What are your thoughts on moving a vermicompost bin into the chicken coop for winter? (I'd love to not keep it in my basement over the winter...) The bin is a standard set of nested, large heavy duty storage totes.
I have extra space in my coop (7'x8' coop, 7.5' ceilings) with only 5 chickens...
How quarantine-y do you get when quarantining new chickens before bringing them into your existing flock? We're in the process of setting up a new mini-coop (12 sq ft, run underneath, moderately mobile), to hold newcomers before they join the main flock in the big coop (56 sq ft, walk-in...
I think I'm mostly posting for moral support, commiseration, and reassurance that I'll get over this feeling of shock and loss. I know this comes with the territory when free ranging and mentally have been preparing myself for about a 10% flock attrition annually, but maybe I'm kidding myself...