NY chicken lover!!!!

[Pyxis]

So all this talk of hoop coops has me intrigued. I'm about to build a new, bigger coop and I think I'm leaning that way, but I have a couple questions first. Rancher, I know you have one, so I'd love your advice!

1. How warm does it stay in there in the wintertime? Warm enough that water doesn't freeze, or am I going to need heated buckets?
2. What do you do for nest boxes?
3. I assume the ventilation pretty much takes care of itself?
4. How do you attach each panel to the next one? I get the wooden frame at the bottom but I'm just not sure how the panels themselves go together at the top and sides.
5. What's the best way to attach the tarps and the smaller wire that goes on the outside?
6.What do you do for flooring in the coop? How do you keep it clean/change bedding etc?

Thanks for putting up with my questions, if I do decide to go this way I'll probably have more. Also I'd love to see some pictures!

 

[armorfirelady]

So all this talk of hoop coops has me intrigued. I'm about to build a new, bigger coop and I think I'm leaning that way, but I have a couple questions first. Rancher, I know you have one, so I'd love your advice!

1. How warm does it stay in there in the wintertime? Warm enough that water doesn't freeze, or am I going to need heated buckets?
2. What do you do for nest boxes?
3. I assume the ventilation pretty much takes care of itself?
4. How do you attach each panel to the next one? I get the wooden frame at the bottom but I'm just not sure how the panels themselves go together at the top and sides.
5. What's the best way to attach the tarps and the smaller wire that goes on the outside?
6.What do you do for flooring in the coop? How do you keep it clean/change bedding etc?

Thanks for putting up with my questions, if I do decide to go this way I'll probably have more. Also I'd love to see some pictures!

I am not rancher but I did build a hoop coop this year.

1. you will need a heated bucket or dog dish. I use heated dog dishes with a plug that turns on when temps are below 32 degrees
2. I made mine out of a shelf someone had for the trash & empty kitty litter buckets
3. I added ventilation. Roof vents & side vents. I didn't want a greenhouse effect on hot days or humidity in there during the winter.
4. I used zip strips and metal clips
5. again zip strips
6. No flooring except the dirt & grass it is sitting on. I use DL for my coop. It only gets cleaned out in the spring and the DL goes right into the garden. No smells as long as you keep stirring it to keep it dry. The DL actually smells like earthy compost & last winter I actually found a live earthworm in the dirt when I was turning it the one day since the ground never froze

Under my user name is you click on my coop it will take you my page where I have pictures.

 

[rancher hicks]

Has anyone ever had those days where you wish you could shut yourself in your house and not interact with the world?

NNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Now that I'm working I dread those days. Prayers are welcome that I am UP each day. The old folks don't need a grump driving them around. I'm a sun person and suffer SAD when it's cold and rainy.


Now I did read to the end almost but I am tired. Not used to moving when I don't want too.

On the chicken front. The EE in the Del coop hatched a del chick, so I gave her another day with two eggs, taking two and giving those to an EE hen in the EE coop. Three broodies there. Two EE hens and the BR hen. AGAIN!

SO, the EE has three BM eggs, the BR has three Del eggs and the other EE got two Del eggs from the EE in the Del coop. Thats the order they are in in the coop. EE, BR, EE.

So last night I took the other two Del eggs from the EE in the Del coop and put them under EE #2 in the EE coop. Low and behold there was a new Del chick under her this afternoon.

 

[Metella]

Hi P !!!!

My two new babies are in the cage and BOTH have already munched some crumbles.

Whoot !

Thanks so much for being such a good incubator.

 

[Metella]

Oh - I was so excited about my new peeps eating and drinking I forgot to introduce myself.

I'm in Vermont, but just over the border - and the VT thread just has no activity. Climate and area about the same as upstate NY. I know a few of you and I was told there is a discussion of hoop houses.

I have a mixed flock right now. I do have some cute Millie D'Uccle roos if anyone wants them. They are tiny - and friendly with me, but starting to fight each other.

 

[Pyxis]

Hi P !!!!

My two new babies are in the cage and BOTH have already munched some crumbles.  

Whoot !

Thanks so much for being such a good incubator.   

Welcome! Glad you posted Good to hear the chicks are settling in well.

 

[stonykill]

Has anyone ever had those days where you wish you could shut yourself in your house and not interact with the world?

yup. Cept not shut in the house, but outside with the chickens and ducks. But no people

 

[Tab's chicken obsession]

yup. Cept not shut in the house, but outside with the chickens and ducks. But no people

I really meant home, your niche in the world. I got a few minutes of peace today out picking cherries in my yard and had someone stop to hand out religion pamphlets. I'm not always anti social, but when it's been a long week and you have sore feet/legs you just need a little quiet do your own thing time.

 

[Cass]

I really meant home, your niche in the world. I got a few minutes of peace today out picking cherries in my yard and had someone stop to hand out religion pamphlets. I'm not always anti social, but when it's been a long week and you have sore feet/legs you just need a little quiet do your own thing time.

Yuck. Run them off the property with a gun. (I have a client who is a Johovah's witness....theirs is the only way to get to heaven. Won't they be surprised when they see ME up there waiting for them? LOL)

 

[vmdanielsen]

I can tell you that ingestion, by any means, of chemicals is NOT good.....the research that I have done implies that chemical exposure is what has caused my cancer. I was the oldest of 4 and followed my father around while he did "things"....spray painting, dusting the corn, fertilizing the food crops, etc. He and I BOTH have a blood cancer. (That was back when breathing protection was not even thought of, much less commonly used) Now (when it is too late) I avoid chemicals as much as possible and use breathing protection whenever I am forced to work with anything remotely "non-organic". I know it's too little too late, but I can keep myself from needing treatment by avoiding chemicals causing my cancer to flare up and require treatment, right? Even those dollar store masks help keep the larger particles of the spray out of your lungs.

Thank you cass. I will heed your advice.