The road less traveled...back to good health! They have lice, mites, scale mites, worms, anemia, gl

[Beekissed]

I love his coop in that thread!!!! My old one reminded me of that one...except not so pretty. Red with white trim and lots of open walls and windows.

 

[Beekissed]

(Meant to quote Miss Lydia's link to Fresh Air Poultry Houses)
Yes, this is where I first heard of the idea - I've been a little nervous about it though given CT weather... and the silkies that were foisted upon me. They're impractical chickens, but cute, so I'd like them to live. That and I'd be divorced if harm were to come to them.
Bee, thanks for your help. Can you share some pics of your open hoop once it's winterized?
Our coop needs more ventilation. We ordered it (she says with a wee bit of shame) and had gable vents put in, but they're so small. When it arrived I told my husband we should enlarge the holes or at the least removed the stupid mini-louvered vent stuck in there and just put in hardware cloth, but I lost the battle. So now we either have open windows (big air flow) or the vent at the back (which dumps air right on their roost). Or the pop door, once our run is finished. I always keep the people door open during the day, but shut everything at night now that we're hitting the 20s. We had been leaving one of the front windows open overnight, but once again it's the silkies.....they haven't all put on great weight yet so I close stuff up at night. I know, I know, I need to get FF going for their delicate little intestinal tracts.
It's a blustery, gray day today but my coop is at least fully open so all the little poopers can get aired out. Sigh.
For fun we look at land in Maine and Montana, nice big tracts of land. I envision large flocks roaming the varied landscape, watched over by a LGD. Sigh. Someday.

Where the silkies and the antelopes play...where seldom is heard "I hate those darn birds!" and the sky is not cloudy all day.....


Sure will...trust me, this coop ain't pretty. Actually, I don't think I've ever had a pretty coop....but comfortable and functional, yes.

I'd like to have a show called Coop Impossible and, instead of trying to make them look prettier, I'd like to redesign them so that they actually work well and keep the chickens healthy.

 

[chickachee]

By the way, the best thing I learned on the OT thread was a winter watering tip: use a plastic ice cream bucket of water placed inside the heated dog bowls ! So you don't have to unplug the bowl, mess around with the stupid cord, and empty/wipe out the bowl. Can change out the ice cream bucket so easily and just leave the dog bowl base alone! I almost can't wait til it freezes to get to do it this easy way.

Help me visualize. Where do you put the holes in the ice cream bucket for the water to come out so they can drink?

 

[Beekissed]

You don't...you just set it down in the bowl to keep the water warm and they drink from the top of the bucket.

 

[Adenium]

I think Coop Impossible would be a great show. Martha Stewart could feature you.
I am surprised he says there isn't a wind inside the coop in winter. I imagine the roost sits up high in the rear portion but it still seems drafty. However if it used to be standard thru the northeast ....

Wonder why it fell out of favor?

 

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Pics of Middle Sister, AKA Stumpy, and her now normal feet. She was soaked with epsom salts for these impacted glands in her feet and resulting inflammation, 2 nights in a row, and the impaction was relieved some days before that. I think the epsom salt soaks finally turned the tide for this chicken and she is now on the way to filling out and getting a better overall appearance and health.



From left to right on the three WR sisters: Raggedy Ann(no longer raggedy), Middle Sister(no longer Stumpy) and Bertha AKA Moby Dick(the only one that looked like a chicken when this all started).


Middle Sister's feet...no longer puffy, swollen and tender...you can still see a residual redness but her scales are shiny, no more evidence of scale mites and the swelling is down.




From this pic, it's almost hard to tell which hen is the Middle Sister now(she's the one in the middle, naturally)....look below to see what she looked like at Week 1, a mere three weeks previous.

 

[Beekissed]

I think Coop Impossible would be a great show. Martha Stewart could feature you.
I am surprised he says there isn't a wind inside the coop in winter. I imagine the roost sits up high in the rear portion but it still seems drafty. However if it used to be standard thru the northeast ....
Wonder why it fell out of favor?

Commercial poultry houses....and then the only folks keeping chickens were transplanted city folks that don't know bupkiss about fresh air.

 

[Adenium]

See, I only know what I've read in BYC and I was raised next to state forest. Not city, but certainly chicken - deprived. Oh and of course the nebulous mantra here is ye old ventilation without drafts.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Oh and of course the nebulous mantra here is ye old ventilation without drafts.

 

[Beekissed]

Pics of the new leaves added to the bedding today....and the chickens who love them.

I try to get leaves that are good and dry, after the dew has dried and the winds have done their job. Then the open air coop will continue to let off humidity/moisture as these leaves dry out and deteriorate.