Guess I'm going to have to buy the book to learn to build one of those heaters!
When you finish your coop do you want to build me one? I've got chicks on order for April, to give me time.
My last red hen is now having egg troubles, but she's such a sweetheart she and the barred rock are just going to start the new coop on the lot I think. When I have it ready. Culling wasn't much fun, and they are good weed diggers.
I turned both of them out into the back yard yesterday morning, the dogs were in since I was home and it was cold and rainy, and they can potty in my pond area (I've seen yards smaller than it before).
So I left the big hens loose, set them up a feeding station in a large dog house, and a nest in a small igloo with nice straw. They spent the night together in the igloo after I gathered the one egg. I took their picture. They looked pretty comfy.
Today Red laid an egg with a thin scratchy shell.
So it is her, not the young birds not getting enough calcium. She is just a pet, weed digger, now. They wanted in the run tonight, circling it trying to get in, so I let them back in, and they roosted together in the coop, instead of on the roost in the run, letting the young birds have the big roost.
Camping out was a bonding thing? Might be less friction between the groups tomorrow, for having that day apart. I just want every bird to get enough to eat, and access to the nest.
Got a lot of bee hives and supers to build. about 20 or 25, depending on how wild I got on my order.
Gypsi
It will certainly be an interesting coop, I'm thinking. Today I bought some plastic for placing over the cap of the hoop, which will then be covered with a tarp. This is to insure no leaks~ if the tarp should wear through from wind and movement, the two layers of plastic under it will keep it from leaking. 
So, two boxes for 8 hens sounds fine. These actually may hold two birds at a time, I'll have to see. 
