Getting the flock out of here - a diary of a crazy chicken man

[Sally Sunshine]

Stew-ie the baby billy goat. He will make a nice letchong kanding for my 51st birthday in November



Tom the terrorizer. I cant wait to get some replacement turkeys - this guy hates me - he sees me come out of the house from 100 yards away and he will make a special trip to see if he han punch a hole in my leg.



Our lone hen turkey. She is not the world's best mom. I will try and get her eggs in the incubator next breeding session.



My ducks. I had no clue what I was getting - They sure look like Muscovy to me. I love the meat from Muscovy but am looking forward to some Pekin and Rouens to add to the foray. Maybe On the May trip I will take a good clutch of Muscovies from here. These are on the smaller end of the spectrum.



The now one month old chicks looking over the edge of their new coop.



Night time sleeping arrangements.

Wow they are looking mighty fine! So nothing on the floor of the coopage Mr.Oz? Not sure on the ducks but yes the do resemble scovy!

 

[ozexpat]

Wow they are looking mighty fine! So nothing on the floor of the coopage Mr.Oz? Not sure on the ducks but yes the do resemble scovy!

I am working on that.

We dont have pine shavings - no pine trees. I have a friend who build furniture and have asked him to save me the shavings from his big planer (well my planer that he borrowed lol). I hope mahogany and teak shavings are non-irritable. I did not want to drop young chicks into them hope for the best. I will do a more controlled experiment when I get back there.

We dont have hay or even straw as such. I can get rice stalks that I was going to try as well as rice husks for the egg boxes.

I am trying to be adaptable.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Quote: Sounds like a plan! Is there any kind of "nut" shells not used that could be used? I dont know what grows there lol. But WHY NOT SAND? plus it would help them stay cool in the summer

 

[ozexpat]

Sounds like a plan! Is there any kind of "nut" shells not used that could be used? I dont know what grows there lol. But WHY NOT SAND? plus it would help them stay cool in the summer

I had not thought of sand. I spend my life there trying to keep sand out of my bed. The thought of putting inside anything gives me the heebie geebies but if I cannot come up wit something fast I will give it a go.

shredded coconut husk is probably a good choice - a little labor intensive but we harvest thousands of them every three months. Normally we just split the shell and get the meat out, then bury the shell with husks in a pit to decay. Its worth experimenting with.

Peanuts are exported from the Phils - I just need to find out where the shelling takes place.

 

[Debs55]

We breed goats too and one of our nannies dropped twins yesterday! Seeing your little guy made me think of it

 

[SusanRenee]

I had not thought of sand. I spend my life there trying to keep sand out of my bed. The thought of putting inside anything gives me the heebie geebies but if I cannot come up wit something fast I will give it a go.

shredded coconut husk is probably a good choice - a little labor intensive but we harvest thousands of them every three months. Normally we just split the shell and get the meat out, then bury the shell with husks in a pit to decay. Its worth experimenting with.

Peanuts are exported from the Phils - I just need to find out where the shelling takes place.

I'll second sand... During the summer, the floor of my coop is just one big sandbox, and I sorta sift it like a kitty litter box. It doesn't work during anytime we have rain, but it sure is nice to just sift and toss in the summer. During the spring/fall/winter wet, I use the deep litter, and the sand and shavings just compost nicely in the coop and I'll dig it out and put it aside occasionally to it's ready this spring. I'll probably need to add more sand this summer since it does get dug out a bit, but I have no bedding cost after that all summer.

 

[ozexpat]

I'll second sand... During the summer, the floor of my coop is just one big sandbox, and I sorta sift it like a kitty litter box. It doesn't work during anytime we have rain, but it sure is nice to just sift and toss in the summer. During the spring/fall/winter wet, I use the deep litter, and the sand and shavings just compost nicely in the coop and I'll dig it out and put it aside occasionally to it's ready this spring. I'll probably need to add more sand this summer since it does get dug out a bit, but I have no bedding cost after that all summer.

One thing I have is plenty of sand. I will have a ton hauled up from the beach and let the rain leach the salt out.

 

[Bulldogma]

Rice hulls are also excellent bedding material... are there rice patties anywhere near you?

 

[ozexpat]

Rice hulls are also excellent bedding material... are there rice patties anywhere near you?

Rice hulls are definitely an option. The milling is done on the side of the road normally. I need to get to them before it rains and starts the composting process. I have actually put several of those sugar cane trucks in my previous pictures worth of rice husks down on my lot to increase soil bulk - it is just sand.

I will use sand till I can get over there and try rice hulls in the new coops I will need for these chooks I hope to hatch.

 

[Bulldogma]

Rice hulls are definitely an option. The milling is done on the side of the road normally. I need to get to them before it rains and starts the composting process. I have actually put several of those sugar cane trucks in my previous pictures worth of rice husks down on my lot to increase soil bulk - it is just sand.

I will use sand till I can get over there and try rice hulls in the new coops I will need for these chooks I hope to hatch.

Lots of folks use rice hulls for horse bedding - it's easier to work with than sand as it's much lighter weight and a bit more absorbent - LOL. It is a wonderful thing to have access to such a good option... for the price of a little manual labor. (Not too much... rice hulls are so fluffy and light weight!) I'm envious. I'd love to have something like that just sitting by the road. My shovel would take up permanent residence in my truck - right next to a large plastic container.