***OKIES in the BYC III *** - Page 2952

The coop at the lake house is almost finished. Yay! Next week I'll start on painting and putting the finishing touches on it. This coop project turned out much like other projects I start. My first plan was to have a 4 X 8 coop until I thought that wasn't big enough, so turned it into an 8 X 8. Then I thought I'd better add some storage space to it, so now it has become an 8 X 16 coop/storage area. The man who's building it has given me some good ideas for it and I am thankful for the input. Building the pen around the coop is next. 

Question: I was considering putting some stick-on vinyl floor tiles on the inside of the coop, but the man who's building the coop said that they probably won't last very long in there. Has anyone used them in their coops? What other types of materials would be good to use? I'm afraid that the wood floors will deteriorate in short order without some sort of protective surface on them. They're painted right now, but that's all. The floor is raised with deck blocks and sits about 6 inches off the ground. Ideas welcomed.

This has been a good year for broody hens - as long as I can get past the idea that when they are broody they aren't laying eggs.  Despite several hens playing musical nests and occasionally leaving a nest without a hen, at least 5 hens have hatched out chicks and the Muskovey duck hatched out more than 20 ducklings,    Jaxon found 5 silkie cross chicks yesterday afternoon, wandering around without a mama hen.  I put them into a large bucket with some hay in the bottom and then gathered a hen that hatched out two days ago but hadn't been out of the coop with her chicks into the same bucket.  I am hoping that by putting all the chicks and the hen into a cage at the same time she will accept them as her own and brood them for me.  Since she had not yet clearly seen the colors of her own chicks and these are similar in color, it should work as long as the chicks will get under her when she calls them.  

Yesterday morning I almost tripped over a hen who somehow managed to drag 8 eggs into the garage overnight, and was sitting on the eggs on the bare concrete.  I guess she got tired of her eggs being eaten by the remaining skunks and decided that she needed a safer place to nest.  I tried to move her and she ran away, but came back - so I think I will put a nest pad beneath her to cushion the eggs.  Since she tends to range away from the rest of the flock I am not even sure her eggs will be fertile, so I am giving her additional eggs just in case.  If she is that determined to set, I will assist her.  

Artsyrobyn...will bring a rosebush for you  to POOPS also...maybe someone can get it to you.

This has been a good year for broody hens - as long as I can get past the idea that when they are broody they aren't laying eggs.  Despite several hens playing musical nests and occasionally leaving a nest without a hen, at least 5 hens have hatched out .  If she is that determined to set, I will assist her.  

Artsy Robyn...will pot you a rosebush and send it with someone close to you...who would you suggest.?

Pictures Please!! sounds like the project is going to be great.   I wouldn't use the tiles...the heat makes the glue brittle and they shrink in the heat an pop loose...best to go with a sheet of linolieum ...keeps the water ...both from cleaning and from spills from getting down to the boards.(We built a portable green house years back and tried the tiles...switched to sheet linoleum after the first season.)

I bet she takes them...and love the determined hen...ya gotta just love them broodies! 

Sure wish you and Macy could make it to POOPS!