Recent content by DIY Chick

Well, I certainly have to get up at daybreak or they start complaining loudly to be let out!

Hi, from mid-west Georgia....I was a member years ago, and I am re-started with a new backyard flock. (1) Are you new to chickens / when did you first get chickens? Upon retiring in 2013 and moving to a rural area, I decided that chickens would be fun to have. I originally had a flock of 6...

A few thoughts on roosts that I've learned with my hens: 1. Put the main roost as high as is practical 2. Provide a "hopping up step" or two so they can easily get to the highest roost 3. Be sure there is enough room for everyone to sit on the highest roost. No one wants to be on a lower...

Good photos! Yes, they should be able to get to the top roost from that shelf area over the nest boxes. Sometimes it's a bit of trial and error once the hens are there and you observe them for a little while. Like an earlier post indicated, you may find that the roosts need to be moved out a...

How high is the top roost from the floor? Hens might need some mid-level assist to get up there, or possibly a ramp. I'm not sure, but it doesn't appear from the pics that they can jump from the lower to the upper roost. Overall your coop is looking great - you're putting a lot of thought and...

Sweating would indicate insufficient ventilation for that much moisture to build up. I don't think I'd worry much about using the insulation as long as you have good cross-ventilation in your coop.

I've used hay in my nesting boxes for a couple years now, replacing it with fresh every couple of months. The hens sometimes kick it out into the coop, but rarely do I see them eating any of it. (I use pine shavings on the floor of my coop.) If your nesting hay is scattered about, then they're...

Mother Teresa's Anyway Poem People are often unreasonable, illogical and self centered; Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; Be kind anyway. If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies; Succeed anyway. If you...

When I got my hens, I didn't plan to get attached to them and called them A, B, C, D, E, F..........you get the picture. It didn't take long before they became Alice, Bella, Carla, Dot, Ellen, and Frieda! Assuming I'll add more to my little flock, the next names picked out are Gracie, Hannah...

Hi Lorren! I'm pretty new to BYC as a member, but I've been reading a lot of the info available in the Learning Center since I got my small flock two years ago. I started out with 5 mature laying hens just to get a better feel for how demanding it would be to simply HAVE chickens before trying...

For nesting boxes, you might consider inserting some removable vertical plywood dividers into those middle shelves to create some smaller private spaces. Removable, so that you can rearrange in the future as you gain experience and see how they adjust to the nesting boxes. I build three boxes...

I also had trouble confining my hens with a 4 ft fence, but clipping flight feathers and raising the fence by 2 ft kept them from flying out. It is a huge outdoor pen, so covering the top is impossible. I did find that it was necessary to eliminate any timber / wood top on fence sections or...

It is a powerpoint slide, and I can't get it to upload - sorry :(

You know you love your chickens when.... - you go dumpster diving for louvered doors to use as shutters on the run to keep out the wind and rain - you add another 800 sq ft to the outdoor run so your SIX hens will have more room! - you won't go to the beach with your husband because your...

My best guess is that unless you started handling them as babies, it will be tough to start now. My three RIR's follow me like puppies, but they don't let me handle them (voluntarily). I got them at 8 weeks old, and they had never been handled. If you really want to work at it, try separating...