INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Chaneys Ranch]

So...I think that might be 2 votes against the Fresh Cab...

I am kinda unnerved by it too, I see my birds stir mice up in the field constantly.
Then its a mass football shuffle and keep away til someone swallows it

Same with snakes, all sorts of stuff crawling things so I am always afraid to use anything.
They found a nest when I put straw in the coops run last, it was a mass hysteria until all the mice were gone

bradselig ~ OMG! I love that Cochin pair!

jchny ~ I am sending you a digital camera that was Lauren’s. We all use our iPhones for photos, so this camera has been sitting in a closet. The case has scratches from being thrown in her purse, but it works fine. I probably won’t get to the PO until tomorrow.



hogster ~ jchny is right, I normally would have researched the humidity problem, but I’m running behind on my holiday duties, so I keep telling myself to “prioritize.” I’d rather be talking about chickens! Just got the tree decorated yesterday. By the time I am done decorating, it will be time to take everything down!

minmin ~ I hope someone was around when you fell! It’s scary to think that you could have been stuck outside. I’ve heard of people putting nails or screws in the bottom of their boots as ice grippers. Anyone tried that? I bet Old Salt knows all the tricks.

OH MY M2H

Thanks so much! I don't know what to say

Maybe I can finally start sharing more pictures, THANK YOU!

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote: hehe never hurts to ask!

Okay....I am lost...or I lost my mind...or my nerve or my underwear at the last concert!

The girls are HATING winter! They have turned from four happy hens to four angry fowl!!! The snow was bad but the ice beats all!! and now we are supposedly in for more of both! But they are staying warm and I am keeping them busy even though they have to stay in their pen and not roaming the yard (mostly because by the time I leave work it's dark and they are asleep and also because if they are out they help themselves to the doggie door and sit on the kitchen table!!)

The dogs had a scare though as there were some strange tracks in the snow on the porch on Sunday! Silly chickens!

Well I am off to find myself or my mind or my nerve... not to worried about the other!

Stay warm and safe everyone!!!

Connie

LOL

Stay warm too!

PS: My husband found the dog house on the side of the road...someone was getting rid of it. I think he paid $5 but it may have been free...my memory fails me on which but not more than $5.

I find those often too, often times just being thrown out. I snatch up any houses or crates I can, I always have a use for them.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote: X2 love this design, and very good start to work with!

Quote: Love the ideas, but the Christmas lights are awesome!

I also converted a shed into my main coop. My shed was 10x16. Only had a skylight. I blocked off the back 10ft to have a 10x10 section for the chickens and front 6 ft for storage. I did buy some storm window to add to the coop. I highly recommend adding windows not only for light but for summer. I have to block off the skylight in summer due to it letting in a lot of heat, but it's great for spring, fall, and winter. Here is the coop when I first started converting it.

Getting a new paint job.

Looking in

Windows

The main doors are facing the east. Windows on north side but I have to watch for rain coming. The chicken door faces the south. I did add a covered "porch" on it that opens to the east as strong winds would just come barreling through the coop. I used basic storm windows at first and have to take the glass in and out from the outside. That's ok on the north side but the south side has the prun covered with netting. So I can't use that type of window on the south side. So I got double or triple track storm windows that were on clearance at work so I can open and close from inside. Just haven't installed them yet....

Very nice!

The ducks certainly enjoyed the snow today. As soon as I let them out, they waddled out on top of their snow hill and started in on their snow baths!


After dust bathing in the snow it was time to hang out and enjoy the winter day.




The doggies love to play in the snow. Plus they can stop whenever they want to have a bite of snow to eat. So funny to watch the 2 of them chase each other around, pause for a snow snack and then start running around again!


The alpacas hung outside for awhile. Carmello danced around for a bit when he first realized there was snow on the ground (he's the one on the right). A bit later while I was still outside I discovered Carmello deciding he wanted to swim in their water trough. We have a floating water heater in it which has been working great at keeping that water unfrozen. When I found Carmello he was standing in the water trough with water running down the front of his neck. He didn't want to get out of the water! I don't know if he had tried to lay down in there or what, silly boy. I got them back in the barn for awhile after that for a hay snack.

Aww thats too funny! Beanie loved the water hose, he would stick his teeth to the spray, guess he was getting a good flushing!
if i took the hose away too soon he would hummmm at me loudly!

8 and 10 week baby updates!!!!! I love my silkies.

The 10 week olds..
Bell

Chance

The 8 week olds...
Gracie

The two whites need names.

Henley

Sheldon Cooper

? Needs a name.

Adorable!

 

[Mother2Hens]

The girls are HATING winter! They have turned from four happy hens to four angry fowl!!! The snow was bad but the ice beats all!! and now we are supposedly in for more of both! But they are staying warm and I am keeping them busy even though they have to stay in their pen and not roaming the yard (mostly because by the time I leave work it's dark and they are asleep and also because if they are out they help themselves to the doggie door and sit on the kitchen table!!)

Delawaremommy ~ That is so funny! The other day I went out to check their water and accidentally left the sliding glass door open just enough that when I walked back in, I had three chickens greeting me! Nene snuck in yesterday and headed straight for the refrigerator.

Another problem with freezing temps: Jersey had a "pasty-butt" because some poo had frozen and then new poo would stick to that, so this afternoon I brought her in and had to wash her back end with Dawn and warm water. It was nasty. I used to bathe my injured pullet Violet regularly, but she wasn't the size of a turkey like Jersey is! I held Jersey in the football position --under my left arm with her head facing backwards and her rear under the faucet. She was really good. Then I blew dry her back end with a blow dryer until she had a fluffy butt again. One of those things I never imagined myself doing! After I brought clean, fresh Jersey outside, I came in and cleaned everything with bleach/paper towels a few times and felt the need to take a hot shower and wash my hair!
jchny ~ We're happy to recycle the camera-- We all have been wanting to see photos of your menagerie!
House Kat ~ I agree that coop #2 with the windows will make a great coop. I'm so excited because I have been worried about how your flock has been since their roof caved in.
Leahs Mom, SallyinIndiana, bradselig, jchny and others ~ I was so pleased to see you all take the time to advise House Kat, a fellow Evansvillian, about the coop plans. I know it's a busy time of year!

 

[browncow15]

I didn't realize so many people had mini barns as coops!

All my inside pics are on my old phone but you can see it in this pic. Ours was on the property when we bought it. The big doors open to the west which is where all our wind usually comes from. Great for the summer, not working so well this winter. DH put windows on the north side when he did the inside for me I think we're going to have to add some to the south side as well. I'll try to get some more pics tomorrow. There's lots I'd do differently!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Mother2Hens]

brown cow ~ I remember a light bulb going off with some thread members (like me) who had the realization that tweaking a pre-made structure may end up costing less and certainly is much faster than building one. Hand-built ones are great, but most people find that they end up costing much more and taking much more time than anticipated. Please share more photos if you get a chance.

Peaceful Walls ~ Lovely photos! It's refreshing to see that ducks enjoy snow!

 

[bradselig]

So tried again to get pics of the silkies. No one wanted to go out and taking them inside coop they don't turn out very well. However this stud did go outside. I just love his coloring!

And here is about the only good one that turned out from inside the coop

 

[FarkerFarms]

Mine is also built into an existing shed - but due to my lack of storage in my house/horse barn I couldn't use the whole thing for the chickens. The shed/coop is to the left of the horse barn. The shed is huge so I was able to enclose one side of the shed and still have storage in the rest of it. Plus I can get out of the elements to feed. The shed is already wired for electric but I don't have the knowledge to add it myself and have been spending money elsewhere on the farm. I am really hoping to get the electric out there since it is dark by the time I get home and I can't see to feed them!



It is all painted now and there is a new ador 1 automatic chicken door - I have apparently been delinquent in getting updated pics! The run is 12 x 17 and the coop is 4 x 10


Inside, 3 roosts, two at the same height one right behind the other, and one lower. There are nesting boxes right about where I was standing to take the pic, and they open from the outside so I don't have to dodge escape artists to get the eggs.

Covered the back half of the run roof with weed barrier fabric (designed to repel UV rays and gave great shade, also super cheap). It would be nice to put an actual roof on part of it so they can go out when it is raining, but I would be worried about the run collapsing. I am not an engineer

Before the door was hung, from inside the shed.


A couple of my other farm inhabitants

 

[Delawaremommy]

So tried again to get pics of the silkies. No one wanted to go out and taking them inside coop they don't turn out very well. However this stud did go outside. I just love his coloring!

And here is about the only good one that turned out from inside the coop

you know some people would say they have angels in the coop with the two little orbs floating!!!! just sayin

 

[Leahs Mom]

Quote: Got 'em at the local walmart...battery operated http://www.walmart.com/ip/20-Batter...de-Angle-Christmas-Lights-with-Timer/27421811

They were a little cheaper locally and I could put the battery case in a little plastic food container so it is protected from the weather.