YO GEORGIANS! :)

[PapaChaz]

Hey all ! Just found something that may interest those expanding, modifying or building a coop. If you don't mind a little labor intense, finger hitting with hammer, or some work you may want to check your local Home Depot or Lowe's and see if you can get what they call "runners" its the boards that are used when they get lumber and yes they are narrow and may be only @ 4 Ft long but they work great for coop floors or walls and for the cost, free !!!! they are worth the time spent cutting and installing Made one wall of my coop and my floor (6x 8 floor) using these runners. Yes time and labor, cutting and fitting but cheap lumber.

also known as 'dunnage'

they keep some of it for when they do a big order for somene. They stack on these so they can pick up with the fork lift, but yes they will give them away. they usually just throw them away.
Another big box store trick is to look for, or ask if they have, anything that's slightly damaged and discounted. At our local home depot, if they paint an end purple it means 70% off......

 

[PapaChaz]

Help!!

We have an 8X10 hen house with a humongous run, which is covered to keep hawks, etc,.,out. The chickens have not been beyond 8' of the henhouse. So many green things for them and space to run, etc, but they prefer to stay in the hen house. Yes, it is cool, the windows facing east and west.. The hen house on the outside which is fenced in, has plenty of room under it to have dust baths, stay cool, catch the breezes, ., but these spoiled chicks prefer to stay inside the hen house.

At this time , I have 2, 8 wk Pita Pinta Asturiana pullets, and 1, 8 wk. Pita Pinta Roo, 2 Euskal Oiloa pullets, 1 Euskal Oiloa Hen and 1, 4 mo. EE. Seven total very close to the same age. 2, 4 wk. old EE's which I just picked up today, in quarantine for 4 wks.



We installed poop boards under the roosts, 2" deep, and filled them with PDZ, which is a horse stall ammonia and odor eliminator and has been proven to be safe for chickens. Boy, does it work, especially if we use the cat litter scoop every day, scooping and dumping the litter into our compost pile.


I do have a waterer in the henhouse and a feeder, and I am thinking that I should move the waterer and feeder to the outside. I already have a hanging waterer and feeder on the outside.

The chickens are just spending way too much time in the hen house, especially considering this is going into our Summer Season.

We installed an automatic door opener and closer, but we have not activated it, yet, the younger chicks come in earlier than their 12 and 16 wk. old flock.

I plan to have 10 pullets and 1 rooster for the time being, and I definitely don't want them them all hanging out in the henhouse all day and night.

Any and all sugggestions will be appreciated.

Thank you

treats out to lure them out maybe, then close the doors? I'm curious why it matters though, I think most just let them do pretty much what they want. They'll do what they need and that way they're happy. It's not exactly like trying to get a lazy couch potato hubby up to do something, LOL

 

[rossfam06]

I am close to Savannah, about 30 miles inland from Brunswick

Cool! Not far. We love driving that way when we get a chance. We normally take a anniversary trip to Jekyll Island in may. We love it.

 

[Flowerbh]

You know my story about 'Every time I leave home something dies..' Well, had to come to Mobile to see my Mom. On the drive down, my DH called to say one of the baby ducks jumped in the small water dish and got chilled. He just put it in the brooder under the lamp to warm it up, but he didn't dry it off first. Just put it in there sopping wet! It died. Ugh!

Anyway, this is a sad trip for me. My 91 year old Mom is being taking to Texas where one of my sisters lives. She will be in a home there. She will not even know. I will probably never see her alive again as she is losing weight fast and is already a stick. It is sad, but we really lost our Mom years ago. She would have hated this for herself. She always talked about how she didn't want to 'die' before she was dead. You know what I mean? Anyway, it is sad for all of us.

 

[GAchickennewbie]

You know my story about 'Every time I leave home something dies..' Well, had to come to Mobile to see my Mom. On the drive down, my DH called to say one of the baby ducks jumped in the small water dish and got chilled. He just put it in the brooder under the lamp to warm it up, but he didn't dry it off first. Just put it in there sopping wet! It died. Ugh!

Anyway, this is a sad trip for me. My 91 year old Mom is being taking to Texas where one of my sisters lives. She will be in a home there. She will not even know. I will probably never see her alive again as she is losing weight fast and is already a stick. It is sad, but we really lost our Mom years ago. She would have hated this for herself. She always talked about how she didn't want to 'die' before she was dead. You know what I mean? Anyway, it is sad for all of us.

Big hugs. My prayers are with you.

 

[Coach C]

If my coop is 4x8 and my run is 16x8, am I wrong in planning for 6-8 chickens? I am thinking Orpingtons, Barred Rocks, and possibly RRs.
I was also thinking four nest, inside and maybe an outside nest as well.

 

[carcar80]

You know my story about 'Every time I leave home something dies..' Well, had to come to Mobile to see my Mom. On the drive down, my DH called to say one of the baby ducks jumped in the small water dish and got chilled. He just put it in the brooder under the lamp to warm it up, but he didn't dry it off first. Just put it in there sopping wet! It died. Ugh!

Anyway, this is a sad trip for me. My 91 year old Mom is being taking to Texas where one of my sisters lives. She will be in a home there. She will not even know. I will probably never see her alive again as she is losing weight fast and is already a stick. It is sad, but we really lost our Mom years ago. She would have hated this for herself. She always talked about how she didn't want to 'die' before she was dead. You know what I mean? Anyway, it is sad for all of us.

I am so sorry, love. (((HUGS)))

 

[saltandpepper2]

If my coop is 4x8 and my run is 16x8, am I wrong in planning for 6-8 chickens? I am thinking Orpingtons, Barred Rocks, and possibly RRs. 
I was also thinking four nest, inside and maybe an outside nest as well.

No, that sounds good to me! That gives each bird 4 sq ft in coop, and 16 sq ft in run. I have two coops that equal 44 sq ft, and have 13 birds in them, and a 10x20 run, and they are fine. Might help that I free range them almost all the time though.

 

[katiedarling]

You know my story about 'Every time I leave home something dies..' Well, had to come to Mobile to see my Mom. On the drive down, my DH called to say one of the baby ducks jumped in the small water dish and got chilled. He just put it in the brooder under the lamp to warm it up, but he didn't dry it off first. Just put it in there sopping wet! It died. Ugh!

Anyway, this is a sad trip for me. My 91 year old Mom is being taking to Texas where one of my sisters lives. She will be in a home there. She will not even know. I will probably never see her alive again as she is losing weight fast and is already a stick. It is sad, but we really lost our Mom years ago. She would have hated this for herself. She always talked about how she didn't want to 'die' before she was dead. You know what I mean? Anyway, it is sad for all of us.

 

[carcar80]

@PapaChaz- I got a good laugh at the new kid this morning. Brought him home at dark last night and just put him on the roost in the dark with the girls.. You should have SEEN him at daybreak.. He was puffed to twice his size and strutting around to each girl like, "woohoo!!"