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Thanks for the advice everyone! This is all very helpful to me. I have always wondered if the pop door would be better left open, but I thought it was more important to shut out drafts than to help out airflow. I knew ventilation is important, but I thought the holes would suffice.

I think that's correct. It's hard for me to know if I'm understanding your phrasing correctly. I don't know the term "pop door" but if you mean the little door leading to the roost from the run, yes, that door was shut. And the three holes lead to that triangular space above the nesting/roosting...

Thanks everyone for your advice! This morning my ladies inside the coop all seemed at least a bit frostbitten. So today I need to take some drastic measures, I think. Ok, I took some pictures this morning. First is the coop from the outside. You can see the tiny crack I'm talking about on the...

I am a veteran chicken owner and I've long believed in the virtues of not heating the coop. I've read all the threads before, and feel pretty knowledgeable about chicken care in cold weather but I'm having some very specific trouble today so I thought I'd come for some advice. This isn't the...

Hi all, I've been agonizing over tree selection for my backyard for about a year or two now. I recently lost my filbert tree to verticillium wilt. Before the tree died, I had a big problem with the view out the back windows: we have a terribly ugly apartment complex right behind our house...

Well, they've been occasionally escaping their run, but then they can't remember how to get back over to the other side! So I spent yesterday putting in a new fence that's a foot higher. It's not done yet, but I'm hoping it'll solve the problem of both the dogs and the hens escaping over. I'm...

Probably, but I'm no expert in that. I just wanted to say I am going to fill up my dust bath with wood ash from the fire pit. I hear that it helps prevent mites (not that I've ever had a problem, but why not avoid one?)

Ok, here are the pictures! This is the front of the coop, showing the compost bin (made from pallets) on the side. Here are the hens, exiting the coop in the morning, straight into the run through the side door. On the left side, is the cornelian cherry tree, wheat, and a blueberry...

Pictures in the first comment! I'm so excited about the new chicken run I've been working on building. In its design, I'm attempting to address several problems that I've had over the years and to achieve a huge dream, which is to produce a lot of the chickens' feed! The problems are: The...

Though I've had chickens for many years now, I've never felt like I'm adequately addressing the issue of poo. I'm planning to make major changes in this department though, so I'm here for advice. I use the deep litter method, very poorly, but also planning to improve on that front. I'm going...

Eleven years ago, I adopted a cat that was already declawed, since its owner could no longer keep it. I am personally quite fervently opposed to declawing, but I took her in anyway since it obviously wasn't the cat's fault that she was declawed! I read up on the procedure at the time, and...

Hmm, so do you guys think it will be more difficult than I anticipate to have my dog share the backyard with some goats in milk? Would it be less difficult without a baby goat? Would the stress of a dog make them stop producing milk?

I've had the crazy idea of keeping a dairy goat for about 8 months or a year before selling it to another owner (long story, not worth going into). I know that goats are herd animals and they need company, but I'm wondering, do I really need two (or three) goats, or are there other ways to...

Hi everyone, I have a situation here and I don't have all the facts yet, but I want to get started with some detective work and crisis management. A while ago, I gave my two Wyandottes to a new neighbor who bought a house from a former chicken owner, complete with the coop. The new neighbor...

Hi all, I'm about to rework my backyard setup - getting rid of two hens and adding my three junior pullets to the one adult hen I have left. My ugly DIY-from-scrap coop has got to go and I want something pretty in its place. My husband has his ideas for what he's going to build and I feel...

Oh, those are great ideas. Thanks!

Hi all, I've posted this before, but I need some reassurance because I'm between a rock and a hard place. I promised my son that he could raise his own chicks when he turns four (this year) and it's a promise I can't take back. But my husband wants to be able to enjoy his backyard again. He...

Aack, my auto-responder didn't work and I never saw all of your wonderful, helpful responses until now. I thought the BYC had ignored me, but you guys came through as always, and I just didn't see the notifications. I'm sorry that I abandoned this thread. My husband and I are now in deep...

Hi BYC, I have a problem and I need some advice. A family problem. Specifically, that my family hates my chickens. And it turns out, I am remarkably sensitive to stone-throwing and criticism and I just can't deal with it, to the point that I'm just about ready to throw in the towel after...

I considered that, but was afraid to do it since they jump up there to get onto the roost. I'm afraid that if I put up a plastic sheet, they will not get up there anymore. They actually stopped using the roost when I tried to give them a ramp up to it. Somehow, they'd rather flap up there...