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  1. Peepthis541

    Using gravity to outsmart a predator.

    I have worked on a number of automatic opening and closing coop door designs. I just completed my latest version when I had an idea that has nothing to do with a door as security from a predator. In fact, theoretically, you could have no coop door. Imagine coop that is raised up a few feet. And...
  2. Peepthis541

    Loner hen rejected by flock

    One of my 2 "1st generation" hens suddenly began displaying very strange behavior last week. She was not following the flock and off on her own while grazing outside their enclosure. Usually if the flock of 5 hens + 1 rooster split up, it is usually by age, where the two youngest hens and...
  3. Peepthis541

    16 wk old Ameracaunas: Roosters?

    I was hoping a more experienced person could help me try to identify whether my young ones are in fact female or male. They are about 16 weeks. Only 3 out of the original 6 have made it this far. Originally I got 3 Ameracaunas and 3 Buff Orpingtons. Now, I have 2 Ameracaunas, and 1 Buff. I am...
  4. Peepthis541

    Threaded rod auto coop door design.

    I thought I'd start a new thread about my latest auto door design. The electronics concept is still the same, but I redesigned the door to work on a threaded rod. As usual, I employ recycled and salvaged materials in all my designs. A lot of times, it actually affects the design. But I was happy...
  5. Peepthis541

    Introducing 3-4 week olds to adults and the outdoors.

    My chicks are about 3-4 weeks old now. On the warmer days, I've started putting them in an unused chicken tractor I have made escape proof for their little bodies. I keep a box out there with shavings and a heat lamp over it just in case it may get too cool for them. I have observed they stay in...
  6. Peepthis541

    Mother Earth News writes about chicken keeping.

    Some cool pro chicken keeping news out there. http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/Organic-Pest-Control-Poultry.aspx
  7. Peepthis541

    Brooder Q's

    So, I am new at raising chicks. I have 6 in a tote, on shavings (they are not eating them), chick starter feeder, plenty of clean water. I have a thermometer in there to monitor the temp. I have a 100w lamp going now. I forgot to ask how old they were when I bought them, but I assume they were...
  8. Peepthis541

    Tough lessons learned

    Well, a raccoon finally found my hens and took out a total of two out of 5 two nights in a row. One per night. The first hen to go was my barred rock. She was an odd hen in that she chose not to sleep with the others and roosted in a non secured enclosure separate from the rest of the flock. My...
  9. Peepthis541

    Layer crumble and cracked corn. Ok to leave out?

    I normally leave out the crumble in a feeder for my hens. And in the mornings and in the day toss out some cracked corn for them to scavenge for. They seem to love it. I was wondering if it is ok diet-wise, for the hens to have all around access to both crumble and corn. Will they eat both...
  10. Peepthis541

    If I could do it differently, next time I would...

    I'm sure I am not the only one who has realized how they could have done things a bit differently on their coop after finishing construction and learning tons throughout the process. What have been some enlightening experiences for you during coop building and what are some things you wish you...
  11. Peepthis541

    PVC pipe feeder

    Hi, I've seen a couple pics of PVC pipe feeders on the site. they seem to be large diameter, like 3". So I have sourced some 3" pipe, and a few 90 degree elbows. I guess I just wanted to know who has made them and if they are happy with the design. What are the advantages/disadvantages? I...
  12. Peepthis541

    Introducing: The No-Poo Chicken Shoe!

    I don't know about the rest of you, but I get a little tired of hot chicken feces clumping up in my tennies and trying to get it off by dragging my feet around the yard or hosing off the bottom of my shoes after every exit from the chicken area. So, I thought of taking some scrap pieces of wood...
  13. Peepthis541

    Submissive hens

    I had an interesting interaction with one of my hens yesterday while working in the chicken yard. One of my light brahmas was getting curious and pecking around some of my building materials, and I put out my hand to pet her, expecting her to run away, but she crouched down and let me pet and...
  14. Peepthis541

    Coopifying my tractor (Pics of progress)

    Hey all. I just wanted to share a newly finished project. I had built a tractor about the same time I built a separate coop. I found the tractor to be a bit impractical because I am not that comfortable with corralling my hens into the tractor from their fenced area (which has their coop). So, I...
  15. Peepthis541

    Losing feathers around neck and head

    Hi, One of my hens, the alpha hen actually, seems to be loosing some feathers around her neck and the small feathers on her head even seem a bit patchy. Her behavior seems normal and the other 4 hens have no similar signs. I am not sure if this has to do with stress, illness, humidity, cold...
  16. Peepthis541

    Leaky garden hose. (help!)

    Ok, so after being very impressed with the auto waterer design by FutureChickenMan (https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=4655-Auto_Waterer), I decided to give it a shot and build one. After getting all the supposed hard parts done, I ran into a water leaking problem from my...
  17. Peepthis541

    "Free Range" vs. Free Range

    I wonder, if I were allowed to roam outside of my bedroom, but not allowed to leave my house, would you consider me a Free Range Human? My point is, what exactly is "free"? Has anyone read the book Omnivore's Dilemma by Micheal Pollan? In parts of the book, he investigates the industry...
  18. Peepthis541

    Suplimental lighting for production in the darker months

    I've been reading through a few threads here and see there are some differences in preference to heat a coop or leave it be in the winter. Aside from heating, I am curious if anyone puts light in their coop during the fall/winter months to encourage laying. If so, how much more light do you...
  19. Peepthis541

    Pecking order and age

    Hi, I have two hens that are probably a year and a half, and one that was born this past spring. The older ones are also a different breed (black sex-link). I've noticed at least one of the sexlinks are picking on the barred rock, who is a little smaller than the two. I first noticed this when...
  20. Peepthis541

    Pics of my coop, tractor, chicken area, and of course, hens.

    Captions on top of respective photos. Enjoy! -Dave The "Bawk-Bawk Bordello". A two level egg laying suite. The other side of the Bordello, where I gets them eggs. The Bordello is made entirely of salvaged materials. The Bordello nesting area. They gave me their first two eggs here! The...
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