Keeping hens and ducks chat.

edwink

Hi again

I would say any sort of Handyman would be able to do some work on it for you or a Carpenter if you need to build a frame. With such a huge coop I agree it would be difficult to use the plastic corrugated sheets.

How about putting some pallets in their coop stacked on top of each other say 4/5 pallets high and 4 stacks of them to make a square with space in between. The space in between would resemble a cross, sort of anyway. Then strap some tarpaulin to the outer corner of each stack. That way I would say it would be difficult for the wind to get underneath it because it would be lower than the fencing. Confused??? So am I. What I am trying to say is 4 stacks of pallets each 4/5 high. Each stack so many feet apart from each other as if to form a square with quite a bit of space in between. That way you are building some sort of sturdy framework. And when the tarpaulin is fitted on the top it will be a nice little homemade shelter for them underneath. You could also cover 3 of the sides so it would almost resemble a bus shelter. You would be able to get the pallets easy on Freecycle or Freegle. I see them offered most weeks. Or you could advertise for some.

Does that make any sense? Or am I as daft as I look???

Edwink x

Better_Days

Got our 3 new girls now. Probably lost about a third to a quarter of their feathers.

They are very flighty and nervous. Catching them up this evening they made the most dreadful squawking. Luckily it isn't that cold atm, although it was very damp today. They seemed to be OK though and weren't all hunched up and miserable.

One is very tall and leggy. I've named her Doris. Another is Gracie. Just one more name to decide on.

Jemima and Matilda are outraged by the new additions, but were soon distracted by some spaghetti and sweetcorn.

edwink

Better_Days wrote: »

Got our 3 new girls now. Probably lost about a third to a quarter of their feathers.

Hi Betterdays

How are the new girls getting on? Have they all settled in to their new home ok? Always a bit of a difficult time but they soon settle as I have found.

Love the names you have chosen. Have you thought of a name for the third one yet?

Hope they get their feathers back real soon now the colder weather is on its way. I am sure they will be fine in the mean time running around their new home with trails of spaghetti behind them, Bless!!

Edwink x

Better_Days

The third new addition has been named Mabel.

They are all settling in nicely. This morning they all came out on their own, and two went back in at dusk and no squawking when Mr BD caught up the third one.

I think Doris may need some anti peck spray on her back and bottom as she is rather bald and has a couple of sore spots.

Dizzy_Imp

My poor girls are bedraggled, muddy and wet I've been letting them have the run of the orchard as their wire enclosure, although very big, is a stinking bog. Still getting a full house egg-wise most days but not sure how much longer this will last.

Is there anything I can do to make conditions better for them? I've been loading up the nest boxes with straw and have a light on all day in the coop for a little warmth, but they look so sorry for themselves that it's making me sad. Do any of you bring your hens in for a wash and blow dry? Can I put sand down to soak up some of the rain , or is that not a good idea?

Want them to be warm and feel loved :heart2:

edwink

Dizzy_Imp wrote: »

My poor girls are bedraggled, muddy and wet I've been letting them have the run of the orchard as their wire enclosure, although very big, is a stinking bog. Still getting a full house egg-wise most days but not sure how much longer this will last. Is there anything I can do to make conditions better for them? I've been loading up the nest boxes with straw and have a light on all day in the coop for a little warmth, but they look so sorry for themselves that it's making me sad. Do any of you bring your hens in for a wash and blow dry? Can I put sand down to soak up some of the rain , or is that not a good idea? Want them to be warm and feel loved :heart2:

Hi

The best thing you can do for them is to get some straw from a local farmer, maybe a couple of bales and lay that down to soak up the wet. We have stones in our coop to stop the ground getting all mushy in the winter months. Maybe think of doing something in the spring when the ground dries a little by removing some of the soil and laying a load of stones down so they don't have such a soggy ground in their coop when it rains. But for the time being a couple of bails of straw should mop it all up. If you get a couple of bales and lay that just see how that goes. If still a little soggy you could always add another bale or two to it.

Hope that is of some help.

Edwink

edwink

edwink wrote: »

Hi Betterdays
How are the new girls getting on? Have they all settled in to their new home ok? Always a bit of a difficult time but they soon settle as I have found. Love the names you have chosen. Have you thought of a name for the third one yet? Hope they get their feathers back real soon now the colder weather is on its way. I am sure they will be fine in the mean time running around their new home with trails of spaghetti behind them, Bless!! Edwink x

Better_Days wrote: »

The third new addition has been named Mabel. They are all settling in nicely. This morning they all came out on their own, and two went back in at dusk and no squawking when Mr BD caught up the third one. I think Doris may need some anti peck spray on her back and bottom as she is rather bald and has a couple of sore spots.

Never seen that before Betterdays. We both posted at the identical time 8.21pm regarding the name of your 3rd new hen. Just spotted your post just under my one to you. Great minds think alike eh?? Love the name Mabel for her.

Certainly get some anti pecking spray otherwise she will continue to get pecked. Remember hens will peck at anything that is red not just blood spots. It is something they just naturally do for some reason. The anti pecking spray is normally a brown colour so hides the blood spots and obviously stops the pecking. I have found it really worth the money. So great idea!!

Edwink x

ali-t

I took on board edwinks suggestions and got some pallets but decided to use them as a way for the chooks to keep their feet dry above the sea of mud. I read of some people finding success with using wood chips around 6" deep and that these could be picked up for free from tree surgeons. We hsve been emailing local tree surgeons but no joy so far. It has to be wood chips and not bark as bark holds onto water. The search continues....

edwink

ali-t wrote: »

I took on board edwinks suggestions and got some pallets but decided to use them as a way for the chooks to keep their feet dry above the sea of mud. I read of some people finding success with using wood chips around 6" deep and that these could be picked up for free from tree surgeons. We hsve been emailing local tree surgeons but no joy so far. It has to be wood chips and not bark as bark holds onto water. The search continues....

Hi ali-t

Great idea about emailing local tree surgeons. What you need to ask for is wood shavings and not chips. This could get confused with Bark Chip which goes on to flowerbeds etc. to supress weeds. You could also ask on Freecycle if you have a local group running in your area. Just ask if anyone is cutting down a tree(s) and if so could you have the shavings. Or anyone who cuts up wood for fuel on a regular basis with a chainsaw may be happy for you to pop along and collect their shavings.

In our area wood shavings are £6 for a 12.5 Kilo bag. The huge bag is about the size of 4 sacks of potatoes and has a fair amount in it. It looks less than what it is because it is very compact in the bag. I know you have quite an area to cover though so that could get expensive unless you just put shavings down by their hut, feed and water and also a walkway for you free of mud.

One of the reasons I suggested straw is that it can be purchased from a local farmer (if you have one) for around £2 per bale and a bale goes such a long way. Also the girls would love to mess around in it and find any bits of corn left on it not to mention the little bugs living in it. Also it is easier to rake up after the winter and can then be composted the same with the shavings.

Hope those of you with the mud problem manage to find a solution. We had the same problem years ago so after the first muddy winter we opted for the stones and have never looked back since.

Take care all and thank you for posting on our wonderful thread.

Edwink

Dizzy_Imp

The ladies are much happier now! Lots of straw down and a couple of pallets added to the run to allow the girls to keep their feet out of the mud. Light seems to be a hit for keeping warm and still getting an egg a day from each of them Thanks for the suggestions x

Had a good stash of eggs collected this morning and stupidly left the box next to the feed store while I washed and refilled the water container...came back to find all the eggs had been eaten by the girl pup :mad: Note to self - take eggs inside once collected. :mad: