After we started using PDZ it became impossible to find, and local farm store employees would give a blank stare when asked. What we found is in our stores it's called Stall Dry. It's used a lot in horse stalls to keep moisture and odor down. I've just taken to calling it horse litter.
We used both a heated dog dish and a 5 gallon bucket with a tank heater in it for several winters. This year we switched to this from Farm and Fleet:
Farm Innovators 2 Gallon Heated Chicken Waterer with Nipples
Blain # 1063517 | Mfr # HB-60P
Today's Price $49.99
If you just have a small flock like us, we have different colored leg bands on each chicken, then we put a trail camera in our coop across from the nest boxes. Once or twice a day I'd pull the chip from the camera, look to see who climbed into the nest box, and check for eggs.
Now that we've completed one entire year in the coop, I can report back that we had no problems with moisture of frosty combs. The airflow from the rear vents to the upper front vents seemed to work just fine. We also added a small radiant heater on the interior wall that comes on at zero...
They free range on a limited basis, and we're feeding free choice 18% Nutrena Nature Wise "Feather Fixer", plus some treats with meal worms. We spend quite a bit of time with them and have seen no sign of picking.
I'm worried about our two Australorps. Since early Spring they've been wandering around half naked and their skin looks so red. I call them my little zombie chickens, they look so straggly. They otherwise seem healthy, eating, drinking and laying. This is our first full year raising chickens, so...
Just received our first two Easter Egger pullets and I have to agree with the calm and friendly description. They are a little on the timid side and having a hard time incorporating themselves in with the other five girls we have.
Looking through the small coop link, I get to the bottom of the first page, select next page, then I get this message,
BackYard Chickens - Error
You do not have permission to view this page or perform this action.
When I make the same effort on both the medium and large coops, it just goes to...
That's nicer than some people houses. You have some very happy chickens I'm sure. it's especially nice that you have a run big enough to sit out with the chickens. We did that too with ours. They are so much fun to sit and spend time with.
I guess we were lucky. All six of our girls were true to their gender. Although one was aggressive enough to the rest to have been a rooster. She is deifinitely in charge in our hen house. Her name is Velma, but I call her the Velminator.
Our chickens won't touch the free choice oyster shell we provide, but if we grind up their egg shells and feed them back, they will push and shove to come gobble them up. I'm just afraid this isn't enough for them. I wish there was some other source we could provide.