Recent content by FlewTheCoop

Thank you. Runner boards sounds like just the ticket.

Hey, the worms is a great idea! We are planning on trying to raise our own crickets... any thoughts on that? haha. Yes, the sand will undoubtedly help. There's really only a small, maybe three by three flat area that isn't mostly protected by the coop itself. I think that is the main problem...

Thanks again. It's just really hard with clay. Drainage is fine but the clay soaks up the water and holds it, staying damp for a long time. I think the sand and lime idea may work best at this point.

Thanks. I'll pass the info along to my "partner in crime."

Thanks. Our run is actually on a pretty reasonable slope downhill, with a large drainage ditch to the left. I think in our case, the clay soil is retaining water. It's not muddy. We still have grass in our run (although it's expiring). So it's more like a sponge than actual mud. I don't think...

Hi! We have our small flock (four hens, one roo) in Mississippi. They have a medium-sized run area outside their pen. Lately there's been a lot of rain, and our soil is clay, so it's starting to really reek of ammonia. I've read on here that pelletized lime can help IN the coop, but the coop...

Meet the family! Newbie here, and these were my first chicks! The rooster's name is Argent. The hens are Molly, Fat Mama, Annie Lee, and Seamus (the RSL we thought was male until we realized he was a she). They are all about six 1/2 months now...

Thank you! This is what I suspected, but I didn't want to make a mistake and end up with a dead hen.

We have one Wyandotte rooster, who is just over six months old. He is cooped with three Wyandotte hens and a Red Sex Link hen. He just started crowing about a month ago. Recently he has seemed "jumpy" and just attacked one of the Wyandotte hens...latched onto her neck. He has never had a problem...

Thanks everyone. My five little chickies seem to love it.

Yep, as long as you pick the eggs every day, you won't really be able to tell fertilized from unfertilized, and they are edible. As far as I know, you don't need to separate roos from hens unless you are trying to control breeding for some reason. If you want babies, wait until you have a...

Sorry...haha. Also, I plan on growing some climbing plants, maybe passion flower, along some of the pen to "beautify" it. The stuff in the little planters is a mixed grass made especially for poultry. We're gonna put that inside after it's established a bit more, because they will decimate it...

I'll have to get more close-up shots. We didn't have any plans, so it's kind of hard to outline how it really came together haha. But yes, we did use pallets. Four, actually, and removed the cross-boards on the insides to make more space. You can see that we made a foundation out of 4x4s to give...

Just wanted to share these pics. If anyone wants more detailed info, just ask. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v634/MadFae/100_3688.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v634/MadFae/100_3689.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v634/MadFae/100_3690.jpg...

Haha. Thanks! Well, as for predators, I think it'd have to be a pretty persistent booger to get into this pen. It's built like an aviary at the zoo. haha. I'm lucky I can get in there. Their outdoor roost is very near their coop anyway, and the whole establishment is very near our back door. So...