Recent content by Crobinson08

Molt question: I know the molt can cause a decrease in egg production but can it cause soft/no shell eggs? Our 2 one year old hens are going through the molt (not a hard molt) and eggs have decreased but I've found a big wet spot in the nesting box a couple times this week and was pretty sure...

She fought for about a month. She would have bad days and good days. I kept her inside for a week, and she seemed to be feeling better so we put her back with her sisters but after another week she wouldn't leave the coop. I brought her back inside where she stayed until june 23rd. She got to...

When we bought our house, the roof was just chicken wire, we have since expanded the run and topped it with hardware cloth. Before this past winter I built the trusses for a solid roof but decided to go with a heavy duty tarp temporarily and it has worked out great for the past 9 months...

She is low in the pecking order, but I have not witnessed her being bullied at all. It's just her and her two sisters in their pen. I saw her at the feeder and waterer this morning. She does tend to stay off by herself. Even when I let them out in the backyard, she typically stays on the patio...

One of our girls is not feeling well 😔 the last few days, we've noticed she stands in one spot under the coop and sleeps most of the day. She gets up and comes to the door when I go out but as soon as I'm back inside she goes back to her spot. I have moved her inside to monitor her eating and...

I know this is a long shot but thought I would ask here. Is there any kind of window mesh or fabric that allows airflow but blocks blowing rain? I'm about finished with my coop build and we've had alot of storms recently. Our normal hard rain isn't getting into the coop but we had a bad storm...

Our chicks are 6 wks old and have been on the mini flake pine bedding. Tonight I switched them to the large flake bedding (all they had at the feed store) and they went crazy eating it 😳 am I freaking out for nothing? My chick anxiety is the worst 😂 we did the same thing (mini flake and then...

Get some press & seal to put on the top of the heat plate. Its a game changer!

Good info. Thank you! Here is the coop I designed in sketchup. Its 4x8 and has lg windows on all walls so in the summer it will be almost fully open and have plenty of ventilation. In the winter all the windows will be closed but there are vents at the top of the side walls that will remain open...

I'm changing my mind about the roof on the coop I'm building (this is the 1,836,163th time I've changed this design). Now I'm thinking about doing either metal or polycarbonate roofing instead of shingles. I don't think I'm going to use plywood underneath, just hardware cloth. Will probably add...

Wondering if anyone has used pallet boards as the roof on a coop and then shingled those?🤔 trying to figure out a cheaper route than having to buy two more sheets of plywood as lumber is ridiculous right now.

Does anyone have windows or some kind of openings in their exterior nesting boxes? I live in TX where the summers are miserable. I'm designing and building a 4x8 coop with lots of windows for airflow but I'm worried about them sitting in the boxes to lay and getting hot. Wondering if anyone else...

Thank you! That's what I was thinking about doing, just didn't know if that would be enough ventilation.

I live in North Texas so cold weather isn't a huge concern most of the time, however, the next few days and going into Jan/Feb we will be looking at possible freezing temps. I want to prevent drafts but also leave plenty of ventilation and I need help in deciding what to cover and what to leave...

I'm wanting to start sprouting something for my girls during the winter, but I don't know where to get the seeds. Does anyone have a good place to get sprouting seeds that's not super pricey?