Maine

[chickery-do]

Its aged cedar fencing. It's held up for 5 winters, so I'm pretty confident with that part. It's not predator proof, but I haven't had a problem (knock on wood) with predators when they free range. They are locked up at night.

Your lucky, I watched a Hawk come down for my RIR and not to sure what took the other but she never came back to the coop. So Yah, your lucky!

 

[Jazor]

...

Tomorrow, Revision Energy is coming to begin installing solar panels on our roof!

Could I trouble you for a PM about this? I've been looking into getting some panels--and I really would love a "review" of sorts from someone who's done this first hand! Thanks Bucka

 

[Mainechick168]

Big eggs must be in the air! One of my EE's laid double yokers two days in a row!

I am also curious about the solar panels- actually, I want to know all about it! Are you having them mounted on your roof? or somewhere else??

 

[lazy gardener]

Big eggs must be in the air! One of my EE's laid double yokers two days in a row!

I am also curious about the solar panels- actually, I want to know all about it! Are you having them mounted on your roof? or somewhere else??

Same here, details please about the solar panel set up.

 

[buckabucka]

Some solar panel info for all who asked: The panels should take care of all our electricity needs. I can't remember if they are putting 6 or 8 panels up there on our roof (we have good southern exposure) but someone from Revision Energy will come to your house, check out your average electric bill, look at your exposure, and figure out how many panels you would need to cover your yearly costs.

We will still be on the grid. In the summer, when we are making more power than we need, CMP "buys" the excess back. No money changes hands, but you bank electricity credits that you can draw on in the darker months.

It is pricey, but there are some tax breaks. I think it will be at least 15 years before the system pays for itself. Our friends who have some money to throw around got a real cool system: a GIANT bank of solar panels mounted on a pole. The panels track the sun to give a maximum return. Their's will power both their house and $25,000 miles of charge for a Chevy Volt.

We won't have power during an outage. I don't know all the details of how this works, but feel free to ask more technical questions and I can find out details from DH!

 

[buckabucka]

HA! Shows how much I know! DH says we are getting 18 panels. 5.1 KW

 

[CoopChick719]

We got our first egg yesterday! I recounted and the girls are 18 weeks today (not 16 as I had thought). So, that means someone laid at 17 weeks, 6 days... WAY earlier than I ever anticipated and I wouldn't have believed it unless I saw it. I am fairly certain it was a barred rock. She went into the coop yesterday while they were all out free-ranging, which was odd for her. Next thing I know she let out this horrendous screaming noise. I went running not knowing what was going on. She was just standing in the coop. It wasn't until I was closing up at night that I noticed there was a perfect little egg sitting there! I honestly thought someone had planted it as a joke.

Bucka - so awesome on the solar panels! That is a dream of mine.

Congrats on the first egg!! I, too, thought someone had planted my first egg because it was green & looked like a piece of sidewalk chalk.

 

[CoopChick719]

Finally figured out who was laying the olive colored eggs for me--Spot, a BR x, who came from MaineChicks' girls.

She & Janice were quite distressed that they couldn't get into the coop Saturday while I was cleaning & whitewashing. I thought they were just being nosy like Mrs. Kravitz was all day. I finally had to shut the people door to keep her out. When I did let them in, they both headed straight for the nesting boxes.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

Finally figured out who was laying the olive colored eggs for me--Spot, a BR x, who came from MaineChicks' girls.

She & Janice were quite distressed that they couldn't get into the coop Saturday while I was cleaning & whitewashing. I thought they were just being nosy like Mrs. Kravitz was all day. I finally had to shut the people door to keep her out. When I did let them in, they both headed straight for the nesting boxes.

Had that happen today. I have mites, well the chickens do, and I did their treatment early this morning (in the dark), and then I cleaned the coop later.

I had to lock them all out of the coop to treat it (I set off a flea bomb to get in the cracks and crevices and then sprayed permethrin on top once the bomb had gone off) and despite the temporary nesting boxes I placed outside I had 3 chickens that refused to use the new accommodations. The worst was a RIR of mine who, despite being plump, continued to launch herself off the ground and into the window hoping to break through to get to the nest boxes. I ended up not following the directions on the bomb (re: wait 2 hours for things to settle then air it out for 30 minutes) because I was worried for her safety.

 

[buckabucka]

I have an olive egger named Spot also!

And mine will rarely use the nesting box if I set it outside while cleaning the coop. They whine and squawk and scratch at the door. It always stresses me out!