Maine

[lazy gardener]

I visited the habitat store this week, and came home with 2 tempered glass window panels about 30" x 74". (paid $5 each) I think they'll fit perfectly inside my hay bale cold frames to give the second layer of protection, effectively bringing the microclimate up to Zone 8A while letting a lot of light in! That store is my favorite place to shop. They had a whole load of cabinet doors that I think were made of Ash, and brand new, selling for less than the wood could be purchased. I was scratching my head hard on that one, trying desperately to find an excuse to buy them, but had to walk away, as I honestly couldn't come up with an idea for the use of them!

I love that store!! I think I need to pay them a visit. I need new doors for my coops and I think that some cabinet doors would be perfect! Mine are falling off and don't close very well. They leave gaps and the wind gets in them.

You might look to see if they have any windows that you could re-purpose. Depending on the size and lay out of your coop, windows might be a good option for doors. Plenty of glass to let in the light. I bought 2 aluminum combination windows, complete with full storms and screens to use in my green house. Made the doors by framing around the windows, and mounting them in the door frames so they were about a foot off the ground. That gave plenty of head room, and extra clearance to allow entrance with snow on the ground. Allows good ventilation with infinite adjustment.

 

[CoopChick719]

Are your fluffed-up birds molting, Coopchick? My molting hens act like they are sick, -less active, sleeping in nest boxes, and not running for sunflower seeds like the others. Did you already check for mites? I find it frustrating to have a sick hen (or two) in the house, especially if I'm not sure what is wrong. I hope they get better soon.

Not molting that I can see, bucka. I've only had 1 hen go through a moult so far. She's one of my oldest. Lots of white feathers everywhere but no one else yet. I don't see any mites but they are both black birds so I'm going to get a helper to hold while I check again tonight. Both of them have been sleeping in nestboxes. My Maran that I brought in yesterday a.m. seems to have perked up. Cleaned up her dinner dish last night. Ate all of her scrambled eggs with buttermilk and a squirt of Vitamin E this morning.

I visited a local green house this week, they're selling a lot of hydroponic stuff, as well as conventional garden stuff, had several different brands of dried chicken manure available, I think the nutrient listing on the bag was 4-3-3, which doesn't seem too high in nitrogen. I'm sure they were getting a hefty little price for those bags too! Also had a fancy looking "manure tea still" percolating away in the corner, probably selling that stuff as well. IMO, a spackle bucket would suffice, but I'm wondering if aeration would provide a better product. (This is what I think about when I can't sleep at night... I'm not your average female!)

I visited the habitat store this week.

Hi LG, I've read that aerating the manure tea does help the microbes work faster. (This is what I think about when I can't sleep at night... I'm not your average female!) Thank goodness...I'm not the only one!

Where is the habitat store?

 

[GrafixMuse]

My black panther (aka Bojay the hunting cat) just came home with a vole. It was till alive so Bojay decided to play with his food. That got the attention of the turkey gang who came running over to see what was going on. One of the Royal Palm toms decided he wanted the prize and started trying to grab it from the cat. The vole took this opportunity to try and escape. It made it a couple feet before both the turkey and cat made a grab. The cat won. But then the turkey pecked at the cat and the vole made another escape attempt. At this point the Bourbon Red stepped in and made a grab. She got a piece of the vole but only enough to slow it down so the cat could grab it again. The cat grabbed his prize and ran off. The turkeys wandered off and went back to foraging in the yard.

LOL! How entertaining!

 

[MEMama3]

I just have to say that @twi728 at RMT Farms rocks! He found me a new feathered friend that I'm going to pick up tonight. Yeah!

 

[hancockchickens]

Hi back at you Mr. and Mrs. Hancockchickens!  Is Princess Pippa a Jr. Hancockchickens of the 2 legged minus the feathers version?

Minus the feathers indeed!

Thanks you for all the welcomes. Hope you all have retained power on this blustery day! I am scrambling to get laundry and housework dne before I get left in the dark here.... Poor birds are just standing in the run like idiots, getting blown over and looking rather daft.

 

[Widget]

Minus the feathers indeed!

Thanks you for all the welcomes. Hope you all have retained power on this blustery day! I am scrambling to get laundry and housework dne before I get left in the dark here.... Poor birds are just standing in the run like idiots, getting blown over and looking rather daft.

Down here in Northern York County it is sunny with a light breeze. Temperature is somewhere in the 60s. We had some good downpours earlier with a few minor wind gusts. No thunderstorms or damaging winds. The birds have been out foraging and enjoying the warm weather.

 

[lazy gardener]

2:45 here, it's been blowing steady all day, the sun is trying to shine between the rain squalls. I finally dug the dahlia bulbs, girls helped by snapping up the buggies. Dahlias put on good bulb growth, I hope to actually be able to winter them over this year by storing them in my Dad's cellar. That man has a green thumb like you wouldn't believe. I swear he can grow a 2# tomato in a gravel driveway!

 

[yankeehill]

If anyone is close to Dover Foxcroft, I have some windows for free. They are big ones, will let PLENTY of light in the coops. I believe one of them opens as well. Just don't really want to store them all winter, if we can avoid it.

Does anyone have some good suggestions for keeping fresh water out for fowl to play in, while not having the coop full of ice/water? How could I use a heat tape to do this? They've been using a big black sled as a pool, and I'd like for them to have access to water to wash/play in come winter. Do they need water to play/wash in come winter?

 

[lazy gardener]

How bout a bird bath heater? Are you talking about ducks? If so, I believe they at least need enough water to get their nostrils wet, or their heads under water, I'm not sure which. Duck keepers can best advise.

 

[Widget]

If anyone is close to Dover Foxcroft, I have some windows for free. They are big ones, will let PLENTY of light in the coops. I believe one of them opens as well. Just don't really want to store them all winter, if we can avoid it.

Does anyone have some good suggestions for keeping fresh water out for fowl to play in, while not having the coop full of ice/water? How could I use a heat tape to do this? They've been using a big black sled as a pool, and I'd like for them to have access to water to wash/play in come winter. Do they need water to play/wash in come winter?

I use shallow pans to offer the birds water in the winter. I also make use of all the 2 gallon feed buckets I have around here and fill those with water too. Easy to switch out and not as apt to get buried in the snow as the pans. This allows the ducks to dip their beaks to clean them after eating but the pans and buckets are not large enough for them to bathe in. They seem to do fine with this set-up. I dont find that they need a bathing pool during the winter.