In this hands‑on homestead video, Victor Justin Rhodes and family members relocate their flock into a greenhouse‑style winter coop while demonstrating a series of practical husbandry upgrades. They first discuss why the greenhouse is being used as a temporary predator‑proof shelter, then move the chickens from crates into the space. The crew sets up a deep‑bedding system (referred to as a “carbonaceous diaper”) using wood chips, stores grit and feed in a food‑grade barrel, and installs an Everflow water line that draws directly from a creek to stay unfrozen in sub‑zero temperatures. Referencing Joel Salatin’s Polyface Designs, they explain the importance of deep bedding, proper grit storage, and water management. The family also marks this year’s future layers with green zip ties on their left legs, establishing a visual pecking‑order cue. Throughout, a drone captures the process, and the participants comment enthusiastically on each step, highlighting the benefits of the new setup for the flock’s health and winter productivity.
Chapters
Let's get the chickens in here right now. I mean, we don't technically have to do a coop in there, but right now we're doing it because we haven't completely predator-proofed that winter house. Are y'all ready? I'm sorry. 2, 3. Should be lighter. Yeah, the lighter. No, you help me find some zip ties. Oh my word, that was quick for Mark and chicken. We're going to keep keep Grandma's chickens in here. Okay, y'all know whose is Grandma's and whose it— whoever isn't Grandma goes in here. Our plan is to leave everybody but Grandma's chickens in this, and then we're gonna haul this up the hill. How many?
Nice. Look at her.
Let's get the birds out of the crate. And into the greenhouse. No, leave them in there. We're coming back for them. I need the sifter, guys. They said it was down here. Come on, help us find it, please. Guys, that's not it. Hey, where's the nice one?
I don't know.
Okay, before we have any fun, you gotta find the big sifter. What were you guys doing with it?
Well, I didn't do nothing with it. I'm not crazy. Oh, I did. I was going down the hill with Wi-Fi. Oh, then what happened? All right, that's enough. Yay! You're not a good skater.
Billy, you're so fast. All right, one thing I learned from Joel's book Polyface Designs is I'm gonna, I'm gonna give them this, and then guess what? I'm gonna store this grit right here. Will you put that lid on it? So put that on it. Don't store that in the garage way over there. Store that right here along with feed. We're gonna put a food-grade barrel out here and everything's right here. We gotta get wood chips in here, something. Guys, don't we— not yet, because we're gonna bring some other chickens. And I don't want them interfering with the door there. We, we let them be in here a little bit because we had some lamb's quarter to eat. But look, sure, after chores. But look, this poop, it's nasty. It's nasty. Don't keep chickens in one spot unless you can do deep bedding. We got to give them a carbonaceous diaper, as Joe would say. Check out our Everflow water. It's working. The COVID also from Polyface Designs. That book's Revolutionizing My Farm, last week. Um, look at all this clutter already that would have been on it, in it. And that's always— yeah, it's going good. I'm gonna check my overflow water. We had a little bit of problem in the beginning, but Since I've moved over here, put the line directly to the creek, it's, it's draining better. Look, always flowing, so it never, it never freezes. I mean, down to 9, it's still gone. Um, never freezes, always clean, even more cleaner now that we have this water recover. New pecking order to be established. Wave to the drone. Jonah driving the drone today.
Can I— can you film me, Mommy? Because I'm—
hang on, hang on, hang on. I got your beloved chickens.
Should I come in? Should I come in? All right. We got the gate.
This is exciting.
Hi, Rosie. Hi, Rosie. Oh, look. Oh, come on now. Come on now. Come on. You'll remember. Oh, yes. Oh, two more. Come on, guys.
It's gonna be some happy spoiled chickens. Now she's gonna get everything but—
Oh, look at her.
Oh, she's watching that drone. She's like, I don't know about this. One more group. This is our fat chicks. These guys we need to mark because they're going to start laying this year. We're going to have to harvest some of those old ladies, but we, we just don't want to make we want to make sure we don't harvest these guys. They're going to start laying now and will lay good for what, 2-ish years? I have some green zip ties we're going to tie around their leg, cut up, cut off the extra, and maybe we'll put it on their left leg. And then we know left leg green is this year's chicks. Look, they're still sticking with their posses. Each goose still has their posse, but tonight you'll become one because you'll all probably want to get in the Chick Shell 2.0. Just measured better. 22.
