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Mine do too. One Light Sussex is the 'cockerel' of my hens, bigger and bolder than the others and always the first to spot a predator, warning the others, once to her dear cost. She battled with a fox one day and lost so many feathers across the yard that I was sure I'd find her dead, but nope...

Cool setup, that's definitely an option for us then. Re the old hens. Yup, they still lay each week (in the summer), but I do worry about them living much longer. I hope the hard winters will stop them making it past 6 or 7.... Trouble is I'd get lynched by other family members if I suggested...

Hiya and happy new year to all. Now I've always been a bit of a 'let 'em rest in the winter' kind of guy, but since our chooks stopped laying in October this year (and then moulted) and probably will not start again until March/April, I'm thinking that's a rather long holiday! After they...

Good idea about the brooder. I was always conscious that our 150w bulb was going to be on 24/7 for a month or so! Would be easy to pop the probe down where the chicks are to monitor the temp. I wonder if it will have any adverse affect on bulb life (assuming it'll switch on and off from time...

Hi guys, Has anyone else tried using a cheap STC-1000 thermostatic controller to switch on (and off) the cookie tin heater? I just made this setup to give it a try. I set the temp initially to 2 degrees C but the top skinned over, so I bumped it up to 5 degrees C and last night it was minus 8...

Yes, I think roof insulation is good a good idea too, otherwise there might be dripping condensation. I guess the floor will be reasonably insulated with full boarding and the deep litter. I think I'm not going to insulate the walls of this one, but I will wrap the framework with some old...

I mean I've read just about everything here about winterizing and am familiar with the concepts and indeed of keeping chickens (18 years this year) BUT... After moving to my first properly cold climate I'm finding that...... My well insulated coop has the same temps inside as outside. My...

Hiya all, After more than a year in the coop below, we introduced three new Norwegian Jærhøns after losing a couple to a fox one afternoon. It proved to be a stressful experience for everyone, even after following all the advice we could find about introducing new birds. It also made us...

You'll never have a problem with shutting chickens out. Their very poor eyesight in the dark means they'll always head for home well before dark. Mine start to head back to the coop at the very first sign of twilight. Sure they then mill about outside pecking at the grass until twilight proper...

Sadly could only manage a fluff, not a flap . Maybe there'll be a 'jumping out of it's skin' chicken competition one day, then she'll clean up lol!

I built an insulated coop (2x2 filled with glassfiber, 3/4 boards on the out and 1/2 ply in the inside) and to be honest I wonder why. I have a weather station inside and out. Temps inside the coop are the same as outside and the humidity too. There is currently a foot of snow on the coop and...

I know, I read somewhere that between about 1875 and 1920 about 1 million Norwegians emigrated to the States. An incredible number when you think that there are only 5 million Norwegians now and I imagine there would have been considerably less back in those days. Can you imagine say, a...

I love ours, they lay exactly the same sized egg as our Light Sussex and she is twice as big! I recon that makes them quite 'efficient' lol! They are small and dainty looking, each one different which is great for the kids/names etc. They are quite inquisitive and can fly quite well too...

Ours are just the same here in Norway where it can go 25 deg. C below. They are out of the pop hole as soon as it opens and prefer hanging out in the garden close to the house wall (admittedly looking pretty fed up) rather than staying in the run. This years 'noobs' went bananas the first time...

Don't misunderstand me, I love the way that chickens can be both incredibly smart one minute and yet as dumb as a dishcloth the next, but when I moved the chooks water into it's trial winter location (over a small heater) I was amazed that the previous 7 months of knowledge disappeared in an...

In that case there may be flaws with your argument, since offering an identical perch would give them no reason to swap :-) Whilst I do agree that creatures are habitual, I feel that a chicken that was uncomfortable would move to a more comfortable place, if such an alternative existed. I am...

Hey guys, I thought I would post about what happened to settle an 'argument' between me and my father recently. I built a new coop in the spring and after researching on here, fitted 4" flat roosts with rounded off corners which the chooks took to straight away. However, my father paid us a...

Ours always laid in the morning, regular as clockwork..........that is until one day they didn't. No eggs. Same the next day and the day after that. Hmm strange methinks. The next day I hear one of the chooks singing her egg song and I thought oh oh, that's odd. Looked in the nest box, but it...

Just an update. Looks like you guys were right, not that I doubted you! They are 'squaring up' to each other all the time now so it's time to find an alternative home for them. It's a shame as I know that realistically they'll end up in someones pot, such is the life of an 'illegal' roo I...

Good point about the pop hole. It will be open all day as well. Re: extra air in the summer time, what I could do is make up a panel/frame covered with chicken mesh and then prop open the big door on the side (made for 100% access/cleaning etc), then the mesh frame could sit in the opening...