Recent content by Maureen in Chesterton

  1. M

    Dealing with a 1 year old rooster

    Thanks, everyone. This rooster is history.
  2. M

    Dealing with a 1 year old rooster

    Last year our hens hatched a chick, turned out to be a cockerel. Our flock consisted of 5 hens & 1 rooster all 4 years old. This past April, when cockerel was now a 1 year old rooster, several hens had broken feathers on their back. My husband witnessed the older rooster driving the young one...
  3. M

    What to do with bedding when trying to eliminate mites

    We put the old bedding in the veg. garden and burned it....if any nasties survived the fire, hopefully they will freeze. We'll keep the chickens away from that for a while.
  4. M

    What to do with bedding when trying to eliminate mites

    We just realized we have a mite infestation. I'll buy some poultry dust, we'll clean out the coop, spray it down, dust it, dust the birds, put fresh pine flakes in. It looks like most people say to 'bag the old bedding and throw it away'. I hate to throw stuff into the land fill if it can be...
  5. M

    Extreme Temp - Cold Winter - Below Freezing in Chicago Windo Chill -25 - -35. Winds up to 55mph

    Interesting poop board report. We've done the same thing - put in poop boards so they'd be easier to clean, shavings beneath for insulation, shaving on top to absorb some moisture. Your comments are making me think perhaps I should pull out the boards now (we're still on the warm side of the...
  6. M

    Any prep necessary for -18f degree night with wind chill -45?

    Are your chickens staying in the coop, are you giving them the option of going outside?
  7. M

    Extreme Temp - Cold Winter - Below Freezing in Chicago Windo Chill -25 - -35. Winds up to 55mph

    We're in NW Indiana, same forecast, same concerns. This is our flock's 3rd winter - 1 rooster, 12 hens. Our coop is 6'x8', ~4' high, raised up so their food and water is normally beneath the coop - but they have to leave the coop to get to it under normal circumstances. 2, 2' long awning...
  8. M

    Separate shoes for chicken run?

    This is what we do as well...my 'chicken shoes' are worn when gardening / hanging out in the yard also. I don't wear 'going into public' shoes there to try to keep the public shoes looking somewhat nice. I will change out of my 'dog walking shoes' into 'chicken shoes' if I'm going into the run...
  9. M

    Hey Guys! Heres my Chicken cover crop mix. Thoughts?

    No; the mulch suppresses seed germination. I believe it's nitrogen that is tied up by the decomposition process. I did an experiment one time, put a bunch of not quite compost & wood chips on one side of a bed, not the other, then seeded both sides with quick growing greens & radishes &...
  10. M

    Hey Guys! Heres my Chicken cover crop mix. Thoughts?

    When I use cover crops, it's for the soil improvement / pollinator forage / weed suppression (due to competition). Many cover crops' value is realized after they are tilled back into the soil. The plants I grow for harvesting I plant in a more organized way, so the crops have the space, and I...
  11. M

    Is high quality feed worth the money?

    Sounds to me that your more important question is whether you're charging an appropriate price for your silkies. Given the care you take, and the pride you have in the quality of birds, and what others are charging for theirs - your price should be based on the quality of what you're selling...
  12. M

    Treehouse Chicken Coop

    You could make something of a trap door, that swings down, as their pop door, and build a ramp down to the ground from there. How are YOU going to reach the coop?
  13. M

    Must I withhold food before culling our rooster?

    Yes, we Did the Deed this past Monday morning...my husband was the one to actually draw the knife. I was figuring initially the rooster would be fed to our dogs - wasn't sure we could deal with eating a named animal. After we plucked, eviscerated, and cut up the body, those legs were pretty...
  14. M

    Must I withhold food before culling our rooster?

    Yes, that's why I asked the question...it's one thing to read 'this is what you do', but it's different with the individual in front of me looking at an empty feeder. So as soon as the 1st people replied, I refilled his feeder. Yes, I'd prefer not to have to kill him, but he cannot live...
  15. M

    Must I withhold food before culling our rooster?

    We have an aggressive rooster we're planning on culling tomorrow. I read somewhere that food (not water) should be withheld before butchering, but it was years ago I read it and not certain I remember correctly. I could also use some advice on the process. We separated the aggressive rooster...
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