Recent content by Dutch552

All PM's replied to. Open to offers. Still for sale.

I am having to sell the farm and my flock after three years of breeding barred plymouth rocks and speckled sussex. I just posted a like new incubator on the swap board and over the course of the next few weeks will be liquidating my flock of birds and poultry supplies. Keep an eye out because I...

For sale is a virtually brand new Brinsea Octagon 20 Eco with autoturn cradle purchased new direct from Brinsea August 2012. I set 6 mille fluer eggs on August 30th with a 100% hatch rate. I am now going through a divorce and am having to sell the farm and my flock. Unit has been cleaned and...

Also consider what you are going to do in order to manage water runoff that comes off the roof. Gutters are cheap and will keep an otherwise wet and disease-prone area in and around the coop/run dry for you and the chickens.

Nope. The pebbles in the gizzard take care of the husks.

I usually grow them out and slaughter at 18-20 weeks or so for the freezer so long as I have an open pen for them. Otherwise they go online for sale.

Lessons learned: Be sure your door locking mechanisms cannot lock you in the coop without a way out. Some of these self-closing latches are convenient but could make for a very long night in the coop before someone finds you in the morning. I initially went with internal nesting boxes but...

If you're using a sheet of vinyl flooring then the vinyl itself will serve as a vapor barrier as it is a waterproof material and will eliminate any drafts coming up through the floor boards.

My hens prefer pine shavings over straw.

Heavy duty staples around the edges. I use deep liter and it didn't make sense to waste and entire tube of construction adhesive on something that isn't realy seeing that much traffic. It's there more as a liner to prevent any liquids from getting through the shavings and into the treated CDX...

Brinsea was great to me as far as customer service goes. I had it orderd and in my home in less than a week. They do require a signature on delivery if ordered from the manufacturer so keep that in mind when you are tracking your package,

All I use are 2x4's with the flat side up to protect their feet during the winter time.

I use a minnow seine that I usually catch bait in the creek with and my wfe and I will take it out into one of the fields and just start walking wish it right above the top of the grasses. We end up with a ton of grasshoppers in the netting after a short walk. They make excellent bait also. I...

What kind of advice are you looking for regarding the birds?

I use simple barrel bolt latches and secure them with tractor linch pins that can be purchased at any farm store-they take strength and dexterity to open. Haven't lost a bird to an open coop yet.