Surviving Minnesota!

[MNChickMom]

I am SO proud of myself!! I set myself a goal yesterday to get the framing and roof on to my coop before the rain comes!!! Well I DID IT!! My husband had to help me with the roof sheets but I got it done...oh BTW Happy (belated) Mothers Day to all you moms My husband took me for brunch and then I got to work....never even opened my laptop yesterday. Next is the siding and the run which I believe will be a bigger headache for me than the actual ccop! I hope to get that done this coming weekend. They have me working doubles at the post office so I can't get a thing done during the week The white tape around it is because one of my horses is a "butt head" and kept scratching his mane and butt on the corner of the building!

WOW! That is Amazing! Talk about a chicken palace!

 

[Bogtown Chick]

What do you guys think of using feather fixer for show birds? I'm trying to find something to feed the cochins.

I think there might be some threads regarding show birds I love layers. You might put something in the search bar or go to an awesome Cochin thread and see if they can give you some input. I think you need to be careful of not allowing the foot feathers to get broken off...right? Also about feed. I think I've read that alot of folks give All-Flock as it has a higher protein level than layer. Then they supplement the hen with oyster shell. Then closer to show time you start a little game bird feed. That was just on a thread I ready many moons ago. So memory may not be the best.

In hindsight my comment this morning came out a little snarky, so my apologies for that. Didn't mean it that way

I'm sure your parking friend is related to the gentleman from the market. The market really draws an interesting crowd of sellers. The lady next to us sold fairy garden type decorations and birdfeeders made from tea cups and wine bottles and such. She kept making comments to us about how some lady 'stole her spit' and that is why she was by us and that other lady isn't even a regular and her customers couldn't find her blah blah blah like people came and bought a tea cup super glued to a saucer with a chain through the handles to hand as a bird feeder weekly.... We just nodded along until she went back to her booth. There is no assigned spots so it is technically her own fault for not showing up early enough to get where she wanted.

There was a new guy there selling homemade root beer. We usually don't buy stuff when we are selling but we got a bottle and it was excellent. I hope to see him back as that was a nice late morning treat.

People are interesting and many are snarky these days. Freedom with the keyboards has transcended in person etiquette I've found often. People seem entitled to express their opinion. Personally if that guy comes around again with his egg rhetoric I would take 1/2 dozen or so of perhaps grocery store eggs in sacrifice and wail him with some. LOL. But I guess that wouldn't be very good etiquette either. So just a simple in his face comment on how he's doing with his egg sales a few booths down might suffice. See if he takes cover to his handicapped stickered Caddie.

I need you to come to my house with that Camera Holm....OMG... I love!!!! this photo!!! Of course your coop as a back drop is amazing. Has @Minniechickmama seen this photo? She's gotta be proud as punch of these birds.

I am SO proud of myself!! I set myself a goal yesterday to get the framing and roof on to my coop before the rain comes!!! Well I DID IT!! My husband had to help me with the roof sheets but I got it done...oh BTW Happy (belated) Mothers Day to all you moms My husband took me for brunch and then I got to work....never even opened my laptop yesterday. Next is the siding and the run which I believe will be a bigger headache for me than the actual ccop! I hope to get that done this coming weekend. They have me working doubles at the post office so I can't get a thing done during the week The white tape around it is because one of my horses is a "butt head" and kept scratching his mane and butt on the corner of the building!

That looks amazing! What a nice shelter for your birdies. And the fact that you are doing this mostly on your own...very gratifying I'm sure.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

@I Love Layers Here is an excellent thread to glean some nutritional information from for Show Birds. Gamebird feed for your beauties and some Fish every once in a while. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/339703/what-do-i-feed-show-birds/10

 

[holm25]

Thanks BC! I posted it on the other MN thread so she will see it

. Some might think that the coop looks like a piece of junk but its rustic looking and I like that.

 

[holm25]

I Love Layers, I would probably seperate the cockerel and hen and get them their own cages. Those foot feathers are important and if they get broke that could be bad.

 

[Siggie]

@MNChickMom Thanks! It was a little harder than I thought it would be but I'm getting it done!

@Bogtown Chick I tried using the pallets for the framing and it just became an insane headache so I am going to breakdown the pallets and use the boards for inside siding. We have some left over Tyvek from when we built our cabin and I am going to put that on the outside to stop the drafts. I am hoping to have enough ventilation....I have 2 - 1 sq ft vent openings on the front and back, a small one on the bottom of the end wall and then the large 4'x6' window on the front that will open all the way and the door will have a 2' x 3' removable storm window. The sq footage of the coop is only 80 sq ft and I have 22 birds but I am sure I will need to cull a few roosters before winter sets in. The run will be 10x10' in front of the coop and then a 3'x18' area on the side where I plan to gate off so I can grow greens and only let them on it when the greens are tall. They will have plenty of protein and other greens in the horse pasture when they free range

I still think I want to put them all in my 22'x14' greenhouse in the winter where I will have fall/winter cover crops growing for them.

 

[holm25]

Siggie maybe u should come build me a coop. Then you will have the process down and it will be easier to finish yours!

Lol your coop is beautiful so far! Good job!

 

[Siggie]

@holm25 Thanks! It's a labor of love and I just don't know if I could do it again LOL...it took us all summer to build the barn that it's attached to and that was a huge headache because we used a carport as the frame so it was pretty hard trying to work around the framing that is spaced over 4ft! We should have just done a stick built ha ha! I really have to seed that pasture...it look deplorable UGH! SO MANY THINGS ON MY "TO DO" LIST

Next year I want to put another (same size) addition on the other side...told my husband it will be for storage but a couple of goats may just wander in and call it home one day.... LOL

 

[Siggie]

Does anyone paint the inside of their coop? I bought some low VOC exterior white paint that deters mold and mildew...I also thought the white color would brighten it up?

 

[jerryse]

Fished a little while yesterday afternoon with my grandson . Helped him catch a nice mess of sunfish and crappie . Then skipped out and left him to clean them . Same as he used to do to me when he was younger .

Found some oyster mushrooms at the lake . Not really looking . Left the lake and went to Tractor supply and bought some cattle panels for my pole beans . Tired of the old woven wire fence . I have a tool that lets me bend a couple of V rows into it . One near top and one near the bottom . It becomes rigid enough to use as a gate even . Took the wife to the Rib Shack for supper . Got back about 9 .