Silver Gray Dorkings from Murray McMurray Hatchery

[George Collins]

This morning, while feeding, I heard the strangest racket coming from the chicken coop. Upon closer inspection, I got to hear one of the little roosters making his first attempt at crowing.

Also, last night was their first night to go without their warming lamp. One can't help wonder if there is a connection there.

[Myrth]

What fun! I always enjoy chicks. I remember my last order. The Post Master called me and I could hear the chicks peeping in the background. It was funny.

I haven't ordered from MMH in years. My memory was that you can't buy fewer than 25 chicks from them so I was surprised your order had less. Either they changed the minimum order or my memory is bad. And either way it is good to know, because I was recently thinking about trying to order a smaller number of pullets.

Continue to enjoy the chicks!

[Lollykoko]

Instinct says "Yes", George. When the warming lamp was on all night, there was little or no change in the light at sunrise.

[George Collins]

That certainly makes sense. Now if I can just get it on camera.

Today the little Dorking dudes and dudettes made their transition into their first mobile coop. It was originally designed to house some banties above my compost pile. Recently though I gave the banties back to Youngblood, removed the hardware cloth flooring and put it on the ground. It now serves as a temporary chicken tractorish kinda thingy until I can finalize the plans for their ultimate home.

I thinking more and more along the lines of Salatin's egg mobile. Given the number of potential predators, I'll likely end up with a combination of Salatin's egg mobile and electrified poultry netting.

This is what they look like now:

A far cry for those little fuzz balls that I picked up from the post office a few weeks back.

[pa_friendly_guy]

They are growing nicely George. I think the chicken tractor idea is a good one, I love those things.

[George Collins]

By way of update, all of the little Dorkings are now big Dorkings. We have them in a chicken tractor that is too small for them and all of our energizers for electric fencing are currently in use. That delima was solved by letting them free range during the day then herding them back into their little pen at night. I was afraid when we turned them out that might be the last I would see of them so only a few out were let out that first day. They all stayed in the vicinity of the tractor which emboldened me to let them all out the next day. So far, they haven't wandered very far afield at all.

The next project is to build them a hoop house which will surrounded by electric poultry netting. This is the basic design:



There will be a few design differences but I really like this overall concept.

[George Collins]

Experience has now taught me that electrified netting is no substitute for electrified poultry netting. And now, my cute little chicken house sits unused, surrounded by electrified netting that the chickens walked through as if it weren't there. Now they are free range. Problem with that is we live in predator central. Worse still, one of them can't fly well enough to make it up to the roost prompting me to go out every night right after dark to put her ungrateful butt up in the magnolia tree they use for a roost. Being off the ground doesn't do a thing though to protect them against coons and possums. Since my wife won't let me get any more farm toys until payday (the 15th), I walked into the house one day and asked, "Who wants to go camping?"

Everyone said they wanted to so I tasked my two eldest boys to sleep outside every night that it doesn't rain until i can get the proper fence so their scent will keep all predators at bay. Some of course will think it cruel of me to have my boys sleep outside in lieu of obtaining suitable fencing materials but then that's just the way I roll. (Between the ages of about 10 and 15, durin that portion of the warmer months that we weren't in school, my brother and I slept outside every night it didn't rain.)

And this morning, as they were coming in from pulling chicken-guard duty, one came running up to me with our very first Dorking egg.

My babies are all growed up.

[pa_friendly_guy]

Congratulations on the egg George. That is wonderful. Your Babys are truly all Grown up now. I am sure it won't be the last.

[matt walker]

Good stuff George, Livestock Guardian Children. Love it! And yeah, chickens don't much care what you call that netting. Mine love to jump through and then stop and stare at me for a minute before they get to scratching up my edible landscaping. At least someone gets to eat it.

[Lollykoko]

George, why do I feel like the other kids in town all wish that they were lucky enough to have the "good dad"?