Greetings fellow bird keepers!.....I'm new to the forum and excited about learning, sharing and helping whenever possible. I think I have an ideal set-up of a small barn with an attached flight pen for peas and female guineas to live in year round. Chickens (RIR) and some silkies are let out in the am and put back in the barn at night. Male guineas are out all day and fly up on top of the flight pen at night for protection. When winter starts to get bitter the male guineas are put in the barn so everybody stays warmer and protected through the winter. That seems like alot of coming and going but everybody gets their "needs" met and stays safe. It's been a learning experience as to what works best for my brood. I have figured out that by using clean straw in the bird barn, I only have to clean it out twice a year and refresh with new straw. that's pretty easy. The bird manure dries to a powder and sifts to the bottom of the straw which basically stays pretty clean. I had a female pea get loose during a cold spell for 8 days and when I got her home she had frostbitten feet. I dosed her upon wormer and antibiotic and after a few weeks her toes fell off and she now clumbers around on stubs. She does amazingly well and even flies up on a 2 X 4 perch to roost. She lays eggs, although some get crushed as she's not so nimble. I'm glad I was able to save her and hopefully my experience will be helpful to others.
