Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[tpolinsk]

Poconos

welcome from the North Pocono area.

 

[4kidsandafarm]

welcome from the North Pocono area.

Thanks! Good to be here. I am new too this chicken/duck thing And we are loving it!

 

[tpolinsk]

Sand makes for an awesome floor if you have two things.... 1) It has to be dry! My coop is elevated so there is NO ground moisture seeping in.... if you have any moisture source (other than the rare tipped waterer) then sand will be miserable. 2) Much, much better if floor is insulated, sand is a very poor insulator and will radiate the cold and it can be harder to keep things thawed in the winter... my floors have R19 basement type insulation in them since the coop was designed as an elevated platform. With an insulated floor there is a much better chance that the sand exposed to sunlight through windows will warm up and be an inviting environment for the birds... the insulated floor isn't an absolute, but it makes a big difference in general comfort level in temps. I believe the sand would work great over a cement floor also. our set up allows the birds a place to dust bath on even the most horrible days of the year.... During winter months, and once in a while during the summer, I will add ashes from our coal/wood stove into the sand in the coop, dusting parties soon ensue! LOL... The hay you see around the edges is what the hens tend to throw out of their nest boxes through the week. I rake the floor twice a week during the winter because they spend more time inside and mess it up quicker, through the summer it only needs sifted about once every 2 weeks to keep it nice. a bit of a wider view of one of the shelf systems, you can see the ramps going up in the back to allow the birds multiple access points to the top shelf... it also provides multiple escape routes when rowdy teens irritate the older hens! LOL the sand floors mean broodies can hatch chicks year round in the coop and be comfortable with just a simple basket or pile of hay for their 'nest' area and then have most of the rest of the area for teaching the little ones how to scratch and forage, even when it is 10* outside. These chicks are about 2 days old and it is early march and about 20* outside.. coop was a balmy 28-30* but the little ones are out running around. the hens giving early scratching lessons I don't medicate our chicks... they are raised on the floor with the same sand that all of the other birds are in and are exposed from day one to whatever germs may be around.... ... so in conclusion... I love our sand floors, and sand shelves.... but they may not work for everyone's set up...

i love the sand idea too. i do not think that i can put it on the coop floor because it's not insulated, but i have a board for the hens and its great.

 

[barbiegirl]

Thanks! Good to be here. I am new too this chicken/duck thing And we are loving it!

I am in the Poconos as well. I'm by Camelback

Hi neighbor.

 

[4kidsandafarm]

I am in the Poconos as well. I'm by Camelback Hi neighbor.

Middle Smithfield township. Not far

 

[Blarneyeggs]

Need to make cheese and put up tomatoes today...hubby may be dragging me to the home show instead. Poor guy, I have zero interest in that kind of stuff.

 

[chiques chicks]

Thought someone here might appreciate this;

 

[Blarneyeggs]

Thought someone here might appreciate this;

Oooo! I want one!

 

[barbiegirl]

So today I threw in some minnows with my Muscovy ducks for the first time. Omg how funny to watch them hunt. Only 3 of the 8 came over to hunt. The one grabbed a fish and the other one tried to steal it from his mouth. Silly duckies.



@wingstone the one on the pallet over the water is renagade (she still has alittle scar). I think she is a she. Looks to me that I have 4 ducks and 4 drakes, based on feet size, bill size and head size. The drakes are alittle bigger. Look how big they are!

 

[labradoodlemama]

I'm so sad

I left my guard down today and one of my hens got killed by a hawk. I feel really really guilty. She was one of my favorites and not just one of the other chickens whom I don't grow attached to. She was just dust bathing outside and I look out the window, and find a hawk on top of her body eating her

Here's the Coopers Hawk that killed her...



Be careful everyone because raptor kills are higher at this time of the year since they're migrating south. Most of the songbirds have left already so raptors will catch what they can find on their way down. I thought she was safe out in my yard as I was outside often. But she wasn't. They seem pretty bold and determined.

I'm so sorry! I have not let my chickens free range yet. We had hawks flying in circles over our run all summer, I was so glad we had wire over the run. I always loved watching the hawks until we got chickens this year!