There are still some osage orange hedges in the great plains states. And very detailed info on how to start them and maintain them is online - or, ten years ago, it was still findable with a lot of looking. Look for bodark hedges, bois d'arc, hedge apple. I didn't get past the planning stage...
Reality check on this. They are essentially opposites. Like wanting to have a large bird that is small. Or a fluffy bird that is sleek.
Flighty birds are the ones that are reactive enough to have a much, much, much better chance of surviving while free ranging. Part of being reactive is being...
It is too early for layer feed. The extra calcium is harmful unless they are laying eggs or are close to laying. They will do better on starter feed for at least several more weks.
Oh on further thought... I didn't think all the way through it. A 5x12 (plus slope) roof is pretty heavy. You would need either equipment or post jacks and bracing or... that is getting beyond my scope. Or to dismantle the roof.
Their website shows all the 5x12 coops have shed roofs. And raised floors. Is that what you have? Is the 4' you talk about from the raised floor? And is it to the top of the lower wall or to the upper wall? You might have options other than raising the roof straight up.
Aside from those...
I agree they need a larger size than chick grit. You might offer the adult size and see if they take it. If they don't, you aren't out anything because they will need it later. Or just get both grower and adult sizes because it isn't expensive, especially for how much good it does them.
I like Firefly as a name for a car.
We just sold Robin. Ds had been driving her but he bought Ivy. Dh and I don't need three vehicles. It took me a few weeks to decide whether to keep Robin or Indy (short for GoIndigo; not Indy 500). Dh was driving Betsy when we met. I was driving Pony (who had...
You might try damp dirt if you haven't yet.
And offer some grit if you haven't. Even if they never get food besides their crumble or pellets so don't really need it for digestion, it might be good to let them fill the instinctive need to have some.
So Toffee, Taffy, and Tootsie are sisters? And you kept them all? When all three start calving you may end up with quite a few heifers in the next few years. You might consider another letter for the next generation partly because there there just aren't very many candies that start with T.
If...
It works well to put watermelon in the dehydrator. Faster than apples, cherries, grapes, blueberries, bananas, zucchini, peppers or tomatoes. I was surprised because I thought the high water content would be a problem. Evidently the lack of a skin makes a huge difference (duh, in hindsight) as...
If you don't mind them sleeping there other than the dampness, you could add a roost there. A 2x4 or tree branch on cement blocks on each end would work.
Don Coldsmith (Spanish Bit)
Dorothy Gilman (Mrs Pollifax)
John Flanagan (Ranger's Apprentice)
Jim Kjelgaard (start with Snow Dog or Stormy)
In the Black Stallion series, start with the first in the series ("The Black Stallion"). After that, it doesn't matter very much. Later books will portray...
I understand why you got the chickens you did in the beginning. But when other choices became available, why didn't you "start" then? Or at least bring in a few foundation sires?