Recent content by DonyaQuick

  1. DonyaQuick

    Official BYC Poll: How Many Chickens Do You Have?

    My original goal was to keep a single, small flock of 4-6 chickens. So naturally, a few years later, I currently have 4 flocks and 35 chickens total. But apparently this number is “about 20” when my husband was recently asked how many we had. 🤣
  2. DonyaQuick

    Jason's being a goblin

    Where is your hand when he bites? Does he just nip and release or bite and hold? When the hormones start to hit, certain hand approaches and approaching too fast can trigger the same bite-and-grab as a submitting hen's comb. Be cautious about moving hands too quickly around the area directly in...
  3. DonyaQuick

    Need some ideas/suggestions!

    This may be stupid of me, but just to check on the dash...you mean positive 20F, above zero right? 20F without a heater and mostly birds should be fine. But -20F below zero with 40mph winds is a whole 'nother beast even for birds with good thick feather coats.
  4. DonyaQuick

    Cat territory question

    Indeed, from the various replies here I'm crossing it off my list of possibilities. This is not something I'm willing to do with the current population. I already got sent on a visit to the hospital due to a recent encounter with one to be checked out for disease risk; it's just fortunate I was...
  5. DonyaQuick

    Cat territory question

    Ah...yes the personality thing could definitely be a problem. My best point of comparison there would be my roosters I guess...I have one roo who is a great master flock manager and defender. He's also a pain in the behind quite often LOL. Useful but kind of like "oh no not you" when I'm not...
  6. DonyaQuick

    Cat territory question

    Are there common diseases for cats that can't be vaccinated against or protected against with a monthly pill type thing? I know I keep comparing to my dog, but between vaccines and monthly prevenatives I think she's basically protected against anything a wild canid or other feral dog could...
  7. DonyaQuick

    Cat territory question

    I don't have any problem with rats, and only minimal issue with mice at this point (it was bad when I first moved to the property but I've progressively cleaned it up). That's why I've never really thought about a cat before; there's not really any traditional mouser niche for one. If I had a...
  8. DonyaQuick

    Cat territory question

    I don't typically deal with multiple cats all at once. I'm just far enough away from the place where the feral cats are being produced that I just one at a time trying to edge in most of the time. I suppose it's whoever is lowest on the ladder at the time gets kicked out towards my property...
  9. DonyaQuick

    Cat territory question

    Does keep a cat on one's property (like a fixed barn cat) help to keep away wandering ferals that are looking for new territory? Or would that completely backfire and just draw more in? I have no experience keeping cats and am finding a lot of conflicting and fuzzy info on whether cats attract...
  10. DonyaQuick

    Growing my little flock

    First outdoor time for the boys in quite a while! Most of this month has been knee-deep snow with little paths carved in it to let me get to the enclosures. That mess finally melted this past week and then we got a much nicer light dusting - perfect conditions for the derp squad to go explore a...
  11. DonyaQuick

    Heater or heat panel -10

    It sounds like your insulation is actually doing really well! That's impressive. I know what you're getting at as far as not wanting to heat the entire space vs making some warm in a more localized place, but from a safety standpoint, please still consider even low-wattage infrared panel...
  12. DonyaQuick

    How do I get two roosters to share a new coop?

    Escallation is definitely possible. By the sounds of it they are already functionally in two separate flocks, and that even if Dewy would perhaps tolerate a 2-rooster flock, Big Boy sounds like he might not. Keeping two separate flocks will definitely be a lot safer. Otherwise you do risk a...
  13. DonyaQuick

    Growing my little flock

    Oh little Corby...what am I going to do with you! That small black blob in the corner is Corby, one of the Ameraucana babies. She didn't get bullied there - she chose to go put herself in the corner. Corby has some vision issues. It's a lot like Miss Dingus actually, one of my original BO hens...
  14. DonyaQuick

    Heater or heat panel -10

    Just want to add something that seems to often be missing in the heat vs no heat debate…regardless of ambient temperature, it can be enlightening to put a temperature sensor in your coop near where the chickens roost (not near the vents if possible) to know what is actually going on in there...
  15. DonyaQuick

    Announcement 2026 BYC Calendars Are Ready for YOU!

    I appreciate the calendar showing up on the home page this week as a reminder. I've had a BYC calendar on the wall beside my desk each year; got my first one not long after my chicken journey began. Yet somehow I completely forgot about it this year! I blame the early and relentless snow my...
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