Kat, I am lovin your chicks and the coop. Chickens don't care if you're a journeyman carpenter, as long as it keeps them dry, your good. But, what i want to see is the pop can solar heater that heats a 40'x40' greenhouse, wow! For your pictures the I can tell that the cans are stacked but then do you put a hole in the bottom and then just use the hole that is in the top? Is there some kind of fan that moves the air thru the collector? Please continue to show pictures of the pop can collector.
Yea i would like more pics too. One chick hatched out this morning, no pic as i was on my way out the door. Kept trying to wait to see it happen, went to put my boots on and the bugger hatched then.
Yes the cans have a hole in the bottom. I drill small holes on some of them and on the ones in the middle I comepletelly cut out the bottoms. As far as the top I did the same thing. Cut out the top on some of them and on some I just left the regular hole. Just remove the opening latch. On my friends greenhouse he has 3 set up each being of 10x10 cans totalling 100 cans each. He has a computer fan at the end of each hose as they enter the greenhouse. Next time Ill take some pics.
My son's chickens got hit last night. 5 of the seven laying hens all torn up. Three of them dragged across the road into a neighbors yard. I kept telling him he had to shut them in at night, but he opted not to. Chickens are defenseless against any of the predators around here. Having chickens outside and free range is like ringing the dinner bell
Mine only get out when I'm around outside or near by to watch over them. But they were bad yesterday and roamed further they were suppose have went. So they are pen up tonight....
Mine free range in the day then put themselves into their coop in the evening. We've got the coop door on a timer, so it closes at night and opens in the morning. Feeder and waterer and we are on autopilot! We can leave town easily for a week or more and not worry.
Mine roam all over. Found some movable electric netting. Has help keeping them off the porch seems to me it was a dog attack. A fox will take one, Raccoons will kill them all. Dogs just maul and play with them. That has been my experience.
Had 15 of the 18 eggs hatch. Pretty good for never having done it. Kids said it was amazing to see some hatch. That's the best part. wish their would have been more darker ones, but what can you do.
Just one rooster, but he sure must be a busy/happy fellow. Their a mix of what i believe to be a Buff orpington rooster and black sex link, golden laced wyandotte, and a bantam hens. Only 2 of them are bantam chicks. The one is noticably larger than the other too. Might try my hand at hatching some out for the table as well. These were a trial run to replace my current laying hens, and so the boys could see it happen. I explained that just because 15 hatched does not mean that they will all survive and they seemed to understand what i meant.
I haven't lost a single bird from this batch. Hope it continues...I need to make some $ back from the last batch. Put some better wheels on one of the tractors today....moves a LOT easier.
Found a 4' black snake in a nest box yesterday, with an egg in it. I had a hoe on standby just for this. He's done stealing eggs. Luckily it wasn't one of the 3 king snakes I've seen this spring. I've imported king snakes in the past for copperhead control.
Found one of my hens eating an egg yesterday. She might not be around to long if this keeps happening. I got a feeling she is the reason I get no eggs some days and 3 or 4 on others.
Jerjr a hen eating eggs is treason and its punishment is salt pepper garlic and a hot oil bath. After it's been humanely killed of course. Lol.
