INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Chaneys Ranch]

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

Nice coop! I have mine divided for a small utility area too. You have beautiful horses!

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

X2, very handsome roo!
I see a lot of nice colors in your group!

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

Both of my big coops are mini barns/sheds. The older one is done for, but the newer one will be for grow outs next year.
I love your set up and pasture!

 

[Leahs Mom]

Okay, jch... now you have to post some photos of your coop shed.

You probably have already and I missed them.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

So discouraged! We have had pretty cold weather for the last 2 weeks or so and snow on the ground for the majority of it. My welsummers and blue Andalusian had some black spots on their combs. I bought some bag balm, as someone had recommended, and used it. This morning one of my boy's combs is almost entirely black!!! I made it worse!!

That is very strange, hope he is ok! Bag balm is a very basic vaseline type protective barrier. I have even used it on my hands when they chap from the winter.
Its original use was to protect a cows udder from chapping. Its been around for years and my grandmother swore by it.

I was just notified by the person I'm buying some chicks from ( as a Christmas gift for a friend) they are hatching!!!! Yay!!! So I'll b hearing little peeps in the house again in a day or two. I hope like the dickens her honey has followed thru and gets her coop fixed up soon!!! My "honey" (and I use the term loosely) isn't going t like bitties in the bath tub. Even if they are in a plastic tote with chicken wire over it. Gotta go find my heat lamp... Yippee!! Soooo excited.

wooohoo! Babies

 

[Leahs Mom]

We've been having the frostbite discussion on the natural chicken keeping thread too. If anyone is interested it starts about here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...eeping-thread-ots-welcome/25150#post_12495389

You'll have to wade through a bunch of other stuff and just read what's pertinent. Discussion on frostbite goes through about noon today.

I'm still of the conclusion to leave it alone unless there is infection/gangrene/deterioration.

Editing to add:
Probably could jump from that initial post to this one: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...eeping-thread-ots-welcome/25220#post_12499547 And go on from there.

There is a lot of chit chat between the 2 posts that isn't necessary to wade through. Although there are a few posts about frostbite in there if you're brave enough to wade through it all

 

[Leahs Mom]

Oh...my dad has visiting physicians that come to the house as a "shut-in", Doc has some chickens too. We had a bit of a discussion on the frostbite today and he said that he just left it alone and they were okay for him over the years.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote: I give them to my pigs, shell and all, usually hardboiled.
Here's another one to go with Minnie Pearl... BR549

CC...Chickens google it, its a fun piece of history!

Hi Everyone!

It's been a while since I've checked this thread!

How is everyone enjoying the winter so far? Ugh. I think it's a bad sign to be sick of trudging through the snow in the middle of December. I'm pretty sure the chickens are sick of being locked up everyday, too. Of course, it is Indiana we live in, isn't it? I've been spoiled by the last couple of winters.

My roosters are also getting terrible frostbite -- just like last year. I decided to put neosporin in my rooster (who had mild frostbite) and it also turned his comb and wattles black. What's the deal with that? I took precautions this year (I thought)...I brought him in when it got 10 or under, I kept them inside on cold/wet/windy days, and finally put something on them. Their coop seems fine - I just don't get the frostbite thing.

BLACK COMB/WATTLES: One of my roosters had HORRIBLE frostbite last year and his comb and wattles turned black, too. He lost the tips of his comb and eventually everything went back to red. It took quite a while, though. I believe the black is dead tissue. Watch it for infection.

Great to see you!! I had one rooster with problems last winter, 2 tips on his comb. You can't even see it now, they seem to heal well.

 

[Mother2Hens]

I have seen pictures of coons hunting in the daytime. Stony on here has killed several during the day but don't look at his pictures unless you can stand seeing red.

I was referring to the cat getting in the trap. Lately our trap has been good at catching our barn cats and chickens back when they were free ranging. Today's coon tracks were the first I had seen in well over 2 years. But back when we had a run of coons and other stray annoying animals, we were catching close to one a month or more. The only time I was saddened was when my dad had said that the trapped opossum had given birth after her death. Turned out that once I researched it the annoying opossum babies lived in a pouch much like a kangaroo. Somehow that made it less bad and I moved on. Sure would not want 6 or more of those things setting up home in my yard.

SallyinIndiana ~ I won't look at the person's photos.

I'm glad that you are using a humane method. My son who lives downtown said that last night he thought he saw a kitten under a bush in the parking lot, so he looked underneath and a baby possum walked out! Haha. Our family happens to think that possums are cute. One time we had a mom with babies on her back in one of our trees. It was amazing to see. This photo is from the Internet.


bradselig ~ I haven't made it over to Ace Hardware, but now I have several whole branches of lights out! Have you or anyone ever used a Light Keeper Pro?


kabhyper ~ I see that Gus is back to ruling the roost! The young ones look so cute!

Oh...my dad has visiting physicians that come to the house as a "shut-in", Doc has some chickens too. We had a bit of a discussion on the frostbite today and he said that he just left it alone and they were okay for him over the years.

Leahs Mom ~ That's a handy doctor who can answer chicken questions, too!

 

[SallyinIndiana]

my brother used the light thing to detect the problem bulb. He liked it for detection but he says it is still time consuming. Also if the strings of lights are different brands the replacement bulbs vary by brand and sometimes the fuses too.
my brother used it or something very similar on the stringed tiny Christmas lights though not a lighted tree.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote: LOL tribbles! yes they sure do!

Oh my, pick me up off the floor~~ gasp~~ breathe!

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote: Aww I am so sorry, it seems the ones we like the most are the ones we lose.
I noticed fox tracks around my goose coop yesterday! Glad the fence is wired now!
I swear it looks like it got zapped, there is a spot where something thrashed in the snow.

His comb looks better today. I think I am just going to keep an eye on it and hands off unless it starts to look worse. Thanks for all the advice!

Oh thats good news!