Recent content by grandma7

Our new babies...only wanted one, but can't add one to an existing by itself. 2 Black sex link girls. Will go great with my RIR and Barred Rock girls

This really nice. I was afraid to place mine too close to the house for fear of smell. But I think after my run being flooded twice now in a month, we will be moving it in the spring and the only high place is near the house.

our first snowfall of the season(fall that is) Gave my girls an option to come out and play in the snow. No way was their answer.

my barred rocked started laying over the weekend. I got 6 eggs on Monday. 100% production. 3 RIR, 3 BARRED ROCKS. Tues had 4 eggs Weds and Thurs had 5 eggs. I think my last layer, a barred rock with a crossbeak might have issues. I have let them forage since Mon. She may have trouble...

This is CrissCross...... She laid her first egg on Monday, day shy of 24 weeks. No more eggs since. She does go out and Free range. But I wonder if her intake of nutrients goes down because she can't pick up much. She does eat pretty good from her layer feed mash. About every 3-4 days I mix...

I found kiln dried 1x2 at local home improvement center for .49 and .69 each for lengths from 2ft up to 8ft. Perfect for holding down the plastic. But with your kind of fencing, a plastic tarp over the top, held down by bungy cords and a 2x4 on top to keep air from going under. You might be...

Inside temp was a cozy 50 degrees on a 30 degree day with the sun shining in.

I winterized my run with plastic held down by lathe. The plastic seems to collect water in the rain in a couple of spots. Run has a drop off to opposite end, but the lathe prevents it from running completly off. It does let sunlight in and the girls love sitting on perches in the sunshine. I...

so funny after I posted my last post, my crossbeak. (Named Crisscross by her 3 yr old owner)starting singing, found her in one of the nest. Funny one of the other pullets was singing slong with her on outside perch. She left the nest without laying after 15 mins. Went out 2 hrs later and found...

midwest, we can go for several days at a time with -0 temps, then add extreme windchill and we are in the 20 below for 3-4 days at a time. My coop is insulated, but has 3 8x8 vents for good ventilation. I clean under my roost bars everyday. My big dilemma is water this winter. Noticed water with...

we collected 5 eggs by 9am yesterday. So I'm at 80% production rate. Thinking my crossbeak barred rock may be the last to lay. I haven't seen herin the nest at all. She looks good. Has trouble picking up food. Itmay take her 3-4 times to get it. Noticed her bottom beak has cracked off some...

my Barred rocks are 22 weeks today. All have distinguishable combs and wattles. One or 2 singing egg song and all squat. NO EGGS YET! All 3 RIR are laying now. Barred rocks should be earning their keep soon. Can you tell the difference between the 2 breeds eggs?

rainy day wet day.but it stopped raining before 7PM for all the little trick or treaters. Girls stayed nestled in the winterized dry coop and scratched through everything. We have 3 girls laying for sure. I think my lower level layer is my crossbeak girl. She can be pretty imtimadated by our...

redesign of the catch all under roosting bars. It was a 4" one by. which has worked wonderful up until the egg laying starting. To much scratchins going on inside coop. Mixing pine chips with pdz. Makes for a 20 min clean up instead of 5 (so as not to waste pine chips. Installing 6" one...

2nd egg in the chicken run yesterday around 3pm. This morning 2 eggs in the nest? ok is it possible to lay 2 eggs with 15 hrs?.....don't think so. I think we've got a third girl hiding amongst the flock. Someone too nervous to leave her post in the run. I think I'll put ceramic eggs back into...