Michigan

[Stacykins]

WHY DOES IT FEEL LIKE 86 DEGREES OUTSIDE?! I'M DYING HERE!

Seriously, I can't handle heat. I like it cool and cold. It is super windy too, but it isn't a refreshing breeze, but turns the heat into a blast furnace. And I'm sunburnt because I forgot to put on sunblock

<---this is not me angry, just on fire, which I feel like.

 

[sarah92480]

My bad, I guess maybe that's a little swimsuit she's wearing?

 

[NovaAman]

Nova - I missed your first post. Is this a new coop? We're going to need pictures, you know.

No, its an improvement on the air flow that I did not do last year since I built the coop closer to fall. So, I just dutch doored the clean out doors. It has three doors right now. One that open upward with the ramp coming out from there. Then a two clean out doors that I can reach in, climb in, what ever I need to in... They stay closed up mostly. Well its those two doors that I just dutched. Now, I need to get my butt up on the ladder, take down the tuftex roof, change the angle... I put it up flat like an idiot, but hey, what do the chickens know? They had a place to be in the bad weather that was wind and snow free. SO, going to fix that oopsy too. I just don't remember how many screws I actually used... and lost when I built it.

 

[NovaAman]

Got a lovely breeze here Stacy... LOVELY! However... I still am not liking working in the heat. LOL. I had to come in for a break and a cold drink. Soon I have to make dinner... ugh...

 

[Juise]

Quote:

Better make it that gorilla tape... It'll last longer.

Hahaha. Shh, I am super tall and you know it. Oh, btw, hinges? I go to the habitat for humanity resale store for all that kind of stuff. Super cheap. Actually I am going there in a few minutes for more hinges and another latch because I forgot I needed two sets when I went yesterday. Oi, vey! It is on the North side of Riley, just West of 31, almost next to Re-Petes.

Juise, since I'm a first-timer w/chickens and mine are still all peeps, I have no idea what to expect, size-wise, so she just looked so bitty standing next to that huge chicken on the right! Either way she's really cute, I love the little red & white outfit. What kind of chickens do you have?

She's wearing her swimsuit. In March!! I can't believe today I have been blowing up an inflatable pool, slathering my kids in sunscreen, outfitting them in swimsuits, and giving them popsicles. In March!! Did I mention that it is March?

Good thing it turned Spring yesterday, I very nearly had outdoor swimsuit photos in my Winter album, lol.

The hens in those pictures are a black star, two new hampshire reds, and two isa browns. Our new little guys are white leghorns, araucanas, and EE and a mystery mutt.

 

[Juise]

Quote:

WHY DOES IT FEEL LIKE 86 DEGREES OUTSIDE?! I'M DYING HERE!

Seriously, I can't handle heat. I like it cool and cold. It is super windy too, but it isn't a refreshing breeze, but turns the heat into a blast furnace. And I'm sunburnt because I forgot to put on sunblock

<---this is not me angry, just on fire, which I feel like.

I got pretty pink myself on Monday, though I did sunscreen the kids. Yesterday I was wiser and sunscreened myself as well so I wouldn't go from "a little pink" to uncomfortably burned. Except... omg, I was working on the quarantine fence all day, and, uh.. okay there is no flattering way to put this, so... oh well. My pants weren't staying up, and I got a hell of a burn across my lower back / top of my butt. My husband laughed his *** off and told me it looks like I'm wearing a red thong.

 

[NovaAman]

Quote:
I go to the habitat for humanity resale store for all that kind of stuff. Super cheap. Actually I am going there in a few minutes for more hinges and another latch because I forgot I needed two sets when I went yesterday. Oi, vey! It is on the North side of Riley, just West of 31, almost next to Re-Petes.

Thats where I got them from. LOL. I am cheap man!

 

[Juise]

 

[Olive Hill]

Quote:

Lol, we have that, too. What I was thinking was of planting something specifically of some of their favourite treats, like jerusalem artichokes, clovers, lambsquarter, and.. I don't know, what are your chickens favourite finds?

I think, if you purposefully plant lambs quarter we all get to take a turn shaking you by the shoulders. LOL! If you lived closer I'd be happy to give you a lifetime supply of the stuff. It's the single most prolific weed in my garden, followed closely by purslane. At least they're easy to pull.

What are my chickens favorite finds? I haven't a clue. I don't have time to follow them all around and try to figure out which weeds, bugs and grasses they're pecking at. Ours are completely free range and not handled much, save the few the kids seem to get attached to. Even if I wanted to follow them around and inspect their eating habits they wouldn't let me. They know when they seem me coming they're supposed to move out of the way so when I walk towards them they stop eating and move. It's good for not having to trip over chickens while doing chores, but not great for catching them or getting within a few feet to observe the finer details of whatever it is they're doing.

Lets see, from a distance our chickens appear to enjoy:

- Demolishing entire bales of straw. And by "bales" I mean round bales. 500 lbs of the stuff. They're quite efficient at it.
- Picking through pig poop.
- Investigating low hanging branches.
- Pooping under low hanging branches.
- Riding on pigs.
- Pooping on pigs.
- Laying their eggs anywhere BUT in the coop.
- Pooping extra in the coop.
- Catching mice. Oooo! You could grow mice. LOL!
- Loitering outside the feed shed at dinner time.
- Loitering in the road just in time for the only car of the day to pass.
- Loitering wherever I'm trying to walk.
- Loitering wherever I'm trying to drive.
- Loitering in general.
- Dust bathing in flower beds.
- Dust bathing in the middle of the lawn.
- Digging craters that could be used for dust bathing but then abandoning them to dig others.
- Leaving feathers all over the yard.

You know, I'm not sure how this is helping...

Ok. Seriously. Things I feed my chickens out of my garden: summer squash, turnip greens, lettuce, spinach, swiss chard, pumpkins, winter squashes, melons, tomatoes, sunflowers, corn, cucumbers, garlic..... and I'll add "etc" here because my mind is now blank so I'm sure I'm forgetting things.

No, its an improvement on the air flow that I did not do last year since I built the coop closer to fall. So, I just dutch doored the clean out doors. It has three doors right now. One that open upward with the ramp coming out from there. Then a two clean out doors that I can reach in, climb in, what ever I need to in... They stay closed up mostly. Well its those two doors that I just dutched. Now, I need to get my butt up on the ladder, take down the tuftex roof, change the angle... I put it up flat like an idiot, but hey, what do the chickens know? They had a place to be in the bad weather that was wind and snow free. SO, going to fix that oopsy too. I just don't remember how many screws I actually used... and lost when I built it.

We probably still need pictures. LOL!

 

[ladyfeather]

My husband mentioned needing to put good fencing around our heirloom beds and I gave him a strange look because the neighbor just told us the deer nearly stampede through there in the mornings. Going to have to get some fence for the whole perimeter so the chickens don't wander (I assume) and I don't think they want potential buyers to see their yard filled with my chickens.

Thanks for the heads up on the destruction wrought by chickens on gardens. I'll be more mindful with planning this month The chicken garden book on Amazon says they have plants in there chickens don't normally touch and shade options.

I'd really appreciate ideas on what they enjoy as treats like Juise posted then I can make room for them in the front garden to toss in their path while they forage.

I love the heat and the sunburn is the only problem with it. As soon as it got over 40 and sunny I was covering the kids in it even for short jaunts outside. I've got this crazy weird tan tone to my arms I wish I could get rid of so I don't want them like that.