Helpful hints for building coops

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I put them out after a week or so due to my early integration process,
started this right after finally getting a nice brooder(ha!)
plus I do not miss the mess, stink, and noise in the house.

Am setting up the 'chick area' today...I have a broody, I think.
Hadn't planned on hatching at all this year,
but then there's always that niggling "you want fresh layers before winter",
so had been thinking/kinda wishing one would go broody.
 
NewBoots said:
It's a beautiful warm day today and they're enjoying the sun patch in the coop right now. Supposed to get down to 41 tonight, think they'll be okay with the hen brooder plate? Or should I bring them in at night for a while longer?
Click to expand...
Should be OK.
Are they using the plate well?

Which plate do you have, I don't see it in your other post...pics?
Never mind looked farther back.
 
aart said:
Should be OK.
Are they using the plate well?

Which plate do you have, I don't see it in your other post...pics?
Never mind looked farther back.
Click to expand...
Yup, I looked in on them before I came in and they were under the plate and no "I'm cold" peeps. They do come out when we talk to them though.

20200412_142727.jpg

Here's the mama hen. Got two of them since our chicks will be a couple weeks apart in age and I was afraid pf bullying.
 
NewBoots said:
Yup, I looked in on them before I came in and they were under the plate and no "I'm cold" peeps. They do come out when we talk to them though.
Click to expand...
Sounds good!
One thing about this setup......they might not be able to get out from under if they get too hot. Maybe remove the cover and pull away from the 'back' wall 4-6".
I'd turn it around too so cord is more 'protected'.
20200409_124627-jpg.2083267
 
aart said:
Sounds good!
One thing about this setup......they might not be able to get out from under if they get too hot. Maybe remove the cover and pull away from the 'back' wall 4-6".
I'd turn it around too so cord is more 'protected'.
20200409_124627-jpg.2083267
Click to expand...
That pic was taken before I had completely set it up. That's the brooder but it has pine shavings and a food and water thingy. The warmer has space on the door side so they shouldn't have problems getting out. But this is where they are now:
Coop1.jpg Coop2.jpg
It's the main coop area, no hens yet so I thought this would give them more playing space. We'll see if I have the nerve to leave them out there tonight. My bedroom window is maybe 15 feet from the coop and I'll check on them again before I go to bed. There's still a brooder set up in my bathroom in case of an emergency rescue :D
 
I am still farting around with the playhouse coop. I was trying to make a window out of glass. While cutting the glass, it broke. Back to the drawing board. I spent a lot of time feeding and watering today. I also took three cedar slabs and marked them to make them square and uniform size. Then I cut them. Oh, and I peeled off the bark. So I have 3 more boards for the barn's privacy fence.
 
Got the winter raised bed cleared out and filled with compost and surrounded it with fencing to keep the cats out. Tomorrow I'll get the asparagus bed caged in as well. I started a bunch of asparagus from seed that's still in the greenhouse but I'm not sure how big they need to be to transplant into the bed.

I've run out of 2" seedling pots but I've got most of the stuff that needed a start in the greenhouse planted already. Too soon to move the tomato plants to the garden but I think I'll move them to bigger pots. I started a crazy amount of tomatoes and peppers and I'm really hoping they do well here. Going to try okra and keep them in the greenhouse to see if I can get a crop.
 
I started asparagus in flats from seed a few years back.
they came up but stayed hair like and short. I tossed them.
when it is time to plant your tomatoes, lay them on their sides in the pot in the sun. It won't take long and the tips will bend up toward the sun, then you can plant them without having to bend them, If you plant them horizontally like I do.
green peppers can be planted right up to their bottom leaves. place a ring of newspaper around the stem to keep the leaves from pasting themselves to the ground. in a few days you can remove the paper or leave it for mulch..
You probably know all of this. but I wanted to hear it again..
it looks like the snow is letting up. also looks like about 6'' of new snow..
 

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