Pix of my chicken house and their run

[Beekissed]

Nah! Thank God...always thank God, my friend. He is the One from whom all blessings flow..I'm just a conduit with all this chicken stuff. In the broad scheme of the world and good things done, helping with chickens is a very small, small thing indeed.

I think if you wanted to drill some tiny holes for ventilation in your boxes it would be okay, as the conventional metal nesting units seem to have small holes for ventilation also. If the holes are small enough, there won't be any big enough for snakes.

 

[RoseMarie1]

Nah! Thank God...always thank God, my friend. He is the One from whom all blessings flow..I'm just a conduit with all this chicken stuff. In the broad scheme of the world and good things done, helping with chickens is a very small, small thing indeed.

I think if you wanted to drill some tiny holes for ventilation in your boxes it would be okay, as the conventional metal nesting units seem to have small holes for ventilation also. If the holes are small enough, there won't be any big enough for snakes.

oh yes you are SOOOOO right there on the blessing flow and believe me I DO know that. Even when I find bargains at the thrift stores that I need I always thank Him for them because I KNOW where they come from. He's just sooooo good to us when we don't even deserve it.

BUT He is ALSO using YOU to help me learn what I need to learn here to and I count that IN on my blessing. He ALWAYS provides for us especially when I am so ignorant on this subject!

 

[Beekissed]

Honey, you're not ignorant! You are able to ask appropriate questions, formulate a plan on what you learn and implement changes perfectly...I don't call that ignorant, but highly intelligent. Most cannot do any of that and get confused over the most simple of instructions...have you READ the FF threads?

 

[RoseMarie1]

Honey, you're not ignorant! You are able to ask appropriate questions, formulate a plan on what you learn and implement changes perfectly...I don't call that ignorant, but highly intelligent. Most cannot do any of that and get confused over the most simple of instructions...have you READ the FF threads?

LOL thank you Bee! I thought I had already replied to this but not seeing it now. Yep I've read some of the stuff on that thread and I just shake my head thinking now WHY you wanna go and add that? HUH what? LOL LOL LOL @ that thud! love that thing and every time I see you use it I can tell you're like oh nooooo not again! HUH? WHAT? LOL BUT it's funny, that little critter.

We got the nesting box in place today and now to close in that area with some wire to keep it from being part of the run back there in this small area. I need one more dish pan. I put some pine straw in the tubs just in case they try em out, it'll be easier to dump out with that in it. We also put the little bar for them to get on and peek inside on to. Don't know IF you can see it clear here or not. I put something in one of the nesting areas to keep them out until I could get that other pan.


This gate here leads into the roosting area and I will leave the door open there at night in case one needs to lay early in the a.m. We installed the nesting area lower than their roost so maybe I wont have any problems with them wanting to roost on it.



Back side of the box once installed. IF I need another nesting box we will put it on the left side and close up that door over there with some good wire. I have another door inside the roosting area I plan on opening up into their run once I get this wall up to close in the nesting box so there wont be sooooo much traffic in this area.




I have 19 pullets right now BUT someone wants 4 of them so I'm going to sell him 4 BA's and keep my RIR's. I like them best anyway. I have more of the BA'S than RIR's.

 

[Beekissed]

Rose, those are wonderful! I can't wait until you get your first egg! I kind of wished the fella had made that outside entrance something that opened downward instead of upward...you're going to need both hands to gather eggs~one to hold your basket, the other to gather the eggs. If you haven't already, you might want to put a hook on your door so that you can hook it up the wire so you don't have to hold it up to gather the eggs. Bungee cords work well for that...I use one for holding open my coop door at times.

Here's another little nesting tip that may help you with your nests...place shavings or small debris like pine needles, etc. in the bottoms of the nests and place the hay/straw on top(with the slick plastic pans, you'll need something for your hay/straw to cling to). And PILE that hay in...make it a nice, thick, sticking out all over mass of hay..then take your hands and make a cup shape in the middle. The chickens will do the rest as they sit in it...they will move the hay/straw around and kind of form a nest shape out of it.

I see nest box pics on some of these forums and I pity the poor chickens! Nothing more than a shelf, without a even lip on it, with a few pieces of straw thrown on it...what bird in their right mind would want to LAY there???

Then they write a post about their chickens not wanting to lay in the nests......have they even SEEN a bird's nest in their life? I often wonder about that.

See that hay sticking in the pic below? That is the level of bedding they like to have...I've gauged response to different types of bedding over the years and find the nests stay cleaner and the bedding stays in place better with the combination of shavings/small heavier pieces in the bottom, with the big amounts of hay in the top. They sort of weave that hay into a nest and it doesn't come out of the nest as easily when they get in and out. When I go with less hay and no shavings, it gets matted down and pretty soon I can see the bottom of the nest...no cushion under the eggs when they are laid. If I just use hay but no chips, they will eventually burrow down into it until I see a bare bottomed nest and the hay gets shoved upwards to the sides and eventually out of the nest.

The combination of the two really seems to strike the right cord with them and they manage to keep the nest materials intact, the bottom covered with soft material and also make the nest shape they desire....

The hay sticking out has the other end of it woven into the nest bowl and doesn't come all the way out of the nest very often. I lose less hay if they can actually weave a nest out of the materials. I've also found they prefer hay to straw or something similar to hay like long, dried grasses.

 

[RoseMarie1]

Rose, those are wonderful! I can't wait until you get your first egg! I kind of wished the fella had made that outside entrance something that opened downward instead of upward...you're going to need both hands to gather eggs~one to hold your basket, the other to gather the eggs. If you haven't already, you might want to put a hook on your door so that you can hook it up the wire so you don't have to hold it up to gather the eggs. Bungee cords work well for that...I use one for holding open my coop door at times.

Here's another little nesting tip that may help you with your nests...place shavings or small debris like pine needles, etc. in the bottoms of the nests and place the hay/straw on top(with the slick plastic pans, you'll need something for your hay/straw to cling to). And PILE that hay in...make it a nice, thick, sticking out all over mass of hay..then take your hands and make a cup shape in the middle. The chickens will do the rest as they sit in it...they will move the hay/straw around and kind of form a nest shape out of it.

I see nest box pics on some of these forums and I pity the poor chickens! Nothing more than a shelf, without a even lip on it, with a few pieces of straw thrown on it...what bird in their right mind would want to LAY there???

Then they write a post about their chickens not wanting to lay in the nests......have they even SEEN a bird's nest in their life? I often wonder about that.

See that hay sticking in the pic below? That is the level of bedding they like to have...I've gauged response to different types of bedding over the years and find the nests stay cleaner and the bedding stays in place better with the combination of shavings/small heavier pieces in the bottom, with the big amounts of hay in the top. They sort of weave that hay into a nest and it doesn't come out of the nest as easily when they get in and out. When I go with less hay and no shavings, it gets matted down and pretty soon I can see the bottom of the nest...no cushion under the eggs when they are laid. If I just use hay but no chips, they will eventually burrow down into it until I see a bare bottomed nest and the hay gets shoved upwards to the sides and eventually out of the nest.

The combination of the two really seems to strike the right cord with them and they manage to keep the nest materials intact, the bottom covered with soft material and also make the nest shape they desire....

The hay sticking out has the other end of it woven into the nest bowl and doesn't come all the way out of the nest very often. I lose less hay if they can actually weave a nest out of the materials. I've also found they prefer hay to straw or something similar to hay like long, dried grasses.

Oh no Bee it DOES open downward not upward. See the four hinges on the bottom area? The two things you see, one on each side are locks to lock it up with.
OK I will have to get me some more of the bark like I used when the chickens were little to put in their nesting boxes. I already put in some pine straw but will take that out and add some pine chips. I have some dried grasses I've been piling in a hole the old dog made around a large oak many years ago. So I just been sweeping up the cut grass filling in that large hole. I'll get some of that and add to it as well.
LOVE your nesting box. It looks soooooo comfy! I'm amazed they don't want to camp out in there.


Oh and ME TO ON THOSE EGGS!!!!

 

[Beekissed]

Duh!!!

Yeah...I see them now. I thought it was the other way around at first glance but I see it better now that you pointed it out. Sheesh!!!

All I could think of was you fumbling to hold that door up while gathering eggs and maybe it even slamming down on your arm in the process. Mothering you from afar...gotta stop that!

That's one of the reasons I made my outside access with a slider door and made sure all the plastic edges had tape over the sharpness...the Ol' Bat's skin is so easy to tear now and she likes to gather the eggs, so I didn't want to make a situation where she could possibly get her skin torn in the process.

Sorry....

I'm just so loving watching your coop build and habitat coming alive that it feels like it's my own! Feel free to

at any time in the process!

 

[RoseMarie1]

Duh!!!

Yeah...I see them now. I thought it was the other way around at first glance but I see it better now that you pointed it out. Sheesh!!!

All I could think of was you fumbling to hold that door up while gathering eggs and maybe it even slamming down on your arm in the process. Mothering you from afar...gotta stop that!

That's one of the reasons I made my outside access with a slider door and made sure all the plastic edges had tape over the sharpness...the Ol' Bat's skin is so easy to tear now and she likes to gather the eggs, so I didn't want to make a situation where she could possibly get her skin torn in the process.

Sorry....

I'm just so loving watching your coop build and habitat coming alive that it feels like it's my own! Feel free to

at any time in the process!

lol now Bee you KNOW I am not going to hit you! LOL @ the old bats skin comment because this old bats skin is the SAME WAY!!! I just brush my arm against the door facing and the skin peels back. All my gates are going to HAVE to be fixed because you should see my arms from all the wires sticking out on them from the poultry wire. I WISH I had enough room between those doors and their frames that I could put those noodles that kids swim with along the doors. They are long and have the hole in them and one could split that and use it IF it would go in there but it's too close of a fit.
LOL mothering you from afar.....that one made me laugh out loud, just in our blood is all.

No need to apologize to me woman!

I'm glad it makes you feel like your own and it should since you are the one helping me and telling me what to do with it.

 

[Beekissed]

Hey, Rosemarie! Was bragging about your run on another forum and posted some of your pics to show folks "how it's done in the run"!

 

[RoseMarie1]

Hey, Rosemarie! Was bragging about your run on another forum and posted some of your pics to show folks "how it's done in the run"!

Alright! You're a hoot!