 
Most chick feeds, medicated or not, are formulated to be fed to babies who are no more than a few months old, but different brands have different suggested feeding periods. Some brands have a grower or developer feed that is meant to be given to babies between their chick starter and their layer feed. You will have to check the label of your particular brand of feed to see what the suggestions are for based on the formulations. Keep in mind that layer feed is not fed to growing birds because it contains too much calcium at the quantities they are eating, and chick feed (medicated or otherwise) is not fed to adult hens because it doesn't have enough calcium. A great deal of calcium is needed for the hens to produce strong eggshells. Medicated starter is not meant to be fed to laying hens, even if they were to become ill with coccidiosis. If an adult chicken were to fall ill to coccidiosis (which would be rare), the usual treatment is Sulmet, a sulfa drug. To reiterate, amprollium in medicated feed is not used to *treat* coccidiosis infections; it is a preventative used while the baby chickens are building their own resistance. Adult hens on medicated feed may transmit some of the medication via their eggs--not a good idea! 
It is not really necessary to use medicated feed at all, although some people prefer to use it as a sort of insurance policy. You can use regular, unmedicated starter feed. Chicks can live and grow without medication (and have done for time out of mind), but in that case, their environments should be kept extra clean, since coccidia oocysts proliferate in wet environments. It is much easier to raise, say, 6 or 10 baby chicks with regular feed than it is to raise thousands in factory farm conditions. Conditions in factory farms often require medicated feed since the brooders are (sadly) not always kept clean and dry like you would keep them at home.


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## Brothers

Hello folks. My chickens are growing very well.They spend their days outside in a 10' x 10' chain link enclosure with the 4 turkeys.We still bring them in at night but the brooder is way to small for them.
We started to clean out a old barn to serve as the coop.I will have to patch some holes in the floor and what not but I think it will work great!
I have ALOT of old hay in the upstairs of the same barn,probably 15 years old.Could I use this to line the floor and roosting boxes?It is very dry.
I will post up a few pictures later on.
Thanks for all of the help I have received here.
Brothers.


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## Bee

You can use it for nesting and some in the bedding, but too much hay for bedding isn't ideal..it soon becomes moist and forms moisture caps if used exclusively. This leads to the wrong kind of mold formation. 

It can work for bedding litter if you live in an arid climate with very little humidity and makes it easy to clean out if you are not using it for deep litter. For chickens that are cooped away from free range/forage, they tend to want to consume the hay and can get impacted crops. It's also very difficult for them to scratch through once it gets moist, so harder to keep it dry as bedding when the birds can't fluff it a little. 

Mostly it comes in handy for nesting materials and lightly mixed into bedding during dry weather when the litter gets too dry.


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## kjohnstone

Brothers said:


> Thanks for the reply.What is "DE" and how do you give them garlic?


Use fresh garlic (after 15 minutes of smashing the important allicin starts to break down). I cross-cut the garlic cloves a couple of times. Then I use a cheap old style fold-lock sandwich bag, and scoop the garlic pieces into the bottom. I then simply fold the whole bag over about 1 1/2 inches from the bottom (to the garlic from escaping during the mashing). Squeeze out the air (the object is to smash the garlic, not pop the bag) and using an old hammer-style meat tenderizer, mash the dickens out of the garlic with the flat side of the tenderizer. Takes about 30 seconds and is VERY satisfying emotionally. Immediately add to mash and take out to chickens.


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## Brothers

You guys are helping me more than you know,thank you.
Couple more questions.
1)Today I went to my local farm supply store to pick up more chicken food.I asked the lady if I should keep them on starter food or move them to the grow formula.She asked if my chickens where for meat or eggs.I told her that I will be eating the roosters.So she sold me the grow formula.When I got the food home I read the paper label and it says to feed this formula at 15weeks.My chicks are between 6 and 8 weeks.Am I good to give them the grow formula?
On another note,I ordered a 8x10 baby barn today to use as a coop.There will be a 10' by 20' chain link run attached as well.They should be HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY in there...right now I have 23 chickens...That should be plenty of room huh?

Thanks again folks!


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## Bee

Um...spam much?


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## Brothers

Hello again...Quick question.

I just slaughtered and butchered 2 of our roosters.Is is ok to just clean them and throw them on the bar-b-q?
Kids want them for supper tonight!
Thanks


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## Bee

They will be very tough and dry. Better to rest the meat a couple of days and marinate before grilling or slow cook them for a more tender bite.


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## Brothers

Thanks again Bee....they have been in the fridge for 2 days and will hit the grill tomorrow night...time to find a nice marinade.


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## Brothers

Here is a quick clip of our set-up.






And a bit better one


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## Bee

Nice start on litter in that run! They will really need it as time goes by in that space. 

You have a really pretty place there where you live...what state are you in?


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## Brothers

Thanks Bee..I know it's a little cramped in there,but now it's 3 less than last week and soon I will be down to the 3 chosen roo'sThe litter acualy just went in today.I was reading back into some old posts and came across one of yours talking about useing the deep litter methoed in runs...Pine needles, leaves, bark,sticks ect...So the wife and I went behind the house and filled 2 cart loads of litter..Instantly the chickens where so much happier.Scratching,and eating so many bugs in there.I even threw in 12 crab apples.Picked at them all day..Im learning so much.Tomorrow the wife and I are going to collect up a huge pile of litter to use through out our long winter.
Thanks again
Brothers
We are in Nova Scotia,Canada.


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## Bee

Wow! No wonder it's so pretty! You will have lots of snow? Are you going to try to arrange some tarping for your run to keep snow from filling up the space? 

Over on another thread, Powerhog said the snow melted right off the deep litter in his run before melting anywhere else, so I'm thinking the composting of the manure and litter has created some warmth there. I know it really makes my coop warmer. 

How many chickens will you have once you've culled all your roosters? 

Now we've just got to get you turned onto fermented feeds....


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## Brothers

We bought a 107 acre property last year and have completly remodeled the old farm house and are now just starting phse two..hobby farm.We plan on goats,cows,and hogs...But the chickens have just blown us away.So rewarding.We ate the two we harvested 3 days ago for supper tonight..what a fantastic experience for us and our kids.We are all hunters/trappers and general ******** so slaughtering and eating our roosters is more like eating sometihng from the garden for us.A great meal!

Bee if you think the little bit you can see from the vids is pretty Ill have to Pm you some pictures.This truley is the most unbeliable place I have ever seen...If I do say so myself!

There are 19 chickens total now and I believe there are 6 more Roosters to cull.The run is 10' x 20' and the coop is 8'x10'.Then we are going to separate the 3 chosen studs.Then there will be 10 pullets in that space.They are 13-14 weeks old now,do you think the hens will lay this year or will it be delayed untill spring?I am giving them extra light in the evening hoping to get some eggs through the winter.

Fermented feeds? I like the sounds of it..Talk to me!


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## Bee

They will lay this winter and you don't even need the light..not something I ever recommend. This is their first year and they will lay all winter long, if they are going to lay at all. Only in the second year of lay will they slow down for winter.


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## Brothers

Bee said:


> They will lay this winter and you don't even need the light..not something I ever recommend. This is their first year and they will lay all winter long, if they are going to lay at all. Only in the second year of lay will they slow down for winter.


Really? Everything I have researched tells me that if we want to get them laying this winter start giving them a minimum of 14 hours of light a day total.So we have started to turn on the red/heat lamp from 6pm untill 10pm.
You saying "if they even lay at all" kinda scares me..I have always assumed that all of the pullets will eventually lay eggs..no?


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## Bee

Usually they do lay but there is always a chance that any given bird will not be a layer..it happens. Not often, but it does. 

Adding both heat and light will increase the humidity in your coop, which is not something you'll be wanting unless you have good ventilation to dispel that humidity. Battery operations that do heat and light generally have fans that push out the humidity. 

As for the light, in their first year of lay, they don't need any help to lay~light or no light, hormones are at peak when they reach sexual maturity, no matter the season.

Lighting the birds are for those who want eggs all year round, regardless of the hen's needs to have a hormonal slow down,which is natural for winter. If you are running a commercial egg battery, then lighting the birds and getting all the eggs you can possibly squeeze out of your flock for the first two years of life is probably the goal. 

We used to keep flocks~though we did not light them up~for that purpose when I was growing up...just production level birds for two years, kill them and eat them, and then start out with a new flock of POL pullets. 

Many people light their birds and it's a preference issue. You'll hear opinions on both sides. 

Many people do not because they don't plan to replace their flock every two years. Forcing them to lay in all seasons will burn out their egg supply early, cause them to produce at the time they are usually using nutrition to keep warm, and can cause reproductive cancer and laying issues. 

Some folks just hatch out chicks each spring that will be coming into lay for winter, letting the older birds have a break. Then older birds that have naturally aged out of good laying(3-4 yrs) are then culled and canned. That's a more natural way of getting eggs for winter and not for everyone...some people won't kill a chicken and eat it, so they just want eggs in all seasons. For them, lighting the coop is their method of getting as many eggs as possible in a short a time as possible. 

If you have a flock that is for making money and need to supply customers all year round, then lighting the coop for winter is probably necessary...but you might want production breeds for that kind of operation(RIRs will work, but the BOs not so much). They burn out in their second year anyway and need replacing then, so lighting them doesn't really matter.


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## Brothers

Thanks again for the reply Bee.
We are looking into fermented feed but in the meen time......
We are going through SO MUCH FEED!We live in a very rural area and every week almost we have to make the 1.5 hour drive to the farm store for feed.We have a big feeder in the coop and just always keep food in it.Can I ration the food?Like only feed them a few cups in the morning and then a few cups again in the evening?I have done some research online and there seems to be differing opinions.We are working on getting the numbers down by culling all but the chosen breeding roosters,but I dont have time to process the birds right now.There are 5 roos left to cull.
So currently there are 19 chickens in total.Night time temps are right about 2-3 degrees c..any idea if rationing is a viable option for us?If so,how much?

Thanks again everyone.


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## chasesams

Brothers said:


> You guys are helping me more than you know,thank you.
> Couple more questions.
> 1)Today I went to my local farm supply store to pick up more chicken food.I asked the lady if I should keep them on starter food or move them to the grow formula.She asked if my chickens where for meat or eggs.I told her that I will be eating the roosters.So she sold me the grow formula.When I got the food home I read the paper label and it says to feed this formula at 15weeks.My chicks are between 6 and 8 weeks.Am I good to give them the grow formula?
> On another note,I ordered a 8x10 baby barn today to use as a coop.There will be a 10' by 20' chain link run attached as well.They should be HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY in there...right now I have 23 chickens...That should be plenty of room huh?
> 
> Thanks again folks!


i feed my babys starter till 8-10 weeks old, then from there till 18 weeks old i put them on grower then when that grain is gone after 18 weeks i put them on layer pellets the roosters will still grow
if you are raising meat chickens start them the same way and then switch them to grower then you can get a finisher for them. 
not sure if this info is to late but thats what i do and never have problems


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## chasesams

chasesams said:


> i feed my babys starter till 8-10 weeks old, then from there till 18 weeks old i put them on grower then when that grain is gone after 18 weeks i put them on layer pellets the roosters will still grow
> if you are raising meat chickens start them the same way and then switch them to grower then you can get a finisher for them.
> not sure if this info is to late but thats what i do and never have problems


as for your house just make sure you have enough nest boxes and enough roosts for them to get on to sleep and it should be fine

my info has 45 yrs experience behind it i've raised the following with great results, chickens, meat chickens, turkeys, ducks and geese
the only kinds that will need finisher will be the turkeys and meat chickens you can use the same formula for everything but when you switch to layer pellets you change the other 2 to finisher 
i hope this helps you


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## Bee

Brothers said:


> Thanks again for the reply Bee.
> We are looking into fermented feed but in the meen time......
> We are going through SO MUCH FEED!We live in a very rural area and every week almost we have to make the 1.5 hour drive to the farm store for feed.We have a big feeder in the coop and just always keep food in it.Can I ration the food?Like only feed them a few cups in the morning and then a few cups again in the evening?I have done some research online and there seems to be differing opinions.We are working on getting the numbers down by culling all but the chosen breeding roosters,but I dont have time to process the birds right now.There are 5 roos left to cull.
> So currently there are 19 chickens in total.Night time temps are right about 2-3 degrees c..any idea if rationing is a viable option for us?If so,how much?
> 
> Thanks again everyone.


Yes, you can ration feed. I've been feeding once a day for many years. If you keep a big, continuous feeder in the coop and just fill it, you are feeding all the rodents in a mile radius too. So much feed is shoveled out onto the floor and gets lost in the bedding, attracting bugs and rodents like mad.

A simple trough style feeder is easy to make with just rain guttering and some 2x4 scraps and you can even make one out of wood scraps altogether. Here's a pic of a couple of homemade troughs that took a few minutes to build and minimal to no cost:










This wooden one was made out of my Dad's old miter box that was bug eaten on one end and very old and some old wood scraps we had lying around. It ain't perfect but I wouldn't want it to be.... 










Then you just give them enough for a good meal and enough for another belly full later and you are golden. Without the continuous feeds they will act hungrier but you will find they will keep good conditioning and be just fine without a constant buffet that they share with the rodents.


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## Brothers

Hello everyone it's been a while.
I have a quick question for ya's.We are doing a deep litter system in our coop.Pine shavings and leaves.Was working great for months.Then it got cold and snow covered all of the leaves outside so we have only been adding pine shavings.I turn the compacted litter quite often.The last 5 days or so it has been warm enough to finally give them access to their pen.Unfortunately the bedding is now pretty damp and the ammonia smell takes my breath away.I know I have to do something.I have a barn that is FULL of old hay.Like 20 years old.Would it be ok to mix some into the deep litter?Would if be best to take the litter out and fill 'er back up with the hay?Or maybe I shouldnt use the hay at all?
Getting to the farm store to get fresh shavings isnt a option for at least 2 weeks.

thanks


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## kessy09

I would be worried about mold in the old hay. And mice in that too. Mouse droppings contain elements that are toxic to people when breathed in. Who knows what you'll find in 20 year old hay when you start turning it up. But, that ammonia and damp bedding is no good either. Is there any other options at all for dry matter to add to it?


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## Brothers

Wish I had another option..I have even even contemplated put a dehumidifier in their to suck the moisture out.


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## powderhogg01

Create more ventilation in the coop. Low and high vents, wick moisture up and away from flock


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## Brothers

Thanks for your reply Powderhog...The coop has two windows,always open.It has just been so rainy and foggy.Two open window should be enough ventilation...no?


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## powderhogg01

Get ventilation at the level of the litter. I used furnace vents, that allow me to open or close as needed. 
My coop smelled until I did that


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## powderhogg01

There is no smell in the coop now, but it's also well below freezing most days. But even mid summer when we had the worst rain to date, ammonia was strong until I placed the register vents about 6 inches above the top of my litter bed. Almost instantly to inside of the coop dried up and the smell went away. 
Is there any other litter you can get at? If tree crews are in your area you may be able to get them to unload there wood chips on your property. Ready for when you need them. If not.. Grab a snow shovel and a rake and go collect some stuff. Leave it out in the sun for a day or two to dry up a bit and add that. 
I do not put straw or hay inside my coop, it does however go into my runs deep litter. In small amount though.


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## Brothers

Is has been well below freezing here for a month and a half here as well.And things where great even before that.We where able to rake up huge amounts of maple leaves and pine needles and cove the coop and run.But when the 3 feet of snow came we where kicking ourselves for not collecting huge amount of littler and storing it in one of the barns.Live and Learn i guess.I have been adding about a bail of pine shaving every 2 weeks of so and have been religiously turning what isn't frozen over every time im in there.But when the weather went up to plus 5-10c for five days with rain...Well, I couldn't believe the extent of the smell.I am going to go and put 2 vent 6" up two walls.Sound about right? We have very cold snaps here -25c -35c.At those temps should I have them (vents) closed off?
I called a few other folks I know with barns and one of them gave me 2 bails of dry hay and bags of wood shavings! So I shoveled out about 3/4 of the stinky damp litter and added a bail of hay and 1/2 a bail of pine shavings.The smell instantly vanished!

Thanks for everyone's help getting me to this point.
Brothers


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## powderhogg01

I leave my vents half open all winter, adjust as needed to dry the litter. Even when it's cold and windy I leave the vents open.


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## chasesams

if they play with them a lot they will be friendlier when they grow up


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## Brothers

chasesams said:


> if they play with them a lot they will be friendlier when they grow up


Im not following you?


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## chasesams

that was to one of your earlier posts about the kids playing with the chicks


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## Brothers

AH yes..Dont mind me!lol...ya they spent alot of time with them as chicks.


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## Brothers

I took your advise Powder.I couldn't find any furnace ducts kicking around but i did find a 7" round vent and a 10" square metal vent.I installed the 7"round vent just above the litter/bedding and the bigger square one up the back wall as high as I could.Hope this help with the moisture in there.It should in addition to the two windows.

Thanks Powderhog.
Brothers


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## rich

*If you need to consult a pro. go to Ebay and search Solway Feeders or use the email thats here. You can contact the seller we will answer any question for any one. No obligation no email beyond your answered question.*


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## powderhogg01

The closer to the apex of the roof the better for your high vent. 
My coop has a 2 inch vent at either side of my coops roof. This allows the warm moist air to flow directly out of the slots. It's worked pretty well for me, keeping the litter dry will help not only keep the chickens warmer through the cold months, but it also invites bugs and stuff for the chickens to dig around for.


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## Chickie-babe

I met the most wonderful experienced chicken farmer (gotta love those farm/feed stores). She suggested the electrolytes powered mix. It gives the day old chicks a great start. I bought it and all my chicks are healthy and robust. 


Sent from my iPhone using Chicken Forum


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