Recent content by mzimmers

That's good to know about not using sand. When I add my mulch, should I have someone till it in, or is it good enough to just put it on top? And...I'd still like some feedback about lime. Thanks!

Thanks for the replies, guys. I can easily generate all the mulch I need -- I live on land where oak trees grow like weeds and I have a chipper/shredder. I live on the central California coast, so it's never hot, but almost always breezy. Maybe if I generate a bunch of mulch, bring in a yard of...

Hi all - My run is in need of some serious soil maintenance. It's been in use for about 6 years, and has served us well until last month's heavy rains made it too muddy (IMO) for healthy, happy chickens. The area is about 160 square feet (4 x 40). I'm thinking of adding a bunch of sand and...

OK, thanks everyone. I might have to convert the rooster into a dual-use bird...

Hi all - I don't know whether I should be concerned or not, but I'd rather err on the side of caution. I have 9 Wyandotte hens and one rooster, all in their first year of life. Recently I noticed a few of the hens missing their back feathers. You can't really tell from this picture, but it's a...

I'm sure you'll get some better answers, but here's a few points: 1. chicken friendliness depends significantly on the breed. I've found leghorns to be quite standoffish, and Wyandottes to be relatively friendly. 2. to really get them used to you, start handfeeding them when they're very young...

Hi all - After some nasty predators wiped out my flock last year, I beefed up the run and ordered some Wyandottes from Meyer. Just found our first eggs today - one in the nesting box, and one on the ground in the run (I guess they'll learn). These chickens were hatched around the first of...

They're all white. Thanks for the information; I had no idea that any breeds started that soon.

My leghorns started laying about a week ago. They're just barely 4 months old now...isn't that rather early? Not complaining, just curious. I'm not feeding them any hormone-laden food or anything...

Just to close out the discussion: the nipples installed with ease, and are 100% leak free. While I don't like having a water tank, this is about as good as it gets. I can definitely recommend the rentacoop nipples. I'm actually getting eggs already, too, even though they're not quite 4 months...

Hi Jamie - that looks like the one I'm using, but mine doesn't go down below about 15 PSI. I guess it's one of those YMMV products. Anyway, the pail is in, and plumbed, and I don't see any leaks. Now I just have to install the nipples (which means I have to order them first). I think the lesson...

Hi all - Just a progress report for anyone interested: I installed two pressure regulators, and successfully got the water pressure down to about 7-8 PSI. Unfortunately, that is still too much, as one of the nipples (the one closest to the inlet) has a very.slow.leak. Frustrating to get so...

That QC supply product is really interesting...I wish they made one that was only about 2' long. (I'm still hoping to put this inside the coop.) I may go with the idea of a tank, and a shut-off valve. I wonder if I can find a square tank, to make it easier to install on the side of the coop...

Thanks for the reply. I certainly didn't expect to find nipples that would tolerate line pressure; that's why I was looking for a decent pressure regulator. But the ones on Amazon seem to only go down to 14 PSI, which still might be too much for nipples. Your idea is interesting, though. Thanks...

Hi all - I'm putting the finishing touches on a coop, and want to have line-fed watering nipples. I've used nipples in the past, and they worked fine, but they were gravity fed. My efforts with line-fed have failed; no matter how little I open the supply line, the pressure is too high, and at...