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I conveniently dismissed mites as a non-Alaska issue. I had a limpish Amaracauna (pure), but I figured it was not a good breed for our very cold weather. I have two lights in our insulated coop and all others are active and well. This bird was near death today so I brought her inside only to...

Thank you very much! This will be interesting...

Hi there, forgive me for being tired but I have to ask while the details are fresh. I have a 7 mo Chantecleur layer who stayed in the nest all day long. She looked like she was laboring tonight (she was sleeping, actually) so I had to check her underside before bed, nothing was unusual there so...

Ditto, we don't wash clean eggs and I am forced to wash the occasional dirty egg before selling but I agree that it compromises the quality...

Hello from the middle of Alaska, I use a red-bulbed heat lamp and an additional light to ensure laying. My coop is 8x10 and I have more birds than I need so that they generate more heat. It can get to -50 in February but this method works in my insulated coop. I also have a window for them but...

Gosh, this is one of the hardest things to see/hear about. I hope you have all the support you need and that she's healed or the other thing quickly. What a difficult thing! I'm so sorry!

Everything everyone else said! My husband tolerates them after the shell-shock of initial costs to start a coop (in Alaska, it was over $1,000 for new plywood, etc) and was more tenderhearted after I lost several chicks to multiple dog attacks. Each time he's re-fortified our chick coop with...

Hi, I live in Interior Alaska where we get -50 during a bad winter. I do insulate my 8x10 coop and in addition to deep litter, I provide a red-bulb heat lamp and a regular shop light for lighting to ensure egg production (they need 14 hours of light). Everything I learned was from this site and...

I've read this entire thread in one sitting and I am so impressed with your dedication! I love my chickens but have no wisdom in any care beyond the usual. I admire your dedication and your wife's tolerance for such a hobby, I look forward to many more posts (please!). You can't overdo pictures...

LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE this post and all replies!! This made me LAUGH OUT LOUD for sure!! Thank you!!

No more australorps for me either, they're obnoxious. I have two that are too too loud, I understand what you're going through and hope you resolve it soon!

backyarder too, chickens and dogs are my only animals...

So this all sounds familiar to me. I have a blended flock. Last year I had a severe dog attack and lost almost all of my layers; a neighbor gave me some of her birds and one was ill. The roo was shaky and weak and it took him a long time to expire. He did and now I've had one hen die each month...

Mine are ridiculous too, they have access to all the crumble they need plus any food scraps I have. I can feed them 10x a day and it seems they've been starved. I refuse to pay them any attention, they eat like kings.

I thought it was a joke and someone was out to make a funny...wait, anyone naming a breed "doodle do" IS making a funny!

Can you use a solid color instead? All those colors take away from the amazing applique work. The emphasis should be those intricate details over the sashing, I'd think. Wonderful job either way.

Yep, short roosts in my pen too, just waist high due to a lack of covering and they could fly out if they had a hankering to do so. They will go back into the coop to roost when nap time rolls around, usually late morning...

Several women and I (with a crazed, determined look in our eye) hit the bonanza last summer and each walked away with at least five totes of fabric from one garage sale. Apparently she was a former store owner 'cause I bought as much as five-yard increments. This post helps me stay inspired to...

I just discovered a few doing the same in my flock and one's a goner, the other likely to go as well. They keep tossing the straw out of the nest boxes so I'm going to return to shavings so that it's harder to remove. I hope that if it's softer in there, they can't break them as easily. I don't...

8x10 new insulated coop with laminate flooring was $1000 for us, not including the electrified fence added later.