Results from First Year with Deep Litter Method

[DeansMill]

Only my open floor is 7x7, the coop is 10x12. I put in roosts on one side, food and water towards the center and nests and storage in the armoire. There is also a rope swing in a corner. I already put down the line shavings, it's deep. My biggest concern is that my girls are a month old and too big for their brooder, I really want to get them outside in the bigger area so they can stretch, but not freeze!!

 

[amenfarm]

You can't keep them out overnight without supplemental heat, before 8 weeks when they are fully feathered out. You can do what I did while waiting and put them out for the day, or in my case my day off, and bring them in just before dusk.

 

[Beekissed]

Only my open floor is 7x7, the coop is 10x12. I put in roosts on one side, food and water towards the center and nests and storage in the armoire. There is also a rope swing in a corner. I already put down the line shavings, it's deep. My biggest concern is that my girls are a month old and too big for their brooder, I really want to get them outside in the bigger area so they can stretch, but not freeze!!

They will need to be hardened off before living out there full time. If you've got electricity to the coop you can provide them some warmth for the nights and turn it off in the days, decreasing it gradually until they have developed the right feathering for being outside full time.

 

[amenfarm]

, and this would be the reason I like spring chicks! By the time they are fully feathered it's warm enough at night not to need additional heat.

 

[paintedChix]

After two weeks of being sick w/ cold/flu (still having drainage and coughing), I finally managed to get each of our chicken areas at least 2 "wagon" or 2 32 gallon trashcan loads of mixed pine straw, hay & leaves. The largest coop/run actually has 3 wagon loads in the run so far and 1- 32 gallon trash can full in the coop area. It also got a 1 yr old bale of hay (already 1/2 decomposed) spread out & mixed w/ the loads...

The "wagon" (holds up to 600 lbs in weight). For the short pens/coops - the 32 gallon rubbermaid trashcans work better. Eventually, they will all be re-roofed so that we can enter and stand up to do chores, watch chickens etc. There's 4 "short" pens - one is already partially roofed - need to tarp it and do chicken wire above the other wire... Also want to do long runs off of each short pen - probably hooped w/ cattle panels. Haven't really decided how to do it yet... Have time to decide, LOL.



The large run - "Din-Din" (white rooster) and hens - 2 EEs, 2 Production Reds, 2 buff Wyandottes & 1 cuckoo Maran. 1st pic shows Maran @ feed (dumped out from wet feeder), partial hay bale before spreading, coop door open w/ part of coop @ upper right (nothing special), a short roost and a hide away/play area(previous O may have used as nesting - don't know. Mine don't lay eggs there for which I'm happy).



"Din-Din" w/ his girls. Currently only the 2 "yrlg" buff Wyandottes are laying and neither is laying every day. Don't have pics of the "coop" yet, will have to make some ventilation changes so that the DLM works in it properly. Just glad I found out about doing this in the run - ALREADY smells better TO ME - so know it has to be better for the birds!! Plus it made them happy. Lost several birds due to hawks this summer, so haven't let anyone else out much to free range - they hadn't been happy in a while... Will work on building up the litter over the winter, in spring may add some wrigglers and others - we'll need to see how it goes. Have no problems with getting PLENTY of pine straw & leaves - have lots of scrub oak and long leaf pine trees on uncleared 11 acres...





The boy's pen - need to process the white guys. Was supposed to do that last spring. They don't have an actual coop and so far their pen isn't covered either. They've done OK. In bad weather - they've sheltered in the nesting boxes sitting there... Plan on tarping it before the bad weather truly arrives.



Different angle showing the boys pen and the small girls pen. Only 1 load so far in this pic.



& the girls' pen. Yes, I know - it's probably too small for the 8 girls but for now it works and they are the only ones laying - a decent # of eggs but have no idea which is which. Now they seem to be really happy since they aren't out free ranging like they used to. I brought the "range" into them.



So now we see how it goes.

I also got 2 wagon loads of pine straw, hay & leaves out to the chickens in the 3 hoop coops in the pony pasture. They, too, were happy w/ that. Don't have pics and already too dusky/grey outside to take any tonight. Probably be next weekend before I get any.

 

[paintedChix]

Some of what is around us - pics taken yesterday!

 

[amenfarm]

just got a call to pick up 15 bags of leaves, should i be this happy over leaves? when it saves me $5.79 cents a bale on shavings you betcha!!

 

[Beekissed]

Yes, you should!!!

I'm over the moon about leaves I didn't have to rake.

 

[lynnehd]

just got a call to pick up 15 bags of leaves, should i be this happy over leaves? when it saves me $5.79 cents a bale on shavings you betcha!!

Yes, you should!!!

I'm over the moon about leaves I didn't have to rake.

Heck, I bagged up my neighbor's leaves and took them home. Definitely branded as crazy around here.

 

[amenfarm]

You get the funniest looks when your picking up bags of leaves from someone's house. Especially if your outside alone, like people are trying to decide if your stealing something.LOL.