My run is covered with chicken wire but no roof. My girls can go under the coop in case they want to get out of the rain but they free range during the day so they find shelter from other sources.
However, I may not be the one to give advise on drafty coops. I live in So. California and we seldom get winter temps below 30. I do my best to accommodate my girls and they reward me with beautiful delicious eggs. I have found chickens to be extremely resilient and an enjoyable hobby.
How cold does it get where you are? I wouldn't be too concerned with drafts in the coop. As long as your girls are "Out of the weather" their feathers will do a good job of keeping them warm.
I too have had success with Tricide-Neo. Also had success with Epsom Salt soaks and Iodine. I think with both methods a key element is to massage the infected area in an effort to remove the scab or "plug".
Once it is open treat with iodine and wrap to keep the wound clean.
Also, be sure to look...
I think you missed your chance. You handled it well. This incident has given you the opportunity to consider how you would handle it in the future. If the kids came through an unlocked gate maybe you should put a lock on it. Anything you say now will cause hard feelings on both sides.
I trained my girls to come running when I call. Often I'll have kitchen scraps in the middle of the day and they aren't expecting them. So, I started by going our and getting their attention by calling in a high pitched shrill "....CHICK CHICK CHICK......CHICK CHICK CHICK...... at first they...
Great story!!! I'd love to have ducks but I have a Koi pond. My chickens don't bother the pond but we had ducks when I was a kid and they are hard on a pond.
That is the trap I use to catch Racoons and Opossums. I buy cheap cat food or tuna as bait. (Please check your trap often so that you don't have an animal exposed to the elements for too long.) I release in a wooded area a few miles away.
Also keep your chickens locked in a safe place (coop)...
One of the Feed stores in out community does NOT charge Sales tax on chicken feed.
The other Feed store charges you Sales tax unless you are planning to eat the chicken.
The store that does charge sales tax asks you to fill out a Tax Exempt card for them to have on file to protect them. Here in...
Yes, my coop and run still looks that good, Thank You. Some of the wood on the run needs to be repainted and I have definitely added that to my "To do List". With such a rainy season I have been real proud of how how well I roofed my coop. No leaks!!
My girls are extremely quite when I go out in the early pre-dawn hours to open the run. I figured it's survival feature that helps them avoid nocturnal predators.
On the instructions on the tube it says; "Apply on gauze bandage once or twice a day. Repeat as necessary. Do not rub or massage affectred area."
Good Luck!!
GREAT job!!!!! Seeing the bell reminded me to tell you of my use of the bells. I let my girls out every morning to roam around our fenced in property. In the evening they put themselves to bed and I merely go out and lock their doors for their protection. I have a set of camel bells that hang on...
I think you're all being way too concerned for your girls! Nature has provided them with a down jacket that keeps them toasty warm . As long as they can get in out of the wind and rain they will stay warm. Where do you think the birds in the air spend the cold nights, huddled in a tree exposed...
My Pomegranate tree was loaded this year. We ate a few and gave a few away but what was left hangs on the tree and the birds enjoy them. I go out every day and pick a few big ones and through them high into the air. When they hit the ground they burst open and the girls come running. They clean...