Good evening all. Had a beautiful sunny day here in the 50s and spent all day outside working on the new hoop coop. Its now covered, dirt fills the low spots that were standing water & straw put down which the girls spent the last few hours happily scattering.
I had the girls outside their run several times today much to the dogs dismay (they were watching from the inside lol) Nothing better than some great chicken tv on a sunny day. They happily scratched thru the gardens and the pine tree bases. And is there nothing funnier than watching a happy hen come running across a yard? Of course I thought it was because the 3 others had hightailed it back to the coop & she finally realized she was alone. Seems we all missed the young hawk in the tree above them. It took off after they finally all hid out in the covered run
A lot of crows around today so I dont know if they scared it off or not. The girls are usually more vigilant with hawks guess the pickings were so good they forgot.
Finally they had peat moss at Lowes today so I picked up the biggest bale. Who knew that peat moss could make 4 happy hens as they dust bathed for an hour and even sun bathed for awhile. Of course they thanked me by spreading it throughout the veggie garden. I also put some in their run & coop to help break down the DL.
I know everyone has chic pics but I only have hen pics but still wanted to share. They made a stressful week much better just watching their antics throughout the day. I swear one was crowing........her sisters had ventured around the house & she made such a racket trying to call to them to see where they were. Unfortunately they were on the other side of the house happily digging in the flower gardens.
Chicken pile up in the peat moss.....its not like there was not other piles for them to dust bathe in lol
The new hoop coop covered. I even got some vents for the top (all I kept hearing at Lowes in my brain was ventilation, you need ventilation as the OTs advice kept repeating itself)
Here are the girls happily spreading a bale of hay out in the new coop........I am sure they will be back there in the morning again
Slow but sure I am making progress on the hoop coop. I will probably leave the front open like it is since its warming up. It faces north and doesnt get the wind/snow/rain from the way normally. Plus the house is directly across from it. Or I will probably put some clear plastic on it I can roll up/down like shades for rainy days. The back flap is held down with rope & logs so it doesnt flap. But I am going to get some of those fancy tarp clips with string on them so they are easier clamped & unclamped again depending on the weather. That end faces south and will get some wind but the houses behind us block a lot. I rather leave it open for ventilation purposes. But the once piece across the middle will stay so they wont get any drafts. The bottom on the back & sides is open for ventilation as well. I have a few pieces of white tarp left over I can easily secure like shades again for easy opening/closing.
Ok back to the normally scheduled chicken talk......I was just very pleased with all I accomplished today especially the vents & wanted to share.
Good evening all. Had a beautiful sunny day here in the 50s and spent all day outside working on the new hoop coop. Its now covered, dirt fills the low spots that were standing water & straw put down which the girls spent the last few hours happily scattering.
I had the girls outside their run several times today much to the dogs dismay (they were watching from the inside lol) Nothing better than some great chicken tv on a sunny day. They happily scratched thru the gardens and the pine tree bases. And is there nothing funnier than watching a happy hen come running across a yard? Of course I thought it was because the 3 others had hightailed it back to the coop & she finally realized she was alone. Seems we all missed the young hawk in the tree above them. It took off after they finally all hid out in the covered run
A lot of crows around today so I dont know if they scared it off or not. The girls are usually more vigilant with hawks guess the pickings were so good they forgot.
Finally they had peat moss at Lowes today so I picked up the biggest bale. Who knew that peat moss could make 4 happy hens as they dust bathed for an hour and even sun bathed for awhile. Of course they thanked me by spreading it throughout the veggie garden. I also put some in their run & coop to help break down the DL.
I know everyone has chic pics but I only have hen pics but still wanted to share. They made a stressful week much better just watching their antics throughout the day. I swear one was crowing........her sisters had ventured around the house & she made such a racket trying to call to them to see where they were. Unfortunately they were on the other side of the house happily digging in the flower gardens.
Chicken pile up in the peat moss.....its not like there was not other piles for them to dust bathe in lol
The new hoop coop covered. I even got some vents for the top (all I kept hearing at Lowes in my brain was ventilation, you need ventilation as the OTs advice kept repeating itself)
Here are the girls happily spreading a bale of hay out in the new coop........I am sure they will be back there in the morning again
Slow but sure I am making progress on the hoop coop. I will probably leave the front open like it is since its warming up. It faces north and doesnt get the wind/snow/rain from the way normally. Plus the house is directly across from it. Or I will probably put some clear plastic on it I can roll up/down like shades for rainy days. The back flap is held down with rope & logs so it doesnt flap. But I am going to get some of those fancy tarp clips with string on them so they are easier clamped & unclamped again depending on the weather. That end faces south and will get some wind but the houses behind us block a lot. I rather leave it open for ventilation purposes. But the once piece across the middle will stay so they wont get any drafts. The bottom on the back & sides is open for ventilation as well. I have a few pieces of white tarp left over I can easily secure like shades again for easy opening/closing.
Ok back to the normally scheduled chicken talk......I was just very pleased with all I accomplished today especially the vents & wanted to share.
I love the hoop coop. I'd like to put one up next to my chicken coop more for protection in the winter snow and summer rains. My coop isn't huge so hoping to put it close. I'd leave both ends open running east to west as our storms have to come down the gully n - s. The vents on top, can you shut them to keep rain from dripping in? My only problem is figuring out how to get the cattle panels home.
aoxa - I always love your pictures. I also love candling eggs. It's fascinating.
dbaydak - were those pic's taken today? Usually your weather gets us the next day. Very nice pic's. We love seeing them. Thanks. sue
So one, only one, of my pullets has mites. I dusted her yesterday with Permithrin(sp) dust to kill the active mites(I know, not natural) because she was miserable. Tomorrow I will be dusting her with DE and wood ash and continue dusting every other day for the next week to get the hatching eggs. Hopefully once the mite issue is taken care of she will lay her first egg, she is my last one old enough but hasn't started yet. Gonna have nice weather this weekend so I will try and get a few pics of the new Catdance chicks and get the Silkie pen/coop built this weekend.
I can also do the CAFO (Confined area feed operation) that the big boys do, or, with my limited space, I can pasture and supplement that pasture feed with the best nutrient possible, the tender young shoots. Logically it seems even better than FF, or Sprouts because the nutrients peak in the Fodder stage. I happen to have hydroponic equipment so I may give it a shot. 7 days on rotation..... Barley.... We will see what happens. Just going to try to figure out how much I need for 3 hogs, 2 pregnant, and 90 or so birds as well as Goose and assorted rabbits.
I've been thinking some of the same things. I've never "farmed" before, but I have a 2 acre pasture totally open with just native grass. I want to ask around this area to see if someone will cut and bale the grass and what it would cost (I have no idea...) I'd also like to see if someone has a "drill" type planter that could come in and seed without plowing. Have no idea what that would cost...if anyone has done it I'd sure like to hear your experiences. I want to put a couple meat goats in the brushy part of the property and possibly a cow on the pasture. But I'd like to bale the grass hay for the winter so I know exactly what it is and where it came from.
Grabbed some hardware wiring today in "hardware backroom" of the grocery store in town. Came home and made a base frame with angle metal and scrap two by fours. Attatched and leveled one on the shed side. So as soon as I level the two corners away from the shed with one on shed I can start on the skirting. Attatching it to the two by fours.
The "tractor" size coop is suspended on the two by fours. Tomorrow I start on the skirting then get some peat moss and bedding and just fill it up above the two by fours!! That will make some good warm deep litter. Then can get the chickens!!!!! Almost ready!!!!
After that will work on making a larger coop on the leveled two by fours and a larger run/pen. Then the "tractor will get a thin luan flooring and become the chick/new introduction quarters inside the larger pen but attatched to the larger coop!!!
Uh I think I have already been bitten by the want more chickens and haven't picked up my three yet.
Grabbed some hardware wiring today in "hardware backroom" of the grocery store in town. Came home and made a base frame with angle metal and scrap two by fours. Attatched and leveled one on the shed side. So as soon as I level the two corners away from the shed with one on shed I can start on the skirting. Attatching it to the two by fours.
The "tractor" size coop is suspended on the two by fours. Tomorrow I start on the skirting then get some peat moss and bedding and just fill it up above the two by fours!! That will make some good warm deep litter. Then can get the chickens!!!!! Almost ready!!!!
After that will work on making a larger coop on the leveled two by fours and a larger run/pen. Then the "tractor will get a thin luan flooring and become the chick/new introduction quarters inside the larger pen but attatched to the larger coop!!!
Uh I think I have already been bitten by the want more chickens and haven't picked up my three yet.
Do you have some photos you can share? I always love to see everyone's innovations. I DEFINITELY need to get an additional housing option by June. I've kept my eyes out for old horse trailers (extremely cheap), thought of hoops, considered all kinds of things.
But June is coming soon and I hope to find "just the right thing" to have it ready for some Cream Legbars to brood by then.
Thank you everyone for your kind words. This has def been an experience but I have enjoyed every minute of the building process except the cold lol. I'm still not sure if one tarp is enough to keep out the winds of winter buts suppose to be heavy duty & article proof.
Sally the vents are vents you use on a house or under the eaves. They have slanted metal pieces over the screening. I don't know if it will keep out rain or snow but I tried to position them so the snow wouldn't sit on them during the winter and unless it rains sideways the rain should stay out unless some running down the tarp seeps in.
I have one in my doll house coop that I added and no snow or rain came in that I noticed. Of course it's on the flat side of a square coop not a rounded hoop coop. Time will tell. It's an experiment I guess you can say. I just knew I need more ventilation opportunities ESP during the winter when all the tarps sides are down.
I already plan on using hales bales for the winter to block the sides from wind and snow.
Armorfirelady, love your hoop coop. I love to see people's coops and runs. I have heritage RIR, German New Hampshires, and black copper marans eggs in my incubator, and I'm really wondering where I'm going to put them if I have a successful hatch.
We have an empty old barn, but I will have to get busy making doors and predator-proofing real soon.
