Colorado

[lovincolorado]

wsimth i am jealous of your set up. there is no way i could do all of that building. (i wish i had the land)

but my 8x8 has four walls, a floor, a roof (without shingles), and the doors, now all i need to do is the sill the holes, and paint the inside, build the nesting boxes, roost, broody, and supplies cabinet.

i seen a 'poop broad' under a roost and they PDZ sand, has anyone used this 'kitty box' in the coops? if so how does it work in Colorado, were their any issues?

I have a poop board, and discovered the PDZ granules are better than the dust, but it definitely is a chore that DLM would eliminate. My coop is 8x8 with a linoleum floor (single piece) with shavings. In an effort to conserve space, and have feeders and waters under the poop board seemed logical, and cleaner. I wanted my coop predator tight, and cleanable. What was I thinking!!!

There is A LOT of poop in one night with full grown hens (and I only have 4) And what to do with all that pure poop? I have a compost pile where it goes, that the girls use as a dust bath site. And if the dog goes in the run, he knows right where to get a snack. Gross!!! Atleast with DLM, it would be diluted by shavings more!

When I helped a friend design her coop, I went DLM, ladder roost, walk in shed with a dirt floor. It may not be as predator proof against diggers, but that could be rectified by burying wire. There are a lot of DIY tricks for feeders, waters that can be done for free or $4, and they wont rust like my metal water fount!

Now that I have young ones to introduce to their new flock, I wonder how its gonna go with this design. They will be lower on the pecking order, but vying for space on a level roost. Hmmmm. I wonder if they will eventually get to roost with the rest? Should be an interesting spring

 

[644171]

Genevieve the little chick I got from Kiowa corner now has a buddy... With all hope they both turn out to be female.. Her new friend's name is....Lillybell.
She is a speckled sussex. Had got her at murdoch's four minutes before closing time. She was the only breed left. She is very tiny compared to Genevieve, are speckled sussex naturaly smaller than barred rock? They are defintely no more than a week apart if that..

Have a heating pad in there for now but both together have not made any harsh chirping...
I have been thinking about trying the deep litter method.. Anyone have advice for that particular subject.... Post some pictures in a minute.

 

[samsr]

Genevieve the little chick I got from Kiowa corner now has a buddy... With all hope they both turn out to be female.. Her new friend's name is....Lillybell.
She is a speckled sussex. Had got her at murdoch's four minutes before closing time. She was the only breed left. She is very tiny compared to Genevieve, are speckled sussex naturaly smaller than barred rock? They are defintely no more than a week apart if that..

Have a heating pad in there for now but both together have not made any harsh chirping...
I have been thinking about trying the deep litter method.. Anyone have advice for that particular subject.... Post some pictures in a minute.

you would be amazed at how fast chick actually grow. A week in ages can mean that the original chick could be twice the size of the new chick. I am not quite sure how to put this with the deep litter method. Other than your appartment landlord is going to love you. LOL
I dont do the deep litter method with mine so I will let someone that knows answer that question.

 

[Mtn Margie]

Wendell, have you checked Abe's sperm count and mobility? If there is something wrong there, you might just save yourself some time......

 

[suncatcher]

Genevieve the little chick I got from Kiowa corner now has a buddy... With all hope they both turn out to be female.. Her new friend's name is....Lillybell.
She is a speckled sussex. Had got her at murdoch's four minutes before closing time. She was the only breed left. She is very tiny compared to Genevieve, are speckled sussex naturaly smaller than barred rock? They are defintely no more than a week apart if that..

Have a heating pad in there for now but both together have not made any harsh chirping...
I have been thinking about trying the deep litter method.. Anyone have advice for that particular subject.... Post some pictures in a minute.

Glad she has a friend! I am just starting to use the deep litter method, cleaned the coop to the dirt floor, actually my son in law did it for me, I now have my first layer down in coop, straw, and when needed will add more straw as it gets dirty. Here is a whole thread on it. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/70/deep-litter-method

 

[suncatcher]

Quote: Yep, they grow incredibly fast, so take lots of pictures when they are little, cause they don't stay little long!

 

[cluckcluckgirl]

*huh* It would appear that your chickens are smarter than some people! Making sure they've got the right environment to support their children... sounds like a wonderful idea!

I totally agree!!!

I feel bad for the kids in a bad environment.

 

[Jerome 123]

Hello fellow North Dakotans.oops! Wrong thread.hahaha pant pant hahah

 

[Adam7]

I'm still haveing chicken fertility issues.

So in the next couple of days, I will recombine all my chickens into the main pen, nad wait about a month then try it again. Frustrated.  In talking with some very experienced Dominique breeders, it seems that some lines (mine included) are sensitive to temperature ans weather swings. This is apparently due to their survival instinct: it would seem that their instincts are telling them to wait until things settle down before bring chicks into the world, giving them the best chance for survival. or so it seems......

Update on the eggs you gave me: it seems all of them are infertile. Every one

 

[Adam7]

Hello fellow North Dakotans.oops! Wrong thread.hahaha pant pant hahah

Hmm, I think you drove several hundred miles into the wrong thread. Have a safe drive home!