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  1. RocketDad

    Solar power fans?

    "Passive" solar methods are the most reliable. Put some vent holes up high and some down low and the hot air will "thermosiphon" itself out of the coop. If you NEED active venting, I would stay away from the automotive style fans - they have pretty hungry motors. "Muffin" fans (like in...
  2. RocketDad

    Not laying. Golf balls are not working.

    Golf balls do not encourage egg laying, they just clue-in the hens where to put them. Move the balls from nest to nest. Chickens will notice that they've moved, and it makes sure they notice them and don't forget. I also used it to get them used to me checking for eggs. Oyster shell does not...
  3. RocketDad

    paint color inside coop walls - chicken preference??

    I'd go to the mis-tint rack and let "$5 a gallon" decide. I used white melamine masonite in my coop. The brightness really makes it pleasant, since it's about the smallest coop I'd want to have to go inside of. Bright colors will cheer the interior and make bugs more visible to the girls, too!
  4. RocketDad

    Coop in the Boise area

    {{shudder}} I dunno, man. That's pretty scary lookin'! I think I'd start by tossing a bug bomb in it to chase out the black widders!
  5. RocketDad

    Gutter Ball.

    Yeah, thank God for the Spidey sense!
  6. RocketDad

    Can you use pressure treated wood on coops

    I use a commercial product from Superdeck - its a stain made with linseed oil, mineral spirits carrier, and various mineral pigments like titanium dioxide (like the old fashioned white sun screen) for white. It's pretty durable stuff. I've painted my rough-cedar picket fence in the front yard...
  7. RocketDad

    Full time house Chicken

    I have one hen who insists on coming into the house to visit. She poops on the floor every time. She also wanders into the trailer in the back yard I use for an office if I leave the door open. She jumps onto my desk and knocks over the multimeter and soldering iron. I love her, and I think...
  8. RocketDad

    Anyone built a solar powered space heater for their coop?

    For cost effectiveness and efficiency, passive solar works better than photovoltaics. Most of the PV panels we're likely to find today are about 25 - 30% efficient, meaning that they convert that percentage of light to electricity. Flat black spray paint has an absorption of about 90 to 95%.
  9. RocketDad

    My coop is going to end up in a divorce!

    We have had our arguments, just like the rest of ya'll, and sometimes after I've offered help and he's refused and then he hurts himself its really tempting to say "Well, now I bet you had accepted my offer". Instead, I let him cuss it out, kiss it better, and then make him sit down so I can...
  10. RocketDad

    Can I feed my free range chickens Meat? If so, What kinds?

    I don't feed raw meat on a daily basis and I will not cook it for them until I SEE THEM SET UP A B-B-QUE IN THE RUN. In theory I agree. I give my cat small treats of raw meat once in a while too. My concern is that e coli and salmonella present in small amounts (virtually guaranteed with...
  11. RocketDad

    My coop is going to end up in a divorce!

    I'm a stay-at-home dad, have been for about 10 years with a few remodeling jobs and custom furniture pieces scattered in there. I can probably share a lot of "wife" experiences too We joke that our division of labor was that she had to be pregnant and I'm the one who's barefoot in the kitchen.
  12. RocketDad

    compost bin

    Is it wood wool? Or is it like this: http://www.shavings.com/images/shavings.jpg I'm curious now.
  13. RocketDad

    Do you guys clip wings?

    I have a 6' privacy fence. I don't think my girls realize there is an "outside." They're usually pretty thrilled just to get out of the run and have access to the back yard, so I've never had to worry. Sometimes they "fly" for short distances, but not very high or very far. So I've never clipped.
  14. RocketDad

    Need help waterproofing barrel coop

    That polyurathane stuff STINKS to high heaven, for months after you use it (at least it does on your hardwood floors) --- I'd definitely keep it on the OUTSIDE of a coop that small!!!! Yeah, oil based products are pretty stinky. I was thinking of water based and food grade products when I said...
  15. RocketDad

    Free range DISASTER

    Something I read in a cat care book and I do with my chickens as well: have a little cup (like the laundry detergent scoop) that you use to feed with, and always shake it. The shaking/rattling noise becomes a Pavlovian trigger. When I give my girls scratch grains I always use a scoop, and I call...
  16. RocketDad

    1 wk old chicks eating styrofoam

    Polystyrene is pretty close to chemically inert, but I've read that it can make eggs taste funny. Chickens are pretty notorious for eating it. No clue why. Doesn't seem to make them sick or anything. My girls ate a bunch of "great stuff" and they're all fine. The only sick hen I've had ate too...
  17. RocketDad

    compost bin

    You can also turn it more often for the first few weeks when you get a lot of "hot" stuff. Keeping the pile more aerobic than anaerobic seems to keep the smell down for a hot pile of really fresh "greens". BTW, how do you have hemp in your pile? Is that something you should really be...
  18. RocketDad

    Are cooked fish skins ok to feed chickens???

    Yum! Can my chickens eat at your house tonight? I give them shrimp tails and they love it. Fish skins are good nutrition!
  19. RocketDad

    Battery Powered Heat Lamp Question

    Quote: Worst possible solution. Propane combustion yields water and carbon dioxide, plus a varying amount of monoxide. And your chickens will probably knock it over and burn down the neighborhood. Run an orange cord and use a single 250w red heat lamp plugged into a thermocube or a...
  20. RocketDad

    I feel horrible...dont make the same mistake.

    Sad to hear, but not everyone feels the same way about animals. Even food animals should be treated with a bit of respect.
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