I have had sand in my hen house on top of a dirt floor for one year. I read this is the best way to have sand in the coop (over a dirt floor). In a month or two, when the weather is warmer, I will take the old sand out and put it in the upper part of the run, which is on a slope. The sand...
I've been using sand for one year in my dirt floor hen house. The stall rake covered in hardware clothe works pretty good, but, I need to get a tighter weave to be as effective as the kitty litter scoop I prefer now. For the winter, I put a tarp under the roost, which, is actually a very easy...
How is your girl doing now? Sorry I am just seeing this post. I did not take my 2 yo Black Australorp to the vet for vent prolapse, so, I got online and read all I could. I finally found a YouTube video that gave me hope my Java could recover. She has a minor vent prolapse, not the kind...
I had a similar situation with my covered, hoop run! I read several different fixes, but, like you, the sand which was my first choice, washed and sank into the dirt. I finally bought pea grave and used maybe 8 bags before I went to the creek to get sand and rock. Ten 5-gallon buckets full...
I just started a new Facebook page for my BYC interest and mealworm/superworm farm. I would be happy if anyone on The Middle Tennessee Thread liked or joined!
Mealworm and Superworm Farming:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/chickadoodlestn/
Chick-a-Doodles (my farm experience)...
If you want it to be portable, you can get heavy ground stakes, then bungee the ends down. I found with low hoop tractors, this was not necessary, as the hoop shape is very aerodynamic! [Although I used this method many times out of fear!] Some people, who have lightweight hoops with wheels on...
I no longer have the hoop tractors, since I built the permanent hen house and hoop run, I sold them, keeping only the A-Frame. I am fairly sure the base is made from three, 2x4 eight foot long studs. So, I cut one in half to use as the end pieces of the rectangle! Walking around in the hoop...
I made 4 hoop tractors (portable coops), which were electrified, that I used for 1.5 years. The pros, of course, moveable so the girls had fresh grass and no poop to clean up! The con, too hot in summer as I have absolutely no natural shade in the summer. The low hoop design was very good in...
I ordered the Large Nesting Stack Bin from WalMart by United Solutions. They are out of stock at this time. The size is perfect for my girls and the nest roost and lip of the shelf the bins sit on give ample foot room for them to get in and out of the boxes. BTW, they are called nesting boxes...
Aggressive hens seldom change behavior if the flock dynamics remain the same. I've had to re-home our most aggressive bullies - hated to because I was attached but I couldn't stand seeing docile Silkies and Ameraucanas getting their crests and beards yanked out or gentle Breda chased by the...
Sylvester 017: I have had the pinless peepers on some of the girls for four-five weeks now (the most aggressive, who would attack and injure the most submissive, who would squat down and be pecked severely.) The most they do now is briefly peck at whoever has offended them and give chase for...
Perhaps it was my blog, or I didn't copy/paste it correctly:
Here is a link to the Chicken Coop / Hen House page,
http://chick-a-doodles.blogspot.com/p/garden-project-2017.html
Maybe that will work! Thank you for looking and the nice compliment!
-Donna
Here is a picture of my favorite and most functional designed chicken tractor. Since the "line of four tractors in the pasture" were made, I have sold all but the A-frame. A stationary hen house and run were built, and I now have one flock, not four! I kept the A-frame as a grow-out pen or...
Even though my run is on a slight slope, [below during construction phase, before tarp roof installed], I had issues with that many inches of rain over a short period of time. The upper part of the run was solid enough, but, the lower end was mush. Yes, evaluating the situation while mucking...
I am very happy with the grazing frames in the new chicken run. Although I used pressure treated studs, I gave each two coats of redwood stain, as I did throughout the exterior of the hen house and run for eye appeal. Using 1" x 1" welded wire was also a good decision for me and my hens. We...
My 17 hens have been in the new hen house and run for a month now. They went from four separate groups in four tractors, to one big group, not without some drama, and bullying, which has been solved with Pinless Peepers on the most aggressive. Now, all have figured out their place in the flock...