Posted: 7/14/2009 2:46:59 PM EDT
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Here are some pictures of my Golden Comet pullets. I got them from a farmer near by Sunday night. $8.00 per pullet. They will start laying in about a month. I built this tractor for them. It is not the best but it works. I built the tractor based off Coconut1's pictures he posted of his tractor in this thread. HERE It is not finished. I need to paint some more and work on a sliding door. I also want to put trim around the wholes I had to saw zaw real quick to get some venilation for the birds. I plan to keep them in the tractor for 8 weeks then I will let them free range my property. I bought those nest boxes at Target for $10.00 each. Here is the link if anyone is looking for a nest box. http://www.target.com/Durabilt-Multi-Use-Storage-Bin-S/dp/B002C2Y46U/sr=1-2/qid=1246973145/ref=sr_1_2/186-1096281-7180503?ie=UTF8&search-alias=tgt-index&frombrowse=0&index=target&field-browse=3151061&rh=k%3Astorage%20bins%2Cp%5F36%3A%240-%2424%2Ctgt%5F3%3AHomz&page=1
Also here is a video I took shortly after taking the pics: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGuvCrBbwPA Here is a little info about the Golden Comet for people who don't know: The Hubbard Golden Comet has been widely acclaimed in all areas of the world where brown eggs are preferred. The reason is simple. The Golden Comet pullet is easily one of the finest brown egg layers available today. They mature early and lay eggs of excellent size and quality. She is an extremely quiet bird, that seems to be able to withstand the colder, non-insulated, laying houses of the small flockowner, better than most breeds. The Golden Comet is a buff sex-link strain. The chicks may be sexed by color, pullets red-roosters white. When mature, the Golden Comet pullet is golden red in color, but has some white showing through in her neck and back. 
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Congrats, set up looks good. I have a couple comets too. They are good layers and the eggs are large and dark brown. White eggs actually look a little strange now.
Make sure you keep the varmits out. There has been a lot of dead chicken threads lately. The pic was not real clear but I want to make sure you are feeding them starter grower feed or layer feed and not just cracked corn. You can give them corn in the winter for a treat but they need balanced nutrition to make lotsa eggs. 
I think mine started to lay at about 16 weeks. It was sooner than I expected. I did'nt even have a nest box in there for them. They laid eggs on the floor back in the corner for a few days before I found them. Have fun. |
| The farmer I got them from mixed cracked corn with his starter. That is cracked corn mixed in. He gave me about 10pds of starter that was mixed with corn. I was going to use that 10pds and start them on layer since I had already bought it. Or should I buy a bag of the grower? I am going to move the tractor tomorrow to a concrete slab so that nothing can get under it. I also need to add more fencing to keep out preditors. |
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The farmer I got them from mixed cracked corn with his starter. That is cracked corn mixed in. He gave me about 10pds of starter that was mixed with corn. I was going to use that 10pds and start them on layer since I had already bought it. Or should I buy a bag of the grower? I am going to move the tractor tomorrow to a concrete slab so that nothing can get under it. I also need to add more fencing to keep out preditors. Those are great looking birds! Nice setup too.
Don't put them on layer ration until they start laying. The calcium-fortified layer ration isn't good for their kidneys until they actually need the calcium for egg shell production. |
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The sex-linked color is interesting. Nice birds. I don't know what to suggest, but it looks to me like critters could tunnel under your walls too easily. Thats a movable pen called a chicken tractor to give the birds clean ground , fresh browse and free lawn fertiizer. While they arent the most secure tractors are by far the least painful way for somone to raise back yard chickens and not make them a full time job. The girls look great and the tractor is real nice! keep up the good work and your girls will be popping out about an egg a day each in no time! btw dont forget t give them treats! chickens like meal worms , crickets , lettuce , rasins , yogart and pretty muchc everything else edible going... I swear they are pigs with feathers. |
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Love the chickens :)
We just got into them and now we cant stop..lol We have 3 Buff Orpingtons ( 2 hens and a roo) 2 white ones..( no clue but laying eggs ) 11 Guinea keets ( taste like pheasants, or so I heard) 2 mixed small black and white ones.( dunno either what they are yet) 1 Royal Palm turkey poult we get around 3 eggs a day. The guineas are what started it all. Here are some pics of coop and run.. and the babys The simple Coop we build to house the chickens before they started freeranging 
Buff Orpington Rooster 
Guinea Keets lounging in the sun..Jive Turkey approves 
White Something Hen 
Royal Palm Turkey.. named Jive.. Jive Turkey 
Turkey with the guinea keets outside. He comes in at night still under the lamp.. they get chilled really when that young 
Tulip |
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The wife and I always wanted chickens but I don't think we have enough space. We have 1/2 acre. The other issue is our batshit crazy Boston Terrier. I think the nut would get his eyes pecked out. You have plenty of space for a few hens. Hens are quiet and will make eggs without a rooster. Can't speak to the dog issue though. 
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The wife and I always wanted chickens but I don't think we have enough space. We have 1/2 acre. The other issue is our batshit crazy Boston Terrier. I think the nut would get his eyes pecked out. You have plenty of space for a few hens. Hens are quiet and will make eggs without a rooster. Can't speak to the dog issue though. Yeah, the dog is a bigger concern than the space |
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We have a pitbull and she doesnt bother ours at all. And we have 6 free ranging all day with her beeing out there also.
What we done is took her on a leash.. set her down in bewteen the hens and everytime she looked at them , we told her NO with sharp snap at her collar..Not much of a tug or choke.. just a short sharp snap. After about an hour she wouldnt even look at them. Do that for like 2 days and see how that works . |
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Yeah, you have to train the dogs to leave the birds alone. Ours are not allowed to chase or kill any small animals. But we start with them very young. It can be hard to train a working breed to leave stuff alone if he's been allowed to form bad habits. Worth a try though. Some dogs learn pretty easily. Others take a training collar set on high. Once or twice with that, and the problem is usually solved. chickens are worth it, but I won't let mine free range because I value my landscaping and flower gardens too much. kitties |
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Here is the completed tractor. I finally finished painting and put trim around the windows. I decided to run an electric fence around the tractor. Here are the pictures. <snip> Looks good.
One suggestion? Get some of these and you'll be able to mount your fence right to the tractor. That'll let you move your fence with the tractor––you won't have to break it down every time you want to give your hens some fresh grass. |
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Here is the completed tractor. I finally finished painting and put trim around the windows. I decided to run an electric fence around the tractor. Here are the pictures. <snip> Looks good.
One suggestion? Get some of these and you'll be able to mount your fence right to the tractor. That'll let you move your fence with the tractor––you won't have to break it down every time you want to give your hens some fresh grass. I was looking at getting those but decided not to b/c my chickens stick their heads through the fence to get at grass and bugs. I don't want them to get shocked. |
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But can you actually move that thing around the yard? All the chicken tractors I've seen have been on some sort of wheels or "sleds" or something––so they can be pulled around without any damage to the structure. That's what I'm trying to figure out. My chickens are confined to a pen––-okay it's a CHICKEN PALACE––but still....they run out of forage because they destroy it. I'd love to build a tractor, but haven't seen plans I like. Yours has a little house built in, which I LOVE. Can you really move it? A lot? Like every couple of days? Without destroying it? kitties ETA: If you wrap the chicken wire (the hexagonal stuff) around the bottom of your pen, the chickens can't stick their heads through, and you can use the fancy little electric fence gizmos. The only hens I've ever lost have been because predators grabbed their heads while the heads were stuck through the fence. YMMV. Oh, and I should say, if a man paints his chicken ladder fancy colors, it proves he LOVES his chickens. 
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But can you actually move that thing around the yard? All the chicken tractors I've seen have been on some sort of wheels or "sleds" or something––so they can be pulled around without any damage to the structure. That's what I'm trying to figure out. My chickens are confined to a pen––-okay it's a CHICKEN PALACE––but still....they run out of forage because they destroy it. I'd love to build a tractor, but haven't seen plans I like. Yours has a little house built in, which I LOVE. Can you really move it? A lot? Like every couple of days? Without destroying it? kitties ETA: If you wrap the chicken wire (the hexagonal stuff) around the bottom of your pen, the chickens can't stick their heads through, and you can use the fancy little electric fence gizmos. The only hens I've ever lost have been because predators grabbed their heads while the heads were stuck through the fence. YMMV. Oh, and I should say, if a man paints his chicken ladder fancy colors, it proves he LOVES his chickens. My gf and I moved it there from my driveway where I built it. I will def mounts some lawn mower wheels on it the next time it needs to be moved. I had planned to do that just havent yet. I plan to move it around every couple months. To keep the grass decent. When I get ready to let the birds free range I wont have to move it as much. |
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But can you actually move that thing around the yard? All the chicken tractors I've seen have been on some sort of wheels or "sleds" or something––so they can be pulled around without any damage to the structure. That's what I'm trying to figure out. My chickens are confined to a pen––-okay it's a CHICKEN PALACE––but still....they run out of forage because they destroy it. I'd love to build a tractor, but haven't seen plans I like. Yours has a little house built in, which I LOVE. Can you really move it? A lot? Like every couple of days? Without destroying it? kitties ETA: If you wrap the chicken wire (the hexagonal stuff) around the bottom of your pen, the chickens can't stick their heads through, and you can use the fancy little electric fence gizmos. The only hens I've ever lost have been because predators grabbed their heads while the heads were stuck through the fence. YMMV. Oh, and I should say, if a man paints his chicken ladder fancy colors, it proves he LOVES his chickens. My gf and I moved it there from my driveway where I built it. I will def mounts some lawn mower wheels on it the next time it needs to be moved. I had planned to do that just havent yet. I plan to move it around every couple months. To keep the grass decent. When I get ready to let the birds free range I wont have to move it as much. I move them every day. They crave fresh grass. |