happyWImom Posted February 2, 2012 Author Share Posted February 2, 2012 They do poop a lot :tongue_smilie: But they poop mostly at night, while they're roosting, so if you design a roost with a poop board underneath, then it's much easier to pull out the board and dump it. I'm using boot trays under their roost bar and it's been working well. I love the look of your chicken tractor!! And, I like the idea of a poop board, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KS_ Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 (edited) That was going to be my next question for the chicken people "What happens in the winter???" I am encouraged by the fact that they aren't too messy. We are having a fairly mild winter so far - at least as far as not much snow, but we've had 0 and below 0 temps - but I attached a tarp over the screened area of the coop and have it stationary for the winter. I put a bunch of straw in the bottom (on top of the grass) to keep it warmer and drier. I'm using a bucket with nipples for watering and have a bucket heater in the bucket and a thermocube on the extension cord (it turns it on when the temps drop under 35F, and doesn't use energy otherwise). The nipples have frozen on the below 0 nights, but the water inside is not frozen, so once the sun comes up, the chickens can get water again. I also made a feeder out of PVC pipe - a long straight section that fits inside the nest part, with an elbow at the bottom. I can fill this up and it lasts them about a week (depending on how much they're foraging outside). But that means I don't have to get inside the nest area every day, which is nice. I clean out the poop and refill the feeder a couple times a week. In warmer weather, I'll probably be cleaning it out daily or every other day, but it doesn't smell right now :) ETA: I also got standard sized chickens because I read that they may fare better in colder climates. Edited February 2, 2012 by KH_ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyWImom Posted February 2, 2012 Author Share Posted February 2, 2012 We are having a fairly mild winter so far - at least as far as not much snow, but we've had 0 and below 0 temps - but I attached a tarp over the screened area of the coop and have it stationary for the winter. I put a bunch of straw in the bottom (on top of the grass) to keep it warmer and drier. I'm using a bucket with nipples for watering and have a bucket heater in the bucket and a thermocube on the extension cord (it turns it on when the temps drop under 35F, and doesn't use energy otherwise). The nipples have frozen on the below 0 nights, but the water inside is not frozen, so once the sun comes up, the chickens can get water again. I also made a feeder out of PVC pipe - a long straight section that fits inside the nest part, with an elbow at the bottom. I can fill this up and it lasts them about a week (depending on how much they're foraging outside). But that means I don't have to get inside the nest area every day, which is nice. I clean out the poop and refill the feeder a couple times a week. In warmer weather, I'll probably be cleaning it out daily or every other day, but it doesn't smell right now :) ETA: I also got standard sized chickens because I read that they may fare better in colder climates. That's great! That was my other concern, my dd or I having to go out everyday, twice a day to feed them when the weather is soooo cold. I know it's do-able, but it was something to consider when I was making my pros & cons list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KS_ Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 That's great! That was my other concern, my dd or I having to go out everyday, twice a day to feed them when the weather is soooo cold. I know it's do-able, but it was something to consider when I was making my pros & cons list. That was one of my big things, too, especially reading about people having to take fresh water to them a couple times a day when it was freezing. I found a lot of good ideas at Backyardchickens.com and so far the waterer and feeder work great. One specific thing I saw mentioned was for the roost - use a 2x4 flat side up for it, instead of a smaller dimension piece of lumber, so when it's very cold, they can fluff up their feathers over their feet and they won't freeze. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osmosis Mom Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 Some people get sick from inhaling their bird's dander: http://birds.about.com/od/1/g/allergicalveolitis.htm This was me and I am neither sickly nor asthmatic. We had love birds for 7 years, but I had to give them away due to allergies and as soon as they were gone, so were the allergies. I still miss them and am of course thinking of getting birds again.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
celticmom Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 This is the plan we used for our chicken tractor before we started letting them free range during the day. The most expensive part was the doghouse. http://www.motherearthnews.com/Do-It-Yourself/2007-04-01/Portable-Chicken-Mini-coop-Plan.aspx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 Bill: I don't know how anything survives here either-myself included! That was going to be my next question for the chicken people "What happens in the winter???" I am encouraged by the fact that they aren't too messy. How is the egg production with your bantams? Maybe I need to start another chicken thread. The Rhode Island Reds lay well (brown eggs). This breed is among the best layers of "non-production" chickens, and (if memory serves) the best brown egg layers. There are "production" breeds and strains that are better layers. Many of these are Whilte Leghorns (or part Leghorn). The trade-off for more eggs is you get chickens that have been bred to endure battery- cage situations, and the natural chicken traits that are a delight to most backyard chicken raisers have been partially bred out of them. I prefer more "natural birds" over production lines even at the downside of somewhat fewer eggs. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KS_ Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 The Rhode Island Reds lay well (brown eggs). This breed is among the best layers of "non-production" chickens, and (if memory serves) the best brown egg layers. There are "production" breeds and strains that are better layers. Many of these are Whilte Leghorns (or part Leghorn). The trade-off for more eggs is you get chickens that have been bred to endure battery- cage situations, and the natural chicken traits that are a delight to most backyard chicken raisers have been partially bred out of them. I prefer more "natural birds" over production lines even at the downside of somewhat fewer eggs. Bill We have 2 Black Australorps, one Buff Orpington, one Barred Rock and one Easter Egger. They were hatched on July 5, and started laying eggs at the end of December (well, all except the EE, still waiting on her). So far, the Black Australorps have been laying an egg a day, even with the dark and cold. The Buff is close to an egg a day (I don't think she's missed a day for awhile now) and the Barred Rock is probably 4-5 a week (I haven't been keeping real close track). So I'm pretty happy with that, especially since they're supposed to not lay as much in the winter, with the shorter days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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