Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[Chickin Fairy]

I meant the hose part from the dryer to the part that goes through the wall. Not the part that goes through the wall or is on the outside of the house. I know we had to buy them when we moved in but that seller took lots of things that are were absolutely part of the house - towel rods in the bathroom, for just one example.

I would say it goes with it. When we purchased our dryer and the Lowes guys came to install it, they brought a dryer vent with them.

 

[fuzzi]

I meant the hose part from the dryer to the part that goes through the wall. Not the part that goes through the wall or is on the outside of the house. I know we had to buy them when we moved in but that seller took lots of things that are were absolutely part of the house - towel rods in the bathroom, for just one example.

Send them a bill. Seriously, they broke the contract.

 

[Chickin Fairy]

My daughter named one Lollipop. The others haven't shown us who they are as yet. They will have access to the yard during the day. I have a tarp to cover the run area. The plans we used (Dimensions) were stated for 7 to 10 birds. The coop is on a solid area, on the patio.

A lot of prefab and designs for coops over-estimated the number of birds you can house comfortably. If I were to estimate, your coop looks about 2x2. That could house 2, maybe 3 full sized chickens. For reference, this is the inside of my coop, it's very tall, and about 5'x5'. I have 5 full sized hens and 2 bantam (although, more like 3/4 sized chickens). The birds all roost on one bar across and I prefer this so they can stay warm in the winter. They do have two additional roosts that they sometimes use. In the winter, they all huddle at the bottom some days and refuse to go outside, even with tarps on the run because they are snow-blind.

I would enclose the entire thing to make one big coop and if you're able to free range where you are, to do that. The run looks about 2x2 as well and won't be big enough for all your birds, either, especially with a full sized feeder and waterer out there. When they get a little bigger, I don't think they'll be able to get under the coop anymore. You could probably do a temporary fix if you need to just get through the winter, and your current coop might work for the winter before they get grown, but you'll definitely want to expand soon.

I wish I could help you out! I'm on the other side of the state, but someone here might be able to come take a look and brainstorm ideas.

 

[1muttsfan]

Lady G, the number of chickens listed for many small coops is aspirational, and grossly fraudulent. your birds will need much more room than you think. In the cold and wet weather birds will not roam around much outside, and they do not like snow, so they need protected indoor space with some elbow room to prevent bullying and feather picking. Rhode Island Reds are not docile birds, and are active and can tend to be bullies a little. At the very least your run could be covered and enclosed with wood panels and heavy plastic to give them some extra room.

Have a care to proper ventilation as well; with that many birds, their poop, and a water source you will have humidity issues if ventilation is inadequate.

The critiques you hear here on BYC are meant only to help you avoid problems which others have experienced, and are meant with the best of intentions. We love having newcomers join in with their chicken stories and pictures. Some of us have been here for many years, and as a group there is such a great spirit of camaraderie and helpfulness.

 

[1muttsfan]

I happened to recently buy a dryer, and it did come with the inside part of the vent, but it was the wrong size for my installation so I had to buy a different one. Not costly.

As a general rule, unless stated otherwise in the contract, things that are physically attached (towel rods, doors, etc) and major appliances are included in the sale. If they are taken, you should consult with your realter about the best next step.

 

[Dreamzchaser]

I agree about those bought cooos.wasted 399. And it lasted a year as a henspital because impossible to put 6 in there like RIR, leghorn, and others but got a good 8x8 homemade and besides the first 6, it is holding 20 really good. Just had to add roosting area on the other side and they do fine. Once the door opens, they run out to their yard of 15x21.
Tomorrow need to work on the roof that notice it's leaking and too much rain coming. There is 4 feeding buckets and 6 for water right now. Once the winter gets freezing, they will have 3 heated waters. The heater is new but not warming like the old one. So put 4 plates, 2 on each side of the rooster bars and they are doing fine.
Almost lost 2 more because they are always in the middle. Hub was cutting a tree and they were right there,

 

[Sally PB]

Hubby has left for Charlotte, NC. Freya went with him, so I have no excuses for not getting a bunch of stuff done. My to do list is long. I'll be happy if I get 2/3 of it done. Ecstatic if I get all of it done.

 

[LadyGuinevere]

In the Learning Guide of BYC, you can look up How much room do the chickens need. In it, it states 4 sq foot for each chicken for the coop. 10 sq ft per chicken for the run. The run could be smaller if you let them free range every day.

Right now, they seem quite content to remain in their run. But there's much to clean in the yard. Once it's all done, they will be able to range more freely. Last night they went into the house on their own!!

 

[LadyGuinevere]

Good morning. Okay, our city has a vet that does house visits for those that have 'unusual' pets (like our chickens and Fred, our Savanah). She visited us yesterday to see our birds. We seem to be the first and only ones in our town with chickens. The vet (Tish) is a 'farm/exotic" animal vet. She does every thing else as well, but her specialty is farm/exotic. She mentioned the yard needing cleanup for the birds and some areas to reinforce the fence height. At this age, though, she told us that what we have is good for the winter, with a free-range option.

We plan to let them range free in the yard when they are older. We put them in the yard in one fell swoop. They adapted very quickly.

 

[LadyGuinevere]

Lady G, the number of chickens listed for many small coops is aspirational, and grossly fraudulent. your birds will need much more room than you think. In the cold and wet weather birds will not roam around much outside, and they do not like snow, so they need protected indoor space with some elbow room to prevent bullying and feather picking. Rhode Island Reds are not docile birds, and are active and can tend to be bullies a little. At the very least your run could be covered and enclosed with wood panels and heavy plastic to give them some extra room.

Have a care to proper ventilation as well; with that many birds, their poop, and a water source you will have humidity issues if ventilation is inadequate.

The critiques you hear here on BYC are meant only to help you avoid problems which others have experienced, and are meant with the best of intentions. We love having newcomers join in with their chicken stories and pictures. Some of us have been here for many years, and as a group there is such a great spirit of camaraderie and helpfulness.

I absolutely am not ever offended by any comments and suggestions. I actually appreciate them as this is our first time with chickens, so I actually look forward to the help. There is a window I leave cracked at night. They have never touched their food at night that I've noticed so far. Water, yes. I keep the main food out in the coop, the house has a smaller both water and food, just in case.

Any suggestions on the type of water dispenser that would be good for them? The food my husband has begun to build a system to feed them more automatically. To save me the stress to care for them. I'll post photos when he's done. We are going to put a tarp over the outside portion to give them the added room. We have hay to put down on the snow for them to walk to pick at during the winter weather. I did quite a bit of research before deciding on the RIR's. But welcome anything anyone here has to offer by way of advise.