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  1. cottage19

    Perfectly normal hens stop laying?!

    Are they getting any free-range time? I have 7 red sex-links (same age as yours). Nicer weather has set them free and I am finding eggs in weird places - this morning my favorite hen squatted in the driveway and dropped an egg! I believe they are having so much fun roaming that they don't...
  2. cottage19

    nest boxes

    I have given up trying to understand why our 7 girls do what they do. On any given day I find: 1. all eggs in the nest boxes 2. some in nests/some on floor. 3. some in nests/some on floor/some on poop board. 4. none in nests - all divided between floor, outside and/or occasionaly one or two...
  3. cottage19

    Coop Door

    Ditto to what other are saying. We leave the pop door between the run and the coop open 24/7 in all but the coldest months and I think the girls like being able to get outside as soon as they wake up BUT our run is as secure as it can be with a roof-over, hardware cloth secured to 4x4's, a deep...
  4. cottage19

    Laying eggs in the evening. Normal?

    We're noticing odd behaviors lately: Someone is hurling her egg off the roost and it's smashing on the coop floor. Someone is laying outside (in or next to the run in the dirt) and someone is laying VERY odd shaped/soft shelled eggs (yes, they have oyster shell). The girls (7) are just over a...
  5. cottage19

    Can someone please tell me why I never see roosts in the runs?

    We have a single 8 foot long 2x4" roost in our covered 6x20 foot run and our 7 hens use it all of the time. We call it the gossip board...
  6. cottage19

    OK...What about Coop Names....Let's hear them!!!!!

    Our very spoiled girls live in the Hen Hilton
  7. cottage19

    Coop built alongside the garden?

    Our coop/run is right next to our fenced in raised bed garden. The girls love being loose in the garden AFTER harvest time but once the weather gets nice they get locked out. Last week I planted peas and potatoes and the girls watched with envy as I uncovered a few fat worms. As many others...
  8. cottage19

    Can I add more chickens to my small coop?

    Quote: Everyone who catches the chicken bug should print your post out and tape it to their fridge! We built a hen hilton for our 7 girls and they have plenty of room and a secure, roomy run. They free range every day so you would think all here would be wonderful BUT now I've decided that...
  9. cottage19

    Coop size, NEEEEED ADVICE!!!

    As you know, the PA winter was rough this year. If you're planning on 10 chickens I'd say plan on a minimum 10x10 coop with an attached/covered run. We let our girls free range but there were many days that they stayed in even though the coop door was open. They didn't seem to interested in...
  10. cottage19

    coop cleaning time--YUCK

    Quote: totally agree - this is the only way to go although with the winter we had there were a few days that I missed. Right now all of that good poop is breaking down on my garden beds.
  11. cottage19

    Are Bantams good with gardens?

    Quote: Our vegtable garden is fenced in to keep the chickens out. We do let them in for bug duty but only with supervision. Once upon a time I had lovely flowers around the house. Not anymore. Now I tell everyone that my chickens are my flowers.
  12. cottage19

    hawks everywhere!

    I'd bet a dozen eggs that these are turkey vultures. Regarding hawks: I used to hate crows but now I love them - when the crows are around the hawks stay away. A few days ago I saw a crow chasing a hawk. I used to give all my meat scraps to the hens but now I toss some near the road for my...
  13. cottage19

    Parallel vs Single Roosts and how many is too many?

    We had a two step roost when we originally built the coop. That lasted about two weeks. Once we caught on to the fact that EVERYONE wanted to be on the higher roost, we moved the lower roost up and now have two parallel roosts, a wide (but not too wide to clean) poop board and 7 very happy...
  14. cottage19

    Soaking wet chickens!

    Our free range Pennsylvania hens love the rain and during the summer they are often soaking wet but during the colder months I do herd them back inside the barn or coop so they can dry off before bed time. It's been a cold wet winter in PA and they are all happy, healthy and none the worse for...
  15. cottage19

    Help! Seeking advice on predator proofing our new coop

    We buried 1x1 heavy duty wire around the run perimeter and used the same wire on the run walls. We ran the wire right up to roof and secured it with heavy staples. All of the windows are also covered with this wire. Our coop has has a 3/4 plywood floor on top of 2x6 floor joists and we have a...
  16. cottage19

    messy coops?

    Like everyone else here I am not spending as much time with the girls as I would like. We only have 7 hens so the chores are managable. I clean the poop board 2 or 3 times each week and try to keep the coop/run tidy. Our girls do come out and wander about the paths we shovel for them but when...
  17. cottage19

    Winter Blues

    Mine do go out even in the coldest weather IF we shovel a path for them to roam around a bit but I think they especially like it when I go out to tidy up the coop, change the water etc. They seem to like the company and they know I never come empty handed. They also seem to like Mozart...
  18. cottage19

    Best Poop Removal Method

    I agree with all the comments about shoes being the best poop collection tool. I have given up and given the yard, driveway and what used to be the flower garden to the chickens. Our vegtable garden is fenced in to keep the girls out and I've placed a bench next to the back door so you can sit...
  19. cottage19

    My chickens won't go out in the snow

    Today was the first day that all (7) of them came out at the same time. We've had snow for a while now and they are definately staying inside more but the wind disappeared today and the sun was out so we now have chicken tracks in the snow. Prior to today a few of them came out for short walks...
  20. cottage19

    Normal Chicken owner behavior??

    of course your aren't nuts...I knitted mine scarves for Christmas.....
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