Production Reds

[Arkansas]

Got the Kids some production Reds for kinda like a pet to teach them some responsibility, like feeding cleaning and changing bedding out etc.. Well they are about 1 month now they seem big to me but not sure how big they need to be before I take them off of medicated food. I really didn't want to feed some high priced feed. But seeing how I am not planing on eating them and they are pets for the kids I wanted them to have the best start. My question is they are on crumble now, when will they be big enough or old enough to go on pellet or some other feed ? They look to be fully feathered out, to me they look just like road island reds. This is the Coop we bought for them (orschelnfarmhome(.)com/OrschelnFarmHome/ctl16754/cp/si6126732/cl1/extreme-hen-house-chicken-coop?&query=coop&hits=12&offset= )
Yes, I know silly to pay for one when I could had built one but I haven't had the time and I wanted something quick and that didn't make the yard look like crap too..lol I will never make the mistake of doing that again though, these coops are very crappy and not sturdy at all.. I already had some galvanized water cans and feeders.. I been teaching the kids to dump the droppings tray from the roost area into a compost pile we use for the garden.. The kids and nieces and nephews all just want to pick the birds up all the time. So the birds have noticed and now they come out when I feed them when the kids are at there moms but when the kids go to feed they haul butt away from them.. :lol2:
I am starting to think I could had done better just to had got them a calf to raise would had been close to the same price...lol I think I spent over 500 in extra crap for that coop, because its been falling apart and counting chicken wire etc..

 

[cow pollinater]

At one month you can take them off medicated feed(mine never do get medicated feed) and start giving them some garden scraps and they'll do just fine. If they have a big enough yard you can even turn them out now and get them trained to come in for feed but you'll always lose a few in the learning process.

 

[chippie]

you can probably change them over to a pelleted feed. That is a nice coop. How many hens did you get? If you have more than two, chances are the floor space will be too small. Chickens really need room to move about and roam. Once they learn that the house is their home, you can turn them out for a while in the late afternoon and they will go to bed when it gets dark.

I have Production Reds and Rhode Island Reds. They look different when mature. The Production Reds will have lighter tail feathers and wing tips than the RI and their color will be a lighter orange. They are really friendly chickens and make great pets. Actually, I have about 40 laying hens and an overload of Bantam/Game cross chickens. My chickens run loose and I close them in their house at night, well except the ones that roost in the rafters of the barn.

I sell eggs at our local farmers' market.
I am "The Egg Lady" LOL.

 

[Arkansas]

There is 4 of them in total, and your right the coop says it can hold up to 4 but anything over 2 is not a lot of room. There is now but there still small as soon as there big there want be a lot of room. I was thinking of fencing in around the garden and let them eat at the bugs and fertilize it. But room what I read they may eat the crops too ? I have Watermelon, Peppers, Cucumbers, and Tomatoes planted right now. But I don't want them killing the plants out. I figured the chickens would be a good learning process for the kids and me, as were thinking about getting a lot more and free ranging them.. I can get a 50 lb bag of feed here for 11.95 non medicated at our local feed store. But I bought my at Orscheln's or however you spell it for 40lb bag for 13.49 medicated and 50 lb layer feed for 14.49.. I think I will be getting mine at my local feed store for now own.. I will try and post pictures of the birds and how big they are.. The coop is way smaller in person.

 

[chippie]

Do not let them in your garden. They love tomatoes.
My husband has an ongoing war trying to keep the bantam and game hens out of the garden

Have you ever seen the movie Caddy Shack? Change the gopher to chickens & that is how it os at our house . Looking forward to pics.

 

[MO_cows]

Too bad you had to buy the coop. Chickens are a pretty cheap enterprise in general and a good introduction for kids to caring for and managing livestock.

The way we do it, we buy one bag of chick starter and feed until it's gone. Then we get them an all purpose poultry feed. Not scratch grains. There isn't enough protein in scratch. It's more of a treat, or a supplement for free ranging birds who are getting their protein from bugs. They don't need layer mash or pellets until they start laying. With just 4 pullets, they will likely be laying before you go thru the bag of all flock feed. No biggee, get them some oyster shell for calcium and finish the bag. They love kitchen scraps. Strawberry trimmings, pumpkin/squash guts, leftover cooked foods, etc.

If you can let them out to free range, they actually prefer to scratch and forage and hustle up their own food versus standing around the feeder. Chickens have a good work ethic! But they will damage your garden so fence them out of it.

 

[Arkansas]

I want to let them out to free range a bit but afraid one will not make it back and knowing my luck it would be my youngest daughters bird..lol They can pretty much make it to a main H-way about 50 yards away, and if they go to the woods there done. Coyote will get them, or raccoon or something.

 

[chippie]

This link has directions for making a hoop pen for poultry. My husband made one for our Bantams. It is easy to make and doesn't take long to do.
You could put your current house in it or attach the current house to the back side of the hoop pen. Several possibilities.

http://www.ca.uky.edu/agc/pubs/ASC/ASC189/ASC189.pdf

 

[Anonymous]

Your biggest threat to the young birds is going to come from the air, not on foot. I got to the point where I told my wife I'm not putting any more money into them if she keeps letting them out only o disappear to the hawks. So now they stay in a large run, she buys feed, and pays for the feed with eggs sales.

 

[Arkansas]

Thanks Chippie! I think I will build that, I am going to take some pictures tomorrow of the Birds and figure out how to post them. I want something easy to move, I cant move the Coop with someone else. I thought about putting wheels on it. But I believe it would be easier to just make another coop..lol I want something I can move every other day to keep the grass from dieing out etc..

 

[Arkansas]

Your biggest threat to the young birds is going to come from the air, not on foot. I got to the point where I told my wife I'm not putting any more money into them if she keeps letting them out only o disappear to the hawks. So now they stay in a large run, she buys feed, and pays for the feed with eggs sales.

The bottom of my coop was open and I think I messed up when I put mesh on it to keep things from coming up under it. Because they can scratch or nothing cuz the bottom being on it now..

 

[Arkansas]

Well so much for pictures, its raining cows & pigs here..lol

 

[Arkansas]

Here are pics of the chickens and coop..

(Front of Coop, the Open slot below the door is for the sliding out pan under roost area. So to dump the droppings.)

(To the left inside the door you will see Hen Box's blocked off, just because there not to the laying age yet and they make a mess in it!)

(I made the Ladder myself because I didn't like the ramp that came with it)

(Chickens are about 2 1/2 to 3 months old.. They grew fast.)

(I move the coop every 2 days to fresh grass so they dont kill it out all the way, just finished moving it forward as you can see.)

(The Garden has a lot of grass in it, we got behind with the New baby and all...lol First Row on left was Romo-Tomatoes then Cucumbers and 3rd row was watermelons there mostly gone and 4th is Bell Peppers)

 

[chippie]

They are sort of crowded. It really is too small for that many large birds. I would put the feeder on the ground. I think that the top part is supposed to have the nest boxes. The feeder is not supposed to be hung up high like that. You can hang it a few inches above the ground if you like. I know that you have your hands full with the new baby. But should you get time, you should make the hoop cage that I posted the link too. You can attach the coop to the back so that they have a place to get out of the weather. It is not expensive to make and it is easy. The livestock panels are easy to bend and we tie wrapped chicken wire to it to keep the smaller birds in.

Nice looking birds. I hope that your kids would enjoy them.

 

[Arkansas]

They are sort of crowded. It really is too small for that many large birds. I would put the feeder on the ground. I think that the top part is supposed to have the nest boxes. The feeder is not supposed to be hung up high like that. You can hang it a few inches above the ground if you like. I know that you have your hands full with the new baby. But should you get time, you should make the hoop cage that I posted the link too. You can attach the coop to the back so that they have a place to get out of the weather. It is not expensive to make and it is easy. The livestock panels are easy to bend and we tie wrapped chicken wire to it to keep the smaller birds in.

Nice looking birds. I hope that your kids would enjoy them.

Yea I am going to make the one you gave me the plans too.. The coop says 2-4 chickens but really its a 2 chicken I think. The feeder is hung inside the roost to stop from getting feed wet. I had it at the bottom but rain would wet it down and they wouldn't touch it after that. I hung the feeder just above there backside is what Storey's Guide to Chickens said. Plus when its any lower then what it is they seem to wanna jump on it and dump the whole thing. They seem to eat out of it easy enough though. I tried higher but they wasnt feeding out of it so I lowered it to where it is now seem to be less waste and they can still reach it.

 

[M5farm]

if.they have a good roost you can turn them out in the morning and they will return to the roost at night and you can lock them up.

 

[Arkansas]

if.they have a good roost you can turn them out in the morning and they will return to the roost at night and you can lock them up.

Well I wanted to do that but I was afraid they would wonder off or to a nearby neighbors house or even killed by the neighbors dogs or cats. Plus not sure how to train them to do it or if I would loose one or even if the neighbors would get mad about it..lol