Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[taprock]

I just found this on CL... Predator hunter...
http://holland.craigslist.org/grd/3274983956.html

You can usually find the guys who want to hunt all kinds of predators. For a while my brother was the skunk guy. He would go and trap skunks for anyone who wanted them gone. He had a beautiful skunk fur blanket made when he was done.

I'm not feeling really motivated today - still have a cold. There is rain headed in on the radar so it's a nice excuse to not do much. I'll let the chickens out for a bit. Unfortunately later on today I have 3/4 bushel of tomatoes to tur into sauce. I also have potatoes to haul to the storage room in the basement. I didn't get them all dug but as many as my hands and back allowed.

 

[gladahmae]

Alright! I have a coop question! DH and BIL got the new coop finished yesterday except for the electrical (and the automatic pop door) AND the fence for the new run in AND moved the big girls to the new coop, and the marans pair to the original coop. I didn't know they were going to do all that!

My question is: should I paint the interior of the new coop? Right now it's unpainted, and made the int. walls with OSB. I've read that it's personal choice, but can be an issue for mites, and that painting makes cleanup easier. So.....what should I do? We only have shavings under the roosts right now, so I need to know if I SHOULD paint before I go dump 3 more bags of pine in there.

 

[Amy PT]

We painted the inside of our coop for a few reasons:

1. I read that it'll help cut down on spots for critters like mites to hide
2. easier cleanup
3. I've read how humid it could get in a coop, and figured 2 coats of paint would give the wood a little more of a lifespan
4. I think it just looks nice.

Ours is a small coop, so it was pretty quick and easy for us.

 

[1muttsfan]

All the above, and white paint makes is quite a bit lighter inside - I just used a layer of primer.

 

[Living the Simple Life]

Quote: That would be awesome! Thanks Sam.

 

[gladahmae]

We painted the inside of our coop for a few reasons:

1. I read that it'll help cut down on spots for critters like mites to hide
2. easier cleanup
3. I've read how humid it could get in a coop, and figured 2 coats of paint would give the wood a little more of a lifespan
4. I think it just looks nice.

Ours is a small coop, so it was pretty quick and easy for us.

Those are the reasons I was leaning toward painting it....but then I think 'it's just a chicken coop!'

All the above, and white paint makes is quite a bit lighter inside - I just used a layer of primer.

Yeah, I'd definately use a light color, but would really prefer to get oops paint. If it was good enough to paint almost the entire interior of my house with, it's good enough for the chickens!



The thing that's holding me back is that our new coop is something like 8x10, with 8ft interior walls. Hmmmmmmm.

 

[Fancy Favie]

I see we have some new friends!

Thanks for the welcome

 

[Amy PT]

Gracious, laying hens are LOUD! Tell me they'll chill out a little bit once they're used to laying, please, please, please.

 

[wishtofish]

I bhaven't been on the site in quite a while. I was out driving and went by a farm that had their chickens "Free Ranging" in the yard .... the birds looked great! I have a friend in the area that free ranges his birds also ...

I have a dozen hens that I've had for a year and a half. I keep them in a coop that is 7' x 8' at night. They have a automatic door that opens in the morning and they come out to a run that is 7' x 16' ...

I've noticed that they are all beat up ... I'm assuming from pecking at each other at night ... I was thinking of "Free Ranging" them during the day to give they more room to roam .... any Ideas or sugestions?

 

[RaZ]

On painting the inside:
I would. Something bright if possible. You can get oops mixes pretty cheap at the big box stores.

On noisy hens:
The egg song is a joy to hear. Some girls are a bit more exuberant than others but the song doesn't last very long. It still better than the barking, yapping dogs in the neighborhood. Or the woman across the street talking on her phone for hours on end.

On free ranging:
If you can let let roam, they will be happier and less likely to peck each other so much. Be aware that predator birds are starting to migrate.

On new folks to the thread:
Howdy, jump in any time. Don't be shy.