Minnesota!

[KlopKlop]

We sure got a load of snow. Nothing a little 4x4 didn't solve this morning. Should be gone by Sunday too.

I have my fingers crossed my garlic survives this!!

 

[Wild Child]

Finally got my eggs for setting washed up, 200 are in. I had lots more to wash to eat or sell for eating. I dewormed some this week, so those were tossed and will continue to be for a few more days. One tray with 45 Easter Eggers, so if anyone is looking for some in 3 weeks, you know where to look. I won't keep many of them, and I might not keep any of them this time. It sure is fun to see the different colors and shapes that come out of that pen though. I have some pure Black Ameraucana roosters over Black Amer. hens, 2 BLRW hens, 1 Black EE with muffs and feather stubbed legs (lays a dark olive egg), 1 Dark Blue cuckoo feather footed, muffed, bearded and dewlap hen, 1 Minorca who hasn't laid an egg yet this year, 2 light buff and blue EE hens, and a reddish hen with green legs who lays light brown, oh, and 1 Blue Cuckoo Marans hen. There is a lot of black that comes out of these because the roosters are black, but some have been kinda cool.

I finally got some Welsummers in too, and even a couple of Wellie eggs developing and getting ready to hatch around the 31st. I have really been spreading the hatches out this year, not every week like other years.

I know we are going to wake up to a Winter Wonderland. I hope everyone is safe and warm. I think Klop and I got the worst of it out of our group though.

We've got a foot and a half of snow where I am. I'm not sure if chickens get mad but my silkie roo is currently standing in the middle of the yard, snow up to his chest, and growling like an angry cat

Darn if my camera wasn't broken right now this would be great "weird video to show to family" material!

 

[MinnesotaNice]

We didn't get a lick of snow my way. I hope that was the last wave of it.

@Wild Child , are you getting chicks this Spring?

 

[Minniechickmama]

It is hard to tell how much snow we got. It was blowing so hard and there are drifts here and there. I will have to blow out a drift to get my truck over to unload the rest of the feed.

Scandia, I have 125 adult birds, both Bantam and Large Fowl. I have a large barn that is 12'X36' is divided into 9 pens 4X12 with attached runs that are 4x10. Then I have a 12x10 hoop that houses my bachelors this year. Then a duck hutch with a breeding group of bantams that doubles as a grow out for some birds when it warms up and I start turning out to pasture. Another coop that is used for various groupings throughout the year that is 4x5 and currently holds my breeding Blue Silkies. A 4x4 raised coop with attached run, currently holding 4 Cornish hens. I have the pasture split into 7 sections and coops or tractors in each to use for either growing/finishing paddocks or to keep breeds split up. I have and outer paddock for turkeys, a pasture that has been used for ducks or growing out or separating cull roosters. Another duck hutch currently housing 3 back up bantam roosters. A little hutch that was originally for a pair of Call ducks, but now houses a pair of bantams. Then I have a 10x12 brooder house that is well insulated and has electric run to it. The big house has electric run to it is well and lights are on hardwire timer.
All that being said, I have a variety of little coops that I will be conforming to one type that I feel fits my set up the best.
Right now I have about 250 chicks in the brooder house that are about a month and less old. I have some brooder pens but I also use large totes as brooders because they are easiest to clean out between batches. I am trying to convert some things around to be more efficient for doing chores and cleaning and storage. That is why I told someone on here, I know plenty of things NOT to do when building coops. I have tried several things and know what works and what doesn't, and that is why some of my smaller coops will be dismantled to make all one or two types that work well for me.
And if I had to do it all over again, I would build a cement/cinder block building for the breeder house and not mess with wood that rodents freely chew through not matter how well I think I have sealed them out. I am happy to have to good mouser cats living amongst my flock.

 

[Minniechickmama]

We sure got a load of snow. Nothing a little 4x4 didn't solve this morning. Should be gone by Sunday too.

I have my fingers crossed my garlic survives this!!

Your garlic will be fine. The good thing is that we got snow and not just cold wind. The other good thing, garlic is a super hardy plant, even if the tips get bit, they will still develop just fine because it is more the bottom of the plant that is growing and as long as that isn't damaged, you will be fine. Remember, those cloves withstood the freezing ground and below zero temps for weeks over winter.

 

[Minniechickmama]

We've got a foot and a half of snow where I am. I'm not sure if chickens get mad but my silkie roo is currently standing in the middle of the yard, snow up to his chest, and growling like an angry cat

Darn if my camera wasn't broken right now this would be great "weird video to show to family" material!

Wow, I thought you had just caught the edge of it!

 

[KlopKlop]

It is hard to tell how much snow we got.  It was blowing so hard and there are drifts here and there.  I will have to blow out a drift to get my truck over to unload the rest of the feed.


Scandia, I have 125 adult birds, both Bantam and Large Fowl.  I have a large barn that is 12'X36' is divided into 9 pens 4X12 with attached runs that are 4x10.  Then I have a 12x10 hoop that houses my bachelors this year.  Then a duck hutch with a breeding group of bantams that doubles as a grow out for some birds when it warms up and I start turning out to pasture. Another coop that is used for various groupings throughout the year that is 4x5 and currently holds my breeding Blue Silkies.  A 4x4 raised coop with attached run, currently holding 4 Cornish hens.  I have the pasture split into 7 sections and coops or tractors in each to use for either growing/finishing paddocks or to keep breeds split up.  I have and outer paddock for turkeys, a pasture that has been used for ducks or growing out or separating cull roosters.  Another duck hutch currently housing 3 back up bantam roosters.  A little hutch that was originally for a pair of Call ducks, but now houses a pair of bantams.  Then I have a 10x12 brooder house that is well insulated and has electric run to it.  The big house has electric run to it is well and lights are on hardwire timer.

All that being said, I have a variety of little coops that I will be conforming to one type that I feel fits my set up the best.

Right now I have about 250 chicks in the brooder house that are about a month and less old.  I have some brooder pens but I also use large totes as brooders because they are easiest to clean out between batches.  I am trying to convert some things around to be more efficient for doing chores and cleaning and storage.  That is why I told someone on here, I know plenty of things NOT to do when building coops.  I have tried several things and know what works and what doesn't, and that is why some of my smaller coops will be dismantled to make all one or two types that work well for me.

And if I had to do it all over again, I would build a cement/cinder block building for the breeder house and not mess with wood that rodents freely chew through not matter how well I think I have sealed them out.  I am happy to have to good mouser cats living amongst my flock.

Our airport reported only 9" here but I have knee high drifts all over and boot deep snow everywhere else. I decided we would forego plowing and see what happens. Yay for 4x4 as we made it just fine.

 

[MinnesotaNice]

It is hard to tell how much snow we got. It was blowing so hard and there are drifts here and there. I will have to blow out a drift to get my truck over to unload the rest of the feed.

Scandia, I have 125 adult birds, both Bantam and Large Fowl. I have a large barn that is 12'X36' is divided into 9 pens 4X12 with attached runs that are 4x10. Then I have a 12x10 hoop that houses my bachelors this year. Then a duck hutch with a breeding group of bantams that doubles as a grow out for some birds when it warms up and I start turning out to pasture. Another coop that is used for various groupings throughout the year that is 4x5 and currently holds my breeding Blue Silkies. A 4x4 raised coop with attached run, currently holding 4 Cornish hens. I have the pasture split into 7 sections and coops or tractors in each to use for either growing/finishing paddocks or to keep breeds split up. I have and outer paddock for turkeys, a pasture that has been used for ducks or growing out or separating cull roosters. Another duck hutch currently housing 3 back up bantam roosters. A little hutch that was originally for a pair of Call ducks, but now houses a pair of bantams. Then I have a 10x12 brooder house that is well insulated and has electric run to it. The big house has electric run to it is well and lights are on hardwire timer.
All that being said, I have a variety of little coops that I will be conforming to one type that I feel fits my set up the best.
Right now I have about 250 chicks in the brooder house that are about a month and less old. I have some brooder pens but I also use large totes as brooders because they are easiest to clean out between batches. I am trying to convert some things around to be more efficient for doing chores and cleaning and storage. That is why I told someone on here, I know plenty of things NOT to do when building coops. I have tried several things and know what works and what doesn't, and that is why some of my smaller coops will be dismantled to make all one or two types that work well for me.
And if I had to do it all over again, I would build a cement/cinder block building for the breeder house and not mess with wood that rodents freely chew through not matter how well I think I have sealed them out. I am happy to have to good mouser cats living amongst my flock.

That sounds incredible. Do you find that you change things around quite a bit from year to year?

I feel pretty fortunate to have dodged the snow this time. I don't know if the chickens can handle anymore snow days in the coop/run.

 

[Minniechickmama]

That sounds incredible. Do you find that you change things around quite a bit from year to year?

I feel pretty fortunate to have dodged the snow this time. I don't know if the chickens can handle anymore snow days in the coop/run.

I move birds around almost constantly as young ones grow or I split out different birds for breeding or for conditioning for show. I am hoping to get all my outer coops to be one style that is easier to clean and maintain, and possibly useable year around if needed.
I have gone from 23 breeds of which I had over 30 varieties in the beginning of this venture to 5 large breeds and 2 bantam breed (3 if you count the crossbreed project I am playing with). I am getting rid of the Blue Cochins this Spring and may get rid of the Welsummers due to a couple of traits that make them unusable for show purposes. However, their egg color is fantastic this year!!! So, maybe I will keep them for purely utility purposes, I don't know yet.

My chicken operation is constantly evolving, so yes, things change

 

[Minniechickmama]

Since I am battling to eliminate mites from my flock right now, I thought it would be helpful to share this article I just saw come up on my feed:
http://countrysidenetwork.com/daily...+Countryside+Daily&utm_campaign=DAILY_3.24.16

I think everyone eventually runs into these problems if you keep birds long enough, and especially if you have Sparrows that get in and around your flock, which I sadly do with the way my pens are set up. I need to trap them and get them out of here, but more will come back around, so there is no getting rid of the wild birds unless I am willing to fully confine my birds, which I will never do.