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Happy Saturday Everyone!

Well, I threw open the windows this morning. I'm so glad that it is warm enough! I have been fighting a cold since 2 nights ago and the fresh air always does the body good.

Our egg laying took an upswing from 3/5 to 5/5 in the past few weeks, but the girls revolted when the weather dipped into the teens earlier this week after being in the 50's. One day we got 2/5! fingers crossed that we get settled in at 5/5 and stay there. Today we are 4/5 so far. It would also be nice not to have to worry about partially frozen eggs and such.

I was going go in the begining of march to buy a bale of hay to spread in the coop for a fresh top layer, but the warm weather means that I will be letting them out more and we will be cleaning out the coop soon..I don't think another layer will be necessary now.

I hope you are all enjoying your weekend!
 
LitBlueCoop said:
How far up should a nesting box be? I was thinking about putting a 18 gallon dyi bin with a hole cut on the pre- existing roost
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Eighteen inches is basic. But higher is okay too.
 
LitBlueCoop said:
How far up should a nesting box be? I was thinking about putting a 18 gallon dyi bin with a hole cut on the pre- existing roost
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We have them all over the place for height...we have a few at floor level, some at 18" as McC stated and a few tucked up into high corners. They all get used with the hens seeming to pick a 'favorite of the day' most days.
Having a few different locations can reduce squabbling a bit too, although I think you could have 3 boxes per hen and someone will still want the box someone else is in!
For our coop the various area set up allows more flexibility with the broodies, when a hen parks in a particular box there are other choices for the rest of the hens to use, since they are already familiar with them it doesn't cause an upheaval to suddenly loose a box to a broody. I realize not all coops have need for broody accommodations but if you are interested in them then planning ahead can reduce issues later.

We use wood boxes, cat carriers and even stackable storage bins for egg nests, 5 gallon buckets and plastic egg crates on their sides will even work.

So basically don't worry about making things 'right', just be ready to make adjustments to make it 'right' for you.
 
Awesome!! Thank you this gives me ideas to spread them out and to put one on the floor never that of that was just thinking of ease when collecting eggs. I will try it see what happens. I have a long way to go but wanted the coop all set up!::) @dheitzel
 
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48 hour update on my little old lady, Chamomile--she is up and eating, walking around, and generally looking much more like herself. Pic attached--and please excuse the messy beak, she was just enjoying some scrambled eggs.
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Auroradream26 said:
Wow, yeah, I'd hope there's a demand for chicks then lol. I'm glad that changing out your to seems to have made a difference. I've been seeing a lot of people on the Facebook poultry pages starting to look for chicks. I have a few orders but nothing major. I'm hoping one they're here I'll be able to sell them.

I did see that rural king posted an ad saying that they're now accepting special orders for chicks. I wonder if they're going to destroy my market again this year
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Obviously, I have more unique breeds than they do but I'm still a bit nervous.
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Be sure to make a big deal in your ad about your chicks being locally hatched, and never shipped. That will make a difference to some people, and those are your best customers because you know they care deeply about the treatment of the chicks. The difference between you and Rural King is like the difference between a nice restaurant with a server and a trip to Burger King. Some people are fine with "fast food" chicks and Rural King will serve them well, but others (and I think more than you would expect) want a better experience for themselves and their chicks.

Always take the high road with your birds and your customers and you will do well. Businesses with integrity are scarce, but who doesn't prefer to use them if they are found?
 

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