Posts Tagged chickens

I just read a great article on Backyard Chickens on “How Much Space Do Chickens Need“. I realized that they really need as much space as you can give them. We let our hens out of their 8′ x 16′ outdoor run every day for a few hours. They run, scratch, dust bathe, and flap their wings in the open areas even though they have plenty of space in their run to do so.

By giving your hens as much space as possible you will avoid bickering, pecking, and cleaning chores and will have happier and healthier hens. For the exact measurements of our coop and outdoor run, designed for 4-6 hens, see: https://www.backyardhencam.com/2010/03/floor-space-for-chicken-coop-and-runs/

Please read the article at the link above. It may change your opinion on the space you are providing for your hens.

Hens scratching under apple trees.

Box containing Grandpas Feeder” has arrived.

Ever since we built the coop and outdoor run 10 years ago, we’ve had trouble with rats and wild birds eating the chicken food. While the feeder is in the covered area of the run, it has been accessible to critters who can burrow and fly into the area. To keep wild birds from eating the food during the day, we used hardware wire to cover the standard chicken wire. That worked for the wild birds. But the rats and mice that make little tunnels into the coop continued to steal chicken feed during the night.

To mitigate the loss of feed, we put the feeder into a covered trash can in the evening and take it out in the morning. While the husband is willing to go out at night to do this, I am not. When he was recently gone on a trip for a few nights, I saw how inconvenient this chore was. I splurged and ordered one of  “GRANDPAS FEEDERS“.

The galvanized “Grandpas feeder” metal feeder has a metal plate on which the hens must stand to open the lid. The hens have to learn how to get at their food. The layer pellets are enclosed until they step on the metal plate

properly. Now, let it be known that these three hens are quite bright and I have no doubt they will learn within a week or two, how to work this feeding machine.

Putting together Grandpas Feeder is easy. It takes about 30 minutes.

• Week One: the feeder is kept open.
• Week Two: the feeder is kept partially open.
• Week Three: the feeder is closed and hens must stand on a metal plate to open it and to avail themselves to the pellets.

Take a look at the new “Grandpas Feeder” on the “Live Webcam” and see how the hens are doing. This experiment will be interesting and I hope it reduces the loss of food to the tiny nocturnal creatures that visit at night.

UPDATE 8-2020

Our new pullets have had no problem adjusting to the Grandpa’s Feeder. It makes a loud noise when they step off the platform but this does not seem to bother them. We put a piece of weatherstripping on the flap that shuts down so that we would not have to listen to the sound all day. 

Women Love Their Hens

Why is it that women love, and are dedicated to, their hens? I think I know the answer. The hens show the familiar attributes of our earliest female friends. Remember those high school girls you hung out with? They were all unique and they acted out of heart and spirit, and yes, hormones. They were glandular and unpredictable. They were wonderful!

Each of the hens in my flock has a unique personality, much like my schoolgirl friends. Take Daisy, for instance. I had a big, blond, friend, just like Daisy. She wasn’t the brightest crayon in the box but she had a big heart and enough love for the entire student body. She found it unbelievable when people were unkind. When our hen Daisy gets pecked, she squawks in disbelief then looks at the perpetrator with an expression on her face like, “What did you do that for?”

Then there’s Poppy. Poppy is the “no nonsense” matriarch of my flock. She is strong and intelligent. Not in the least gullible. She settles squabbles with a sharp peck on the cheek and the matter is finished. I had a friend like that. Wonder what happened to that “wise beyond her years” girl.

Tulip is large in beauty and “not so large” in personality. She is popular and respected through no doing of her own. Tulip sits sideways on the roost at night, taking up extra space because, she believes that, “I deserve more space, because I am me.” She is a statuesque and would be elected homecoming queen (if there was such a thing for chickens).

Sweetpea is unsure of herself. Daisy likes her, but then again, Daisy likes everyone. Sweetpea (a barred rock) is a standard kind of chicken, a hard worker (at laying eggs) and hopes that the other hens will not mistreat her and that people will like her. She is a cheerleader for others. When another hen lays an egg, she cackles loud and long, as if she herself had done the deed. Remember that girl in high school? I hope she married well and has lots of kids that love her, or, had a great career and has lots of nieces and nephews that love her.

Petunia, who now lives elsewhere, is untrusting and untrustworthy. She’s the insecure girl who has to work hard to be in the “in crowd”. She is nervous, has a sharp tongue (beak), and agitates others. As teenagers we tried to ignore this “mean girl”. As flock managers we have the option of removing “mean girls” from our environment, as we have done with Petunia.

Our deceased Rosie was the gal that was picked on and somewhat annoying because she wouldn’t stand up for herself. When I think back on my high school days, I can remember a “Rosie” or two. Why were these kids excluded? How sad and frustrating it must have been for them to want to be a part of things and just not know how to break in.

I watch the hens and understand that animals have similar desires as humans. We want to be a part of a flock, group, or a club. We want to be respected and not abused.  We want to play around with others of our kind. We want treats and sometimes to be petted. We want to snuggle up at night and be safe and secure. It’s not so difficult to see why chicken lovers find their hens entertaining and loveable. They are so like us.

Panasonic camera for Backyard Hencam

There are two Panasonic cameras on the hens. We’ve been working on moving the outdoor camera the last few days, trying to find the best view. The outside camera has been at one end of the run since we began this project. We mounted it about 4 feet off the ground and put a “hood” over it to protect it from the elements. What we’ve learned in the last four months, is that the hens prefer to hang out at the shady end of the run, which happens to be right under the camera! When you’ve come to Backyard Hencam to visit the chickens and the screen is empty, you’ve probably wondered, “Where are the chickens?” Well, they are, in fact, “chillin” under the camera and out of site!

New Location of Hencam

During the next week, we are going to mount the camera in different locations in the run so that you’ll be able to see the hens where they hang out during mid day. We know you want to see action, not just a blank screen.

There seems to be no place that will show you the entire coop. I told Don we could buy another camera and put one at each end. This didn’t go over too well. We had a hard time getting both cameras working on the website in the beginning so neither of us really can bear to think of adding a third.

We have moved the camera to the opposite side of the run to see how this works for viewing. We’re still experimenting. Let me know what you think!

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