Illinois...

[cavemanrich]

Kind of a sad update Rosie crossed the Rainbow Bridge yesterday. She is the one I got as a rescue in fall of 2016. Went peacefully in sleep. I did what I had to do at Sundown.
This was her when I first got her. Now I'm down to 5 pets.

 

[BReeder!]

Welcome to the IL thread and crazy world of chickens!
I would recommend a thread here on BYC in the raising baby chicks forum called Mama Heating Pad in the Brooder. It is looong, but read the first ten pages and last ten pages to give yourself an option to a heat lamp. EDITED to add..What caveman said.
I would also recommend play sand instead of newspaper or shavings. A thin layer is all you need and it is easy to clean droppings. A bag should last until they move outside.
What do you have in your greenhouse?

Play sand... that's simple but genius. Safe to say it would act as grit too for the chicks?

The greenhouse... It's a project that has been underway since last year. I framed it out and had half the roofing and siding on plus raised beds built and filled with dirt... THEN I DECIDED TO MOVE IT. Just moved the greenhouse two weekends ago and built new raised beds and fenced off the garden. Planning to plant all sorts of goodies - tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, cabbage, bell pepper, hot peppers, pumpkins, watermelon, etc.

 

[NotAFarm]

Yes, it can also be grit.
Is it possible for you to a put small coop at one end of the greenhouse? There is a BYCer in Canada that uses her greenhouse as a coop.

 

[chickendreams24]

Kind of a sad update Rosie crossed the Rainbow Bridge yesterday. She is the one I got as a rescue in fall of 2016. Went peacefully in sleep. I did what I had to do at Sundown.
This was her when I first got her. Now I'm down to 5 pets.
View attachment 1296267

I'm so sorry for your loss. So glad she got to know a wonderful life after you rescued her.

 

[Molpet]

Kind of a sad update Rosie crossed the Rainbow Bridge yesterday. She is the one I got as a rescue in fall of 2016. Went peacefully in sleep. I did what I had to do at Sundown.
This was her when I first got her. Now I'm down to 5 pets.
View attachment 1296267

so sorry for your loss I remember when you got her and Mousse

 

[BReeder!]

Yes, it can also be grit.
Is it possible for you to a put small coop at one end of the greenhouse? There is a BYCer in Canada that uses her greenhouse as a coop.

I could... I am afraid of it getting too warm in the summer though if the greenhouse ventilation were to fail. The current idea is to have the coop attached to the back wall of the greenhouse. sharing a wall would provide some added warmth in the winter as the greenhouse warms by trapping energy from the sun and some of that heat energy would transfer through the 3/4" wood wall that the coop would be built up against. I definitely could put the coop in the greenhouse though in a corner and add a door on the outside. The greenhouse is 18'x8'. I'm likely only going to have a 4-5' coop similar in size to a large breed dog house. The green house would give the birds a warmer bird run in the winter though. We don't expect to grow a whole lot in the greenhouse throughout the winter but intend to use it to extend the growing season. If we did decide to keep plants in the greenhouse, I could fence them of with hardware cloth and bird netting. food for thought... I have a little bit of time at least (a few days until this weekend just) to figure out exactly how I want to layout the coop.

 

[Molpet]

Hey. Im from stark county Illinois!!! Toulon to be exact!!

nice down there
What kind of chickens do you have?

 

[chickendreams24]

@Molpet

I didn't realize you had so many birds. What all do you have?

 

[BReeder!]

Welcome to the IL thread and crazy world of chickens!
I would recommend a thread here on BYC in the raising baby chicks forum called Mama Heating Pad in the Brooder. It is looong, but read the first ten pages and last ten pages to give yourself an option to a heat lamp. EDITED to add..What caveman said.
I would also recommend play sand instead of newspaper or shavings. A thin layer is all you need and it is easy to clean droppings. A bag should last until they move outside.
What do you have in your greenhouse?

I know I already replied to this, but didn't think to ask. Did you have plants for the garden/greenhouse in mind that would be especially beneficial to the chickens?

 

[Molpet]

I didn't realize you had so many birds. What breeds do you have?

Mostly meat mutts LOL
For hens I have 3 Black Jersey Giants, 2 barred rocks, 2 ISA browns, 4 cinnamon queens all hatchery stock.. the other hens are mixes from the first 2 and a mixed roo I got for free and a cx hen I held back.
The roos are Dinner (lav orp), the mixed roo and 2 of his sons out of the cx hen and one grandson out of a son.

Out of the cx mixes, coming up I have 7 boys and 1 pullet in the grow out pen from Thanksgiving and 1 cockerel from halloween. In the main coop are 5 pullets from halloween that are getting ready to lay.