I think that is a great idea!! For your nest boxes and roosts you might look at some of the PVC or composite decking materials now available. What I really like about this idea is you can clean the entire set up with a pressure sprayer or a mop with bleach water if you ever need to. We are supposed to be having warm weather here in Missouri/Kansas, but they are calling for a chance of showers or partly cloudy days. As long as we stay below the mid 70's we shouldn't have a risk of severe storms. It was still too wet for me to mow yesterday. When I drove the tractor around checking the fence Sunday the water was just gushing up out of the ground under the tractor tires.

. what more do you need? Well, according to some members of the city council and some people who have complained in the press, we also need to prevent our "itinerant population" (students) from raising them and to address the supposed problem that they're going to be abandoned en masse without care, and that they're going to bug neighbors and lower property values. Just because their complaints are unrealistic doesn't mean we don't have to deal with them :( I'm just concerned about what we've seen from the council so far. Of the 7-member council: ------------- Correia I don't know. My sister lived in a small town in Illinois and her neighbors across the street had chickens and they were kind of friendly, but I don't really see it in Iowa City. I'm sorry O'Donnell No. Champion I don't know. (several talking) ... Lombardo Where do you stop? What regulations, I mean, in terms of just legislating how to keep them(several talking) Wright The fact that it's relatively common, I think there are plenty of models that could be used out there. Um ------------- Then, from one of our local papers... Iowa City Mayor Regenia Bailey who said her grandmother owned chickens said she was not interested in supporting such a move because supporting local business leads to a more dynamic economy, but she is interested in hearing what others have to say regarding the matter. We have a weak mayor system, so Mayor Bailey is basically just another vote on the city council. The other two members of the council haven't really said anything that we've been able to track down that indicates his views. We have Wright seeemingly in favor; Correia, Bailey, and O'Donnell seemingly opposed; and Wilburn, Champion, and Hayek unknown (Lombardo was the city manager). That's not a good starting point, and we don't get to "negotiate" with them (at best, we'll get to speak our peace in front of them the session before the vote). Then they'll either vote it up or down. So, in our position, what would you do? It might not hurt to have educational workshops at your County Ag Extension office Hey, that's a good idea. We should give the ag extension a call and see if they'd be interested in that. I think that'd go over better than just requiring that applicants read a pamphlet.

newbie here with three chicks and a duckling. two Comets, a Delaware and a runner duck. I am petrified of predators and am researching everything. :( I am so sorry for all of your losses. I cannot stand the thought and before they go out I am going to focus on the most secure barriers I can come up with. We live on 32 acres in Western NY and have it all out here. we have 5 dogs, horses, cats and a 5 year old son. I am a SAHM so will be around a lot. We have approximately 1/4 of an acre with a falling down 6 ft. stockade fence around it that we are going to gradually replace. There is a large area within that fence next to the house where we will put the coop ( the rambler from www.chickensaloon.com and then secure a pen area. Part will be the house, two sides the re-enforced fence and a new part will have to be put up to make the rectangle. We want to put the black plastic shrubbery barrier down ( 6") and then pour cement around the fence. I will get the night time predator lights to move around and do whatever else I can do. If anyone is still reading this thread I am open to suggestions. we also will put bird netting along the top of the run. The problem is that there are no trees in the back. I need to get some put in and also find some things for them to hide under for when they spend time free ranging. In the winter I plan on letting them have a stall with a dutch door and making an enclosure for them but that is a ways away.

Here are some pictures of my chicken coop, run & yard. It is a 14'x14' shed that was falling down when I bought the house a few years ago. This past year I jacked it up to repair the cinder block foundation, re-roofed it, replaced the soffets, painted, cleaned it up and kicked out some furry squatters. It makes a great, roomy coop for my 3 RIR's and 4 Ameraucanas. Since taking these pictures I have put foil/foam/foil insulation in the ceiling. This preserves a little bit of heat and also reflects the light coming in from the windows. It is so much brighter inside now. Also, my test with an electric heat panel from EconoHeat is going great. It doesn't get too hot and it's so low-profile the girls don't even know it's there. It's mounted about an inch from the wall and 2 feet from the floor but the wall doesn't get hot. It's a pretty neat heater. It will be interesting to see what I'll need to add/change for the summertime. Jill