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  1. M

    How long should I let a broody hen sit for before I start kicking her out of the coop?

    Just wanted to provide an update - we put her in a small cage like @rosemarythyme suggested, and kept her in for 48 hours. I released her yesterday morning (24 hours ago) and she's been back to normal, no signs of broodiness
  2. M

    How long should I let a broody hen sit for before I start kicking her out of the coop?

    ...hens to hatch out eggs per summer, and we let the rest do their thing. So I don't have experience with what I should do with a broody hen that is *not* going to be permitted to hatch her eggs. So one of our hens started getting pretty broody at least 2 days ago. I was away on vacation for...
  3. M

    Thoughts on this shed as a chicken coop?

    thanks everyone! I went ahead and ordered the shed today, I'll post pics when it's all done - gonna be a few weeks! I had read somewhere the shavings were bad but full planks etc were fine, because of dust / gasses etc. I'll probably air out all the shed parts for a few days before putting them...
  4. M

    Thoughts on this shed as a chicken coop?

    Hi all, just looking for some quick opinions on using this shed as a chicken coop. We have 6 chickens now, and I wouldn't mind having up to 10 or so. I'm planning to add: a couple of windows to the 'back' nesting boxes under the windows (so the 'back' will become the 'front' and will be similar...
  5. M

    First egg, birds hatched July '24 - isn't it a little early?

    haha well the chickens definitely have a sense of humor, I used to work at a nature preserve/farm and I always said chickens were the funniest animals on the farm (even though they don't mean to be funny)
  6. M

    First egg, birds hatched July '24 - isn't it a little early?

    I just wanted to post an update for anyone curious or future readers. We pretty quickly stopped blocking the nests at night, and the girls kept sleeping on the perches. I do get a poop here and there in a nest box, but for the most part they're keeping them clean, so problem solved and now we...
  7. M

    Another "our chickens are boycotting the coop" thread

    @avjudge yep that's correct, the two front windows are just for light and appearance, they don't open. I attached another pic here from amazon's product listing (that's where we bought the coop) showing the sliders in the back. @rosemarythyme we're on Long Island in NY, the temps lately have...
  8. M

    Another "our chickens are boycotting the coop" thread

    Oh and the 4x5 is just a guess off the top of my head.. but yes I meant including the nest boxes.. I think the sleeping area is probably 3 feet wide by 5 feet long.. again just eyeballing it
  9. M

    Another "our chickens are boycotting the coop" thread

    Haha I meant it's the same type of bedding - hemp :) I last did a full replace I think 2 or 3 weeks ago, and I've been raking the top layer off every few days. Even after full refresh of the bedding they kept going outside There are 2 slider openings on the other side of the coop that are maybe...
  10. M

    Another "our chickens are boycotting the coop" thread

    Thanks all, I forgot that detail - they're crowding themselves atop the nesting box flap. I attached a pic that shows the coop in the background. That spot is slightly higher than the perches in the coop, which are maybe 4 inches above the coop floor. We're planning to replace it in the spring...
  11. M

    Another "our chickens are boycotting the coop" thread

    Hi all, Our girls were hatched last July and just started laying in the last couple of weeks. At the same time, they've all started sporadically refusing to go in the coop at night. Usually at least 3 (out of our 6) don't go in. Tonight it was a full 100% mutiny. We haven't changed the coop or...
  12. M

    First egg, birds hatched July '24 - isn't it a little early?

    thanks all! I like @Evadig 's idea of blocking the nests at night, I might try that for a little while. We have a camera in the coop and I can see that they've all been using the perches for quite some time now.. but the perches aren't particularly high (they are a few inches higher than the...
  13. M

    First egg, birds hatched July '24 - isn't it a little early?

    Hi all, we got our first egg today!! We were so excited!! But I'm wondering if it's a fluke, or the start of regular laying.. Our chickens hatched in late July last year and never started laying before the winter hit. I know they slow down and/or completely stop laying when the days are short...
  14. M

    First night outside, should I ignore if they cry?

    Welp, we wimped out and ran an extension cord with heater + spy camera lol. It's dark out now and they're all nice and quiet, and the camera fell from its perch so already we can't spy on them lol
  15. M

    First night outside, should I ignore if they cry?

    @Ridgerunner I know you're right, and I agree, I'm just joking :) Initially I never even planned to keep them in the house, we were expecting to get them from the store already big enough to be outside with no heat. There was a screw-up or a miscommunication somewhere, and now we're used to...
  16. M

    First night outside, should I ignore if they cry?

    now the weather says it's gonna be 61 tonight 😨 lol
  17. M

    First night outside, should I ignore if they cry?

    Thanks all! since this is my first time raising chicks I just want to be sure about what's safe to ignore :) We'll probably leave them outside either tonight or tomorrow 🤞
  18. M

    First night outside, should I ignore if they cry?

    Hi all, our 5-to-6 week old chicks tend to call/chirp (cry) to us at dusk when it's time to come inside for the night. But in general it seems like they're ready to stay out. Should I ignore them if they cry? I'm worried it might mean they're cold. Some details: Our daytime temps are maxing...
  19. M

    Is our heater set too high or something?

    Thanks all! @Ridgerunner, our run is bare dirt, basically fresh topsoil we bought at home depot. Then I read about sand and we're thinking about adding a couple inches of that eventually. But for now it's just dirt There were a handful of twigs poking out trying to grow into shrubs, but the...
  20. M

    Is our heater set too high or something?

    Thanks @Debbie292d and @rosemarythyme! Glad to hear this is a good sign :) I had seen lots of charts online that basically said they need heat till 8 weeks and I thought that was long. I spent many years working on a farm, and by this size the chicks didn't look to their mom's for warmth anymore...
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