Nevadans?

[chicharomirinda]

sheryl, just sent you a PM with my tshirt order. Elizabeth

 

[aubreynoramarie]

How much are the shirts?

 

[laceynoelle]

When I have ee chicks later on, can you all sex them for me? Until I get the hang of it anyway. See, you go on about chickens, and genetics, and you can recite info about like any breed. You think youre getting a decent handle on this chicken business, then somthing like that hits you in the face.

Ha, I cant believe no one told me this trick!! Gosh. Sorry NVChickHens, you know better.

If Ron doesnt want him, I'd love him!!! I thought I had too many chickens, but he's adorable.

 

[chicharomirinda]

Question on coop design: do you have and/or recommend a "poop" board underneath roosts in the coop? I'm planning to do the deep litter method. I have read many BYC'ers opinions for or against the poop board but wanted to know what you guys do and has worked well for you.


aubrey, Shirts are $15 for short sleeve. You can see which kind and color you want here

http://coopedup.net/buy/index.php?route=product/category&path=61

 

[NevadaRon]

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I've always been a little off myself, so no worries!

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It's pretty obvious Lacey - you'll see when you get some. At least after they reach a certain age. BTW that story about the indignant customer is hilarious!

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I don't use a poop board Elizabeth, and I use the deep litter method also. I use straw hay and I change it twice a year - spring and fall. (That reminds me - I need to do that soon!) Other people on BYC will tell you that straw smells but I think that is only an issue if you live in a wetter (or more humid) climate. I've never had a problem here with odor 'cause it stays really dry.

 

[chicharomirinda]

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thanks, Ron! good to know about the straw. there are some advantages to our dry climate.

 

[SunnyDawn]

Bummer Sheryl! I wandered why I hadn't heard back from you!

Ok I'll go check out the site again and figure out what I want. They only had 2 left in the one I ordered so I'll most likely need to change that. Check your messages in BYC to see if your box is full. Well that doesn't make sense cause then I should have gotten a message saying it was full. Hmm, I have no idea why you wouldn't be getting your pms. I'll send it as a pm and as an email just to be sure.

Thanks for the link Elizabeth! That makes it easier for me as well.

I didn't have a poop board on the last one at first so I just raked it into the litter now and then but when we did the bump out for the grow-out brooder we added a slanted top to the brooder cause part of the bump-out extended in under the roosts. Then we just had to scrape the droppings once a week or so. I have to admit I wasn't crazy about having to clean the droppings board but it made the space under the roosts useable and I think there are materials you could use that would make this job easier. I used melamine cause I thought it would be nice and slick. It is too slick for the birds to roost on but not so slick that the poop scrapes off easily.

I did hear of one person here on BYC that used plastic seedling trays on her droppings boards and said she loved it. She just turned them upside down and tapped them against the edge of the compost bin twice a week and the job was done. She said to be sure to turn the trays so that you have an area sticking out in front that wouldn't catch the droppings so that you have a place to grab the bins without getting poo all over your gloves.

BTW I like the brown or blue or green egg layers better even though I know they are nutritionally identical. The only healthier egg is the free range egg because chickens get a more balanced diet. IDK why I don't like the white eggs. I grew up on white eggs so I guess they just bore me at this stage. I mean the colored eggs are just so much more interesting to look at than the white eggs.

 

[NevadaRon]

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thanks, Ron! good to know about the straw. there are some advantages to our dry climate.

Your welcome! Straw is lot cheaper than pine shavings, too, which is what most people here seem to use.

 

[chicharomirinda]

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Good point on making the area under the roost useable with the poop boards. Hmm

: Now I am still on the fence about it. I will have roosts on 2 walls so I could try it on one and see.

We put up the roof trusses this morning. I used hurricane ties just to avoid having to make any notches. I just have the truss on each end to put on now. I'm putting HW cloth over the gable ends instead of siding so I'll have more ventilation. So I will work on that tonight. should be a blast. I just love working wth HW cloth

 

[SunnyDawn]

I used straw in my nests but used gorilla hair or bark in the coop because it helped with the smell and I can buy it by the yard at the garden centers. Just be sure you don't get the bagged kind that has herbicides (weed control) in it. Now what I'd really like to find is a bedding material that mice don't like!