Colorado

[coloradogal]

i broke down and bought a 5000 btu air conditioner for their coop room. I was at Wal-mart and there was a man there also looking at them. He told me he lost 5 chickens yesterday and was just tired. He said at his age, this is just too much, too soon in the year. So I brought my evaporative cooler back into my house. My house does well as long as I have the portable evaporative coolers going. It doesn't get it cold but at least it's ok. My dogs have a much harder time though. They camp out near the coolers and often still have a tongue out. One of my dogs is a drooler so he lays in front of the cooler and his mouth cheeks fall down. I'll try to take a picture of him.

I went to college at Clemson University in Clemson, South Carolina. I remember being in student housing where there was no air conditioning. Last night, I was trying to remember how I survived the 3 years it took me to get through in student housing without it. I remember a small ac unit in the bedroom but that's all. I guess I was too focused on other things back then to worry about heat.

 

[mynamesjenelle]

OK everybody, lots of pictures incoming!

Here is the beginning of our run (with the 3-sisters garden in the background):


And the coop:


Window and little chicken door:


This is the egg access door. The little silver hooks above it are the things you install on cabinets to keep them closed. Installed like that, they keep the egg door open so it doesn't shut on my arm!


And here is the inside. I'm using SweetPDZ as a substrate and it's fantastic so far. It doesn't stink at all. That is why the kitty litter scoop is there. Underneath that is vinyl composite tile that I picked up super cheap at the Habitat for Humanity store in town. Yes it is purple inside because they are girls dangit! The egg boxes are blocked off so the girls don't get in there until they are ready to lay:


These are my lovely girls. This is usually how they greet me when I come out to them. Clockwise from the top center is Zoey (silver-laced cochin), Hazel (welsummer), Fluff Momma (light brahma), Sweetie (easter egger) and Alita (barred rock):


And here is how they spend their days until the run is finished. They still sleep in the big coop at night:



Yes, we have two chicken tractors, and I'm thinking of building a third that will fit over our raised beds! The long rectangular one with just chicken wire we only leave them in while we're outside working in the yard since it's not very secure. The hardware cloth we're using on the run is 1/2" galvanized and super strong. I'm planning on concreting it in with the posts, and then burying it in between them in the u-shape that was recommended earlier in the thread. The big wide hole on the end opposite the coop is going to have a human-sized door in it so we can get in and clean (and cuddle the girls) without having to crouch.

Do you think we should give them the space under the coop as well? The run right now is 6x6', and the coop would give them an extra 4x4' in the shade. I want to give them all we can but the man of the house thinks what they have already in the run is good enough.

 

[ONSTAD1]

ohhh.... your's is cuter than mine!

mo

 

[ONSTAD1]

And where did you source that window?

mo

 

[mynamesjenelle]

And where did you source that window?

mo

The Habitat for Humanity ReStore for $20. I must have stolen it right out from under you one day!

 

[wsmith]

Very nice Janelle

 

[wsmith]

Here is what I did this afternoon. I put what was left of the orange barricade netting over most of pen 1, and set up the sprinkler. within 5 minutes, all of the chicks in pen 1 were out and not panting. Pen 2 gets shade from the fence. While working in the pens, it was 102 in the shade.

 

[coloradogal]

I'm contemplating doing a sweetpdx/sand box under their roosts at night. How is the dust situation in yours?

 

[coloradogal]

Cute duckie porn

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/viralvacuum/glance/237685/duckling-chases-cameraman.glance

 

[WendyGeisler]

HI
It's been soo hot here! I now have 3 water nipple buckets hung up, and have also been putting ice cubes in them. Also I have mulch in the run and have been hosing it down too. I noticed the girls are enjoying digging and rolling in it.
Here are some pictures of my hail net over my garden. The hail net saved my garden 3 different times last summer. I totally love it!I also put the hail net over my chicken run area, and am planning to switch to corregated roof material for winter time.

this picture is a couple of weeks old. The vertical gardens attached to the fence are now full of things for my chickies
I planted lettuce, thyme, spinach, swiss chard, and some flowers and feed them to the chicks! I have drip lines running
to them so they are pretty low maintence.