Recent content by lgelwell

Myself, I would try not to worry about it. I have processed chickens and found glass, screws, you name it in their gullet. They are pretty hardy.

I can't wait for my garden to start producing! I love canning and making pickles and relishes. Bush Beans Several varieties of tomatoes Several types of peppers Cukes Zucchini acorn squash cantaloupe watermelon and the Rhubarb Got my first duke and some banana peppers for a salad this...

We lost a hen today... :( She was a strange bird, although sweet. She was the leader of the flock and sometimes acted more rooster than hen. She never slept in the coop, always wanted to sleep perched on the table or chairs on the deck. I wonder if this is what eventually killed her. This...

I guess I was wrong. Just did chicken chores and the coop was toasty. Not warm enough for ME, but a good 10-20 degrees warmer than outside. They were shut in last night and I didn't let them out this morning. I might have to re-think leaving the pop door open.

I might have to try the cat food idea, though it might encourage stray cats to hang out. I have a 4x6 split level coop and am in Iowa where it has been in the single digits not counting wind chill. For the most part I leave the pop door open all the time except recently I have had a lady who...

We use heave plastic sheeting and lathe (sp?). And screw it on over the chicken wire. Works really well to keep the wind and snow out, but let's in light and solar heat. I use a heated dog bowl for water in the coop, easy to dump and refill daily. Other wise my girls love to eat/ drink snow.

I don't clip their wings because they have shown no interest in leaving the yard and as they are not penned in, I want then to be able to get away from predators if they need to. We are in a new development with several ponds and tons of geese and ducks. I think this is why we have never had...

We have given up on the nice suburban back yard... Or I have. My hubby hates the girls on the deck, hence the baby gate, but the fly over it when they want, as evidenced by chicken poop on the deck. We keep the front yard nice, and keep a whole host of "back yard only" shoes by the back door...

My girls have access to the yard at all times and in the nicer weather I only fill the feeder about once a week because they don't eat as much. They come running when we go out back, but I am sure it's because they always want scraps. I have noticed that now that the weather is getting colder...

Every morning I go and let the girls out and check each one give them a pat on the back or ruffle some feathers and what not. This morning my Big Boss Lady didn't like that I petted one of the others first and jumped up and "POW, right in the kisser!" It was tragic, I mean blood and...

Well, I just had my first experience with SCDS and it was one of my prettiest hens too! She was fine when I let them out this morning and after work she was laying on the floor of the coop. I checked her out all over as she was still soft and everything seemed ok, so I have no idea. Good...

Good Morning everyone! This morning I crawled out of bed at daybreak, once again reminding my hubby that I would LOVE an automatic coop door (hint, hint), and went to let the girls out of the coop. Everyone came out perkey as can be, but as I was grabbing the early layers eggs, I noticed an...

I love my barred rocks! So Silky!

I know where you are coming from. Just today I was in the coop and grabbed some poo with my hands. I use sand in my coop though and everything just turns in to hard cold sand lumps. Runny poo, well, I just kick some sand over it and save it for another day. It's sad really, the amount of...

YAY, I finally got my new coop this weekend. Bought it from Key Quest coops on craigs list, brought it home and moved in the girls. I switched out the coop from pine to sand, and the girls are in HEAVEN! I am still going to use pine in the nest boxes but so far so good with the sand.