Illinois...

[Nwchickma]

Wish I had a bigger coop Faraday, I would take them and they'd be right around the corner. maybe you need to add a small coop attached to the new run extension. Then you can even add a few more I think you need a speckled sussux, mine are the best! And you mentioned you wanted a welsummer before...

I wish I had at least one winter under my belt, I wouldn't be so nervous.

I'm still getting almost an egg a day from the only girl that I have laying right now. The other 2 should start soon if we don't all freeze to death!(ok, maybe that's a little dramatic but this weather is a bit much)

 

[Dawn IL]

Have any of my fellow Illini crossed over?

I am here in east central Illinois.

Christie

Hello, I'm just west of Sycamore, IL. Near the DeKalb/Ogle county line.
Dawn

 

[NotAFarm]

Quote:

and to the Illinois thread! You aren't too far from me. I'm in Lee County, west of I-39, between Amboy and Sublette.
What kind of flock do you have?

 

[Dawn IL]

Mine do the same thing  DH put some compost down around the trees then added mulch on top.  As soon as he finished, the chickens helped spread it around.  Oh well.

The only thing which bothers me about our chicken landscaping team is the herb garden.  They love the area under the eves where the ground stays dry, so they dug up all my herbs & strawberries.  They also decimated my hostas & day lilies, but I had too many of those anyway.  We had one of those water scarecrows, but they figured out how to set it off then run past during the 8 sec delay.  Still trying to figure out a new containment plan.

Well, I don't know what a water scarecrow is, but I am sure the entertainment factor of watching them set it off and dash past was worth quite a few laughs!

 

[Faraday40]

Well, I don't know what a water scarecrow is, but I am sure the entertainment factor of watching them set it off and dash past was worth quite a few laughs!

http://www.amazon.com/Contech-CRO10...UTF8&qid=1416167957&sr=8-2&keywords=scarecrow

The scarecrow worked great from May-late Aug, by then they found a system & crossed easily. We wanted to contain them in back behind the garage without a fence. (So the dogs could cross) The flock has seen the house & know where we live. They now peck at the sliding glass door asking to come inside. Also poop on the driveway & screened room where the kids like to ride bikes & play.

When the Scarecrow was on, the people had to adapt & remember to turn it off BEFORE crossing into the spray zone. So many times I'd hear a person scream in surprise as they got soaked. Yes, it provided entertainment on many levels.

The most effective system was to buy a super soaker for our son & keep it by the back door. He has permission to shoot only when the chickens are up front. He enjoys his work. Because a preschooler is unpredictable, they see that gun & run back toward the coop.

 

[Faraday40]

Had an extra "helper" rake leaves yesterday:

 

[NotAFarm]

Yeah, mine love to "help" with leaves.....usually putting them where they don't need to be

We got some snow last night so I am glad I got some leaves bagged for the coop yesterday.
I swept the mats outside the door so I could spread some scratch for a cold morning treat...

 

[SixChickFlock]

Winterizing again...

My chicken water heater seems to be working. Water was available this morning.

I covered most of the coop windows with pieces from a new clear heavy-duty shower curtain liner yesterday. Just stapled them to the outside. Over stapled. I left the highest window open. It's 8" high and 24" wide. Designed to be a vent, it's at the top of the sloped roof and is on the south side of the coop. Having the high side of the coop was just luck... The way it had to be built. With the sun low in the sky and the leaves gone from the Burr Oak, light fills the coop on sunny days. In the summer, the tree keeps the coop and run cool. I imagine the tree benefits from the coop mulch.

Have any of you changed your chicken diet for the cold??? I fed mine extra sunflower seeds as a treat, just 'cause it was cold out, and asparagus bottoms in the morning. The young ones really liked the asparagus. Scratch eveyday in the yard and plenty of regular feed.

I had visions of "Mrs Poppers Penguins" this morning and of building an indoor hen habitat... Fortunately, I don't have the space!

 

[Bronson]

I do sunflower seeds to bulk them up starting in September, and I add a handful or two of cracked corn when it hits freezing for digestive heat.

 

[Bronson]

I also throw a flake of alfalfa hay from the horses stash in the coop each week. They like to snuggle down into it to keep warm, and pick thru it to eat. It usually takes a week for them to finish the flake.