Recent content by Mishyk

January 7 she will be 10 months. She has a secure run and the coop is heated (not crazy warm...heater turns on at 38° and off at 45°) because they ate the $45 per sheet insulation I installed. Just enough to prevent frostbite. She is on Purena Layena and given scratch as a treat every couple...

For Christmas my Sylvia decided to molt. At least I am pretty sure thats what it is. Normal eating, pooping, drinking and roosting. Combs and wattles normal. She is forcing her way up the pecking order by being possessive of treats. She has one lone tailfeather left and her neck is... well...

I have 2 Americanas, 2 Wyandottes and 2 Sapphire Gems. I just want them to be safe.

Its going to be below freezing tonight, 28 degrees. I have a small coop. Chickens are healthy, 8 months old...there are 6 of them. Last night it was also below freezing. Inside the coop got down to 31 degrees. I have a Brinsea brooder heater I can put in there, but I do not have a...

Honestly, I'm glad it was small so it would be gentle on her.

Serena, my Rock Star EE laid our first ever egg today! Super eggciting! Could say it's small for a chicken egg but I prefer too say it's incredibly large and robust compared to a quail egg. She got a treat and I checked her vent for prolapse and all looks healthy and good. Go Serena!

Latest upgrades: I now have an Omlet coop door for the area they sleep in and a Kebonnix metal automatic door for entry to the run. I no longer have to get up early to let chickens out or in. I just go have a little pet at dusk and give them a blueberry for a treat and then watch them all...

Mom purchased us a bin to dust bathe in. Then she carefully added sand and dirt to get it to the perfect consistancy. Its great and we appreciate her efforts so much we actively avoid it so we don't get it messy. Instead we dig under our coop. Aren't we considerate? Sincerely, Mishy's...

I built it as a defense to help protect the door at night because I view it as a weak spot. Its just a bonus that I get to lower it like a drawbridge every morning!

Isn't there? Now I want to be ambitious. Pergola, gazebo and tool shed, here I come! Just kidding. Grow out coop first!

I think I will! I learned so much. Got over my fear of bigger saws, learned to use entirely new tools... Go, me! I know the post is REALLY long but I wanted anyone else who finds themselves in a similar situation to be able to learn from my successes and mistakes and to have the confidence...

This is the coop I started with.

I said for a while I would post what I did to make my storebought coop secure and upgrade the structure of it. I am a female, not particularly handy or strong so my guidelines were that whatever I chose I needed to be able to lift all parts of it to build it myself amd to be able to use tools...

Chicken patty melt, anyone?

Some farms exist that come stake out goats on your property to eat the poison ivy and underbrush. Basically Rent-a-Goat.