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I DREAM ABOUT A LIFE LIKE YOURS! The WHOLE time I watch you Becky, I have a SMILE on my face! THANK-YOU for sharing your INFECTIOUS JOY and GRATITUDE for a LIFE WELL-LIVED! NOTHING LIKE A SIMPLE LIFE! You have NO IDEA the Great IMPACT you have on all who are blessed to watch you! GOD BLESS you my dear!
My chicks are around 2 weeks old, I have them in a large container. My husband made a 4x4 box in the garage and we're going to put them out there with their heat lamp until they get the size of yours then we'll put them in the coop we bought. My first chickens ever and I want to thank you for helping😊🐤❤🐥
I just made your flip coop and it is so fun to watch my young ones investigate, run back an forth chasing flies, chirping happily. Thank you for the help! I enjoy watching and learning from you!
Good Morning Becky , it's been a long week waiting on your video, love the baby chicks.. I hope you have a safe and Blessed Day my friend. :-) " Sheila "
Such an awesome video Becky (Dawn Cierelli/hubby Richard here): You certainly have some good ideas--I'm a chicken lady myself! I'm still learning, though. I have 14 now, a mixture and about 6 more coming...I really take good care of the ones I have, I don't believe in having too many...just good care of what I do have...have an awesome & blessed day out there and thank you for all you do! :)
I would love to have a beautiful little Homestead. Honestly you ARE the "Martha Stewart" of homesteading. 😂 You're awesome! Additionally, you've explained so much to me in your videos. I just love how you make everything seem so easy... BECKY, are you a perfectionist? Because everything is always so perfect. Thanks for ANOTHER great video.
@@sandyknecht3874 I have read that you only need to worry about rat snakes with SMALL chicks (aka first week-two). I have a 5' rat snake that lives somewhere around my house and suns itself on my roof. I was EXTREMELY cautious when we first introduced our June 8 hatched chicks outside, but they are heritage breeds, growing like weeds and are going on 7 weeks now and pasturing very well together. I believe A. They're too large for a black rat snake, and B They watch out for each other and sound the alarm if anything unusual is going on. Though at this age and current circumstances, I'm not allowing them free range unless I or the kids are out with them, or our farm dog, Sunny. She's SO good with them. They think she's a jungle gym and climb all over her. She's a lab/Golden Aussie mix. Still working with the GSD but she's got a lot more prey drive. She and I sleep with them in the living room so she develops instinct to protect HER babies. She's a western working line shepherd bred by a seeing eye org. She was career changed last Oct. We raised her for them and were offered to adopt her first before she went to the general public after she was removed from official training. She's got a WONDERFUL work ethic, she just needs a lot of repetition. Anyhow, I've read a ton and everything I've found it in regards to small chicks with rat snakes.
Hi Becky! After watching your videos I decided to just go out and get two pullets! They are Rhode Island Reds. I bought them last Wednesday and they are about 4-5 weeks old now.
It just looks flushed. Bantams develop their combs and wattles a lot earlier than full sized chickens. At this point the wattles and comb would be bright cherry red and the sickle and saddle feathers would be developing which this one seems to have no sign of. Looks very hen like to me. I have one of the same type that actually looks like will be a male and is redder than this one and half the size and not fully feathered yet. You can’t just go off a red comb especially when they have been being chased and grabbed. The excess blood pumping from the elevated heart rate will take a peach comb to red in no time.
That bantam looks like a young Spangled Old English Game Bantam rooster, he’s adorable though! I love your flip coop, I planned to build one similar to house meat birds for my county fair, but the poultry exhibits are cancelled due to Newcastle disease outbreaks.
Ms. Becky Sunshine, first of all, I just love your adorable self! I have a question. I have seen a few tips about using sand in my feeding trough for my chickys. I’ve been hearing not to use play sand because the dust is to fine and can buildup in their crop. Does it matter what sand to use? I’m using play sand from tractor supply right now. Please help. I am so thankful for you and how you share your knowledge with the world. God bless you, sweetie!!
Goodmorning Becky. You've helped us so much with our choice of chicks. We ordered golden comets from Hoover's hatcheries. They arrived valentines day and have been outside for a week in their coop. You hit the nail on the head as they love to be with us and if you didn't know they were in the yard you wouldn't know. They are happy and quiet. Thank you for "All" your advice. Sharing your knowledge is a blessing for us and I'm sure many others. Thank you, The Sage family
I allowed nature to do it and I'm very fortunate.. tonight..I had to help chicks. Only 3 weeks old and momma pecks them..momma is weaning..help them to coop for night..
I am confused you feed adult food at 4 weeks or at 7 weeks, I read ona food bag today to start offering this particular food at 8 weeks. they are about 5 to 6 weeks old now. they aer so cute htey still have not fully feathered and the little black ones still have furry hair on the neck and head.
Hi I have a question, I just got baby chicks today. There are 2 days old one of them is a week old. They're in my house with their heat lamp. In a Box lots of room. With their feeder and water feeder. My question is do I feed them with the feeder throughout the night? Leave it in or take it out? I know to keep the water there but do I keep the food throughout the night?
You kind of do what I do with my baby chicks. Now my last few batches of baby chicks weren’t planned by me at all. But my hens had other ideas apparently! Hens disappeared and showed up a few weeks later with 3-12 baby chicks in tow! I use a larger cattle galvanized water tank to raise the baby chicks in. Just put a couple pieces of plywood over the top and a heat lamp in between the two pieces of plywood so they stay plenty warm if it’s cold out. I also keep the water container or tank whatever you call it? It’s inside our dogs 12ftX 12ft x 8ft high fenced in cage that has a door on the front. So I don’t have to worry about predators getting to my chicks and I also leave mama hen in with them too for a while. I let mama hen decide when she wants to leave the chicks on their own? Figured mama hens knows better then I do when the chicks are old enough to be on their own. When the weather warmer and not raining, I’ll leave half the plywood off the top but still leave the heat lamp on in case the chicks get a little cold they still have a warm place to go. Of course your always changing their bedding especially when there’s 12 chicks in there! Make sure they got fresh water and food everyday ! Eventually mama hen jumps out and goes back to the large coop with the rest of the flock on her own! So then the chicks are on their own far as mama hen Is concerned. I will leave then in the water tank till the chicks get old enough to start jumping up on the edge of the water tank. I didn’t know about the them needing all their features? LOL but moving them when their able to jump to the top of the water tank seems to be ok too! Then like you do, I have another open cage except mine is built more like a tractor run that has two wooden sides and hardware cloth around the middle all the way around. It also on wheels thus calling it a tractor! LOL it’s 8ft long and 4ft high and no floor! So the chicks are right on top tge grass at this point and I cover half of it with a tarp so they have some shade as you also mentioned! Nice part is there’s no cleaning up after the chicks then. I just move this tractor run with the tarp and heat lamp in it too btw! To another clean area. I just have to make sure they have food and fresh water every night before I go to bed. I keep the tractor in the shade a lot of the time and take the tarp completely off during the daytime if it’s warm enough and let my older flock and the chicks get to know one another thru the hardware cloth and they certainly do get each other’s attention too! LOL Now I’ll usually leave my chicks in this tractor run till they get closer to the size of my full grown chickens. But I’ll let them out of the tractor run to run around free now and then too. That also gives me a idea how the older chickens are going to get along with the new chicks too? Naturally the chicks will go back to the tractor run on their own when it gets close to sun down. But in the meantime I keep a close eye on them. Once I see all the chickens old and young are getting along I’ll introdtthe new chicks to the larger coop with the rest of the flock. There may be a little bickering showing who’s who and who’s in charge of the roosts at first. But no bad fighting, least not yet! Honestly I haven’t a clue what I’m doing? I’m just winging it and hoping for the best! LOL But what I’m doing seems to be working ok! Even though I have never raised chickens before in my life! Why I decided to call my farm WING IT FARM LOL
Hi Becky, I love your videos! I have 3 free range hens and wanted to know how many mealworms to give them every day for adequate protein for egg production. We got them as chicks last spring and they haven't started to lay yet. Thank you.
Love watching your videos. I have some 2 week old chicks that I am enjoying. It's been about 3 years since I've had chickens and I'm realizing how much I missed having them. I had them for 13 years prior. Question .... Have you ever had issues with predators getting to the chickens in this coop? I'm trying to figure out how I want to house my chicks once they are fully feathered but not ready for the main coop. Also, any suggestions as to where to purchase water proof fabric that I can use to cover my holding coop so they don't get wet if it rains.
I have two young reds fully feathered and I was told to not give them the oyster shells until they start laying? Can you feed it to them/give them the option anytime? Was told it can cause kidney problems. Love your video.
They can get calcium poisoning. It’s best to wait until they start laying or else the calcium won’t be used. I feed my chickens eggs shells since they started laying, and they love them.
I have 4 babies that are about 2 months old and have been outside in there run / coop. They huddle together at night on a the highest outside perch till I put them inside the house after dark. How do I get them to go inside on there own? I've seen them go in and out at times during the day. I've put a light outside the coop and a fan (when its hot and humid 85 + Florida)
I have 4 two week old chicks, who spend time outside and I have been putting them in their coup to get them use to it. I have the heat lamp on at night but in Florida it is really warm at night low 74 and highs in the 90s right now and is getting warmer every day. They have a lot of feathers. So with that said. Are they ready for the coup full time?
Hey Becky! Always good videos! Question: Can I put young chicks outside coop if I continue to provide heat? Temps at night are already in the high 60s (68-69) which is comparable to the house. I just feel concerned they have out grown their brooder.
Sure, move them out and see how they do. Sometimes I will put them out just for the day for a few days in a row. If all goes well, leave them in the coop☀️❤️☀️
Another bit of advice looking at your surroundings. It looks like your homestead is open and in a wooded area like I am. That chicken run of yours looks light-weight with no bottom and just sitting on the ground. I have lost whole flocks here in the Ozarks to predators that come out at night. They need a coop that they can roost in that is completely closed off at night to keep them from being the next evening's dinner for a raccoon. possum, fox, or a coyote that comes around at dusk not to mention a stray dog or two.
Thank you for all your great tips! I was supprised to see that you give your chicks hay. I was told not te give hay as they get trouble with breathing. Is that an old wives tale? Or is there some truth in that? My chickens have a closed of area in the coop for the nighttime. It's well ventilated, but also nice and snug. I don't speak english very well. I'm dutch. Sorry about that. Please answer my question. Thank you again for your great video's!
I got 24 chicks about 7 weeks old to 8 weeks,its early Sept in Essex county which is about 75 miles from Detroit Im in Canada south of Detroit, Im thinking of moving my chicks to my pole barn 1st,then to the coop,its getting cooler at night into the 60,s,then back into thr 70,s in the day,I do got a fire box to heat my pole barn and can keep it pretty warm if needed,what Im worried about is the temps are they to cold should I keep the chicks where I got them a bit longer,looks like all there feathers are grown on them,
Hey Becky I have 11 golden links. There a hybrid I got them at my local feed mill. And I will be keeping them. In our back yard . and is fenced in with privacy fence. I want to free range my girls they are 3 weeks now how long do you recommend me to keep them cooped up before I can let them start roaming in the back yard..
what kind of bantum is the one you really like? and what breed the white ones they almost look like doves. I just love how excited you get homesteading I would love to do somethinglike that, alas my health anyway i did get a few chickens and we are in the process of building a expandable coop so I can get more chickesn My hubby wants a rooster to he like how colorful they are, and we want chicky babies too, lol.
I have never owned chickens before . I can understand keeping them separate from the older ones. If you started out with young chickens can they just roam a back yard in suburbia and go into their coup at night .My place is fully fenced .
Hey Becky thank you for the great information great video thank you for it but I have a question for you how old do chickens have to be before they lay their first eggs
Becky's Homestead thank you Becky for the information I really appreciate that good to know for the future if there is going to be a future the way this world is going which I highly doubt it anyway but thank you
Hi! Awesome Video... I have a question. I cant buy chick starter its not available and i cant order it online or in anyway so can u plz tell me what else can i feed my chicks about 3 to 4 weeks old or do u have a homemade recipe.. Please answer. Anyone????
So Becky I love you or videos they have helped us a lot with our chickens . We bought for chickens last year adults and I thought for $10 A piece was a good deal we did lose one this Spring. But we will planning on expanding our flocked . So I have bought 3 more chick And they're coming about through 2 month old. They're just starting to grow then waddles. I have them in a separate co-op now outside and they been now there for awhile be conceive the other chickens but I have not introduced them directly yet when should I do that. I was thinking in another month or so but I wanted your opinion.
Becky's Homestead awesome! Also maybe a day in the life - what a typical day is like for you ... 😊I love your videos- I’m so yearning for a simpler life but it seems like it will never happen
