A nice garden plant that will cut down on bugs and pests around your garden is Wormwood.
It's a nice plant to look at and it smells like balm or eucalyptus to me.
It will spread tho. I now have it in my orchard and lawn.
I'm not sure what it is but its deffinatly not milkweed.
I brought a mint plant from the greenhouse years ago and in the pot must have been something else because stinging nettle grew in the sme place.
I am still battling sting nettle 25 years later!
I would put the people door of your coop, up front next to the entrance to the enclosure.
The chicken door would be to the back side of the building.
Then you dont have to walk through the enclosure to get to the coop to gather eggs and feed every day.
That beautiful grass will soon be gone...
Well, that depends on what you are going to be doing with it.
I would wonder about size. My shop vac is a smaller one because I wanted something easy for me to move around with in small spaces, like cleaning out the car. It came with lots of attachments for different types of jobs too, which I...
A shop vac.
My model takes 2 type of bags.
A normal use bag.
And another for fine dust.
The fine dust bags cost more, but this is the type you would need for feathers and chicken dust and dander.
When you go shopping check out the details and bag options of the model you are looking at.
Any rooster who does damage like that to my hens, ends up in the soup pot.
Roosters are a dime a dozen. Most folks who have nice roosters try everything possible to find homes for them. Most times with no luck.
No reason to keep a stupid misbehaving bully.
My hens love my big guy. He has...
That sounds like normal to me.
I would offer separate feeding statuons as you are doing, but put some sort of sight block between them so everyone can enjoy meal time.
By the way I think free choice feeding is best. Always avaliable.
My feeder is never empty.
Welcome!
Nice mix of birds!
Post some photos of your flock as they grow and folks here will be happy to help you sex them
Plus, we just like pictures.
😁
I dont think so..
The shell hardness and packing skill would determine this
I once recieved perfectly good eggs shipped well padded in a box with eggs in egg cartons.
The folks who ship and sell eggs in your grocery store have designed these cartons to protect their product.
Another dozen I...
Probably...
But, the best way to know is by there behavior.
Do they depend on it at night?
Are they avoiding the heat,
Are they fully feathered?
What's the temp where you are,?
Are they inside or out?
My chicks go out at two weeks, no matter what time of year.
I just cant stand the noise, smell and dust after that.
Most times they go out with a heat lamp with appropriate bulb, (I use household bulbs) so usually it might be a small 15 watt to wean them off the light until they are accustomed...
By the way, once your chickens are adults this "flipping food all over the place " continues.
Raising the feeder up to neck level , inhibits the beak flipping food action some.
Chickens love to flip feed out and all over the place.
I use a metal feeder like this one.
They cant flip so much out with this type.
Good luck!
Cute chicks!
Yes, your eggs should be still fertile. Up to 2 or 3 weeks after a mating.
Bigger question would be are your chickens safe from the racoon? Once they successfully find food source, the keep returning.
Oh Wow! What a great mix of critters you have.
Welcome!
Feel free to post pictures any time. We love it!
I just picked up 8 turkens for my broody who did not have a great hatch.
Here they are before I went out and tucked them under her.
I dont own a red light.
I brood with a heat lamp, but use household bulbs. I start usually with a 75, then I reduce to 60, 45, then adjust when they go out
Once they are fully feathered its gets discontinued.
Even a dim light will be a comfort for them for while they transition to the new...
Mine all go out at 2 weeks. No matter what time of year.
Dust, noise and smell are the reasons they must get out!
With a heat lamp of course.
I will use light bulbs down to a 15 watt sometimes before I discontinue the light altogether.
This gives them a gradual transition to natural darkness...
Cardboard will be of no protection against racoon, weasel or dog, really anything can get in.
Outside weather will destroy it quickly,
It's a useless endeavor.
Put your work into something useful.
If you are handy with hammer and nails, a pretty good coop can be built with reclaimed...