Recent content by Ankhdad

I live in NW Ontario where are winters are very cold (-30 C). My coop is 10'x15'. I keep the upper 4 vents open about 3-4 inches all winter and that seems to keep the moisture under control. I also use the Stall dry under their roost which makes for easy clean up. I also keep the mixture...

This is a great piece! I have been using this method for several years now and LOVE it. I have played with the mix from time to time. Currently using a hay, pine shavings, and..Stall Dry! Keep it mixed every few days just by walking in it. Gets changed every 4/5 months and the best part, no...

This is my first year with chickens and so far, after reading everything on here til my eyes hurt, everything is going well. My coop is 15x10, with 5ft section for tools and feed, so 10x10. The run is 15x 20. Deep litter method is working great, will be cleaned out come April(6 months worth)...

lol...drives my wife nuts that I wear my crocs into the coop. I'm using the deep litter method whick really helps keep the moisture down. I will go in, collect my eggs and have a visit with the girls. The run on the other hand, is a mine field so boots are a must.

I've been using a product called Stall Dry. It's used on the bottom of horse stalls to help keep the moisture from urine etc down. Looks very much like kitty litter. Been working like a charm. Keeps droppings clumped and keeps the smell in check. I believe it's called Sweet PDZ in the states.

I asked the same thing when I was starting out. The debate is still going on..:-). I live in NW Ontario where temps can go from one extreme to the next. -30 C in winter to +35 come summer. The winds seem to come from all directions, which is nice in the summer, but can add windchill dropping the...

Aside from a couple tossing the straw all over...sigh...things are going well. I did add a few golf balls and that seems to be doing the trick. We are up to 4 now, 3 from the baskets.

The baskets are actually bolted to the shelf,and the shelf is attached to the wall behind, so it's not going anywhere. That lower right one has been replaced and I added a perch to the top shelf. I checked in this morning and there were 3 girls sitting there...no eggs though. (Ruby layed another...

Adventures continue at The Other Side spa... So I started finding a small egg here and there in the coop a couple weeks ago, well now it's a couple. Most of the the girls are squatting now when I touch them, but I believe there are only a couple 'rent payers' right now. Ruby and Magenta (my...

I'm using a product called Stall Dry. It is very much the same stuff as the PDZ. It looks a lot like regular cat litter and is working much the same way. Making for easy clean up and almost no oder. I'm keeping my roost area at about 4 to 5 inches.

I read a few posts about people using straw on the snow to help the chicken's feet stay out of the snow. I'm doing this and it is working great. I also just open the door in the morning and if they want to they can go. Most days they are out even with the temp sitting at -20C the other day.

Thanks all. Chickens are loving it from what I can tell...just had our first egg tonight.

So I went to put the girls to bed and make sure the water wasn't frozen (and the girls) since it sat around -25 C today...and loooky here what I found! The egg is frozen with a small hairline crack but the shell itself seems formed OK. Now here's the odd thing..the girls are about 13 weeks old...

When we moved out of town to the country, my wife said we should get something for out new country lifestyle. Great idea I thought, ATV, snow machine maybe....nope, "We should get chickens"! Ummm, OK, neat idea, but we are going to need a coop! A friend suggested a great site for chicken...

I have a similar set up. Water in the bucket is good, but the nipples are still getting a little ice on them which is stopping them from working. btw...sounds like you guys are about to get a few more feet of snow....