FLORIDA!!!!!ALWAYS SUNNY SIDE UP!!!

[tigercreek]

Happy Hello from Palmetto Fl. We have +- 4 acres 1 BB Bronze jake. A truck load of chickens...Bantam and Standards and a batch of Jack Russell mixes and a suspicious yard dog that is a Lab/Husky mix. We moved here from the Outer Banks of NC and I am now loving life in the sun Please add me to your list on the west coast and central lists TYVM

Glad to have another Palmettoian here!! .....stan

 

[crossgirl]

I fully support you, I kill them all without any guilt whatsoever.

Be sure to kill the cuban tree frogs also. They're invasive and kill off the spring peeper populations as well as anything else they can eat. Nothing eats them though.

 

[ibarbidahl]

Hey y'all! I'm in Pasco county. Near Land O' Lakes. I'm trying to stay under the radar in a residential neighborhood with my 3 gals and have so far been successful. My immediate neighbors know (of course) so far so good. I know any day someone could complain, but until then I'm not giving up!

Their coop is tucked away and the run is large, but unless you know exactly what you are looking for you'd never find it. We installed a false gate so it can't be seen by accident. ;-) When and if I get my notice from the HOA or the county I'll be putting two up for adoption and the third will be going into lock-down on the back porch. LOL.

Anyway - the point of all this is I wanted to stop by and ask a question and I didn't think that it was a good one for the regular coop/run/maintenance board. When I built the coop I did it with Florida's extreme summer humidity and temps in mind. It has so much ventilation that I'm worried about it now that the cooler temps are here. A good 1/3 of the coop is open with lattice and wire covering. I know we have comparatively mild temps, but should I worry that they will be too drafty in there? I could put a second perch for them lower so they would be less likely to be in the cross breeze, but I don't know if they would use it. The coop is roughly 40"x48" and only contains the nest box and the perch. Currently one of the pullets still thinks the floor is awesome. LOL. (Now I wish they all did for warmth!)

Thanks for any tips. I'm not so worried about water freezing and all that jazz, but overnight it does get darn cold and I want my little feathered friends happy and healthy. Do you guys/gals do anything special for the winter? It seems like this year the weather is early and it makes me nervous.

 

[anderson8505]

Hey there ibarbidahl, I'm your neighbor in Wesley Chapel. My coops are also very open and ventilated. I don't do anything for them during the winter. I've had chickens since March 2011. One idea if you're really worried would be to staple or attach plastic sheeting around the coop. I think you can get it by the roll at Home Depot, Lowe's or Ace Hardware. Also--on a side note--if you're ever looking for lumber there is a cypress mill @ 52 and 41 with great prices compared to HD or Lowe's.
Good luck!
Patty (not on here much, mostly on FB "anderson8505")

 

[wayne813]

im in ruskin florida

 

[ibarbidahl]

Ah, Visquene then? OK. Sounds like a plan. Maybe I'll just leave the side up against the house open its triangular and 2' on the largest side. Should be plenty of ventilation and against the house protected from any real wind.

Thanks! :-D

Wayne- I work near you in the Port of Tampa.

 

[sinkorswim]

Thanks for any tips. I'm not so worried about water freezing and all that jazz, but overnight it does get darn cold and I want my little feathered friends happy and healthy. Do you guys/gals do anything special for the winter? It seems like this year the weather is early and it makes me nervous.

While I dont think its necessary for their survival,I do wrap my coop in the winter with plastic.My coop was designed with 90% ventilation for the heat.I guess I humanize my girls too much,I think they would feel better in the warmth out of the wind.The problem here in Florida is you find yourself putting up the plastic and taking down the plastic more times than you would like LOL! Like right now we have this cold front where my temps are in the 40's at night,but it wont be long before it warms up again and that plastic will be too warm.The farmers almanac is predicting a colder than normal winter here in Florida so if you are gonna wrap your coop,keep plenty of plastic on hand.My guess is it wont be long before you wont have to take it back down for the year.
And it seems you are going for the discreet look.I am guessing its not possible to put it under the lattice but above the wire without disassembling your coop.If you put it on the inside,just know curious or bored chickens will peck at,and generally tear holes in the plastic.I would be careful but I have never had a chicken consume any large amount of plastic.(unlike those north of us who may use Styrofoam-chickens will eat tons of that stuff)
Best of Luck to you!
addicted2chickens

 

[wayne813]

i know where that is... ibarbidahl


do u have bantams?

 

[Seatrout00]

I am very respectful of native species and won't even kill a spider if I find one indoors. However, Bufo marinus pose a serious risk to my dogs and my chickens, they are non-native or invasive and unless/until it becomes illegal, I will continue to kill every single one I find in the vicinity of my house or in front of the wheels of my car. I first came across Bufo marinus while on an exercise in Australia while I was serving in the Marine Corps. They were everywhere in the training area, and I later learned how horribly destructive they have been to the native wildlife there, as they have no natural predators, they are highly toxic as tadpoles, and as adults they produce a toxin that native Australian predatory species and domestic animals are vulnerable to. They are rapidly spreading from east to west across that continent and decimating native amphibian populations as they go. I am guessing they have had a similar, if not nearly as devastating impact here in the US. So, if you want to save a Bufo marinus, be my guest. You won't be doing the FL wildlife any favors.

Good on you! marinus is truly havoc on our wildlife - much like fire ants - taking them out improves the native critters 100-fold in my opinion. I got to know a researcher at UF who was paramount in learning the weaknesses of fire ants from the 60s through the 90s and was instrumental in the creation of Amdro - anyway - I learned more about how damaging one invasive species is from that man in two days than I will ever likely learn - and critters like marinus or trees like the Brazillian Pepper, and fire ants of course, is kind of like a couple kids with pea-shooters going up against nuclear weapons - they are just so out of whack for our environment - as their native environment in South America is so hostile - they too are very hostile ... yeah now I'm rambling but I think you get my meaning - good for you for helping the native critters is all I got to say!

 

[ibarbidahl]

No, no bantams for fear of flight. Trying to stay unknown and all the bantams I've encountered are more likely to be able to take a 6' fence than the heavier birds. I wish though. My chicken math would certianly include them. I think they would be perfect for our situation otherwise -with only a small parcel.