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  1. L

    Training "stubborn" hens

    speaking of treats - ooh if anyone uses amazon (US) the black soldier fly larvae 5lb are a great price right now. I sent some to a friend! I find it usually hard to find them for under 0.50/oz
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    Training "stubborn" hens

    they have food and water always but my voice makes all the girls run to me, ha!
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    Training "stubborn" hens

    Do a specific call and give them a treat. My girls come running/flying from wherever they are when I say, “ladiessssss” and want some “wormies!” and they get a mealworm or two :)
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    Need advise on self sustaining coop

    Exciting stuff! Here are my recommendations. I am not sure where you live, but where I live gets very cold in winter, and very hot and humid in the summer. For cooling in summer - along with good ventilation in the coop, I have a small solar powered fan (this one) near the roost to help pull...
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    Hey, Will Raccoons Eat My Chickens?

    Make sure your coop, where they sleep overnight, is fortified. No holes, no easy access into it. I use two locks on the door, including a caribeener. Same on egg box. Keep them safe! I see raccoons stalking the coop some summer nights but they do move on unless they find a way in. Check your...
  6. L

    Change Ordinance in Chicago Heights, IL

    I’d def have the coop raised up a couple feet so you can max out their space! I do that with my urban coop and it added 15ish ft to the run
  7. L

    Should we try to adopt a neighbor’s chickens?

    oh she is so cute and healthy looking. Thanks for this lovely update!
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    Are hellebores poisonous to chickens?

    I was very concerned about this when I first got my girls too, but I have found that they really don’t snack on anything that is dangerous. Maybe a tiny taste when they first discover, but they spit it out in disgust hah! They’re smart little things. Of course, there’s always an exception - if...
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    Plants you can plant around the run + a few starting pics of coop.

    Look into plants that are native to your region~ they will grow best and many of them won’t be tasty for the chickens to devour, and some will be snacks. Here’s a local native plant nursery https://www.portlandnursery.com/natives Red osier dogwood is a nice barrier, has great little berries...
  10. L

    What is this chicken?

    That is a certified CUTIE. :)
  11. L

    Chicken Eggs in Winter

    The first year mine laid all winter as they only started that November. But the second and third winters they take about 5 weeks off over the darkest days. Enjoy your eggies!
  12. L

    best books to have if you got chickens

    The ones I found helpful and infomative, and fun, when getting started were: - The Storey Guide to Chicken Keeping - Gardening with Free Range Chickens - Let’s All Keep Chickens
  13. L

    Hens staying in run at night - freezing cold, why?!

    you might be onto something there!
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    Hens staying in run at night - freezing cold, why?!

    oh they’ve got lots of ventilation, far more than the 1sf per bird 24/7 rule. I have some blocked off for snow/winter wind but they still have enough currently. In the summer it’s open all along the roofline and their window is open too :)
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    Hens staying in run at night - freezing cold, why?!

    Okay well - update! I set the door to close even later after sunset and they went in on their own last night. Maybe they were just having a blip? I checked for mites at night with a light, no signs. So good news! I’ll see if they continue to put themselves away over the next few days. Thanks for...
  16. L

    Hens staying in run at night - freezing cold, why?!

    yes, i read a bit and i see that’s common. i have a headlamp and will check this evening.
  17. L

    Hens staying in run at night - freezing cold, why?!

    ah okay. i did a swipe of the roost bar today and checked their feathers/skin. I can do a night look too.
  18. L

    Hens staying in run at night - freezing cold, why?!

    Here is th set up today. The plastic on the run sides blew down in a storm so I was stapling it back up after this photo was taken. Note - the coop access door is open in the pic as I was checking in there for mites etc. that’s usually closed of course. You can see the coop is raised up and the...
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    Hens staying in run at night - freezing cold, why?!

    the coop is raised up a couple feet and is 100% predator proofed with hardware mesh on any openings. I check the structure with a daily walk around, even in winter. Checked for bugs, nothing so far. I do wonder if maybe at night something peeked into their window beside their roost? Or the...
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    Hens staying in run at night - freezing cold, why?!

    Okay so I went out and wiped under the roost - nothing. Looked in between their feathers near vent, all looks good. I adjusted the door to close even later, so I will see if they wander in tonight. It’s really cold out there so I won’t let them sleep in the run if they don’t head in by dark.
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