The Chicken Wing

↓ The nursery tub--red heat lamp for March 2008, 5 day old chicks.-- Australorps, Silver Lace, Barred Rocks --RRR & GSL came later

below --Un-used horse stall made over for a 12x12 hen house--aka The Chicken Wing -- rubber mats over dirt w/hardware cloth under mat edges, up wall	below: poulets and one roo in chicken wing--nesting box self and ladder to right

below: Hoop run (from BYC coop and run e.g.) attached to stall --larger outer yard not yet covered....	below: Britty (named by a neighbor's boy) the Silver Lace rooster at 8 mo.

. FLOCK-KEEPING @ 3,500'---This little flock/family, currently, of 8 hens and 1 roo gets Organic Pride layer food free choice, with organic greens mix, and plain yogurt mixed with fruit 3-5 times a week. They share 3 nest boxes which are large plastic horse supplement containers, and the girls usually give about 6 nice eggs a day. In non-snowy conditions, they have the run of their hoop yard and the larger pen of about 375 sq.ft.. In snowy spells, they don't want to leave the coop, so they can run and fly around the 12x12 x10 inside space that has about 8" of pine shavings over the rubber mat floor. In below freezing temps they have a heat lamp over their roost, a heated dog bowl for water, and in hot weather, they have a misting sprayer to cool things off, Next summer they will likely have more access to green turnout. The only problem we've had is not with flyers going over the (yet) un-covered larger pen, but with hens that dug dusting hollows by a gate, wriggled out and 3 didn't survive the escape when the greyhound and 2 lab mixes took advantage of live toys...a sad shock to find. But the downsized flock of 9 seems happy and now much better secured. If the chicks had had more handling, maybe they would all be less shy. None of them are comfortable with friendly touching or being held, but hopefully that will change with more TLC. So far the roo, Britty, has been easy to have around, not aggressive...yet. He doesn't crow excessively and is very sweet to the girls--lets them eat first and most huddle with him at night. When we lived by a lake, we raised 2 African Geese who would swim along side our kayaks, but keeping birds was essentially new. We love this little flock, and love learning and taking care of them along with the dogs, cats and horses in the farm family. ::::::::::::::::::::