Recent content by AtomicChicken

  1. AtomicChicken

    Atomicchickens Page

    In April (2011) my wife said she wanted some pet chickens. So I ordered some and set off to design our coop and run. But the last time I encountered chickens (not on a plate) was in the grandparents chicken house some 30 years ago. And I don't recall being particularly fond of them. So I did...
  2. AtomicChicken

    Nails or screws?

    I used nails for nearly the entire frame, the siding, trim, felt paper and shingles. For everything else, I used alot of 2-1/2" and 1-1/4" galvanized screws. I started out with 12d 3" coated sinkers for the frame. But as I used 2x3s for the 4x4x4 house, they tended to split the wood too much...
  3. AtomicChicken

    My Suburban Chicken House

    Yes, I made the two people doors, the pop door and the window. And it was absolutely the worst part of the project. I found this site that detailed using 2x2s and 2x6s to make some doors and windows for a playhouse. http://www.buildeazy.com/newplans/playhouse_6x6_1.html I ended up using two...
  4. AtomicChicken

    Coop Design Questions

    Not saying my coop is any good, but take a look at my page for some possible ideas. I just built (am building) a coop of very similar size. The house portion is 4x5 by 4 foot tall. But the nesting box and storage takes up 1 foot of the 5 foot wall. So the hen house is actually 4x4. The...
  5. AtomicChicken

    How many of you use plans to build a coop???

    I have to make a plan. But its in my nature. Now the real trick for me is to stick to the plan and not change things. However, on my coop I just did, I did make the nest box about 3" taller than was in my plan. Other than that, everything was "as designed" and I had to keep telling myself...
  6. AtomicChicken

    My Suburban Chicken House

    Thanks for your comments. I posted update pics to my page with (most) of the hardware cloth in place. Just have to attach the top gate, get some sand and gravel and blueberry bushes. I'll post pics later of my feeders and waterers that I made also. Regarding ventilation: The air comes in...
  7. AtomicChicken

    My Suburban Chicken House

    Thank you. The review process was good. It forced me to sit down and actually design it, rather than winging it.
  8. AtomicChicken

    My Suburban Chicken House

    I've built a little chicken house. Take a look at the construction details as well as pics of the girls on my page. I still have to finish the run tomorrow but the girls moved into their new house tonight. So they'll be playing in the temporary pen till I finish the run. I just finally...
  9. AtomicChicken

    Chicks arrived alive, now 3 are in chick heaven!?

    For the first batch of birds I had paper towels that I changed the two days they were alive. I lined the pine shavings with paper towels yesterday also for this batch. but the pooped so much on them that I decided today, I'd just dump the shavings tomorrow and clean the floor. But I may add...
  10. AtomicChicken

    Chicks arrived alive, now 3 are in chick heaven!?

    I dealt with the light/heat issue a little differently. I used a 250w lamp because I knew it would likely be too much rather than not enough. Then I engineered the baffles you see on either side of the lamp. When completely closed, no(only a tiny amount) of heat penetrates the baffles. And...
  11. AtomicChicken

    Chicks arrived alive, now 3 are in chick heaven!?

    They shipped on Monday because I received a call saying they didn't have a barred rock I had ordered, so I substituted the second australorp. We got the call on Thursday morning from post office. They were shipped express from Ohio. Only reason I know this is I asked the place where they were...
  12. AtomicChicken

    Chicks arrived alive, now 3 are in chick heaven!?

    Regarding the electrolyte/vitamins. Yes, I followed the directions on the back of the package. Not even an 1/8th of a teaspoon was mixed in the water. The manufacturer is Durvet. I only introduced the electrolytes after the runt was becoming sluggish. With this batch they just have plain...
  13. AtomicChicken

    Chicks arrived alive, now 3 are in chick heaven!?

    I just wanted to give an update and ask you to identify a breed. So my wife went to the farm where the guy has like a 1000 chickens. I'm sure some of you guys have near as many as pets. But we got 4 hens again that are two weeks old. Two Australorps and two that we don't know what they...
  14. AtomicChicken

    Chicks arrived alive, now 3 are in chick heaven!?

    The last of the 4 hens stopped moving and could no longer support itself under its legs. She stopped eating and wouldn't really drink, but let the water from the dropper dribble out of her beak. At 2AM, she was walking and even spreading her wings in a jumping, flying motion. So with the cage...
  15. AtomicChicken

    Chicks arrived alive, now 3 are in chick heaven!?

    Thanks for your posts. They likely came from hatchery, as I got them from MyPetChicken.com place. To respond to some of your comments: From the first minutes out of their shipping container the dominant (and still alive) australorp would peck at the beaks of the others. Sometimes the others...
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