Recent content by Raymond Dean White

When I built my coop I used treated 4x4's for the foundation and on the bottom layer I stapled 1/2" hardware cloth 16 ga. That, will keep any tunnelers out of the coop and I live in a desert so the hardware cloth will probably outlast me. I also use it for the runs and it works great.

I mix oyster shell in with the Dumor Layer feed. I've heard that 16% protein (like in the Dumor Layer feed) is best for egg production, while 20% is better for meat birds or while they are growing to adulthood. Anyone know if that's right?

I've been feeding it to my hens for three years now and have noticed no bad smells or other problems. The hens are happy and productive.

I think it would be better if you had cross ventilation so a breeze can blow through. It will keep things in your coop drier. I live in hot, dry Arizona and the only times I have to close the coop vents is on those rare occasions the night time temps drop into the low teens. It's a good idea if...

Delawares are great layers, with gentle dispositions. They are my favorite breed.

I've used sand for years but I live in a hot dry climate (AZ). Sand proved much less messy and was much easier to keep clean than either straw or pine shavings--though I use the pine shavings in the nesting boxes. Using sand I didn't have to worry about mold.

I've been mixing calcium (ground oyster shells) in with my Dumor Layer Pellet feed for years with no ill effects whatsoever. And I think the protein content and the added calcium has kept my Delaware hens from ever eating eggs.

I have Delaware hens and they are great. Easy going disposition and excellent layers of large brown eggs. I only have six but I'm getting 5-6 eggs every day, even during the short daylight hours of winter.

I've never used any artificial lighting (or heating) in my coop and yet, for some reason, my 6 Delaware hens are providing 5-6 large brown eggs per day here in the middle of December. That may be because they are young (only 8 months old) and just started laying in October, but I'm not really...

I feed my girls snacks of scratch, black sunflower seeds, mealworms and kitchen scraps also. They like all of it but their absolute favorite things are mealworm/grain balls I hang from an eyebolt. Keeps them entertained for days.

I followed the advice of others on this forum and switched them to a combo of layer feed and starter feed maybe five weeks before they were supposed to start laying. They are laying now but only one or two eggs a day. I'm sure that will improve as they mature more--of course short days and...

Thank you for the information. I'll try the ACV.

The bucket is dark red. But painting it black is a good idea.

I built an automatic waterer out of a food grade plastic bucket hooked up to a garden hose with a swamp cooler float valve controlling the flow. It has worked well for four months now in the extreme heat of our AZ summers (it's still in the 90's here and it's October 7). The water from the...

I built an automatic waterer out of a food grade plastic bucket hooked up to a garden hose with a swamp cooler float valve controlling the flow. It has worked well for four months now in the extreme heat of our AZ summers (it's still in the 90's here and it's October 7). The water from the...