New Mexico

I just got the roost braces up.

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The roosts are attached like this so I can remove them for deep cleaning without fussing with the blocks attached to the wall.

The allure of these free 2x4's is waning... Maybe once I sand them, I'll be happier with them. I just wanted to put them up to make sure this would work out.

One coat of white paint is on it. Looks pretty sharp! The trim's painted red. I think it'll look less like a beat up aged shed and a nice lookin coop once I'm done fiddling with it.
Lol, it's kind of never-ending, isn't it? 🤣 I spent a couple thousand on a nice 8x10 walk-in building and almost immediately started finding fault with it. Should have put it on a concrete foundation (it's a VERY wet climate here; the building is no longer level, which means the door no longer hangs straight, ugh!); should have painted/sealed the particle board floor; needed way more ventilation ... I could go on and on! I DID hire a handy man to install poop boards for me last year, I'm very happy about that!

If possible, round and smooth the edges of those 2x4 roost bars and also install some different-sized branches for additional roosts so your chickens have different surfaces to roost on, may help prevent bumblefoot.
 
Yeah, I feel like I'm going to be fussing with this for some time, haha. I can't say I mind it.

I've been thinking about poop boards. I was considering something like deep litter, since the floor is dirt. But I purposefully put the coop near my garden so I could just move chicken poop directly over there, so maybe deep bedding instead. Then I can raid the coop for the garden... I've seen people use poop hammocks, and I could probably find some spare canvas somewhere for that.

I dont' have any, um, trees. But when I went into town, I found some big fallen branches that fell and stuck some in my car. We have a wind storm today, 50mph gusts, haha. So next time I go to town, there will surely be more.

There's some windbreak tree saplings sitting in buckets of water, awaiting enough roots to be planted. I intended to just put them around the house, but I think I'll spare some around the coop and run. They're deciduous, so they won't block the heat from the sun during winter months.
 
Sounds like you're on it!

Now, um, I want to ask you a food question based on your "handle." What exactly is a beef quesoritto? Tell me how to make one! Is it like a quesadilla with some kind of beef inside? :drool
 
Oh, so it had refried beans inside. Hmm. And cheese wrapped around that. Did it have two layers of flour tortilla?

I have a hard time making new accounts, too, it always gives me anxiety. I picked this name bc I had chicks and I used to wear a blue apron when I took care of them. I imagined they thought of me as a big blue mother hen. I wish I HAD nice big blue Araucana hen, or three or six, lol! I do have EEs.
 
Hello! New to chickens and I live in ABQ, so I figured I would slip in and say hello!
Welcome! I lived in ABQ for many years. Now I'm out closer to Tucumcari.

Oh, so it had refried beans inside. Hmm. And cheese wrapped around that. Did it have two layers of flour tortilla?

I have a hard time making new accounts, too, it always gives me anxiety. I picked this name bc I had chicks and I used to wear a blue apron when I took care of them. I imagined they thought of me as a big blue mother hen. I wish I HAD nice big blue Araucana hen, or three or six, lol! I do have EEs.
Yes, two flour tortillas! It had beef and rice in the inner tortilla, and unfortunately, sour cream. Which I hate and always made sure to ask for it to not be there. But, it had cheese inside the outside tortilla. I found a couple copycat recipes.

The idea of a big blue mother hen is so sweet. Oh, Araucanas are so cute with their little beards. I'm resisting the temptation of many colored eggs, but I can understand the appeal.

Unrelated to hellos and quesoritos, my little creatures are outside. It still gets pretty cold at night, so they have a heat lamp with them. Man, it feels so strange. I didn't plan on putting them outside yet, but when I went into my utility room today, two were flying around. So, I feel like it's time for them to move out. I'm a little concerned because I heard coyotes hollering earlier. But, I can only trust in the strength and certainty of steel. There's always going to be coyotes outside.

I have a padlock on the door for clever predators. Both of my pet cats can open doors, I no longer have any trust in latches without locks... Well, we'll see how it goes.
 
They did great!
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The carabiner's a great idea, thanks! And I've got plenty around. The padlock's just a spare thing I had hanging around. I don't think we have racoons out here, but I'd rather not tempt fate.

They graduated to their grown up feeder and waterer! And let me know they can still poop in it if they try...

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They even stepped outside for a while to threaten what little grass exists in the run.
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