New member from Minneapolis

[desiredusername]

Hello!

We got our lovely birds about two weeks ago, one week after our second son was born. Our girls Jack (gold star) and Zoe (barred rock) were born in the Spring and started laying a few days after they arrived at our home (friends had been caring for them since they were hatchlings). We are busy working on the soon-to-be-attached-run and winterizing. We are very much learning by doing and have relied heavily on the BYC threads thus far, thank you!

This has all been great fun, even the chicken poop directly out the back door has become endearing as they like to peek in the house from the deck when they are free-ranging.

Our biggest concerns now are preparing for winter and encouraging the girls to use the nesting boxes (faux eggs have not worked, I did add a curtain and fresh fluffy bedding today).

I look forward to geeking out with other chicken-lovers and benefiting from all your wisdom!

 

[write2caroline]

Winterizing - Chickens are self equipped with these awesome under feathers that will plump up like your favorite down blanket when it is cold.

So with that said. A good coop will allow for good ventilation but will not all drafts.

Drafts are like an icy wind when all you have on is a loosely knit sweater.

Your enemy is frost. If air is not circulating or ventilation is not adequate then the coop may get humid and turn to frost and combs and waddles can get frost bitten.

The roosts should be wide enough so that when they sit in roosting position their feet are covered by their feathers.

Water supplies can freeze so they can handle a lot of cold weather so long as they are protected from Drafts, humidity and can get to water.

Glad to have you on the forum
Caroline

 

[ocap]

roosts should be wood, not metal
Welcome to BYC !!!

 

[1muttsfan]

Hi and welcome to BYC from northern Michigan

Try confining your birds in the coop each day until they have layed their eggs. After they have used the boxes for a while they will likely continue to do so.

 

[drumstick diva]

 

[sumi]

Welcome to BYC

Congrats on the baby and the chickens! Wow, you must have your hands full at the moment!