Spring 2017 first timers post!

[Merrymouse]

Stretch Run! Beautiful day today, finally. Worked diligently on the coop today and am now getting down to the details, yipeee. Tomorrow we plan on some painting.
hooking up the electrical, and putting up some trim.

One question for you is what do you do, if anything, to your roosts??? We plan on using 2x4s and are considering whether or not to seal the wood? I have read that at least one guy put carpet on the roosts and claims the hens liked that.

9 more days, gulp! TBC, BB

I would not stain or carpet the roosts. I think carpet would be impossible to clean. Also I heard 2x4 on side is best so in the cold weather the toes are fairly flat and are well covered when they crouch down in the cold so less chance of frost bitten toes. Good luck!

BB do you have a coop build thread? I couldnt find it and I want to watch your progress.

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

2 weeks from Wednesday my chicks arrive! I brought my girls to tractor supply to see the chicks, they can't wait now for ours

I have been hammering away at the coop, painting and staining almost finished and I will move inside to make the brooder/chicken jail/isolation area this week, oh and the loft, pop door and nest boxes....

I will post a build thread once it is done hopefully before the chicks arrive!

Gary

 

[bajabirdbrain]

Merrymouse: No, we do not have a coop build thread, Maybe we should start one as I have some pics. We did a BYC search on what to do with roosts and it seems about equal, paint them for ease or cleaning or natural, maybe a little veggie oil, and just scrape away the poop. Probably leaning towards natural. I DO like the softness of carpet, reminds me of my house slippers!! TBC, BB

 

[Merrymouse]

Merrymouse: No, we do not have a coop build thread, Maybe we should start one as I have some pics. We did a BYC search on what to do with roosts and it seems about equal, paint them for ease or cleaning or natural, maybe a little veggie oil, and just scrape away the poop. Probably leaning towards natural. I DO like the softness of carpet, reminds me of my house slippers!! TBC, BB

Oops, I am painting mine. But Im not putting carpet. I think I misspoke.

 

[LandersLittles]

Merrymouse: No, we do not have a coop build thread, Maybe we should start one as I have some pics. We did a BYC search on what to do with roosts and it seems about equal, paint them for ease or cleaning or natural, maybe a little veggie oil, and just scrape away the poop. Probably leaning towards natural. I DO like the softness of carpet, reminds me of my house slippers!! TBC, BB

Veggie oil! That is a great idea! We're also using 2x4's and I was planning on leaving them natural for the ease of cleaning... but I think I will definitely wipe them down with some veggie oil.

 

[Lamaremybabies]

Can anyone tell me if my chicken math is correct?

I have a coop/run combo from tractor supply that I'm turning into a solid coop because I enclosed their "area" due to my dogs. So the coop is going to be 3'x6' (plus it has a 3'x3' section already from the coop part of the coop/run thing that I'm not counting because I didn't think it counted) and their run is 32'x14'

So 3' x 6' = 18 sq ft for the coop
And 32' x 14' = 448 sq ft of run

448 + 18 = 466 sq ft
466sqft / 14 = 33 chickens. (I did 4sqft of coop and 10sqft of run to get the 14 instead of 4 and 8)

I'm not sure if my math is right and I have no intentions on having that many chickens and not having a barn for them but I am just thinking I have 5 chickens + 5 more coming in April and tractor supply is sooo tempting and there's a minimum of 6 chicks at mine so if I had 16 chickens (they're a mix of standard 4-6 pound hens and bantams plus I have a bantam roo) if anyone thinks that would or wouldn't work?

They also free range when I'm home.

That's the coop, I'm currently working on enclosing the run portion of it to make on big coop.

 

[fangedknight]

The snow is almost gone!! It's still got a ways to go yet but omg I can't wait! This coop needs building!!

 

[Hillaire]

@fangedknight where are you located? I am in NY and cannot wait for all this snow to melt so I don't have to shovel out my chicken run anymore and can build a turkey coop and bigger garden

 

[Busyboy]

New to the BC, a few years into chickens. I have fallen head first into it and pretty sure I must have hit it really hard. Before I woke I have turned a dozen into quite a few (200ish). Too many cool birds and my lack of self control...lol... I now have a hatching room, a brooder room, and a full out tractor barn..... ugh...lol

Svart Hona
Barnvielders
Black Copper Marans
Buff orpingtons
Plymouth Rocks
Black laced silver wyandotte
Black sex link
Welsummers

Definitely going to be that crazy hermit with all the **** chickens...lol

 

[mlploeger]

.

So our chickens are a bit older since our spring season here in AZ started last month! But here's our girls (hopefully). We lost one of our Australorps a couple days ago So we added an additional 2 from a lady who breeds barnyard mixes. So the red and the white ones we aren't positive are pullets, just guessing. What do you guys think? And they are some kind of mix between Red Star, Leghorn and Americana. Our almost 5 year old named most of them of course I got to name my little red girl Lucy so I'm happy! Husband just finished building the coop yesterday so they've been enjoying the outdoors and learning how to use their ramps. So fun!