r/BackYardChickens

I came home from work today, and saw this! I've had problems with opossums, hence the trap.

I am getting chickens in the spring and am learning all about chickens until then. I will be getting 4 chickens and not sure whether to go for a more expensive coop from tractor supply or build my own. I do know with the Tractor supply one I will have to reinforce it a little. I have put screenshots above. It seems like if I build my own it seems like the starting price will be $1k? Is this true.

Additionally are there any coop plans you recommend and the cost it was to make it?

This girl I saved earlier after she had a compound fracture leg fracture 6 months ago so I grew attached. She is still laying, and she is only 2yr. But she isn't preening herself. She has a couple of other hen friends, but they aren't getting the job done.

I tried preening but she isn't a fan of my methods because I am not a chicken. I tried putting her in with my pullets and she bullied them.

I'm thinking I'll wait for a couple of weeks and then cull. But that sucks.

Advice?

Edit because I wasn't clear.

She limps, she is bullied a bit, sometimes over sexed by the rooster. I wonder if she is in pain. Her pinned feathers haven't come through leaving her vulnerable to cold and freezing to death especially because she can't always roost.

Here it should be lows of 20s-40s at night and 40s-50s during the day. A rare 70F day but everything is crazy and it's been hot (60F at night and up to mid 80s during the day)

My post was really poorly written. We live in Minnesota and I have lost a chicken from freezing to death because they couldn't roost.

I really care about this chicken and I don't want her to suffer.

I am not trying to mess around I am just concerned about hurting her more.

Use a grater or fork to scrape some skin off the pumpkin in the shape you want them to peck at :) more pics in the comments!

A tree fell on our chicken coop this morning. I'm amazed we only lost one hen considering they were perched on top of the coop (they do this when it's raining really hard because our yard floods).

Sweet Pepaw (our Rooster) stayed in the rain for hours, I think trying to find her. Best dude ever.

Sweet Andre. I'll miss how dinosaur adjacent you were. You had zero fear and the biggest sweet eyes- and none of the other girls will rip a blueberry out of my fingers they way you did. 🦖

Rest In Peace, Andre The Giant 2025-2026. ❤️

Moderators? Maybe "In Memoriam" could be added as flair?

Lyndon Banty Johnson and Lady Bird. Raised tons of quail and finally decided to try getting a couple banty

They were pecking at the hummingbird feeder

Would any of you consider some of these eggs to be pink?

My first incubator hatch (middle) roosting with her mom and dad ❤️

What to do when you have too many roos in your flock? Stock. I got seven quarts out of two roos.

Here's something creative.

I'm in the subtropics. It's hot and humid.

We have a lot of mosquitoes despite my local control measures.

After some careful research, I attached an old but reliable fan on the wall running on a wifi plug, so I can set the times.

Set to lowest speed, it blows a gentle current of air at about 1- 1.5m/s along the roost, enough to mess up mosquito flight.

Girls are ok with it. It's bloody hot tonight btw. You can see one holding her wings out to cool down.

*Yeah, can't really seal the coop.