Recent content by Ste

  1. Ste

    Coop and Composting Run

    We compost in our run also. All of our grass clippings, kitchen scraps, weeds, etc go in there and they love it. I haven't gotten any compost out of it - yet! They are very efficient
  2. Ste

    Nesting Boxes

    They are old enough to roost. My newest babies are 6-8 weeks old and they are roosting. You might try some longer boards across for them to roost. Mine like to roost next to each other. I agree with MissChick@dee about closing them at night. You don't want them sleeping in them.
  3. Ste

    Nesting Boxes

    They will poop and make a mess. You really want your nesting boxes away from where they are roosting.
  4. Ste

    Broody hen attacking chicks after she starting laying again.

    It's all part of the pecking order and she's trying to tell them that she's done with them. I have spots in my run that the chicks can run under to get away from the grown hens. A few small boards leaned against the wall work well. If she gets overly aggressive and you are worried about the...
  5. Ste

    How do I make sure the new chicks don't eats layer feed??

    You don't want the chicks eating the layer feed as there is to much calcium in it. If you feed layer feed then you have to make it inaccessible to the chicks until they all start laying. I have a partial bag set aside that I will use up once mine start laying. If it's not good when that time...
  6. Ste

    3 weeks in, first post, and yet another question about moving chicks outdoors!

    Yes. Here is my set up - the heating pad isn’t hot enough to catch the feed sack on fire. Food and water is under the step stool so it keeps it cleaner.
  7. Ste

    Broody hen?

    Only one of my 5 grown hens have gone broody. She's raised chicks for me 2 of the last 3 summers (last summer she was broody but we were doing a huge coop renovation so I didn't give her chicks). When she's broody we know it! She's never plucked feathers but she gets MEAN!! She growls, puffs up...
  8. Ste

    3 weeks in, first post, and yet another question about moving chicks outdoors!

    We raised our last 5 chicks outside without a heat lamp. They are about 6 weeks old now and doing great. I made a wire frame, put a heat pad over it and then used an old feed sack to hold it all together. I called it a "hen den". Put it in the dog kennel, covered it with straw and they loved it...
  9. Ste

    Nesting Boxes

    You might cover the top and sides with cloth so they have more privacy, an angled board on top to keep them from roosting up there and either a ramp or roost in the front for them to hop on to get in and out or lower them. My nesting boxes are level with the floor in my coop so they can walk in...
  10. Ste

    Completely covered run?

    Our coop/run is completely covered. They still get sunshine in the run and love to sunbathe. They also have shade available at all times however it's completely protected from rain and snow.
  11. Ste

    Major coop overhaul and a ventilation question

    I knew what I wanted and had it all planned out in my head. Trying to get others to envision it wasn't as easy. They couldn't picture what I was envisioning. Now that it's done everyone loves it! It's nice to have the open end to store lawn games/chairs from the fire pit area while having a...
  12. Ste

    Major coop overhaul and a ventilation question

    Our coop/shed is complete! We ran water and electric out to it. We ended up attaching hardware cloth around the entire shed and run in an apron fashion to keep my daughters dog from digging. The ladies love it and we added 10 new chicks this year! The front is the run and coop. The back is the...
  13. Ste

    Topic of the Week - Feeding table scraps to your flock

    We compost in one end of our run. We put all of our grass from the lawn mower in there. We also give them table scraps daily. I have two neighbors who bring me their scrap "buckets" - any fresh cut fruit or veggie scraps, rinds, cereal, bread, egg shells, rice, popcorn, etc. We don't give...
  14. Ste

    Anyone painted their hardware cloth black?

    We painted ours the same grey color as our coop/shed. We used a sprayer and painted it after we had attached it.
  15. Ste

    Mixing breeds

    We have a mix of hens - cochins, barred rocks, australorps, easter eggers, sex links and an orpington. They all get along. There is a pecking order but no real issues.
See more
Back
Top Bottom