Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[fisherlady]

I just realized how utterly depressing it looks outside. It's cold, the trees are naked and blowing around, and all the green is hidden from sight. Welcome to winter :/

Gray and dreary! I agree on the 'depressing' description!!
I don't mind so much when the snow really covers the mud and yuck and the sun is out...but I will be happy to see April get here!

 

[dheltzel]

I did some online research about sexing barred rocks by head spots, and really cannot tell the difference. The feathers are relatively easy though.
I like egg color variation, and I like barred birds. And I don't worry about flighty personality too much. My two legbar girls were most flighty in the flock but also most people friendly.
Amazing job! One foot leave bedding for the entire coop is lots of work.

Black barred breeds are like Welsummers, some breeds and even strains within the breeds are easier to sex accurately. Cali Greys are probably the easiest of those, and are sometimes called "autosexing", though they are clearly not using the same radical coloration differences, so I wouldn't call them that. I think the double barring shows more strongly in adult male CG's than in any Barred Rocks I've ever seen. A CG male appears nearly white, and the barring is quite indistinct. I don't know how this translates into chick color, but male CG chicks have a huge head spot, it covers most of the top ot their head. Females have much smaller head spots.

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

I just realized how utterly depressing it looks outside. It's cold, the trees are naked and blowing around, and all the green is hidden from sight. Welcome to winter :/

I just realized how utterly depressing it looks outside. It's cold, the trees are naked and blowing around, and all the green is hidden from sight. Welcome to winter :/

Gray and dreary! I agree on the 'depressing' description!!
I don't mind so much when the snow really covers the mud and yuck and the sun is out...but I will be happy to see April get here!

Ditto ladies! I th ought it was just me getting adjusted to country life. So glad we have a generator for backup, fireplace for heat, and also a propane heater! This cold blast has been a good reminder that I need to get my rear in gear to insulate my coop and finish the run. I ordered my hardware cloth from Walmart.com, thanks Dheltzel. Should be here Tuesday and I will be using it immediately. I ordered 100'!

 

[stake]

I too am jealous of the fencing , but I am more jealous of the peppers!

Well MCC:

I have x3 times as many Cayenne peppers...and a bunch of tomatoes too....last of the last......

 

[stake]

I just realized how utterly depressing it looks outside. It's cold, the trees are naked and blowing around, and all the green is hidden from sight. Welcome to winter

my trees are only 2/3 down....but the wind and cold is biting....tomorrow is full of chores....as I am hosting the holiday......

 

[dheltzel]

Ditto ladies! I th ought it was just me getting adjusted to country life. So glad we have a generator for backup, fireplace for heat, and also a propane heater! This cold blast has been a good reminder that I need to get my rear in gear to insulate my coop and finish the run. I ordered my hardware cloth from Walmart.com, thanks Dheltzel. Should be here Tuesday and I will be using it immediately. I ordered 100'!

I need to order another roll also. I am trying to exclude starlings and sparrows from the main coop and they pass through the 2x4 welded wire like it's not there. For next year, I will be covering all the 2x4 wire on the hoop houses with either HW cloth or hex poultry netting (higher up, where coons tearing it is not a concern). Building housing for a lot of chickens can get expensive.

 

[Chicken Egg 17]

29 here with almost an inch on the ground and flurries (more snow coming). I'm so glad I got the plastic up on the run the other day! A couple chickens and ducks came out this morning, very confused and went right back in. Goofy turkeys are standing in it, complaining about it lol

lucky we aint got crap other than wind a few trees and branches to clean up. at least the leaves are gone though

 

[hippiechickX4]

Input on putting wood shavings over the top of sand...we have a coop now that has a very deep sand floor. We want to switch to the wood chips for winter, but it would take a lot to remove all the sand first. We are planning on movING the chickens to a new coop in the spring, maybe sooner.

 

[BullChick]

I put wood chips on top of my sand once. It filtered out just fine.

 

[fisherlady]

I put wood chips on top of my sand once. It filtered out just fine.

X2 We have used both wood chips and hay over the sand, both were easy enough to filter off or clean out later with a sifter shovel.