Wow yes ! They sure are feathered well. Gosh I can’t wait till they get bigger to see how they change
I don't think so... not that far. We did add a tarp for more shade. It's on the west side of the building and shaded most of the day anyway. You can see, it's shaded now.Holy Dinah you had a time didn’t you
Glad you caught Manny - that must have been terrifying for you.
Glad you were able to help the chooks - also must have been scary, is there anyway to extend your run under the trees?
Fans aren't the problem. We can put them in there, but with the doors open, there's an excellent breeze. Still, the way we constructed it, they don't get a much breeze at ground level. They get a ton on the roosts with the doors open.
I may have to try to train them. I work full time and, while I work from home, I work. So I can't be out with them, except a few hours evenings and weekends. With the animals about, and now this dog we truly are worried about letting them out. Our neighbor two houses down does, but if you lose 1 chicken out of 20 its different than 1 out of 4. We intend to make a much larger, permanent and predator proof run this fall. This one is smallish, but the coop is nearly 50 sq feet, so we figured it would do.Sorry shouldn’t chuckle at herding Manny
Do you never let them all out and about? Free ranging while you’re out with them? You can then train them to come running back with the shaking of a feed bowl. I have a few that like to break free and I just shake the bowl and then come running for a treat.
Is that steel building where they are housed?I don't think so... not that far. We did add a tarp for more shade. It's on the west side of the building and shaded most of the day anyway. You can see, it's shaded now. View attachment 3559369 But, turns out about 2 to 4, hottest part of the day, the sun is pretty much on there.
Fans aren't the problem. We can put them in there, but with the doors open, there's an excellent breeze. Still, the way we constructed it, they don't get a much breeze at ground level. They get a ton on the roosts with the doors open.
They are on deep litter over concrete. I've been wondering if they'd be cooler with less bedding, just down on the concrete. I mean, a concrete slab stays pretty cool. Should I expose it a bit?
I may have to try to train them. I work full time and, while I work from home, I work. So I can't be out with them, except a few hours evenings and weekends. With the animals about, and now this dog we truly are worried about letting them out. Our neighbor two houses down does, but if you lose 1 chicken out of 20 its different than 1 out of 4. We intend to make a much larger, permanent and predator proof run this fall. This one is smallish, but the coop is nearly 50 sq feet, so we figured it would do.
On the up side, while Sheba is still panting badly, it is cooling down. Sadly, she's back to penguining...my guess is it's based just on how she feels in general. I base that on my vast knowledge from a whole 11 months of chicken ownership.
Eenie, however, seems completely fine. She's not panting at all. View attachment 3559398
You know, maybe getting some of that electric poultry netting might be an option, keep the bad dogs out and the chooks in; you can then run the netting around the tree for shade.I don't think so... not that far. We did add a tarp for more shade. It's on the west side of the building and shaded most of the day anyway. You can see, it's shaded now. View attachment 3559369 But, turns out about 2 to 4, hottest part of the day, the sun is pretty much on there.
Fans aren't the problem. We can put them in there, but with the doors open, there's an excellent breeze. Still, the way we constructed it, they don't get a much breeze at ground level. They get a ton on the roosts with the doors open.
They are on deep litter over concrete. I've been wondering if they'd be cooler with less bedding, just down on the concrete. I mean, a concrete slab stays pretty cool. Should I expose it a bit?
I may have to try to train them. I work full time and, while I work from home, I work. So I can't be out with them, except a few hours evenings and weekends. With the animals about, and now this dog we truly are worried about letting them out. Our neighbor two houses down does, but if you lose 1 chicken out of 20 its different than 1 out of 4. We intend to make a much larger, permanent and predator proof run this fall. This one is smallish, but the coop is nearly 50 sq feet, so we figured it would do.
On the up side, while Sheba is still panting badly, it is cooling down. Sadly, she's back to penguining...my guess is it's based just on how she feels in general. I base that on my vast knowledge from a whole 11 months of chicken ownership.
Eenie, however, seems completely fine. She's not panting at all. View attachment 3559398
There are windows on each end, about 24x30 inches, one in the coop itself and one on the other end. There's also a screened small "vent" at roof level in the back of the coop, about 5x20.
So adorable!
Could you damp it down? I don’t know if that would work on concrete but damp ground is cooler.
Just to give you an idea of the coop, this was it under construction...
Where did those come from?
