Encouraging exercise & sanitation (Getting 'em off the ground) = cotes

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There are certainly certain kinds of wood you don't want to use for bedding. I use cedar for roosting poles. I can't imagine that use having any kind of negative impact. That's what I was meaning when I said "I'm not aware of anything that would be bad to use". I was meaning for use as roosting poles.
 
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The more deadfall and forest debris the better. The issue is going to be sanitation regardless of what structures you decide to use. I just keep adding forest debris to insure that the birds are not coming into contact with certain common pathogens with any real frequency. The objective for me has always been to keep wild species alive and healthy for as long as their lifespans permit. I've applied this same precept to stewardship of rare heirloom lineages of important breeds and landraces as well.
The facts are facts. When dealing with livestock (or wild species) you are going to eventually have to deal with infections, parasite infestations, predators and so on.
Being proactive about it and creating an ecosystem habitat for the confined birds is a method to meet many objectives that escape us when we follow the tradition of status quo, which is where the infectious diseases began with.
 
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I have a question about the link you listed above. I don't actually have chickens yet, but plan to get some eggs to hatch in September. I'm just reading and absorbing as much info as I can at this point. Anyway, my question is this: why is this food you linked to "an optimal diet." The first ingredient is corn gluten meal. I firmly believe that the closer your food is to "whole," the better. In other words, the less something is processed, the healthier it is. What is it about this food that makes it so good?

I ran into this food a day or two ago, as well (I think there was a link to it in an article in the BYC newletter...?), but dismissed it because of the ingredients. I'm just wondering why you think it's better than other foods out there.

The kibble is a complete food in itself. True, it is made with corn gluten meal, and this corn is sourced from traditional midwestern family farms versus GMO supercrop corn and there is some difference. The greater value of kibble as a complete food is in the range nutrients in each single extruded pellet. One teaspoon of ultrakibble is the equivalent of ~ a quarter cup of soft pellet and includes macro and mitronutrients required by rare and endangered wild species that are kept in zoos and conservation parks. When we claim we bring the free range into the coop we really mean it. A teaspoon of kibble is the equivalent of a day's worth of foraging for earwigs in the woodpile. It's good stuff.
We designed the nutrition for rare and endangered, hard to work with wild species which are fed kibble as their entire maintenance diet. For poultry farmers, the kibble is only mixed into a one to ten ratio with whole grains or scratch grain. The scratch grain provides satiation and extra energy but the kibble is designed to be completely digestible and an invaluable contribution to any diet. Many people mix it into their soft pellet with great results as well.

Personally, i strive to remove soy from animal diets, especially those that we eat the eggs of and/or desire to maintain for extended periods- flocks that are invaluable breeding stock for example or precious companion pets.


Once you give it a try I think you'll probably decide for yourself if it works for you or not.
 
With all my respect, and I am just an old construction boy, what the heck makes a diffrent if the chickens food on the ground or on the table ?
Chicken IMO will lay good for the first 18 to 20 months after that they are any way no count for eggs ( I eat them) and fo exercise let the hens be free ranged..
Please do not take it personly, but I really don't understand it.
Omran
 
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Underlying infection from constant exposure to certain pathogens and nutritionally inadequate diets result in hens that only lay well for 18-20 months.
Hens maintained in a slightly different environment may lay well for upwards of six to eight years. It's not wrong to maintain your flock either way. It's a husbandry choice and one that hinges on what the long-term objectives are for the flock.
 
Hello. I was wondering if you have plans or know where to get plans for the chicken housing you have pictured here with the plexiglass? I am interested in building one like this. However, I wonder if it will be warm enough in the winter. I am on Long Island in New York. If next winter is like this past one, it most definitely will be too cold.
 
lisacardone said:
Hello. I was wondering if you have plans or know where to get plans for the chicken housing you have pictured here with the plexiglass? I am interested in building one like this. However, I wonder if it will be warm enough in the winter. I am on Long Island in New York. If next winter is like this past one, it most definitely will be too cold.
Click to expand...

Are you referring to the coop in post# 2?
 
Resolution said:
Room is certainly the crux of the issue. Being that a majority of people in the suburbs have very little room, generating more physical space- the space accessible to the birds- the diversification of those close confines- allowing for different regions within a closed environment- this is has been my urging.
Providing adequate space is of vital significance in the fight against the cycle of disease and infection.
I couldn't agree with you more.

I'll let your argument stand for itself. Nothing I can say will persuade against your being diametrically opposed to my "evidence".

I can't assure you as a wildlife biologist and one that has spent many more months and years than I care to admit, sitting in blinds studying gallinaceous birds, collecting their droppings; analysing through amino acid profiles the manure of wild and domestic species, years of studying the contents of crops or decades of designing and building farms and zoological exhibits-my decades of research and practice in avian pathology-avian veterinary medicine-or a lifetime of experiences of farming- none of that is going to change your opinion.

Don't build a cote or retrofit your existing coop.
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Not that this has anything to do with the topic, but after adopting my wife's student loans from Veterinarian school I will say if you are in a fact a (a veterinarian), I feel for you man, the student loans are insane!! I just recently purchased my first 6 chickens and built a coop, 4x8x8, and after a hawk came at my rooster (and lost which was awesome to watch on my security camera, and then even more awesome watching my wife suture him up) have just finished building a 8x10x7 run. After all was said and done and money spent, took about 2 months to finish and about $1500. I am still not finished as I have to stain the wood on the run lol. But i digress, I am just amazed you have the time yo manage all of that, as I probably do overkill on my coop, I clean once in the morning and once in the evening. I use washed river sand about 4 inches in run, with 2 1/2 inches of washed stone beneath, and about 3 inches of washed river sand inside the coop. After reading this post I probably need to clean out the mottled feathers, since there are a lot of them with the chickens only being 3 months old. One thing I have learned is that for my situation, sand is the way to go. The only problem is that I am finding is dust. I have debated spraying water everyday in the coop to moisten the sand but I just really cant see that being healthy either. I have been trying to get the food at the very least out of the coop, since I have the water and food hanging a few inches off the ground inside, but I didn't know if I had to transition them to it or i can just remove it totally
 
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Hootenany said:
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first of all
welcome-byc.gif
from the San Diego High Desert.....
frow.gif


Second is... Do what you can with what space you have... dust is something that goes hand in hand with poultry in general... or even birds in general. Just by living they create dander... they spend their time scratching in the dirt and use dirt to bathe in.

Also Resolution is a scientist. and Writes incredible articles but I havent seen him on line for a couple of years.

This thread was started in 2010 And I believe the last post was three years ago.

The discussion was about Cotes which is a much different setup than a traditional coop. If you get a chance read the whole thread. And read some of the articles he has posted here.

Hope to see you around on some of the more active threads.

deb
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