Southern NY, Dutchess county and below

[highpointfarm]

wow,WHY?

 

[stoopid]

I can't answer that....but there are moderators that "police" the posts.
And yes, I have gotten MANY warnings.
We can talk about it tomorrow. So I don't get in trouble again.

 

[smkchick]

Do you have much luck selling roos? I have 3, 5 week old, ee roos that are in need of homes (at least I suspect they are roos).
I have not insulated my coop at all and no interior walls at all. My flock did very well this winter. Of course, it was not at all cold this winter either. They use open coops in some very cold places without any problems. http://www.nortoncreekpress.com/fresh_air_poultry_houses.html

I think if the weather was sub zero for an extended period of time there might be trouble, but most of the people I know do not have their coops finished on the inside. You need to have a lot of ventilation in there (not drafts, but ventilation).
This is a good link on ventilation:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...-go-out-there-and-cut-more-holes-in-your-coop

I think if you insulate without enough ventilation, you will end up with moisture build up in the winter and a lot of smell.

I decided to insulate the coop for 2 reasons, neither of which has to do with keeping my girls warm. One, I wanted to keep the noise to a minimum and figured insulation would soundproof it somewhat. Two, if we ever decide to give up chickens, we have a building that can serve many purposes. I didn't want Bobby to freeze when I kick his not-so-fluffy butt out.

The windows on the sides are sliders. We put hardware mesh on the outside of the one not enclosed by the coop, and on the inside screen half of both so the girls don't peck through the screens. The front windows are decorative only - the girls like to look out. The back wall has a vent to add ventilation to the coop.

We used regular pink insulation. It was one of the things we went back and forth on a couple of times before deciding to go with insulating the coop.

 

[smkchick]

Wish me luck. I let the little girls into the run with the big girls again this afternoon. There was some chasing and intimidation, and some minor pecking, but the run is big enough so the little girls can get away. Bobby enclosed one (smallish) corner of the coop with hardware mesh with a hole just big enough for the little girls. I put some shavings, water and food in that corner and showed the babies how to get in. They figured out how to get out on their own.

I was going to bring them back in the house tonight, but decided that since there was no bloodshed and they have a safe zone, I might try leaving them out in the coop tonight. Yes, Lavinia too. She's not fully feathered, but the other girls cuddle her at night, so I think she'll be okay. I'll check on them all before I turn in and make sure she's safe and warm. She's certainly bold enough to be out there with them. She acts just like her big sisters! I hope she's a she. So much personality - I'd hate to have to give her up.

How much sleep won't I be getting tonight??

 

[Imprfctme]

Ok here are some pics of the garden

Wow Caleb, your garden is beautiful! I am jealous in the extreme. Wish I had that much direct sunlight but we have many old growth trees around here so it wouldn't make sense. As it is I'm not sure the watermelons we planted are sprouting, I might have to replant them.

In gardening news, I am bringing a styrofoam cooler full of catmint with me. I started weeding the front walk border and ended up yanking fistfuls of the stuff out. Like i said, it's a mint, it takes over, but it does make a nice perennial border. I started off putting some seedlings in plastic pots but it just ended up being too big a job to do that. I didn't even finish with the front walk as it is.

In birding news, I thought I spotted a Cereulean Warbler today and got completely worked up but then double checked and it's just a blue warbler. Still a beautiful bird though, and I hope it nests in the yard. One advantage to old growth trees is the diversity of birds That and organic lawn care treatment. yes I have caterpillars eating the bean leaves and the eggplant, but on the other hand - Blue Warblers! Only a Bird Nerd would find that to be a worthwhile trade off I suppose, lol.

Al, I'm sorry your chickens are still going at each other's feathers. Would putting a bitter apple spray on them work? Yes my birdies are super fluffy but the chicks are going through a very sorry looking teenage growth stage. I'm thinking next week after the rain is done they are going outside for good. They really like their little outdoor enclosure, it's just still too cold out at night for them.

 

[Imprfctme]

Wish me luck. I let the little girls into the run with the big girls again this afternoon. There was some chasing and intimidation, and some minor pecking, but the run is big enough so the little girls can get away. Bobby enclosed one (smallish) corner of the coop with hardware mesh with a hole just big enough for the little girls. I put some shavings, water and food in that corner and showed the babies how to get in. They figured out how to get out on their own.

I was going to bring them back in the house tonight, but decided that since there was no bloodshed and they have a safe zone, I might try leaving them out in the coop tonight. Yes, Lavinia too. She's not fully feathered, but the other girls cuddle her at night, so I think she'll be okay. I'll check on them all before I turn in and make sure she's safe and warm. She's certainly bold enough to be out there with them. She acts just like her big sisters! I hope she's a she. So much personality - I'd hate to have to give her up.

How much sleep won't I be getting tonight??

NO! you have to sleep, I need you to come to the fair! Be alert and ready to go! Lord knows it's a crapshoot if I'll be with the dog and the 3yr old on wake-up patrol. Hmm, now that you have them outside I'm thinking I should be putting mine out? I keep waffling, it's more a thing though that if I lose them at this stage I'll just kick myself.

 

[Imprfctme]

I decided to insulate the coop for 2 reasons, neither of which has to do with keeping my girls warm. One, I wanted to keep the noise to a minimum and figured insulation would soundproof it somewhat. Two, if we ever decide to give up chickens, we have a building that can serve many purposes. I didn't want Bobby to freeze when I kick his not-so-fluffy butt out.

The windows on the sides are sliders. We put hardware mesh on the outside of the one not enclosed by the coop, and on the inside screen half of both so the girls don't peck through the screens. The front windows are decorative only - the girls like to look out. The back wall has a vent to add ventilation to the coop.

We used regular pink insulation. It was one of the things we went back and forth on a couple of times before deciding to go with insulating the coop.

Christine, having seen Suzanne's coop IN PERSON (jealous? bet you all are) I can say that a) it is gorgeous and b)her yard doesn't get enough natural sunlight to keep them warm on their own. I would agree with insulating her coop for winter.

edited to add: My coop does not have insulation though, and I haven't needed it. If there was a real bad cold snap there is an outdoor outlet close enough to run a line to a heat lamp but I'm more worried about overheating than extreme cold in my area. Our coop walls are plywood. I did put shingles on the roof to increase the life of the roof and for decorative reasons, and I think that adds some temperature regulation.

 

[queenchick16]

Yes I do. Still trying to decide whether they will be for sale tomorrow. Need to go thru all the roos today, and see if there will be any room in the car.

Can anyone sell chickens tomorrow?My friend with the lousy neighbor wants to get rid of the rooster. He is an incredible Black Copper Marans ;one year old.Her husband wants her to put it down on Sunday it she can't find it a home.I have a couple calls in the the people that took the roosters I had to give away but haven't heard anything yet.

 

[Imprfctme]

But crows keep the hawks away...

So do Blue Jays. I watched three Jays chase away a much larger Red Tail from my yard in March. I promptly shared my truly delicious Virginia peanuts with the Jays, thought they deserved it and all.

 

[Imprfctme]

In fox news, I was able to check our outside cameras and we got some really good pictures of the fox. It was right up to our front door! Cheeky boy. I can't figure out how to save the video off the camera HD yet but if I do I'll post. It's definitely a red fox though, and being rather bold. It was 1:10pm on Thursday afternoon. I do think it was more interested in the rabbits than the hens though.