Recent content by Rangergord

I have 8 hens and use a chicken tractor inside electric poultry netting. I have a large garden and an orchard/nursery. I don’t dare let them outside their run even for 5 minutes because that’s how fast they will damage my plantings. I live rural though and I actually want them to kill all...

The deep litter method is a well proven method. Having litter in the run will keep it from becoming a wet, sticky mess of manure and mud even when it rains. There may be some mold but the chickens will likely keep things mixed up when weather allows. A roof on at least one of the runs would...

I built a woodshed using post frame construction. It is 8’ x 24’ and I turned 1/3 of it into a coop. Then I added an 8’x8’ covered run.

Very Sensible Advice! I would add that if you want the forest free range to contribute to your birds diet in a way that improves nutrition and contributes to your profit margins, then a system oF rotational grazing would be needed and the area your birds can access will determine how many birds...

As i have Black Stars and have kept Rhode Island Red and Orpingtons I would suggest first considering whether you want roosters or not and what you would do with the extra roosterS? If no roosters are wanted then hybrid sex links are an awesome choice for egg laying in backyards. These are the...

I would put up some plastic or something to provide shelter from wind and rain in the run. Leave some openings near the top of the walls for ventilation but make the area at ground level is draft free. I am sure your birds will love it!

Rake them up when dry, then put in the chicken coop and run to absorb moisture and manure. They make great litter that breaks down into excellent compost.

Well experiments have been done in Canada, where chickens consume as much milk as they can drink daily along with grain and the results were impressive. I cant afford to feed more milk so I have not had any problemS.

Yes, yoghurt is lactobacillus. Whey from cheese making is excellent. I feed my 8 hens I cup of liquid milk per day (made from powder) This adds 2 % protein to their layer ration.

Milk can be a good, inexpensive option - like for people with a cow or goat who can't otherwise use all the milk. Saysfaa. I use powdered milk during winter when my hens have no insects or vegetation to eat. Skim milk has animal proteins that grains are unable to supply. Ferment the milk...

Rock mulch can be used to protect tree roots. Wire mesh fencing can be used on the ground around trees and shrubs to prevent digging as well as to protect top growth of plants from browsing.

Never heard of it. But don’t worry too much. Your chickens will eat what they want and ignore the rest. Even if a plant is slightly toxic it is unlikely your chickens will eat enough of it to poison them. Common weeds such as grass, dandelions, lamb quarters, stinging nettle are liked by...

There is very little second cut and no third cut hay in my region, so hay contains a lot of grass and perennial weed seeds. If I was spreading it on a grazing area, this would work well. In my garden and around my fruit trees I do not want more grass seed in these areas. Straw has mostly...