I don't know that I'd use mineral oil.
But in dry environment(s), my parents used to use Linseed oil. This seasoned the wood products & kept them from drying out & disintegrating. Purchased by the gallon & used like paint on yard fencing, horse paddocks & pastures, round pens & arenas. In...
...deep clean.
A great video on DLM - done by a member of BYC.
BeeKissed - DLM video
My own DLM -
https://photos.app.goo.gl/3Z4ZpfpHr1Nr5DZC8
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If interested in intense but very short time compost production, Google "chicken composting on steriods". Geoff Lawton, Perma...
I agree w/ gtaus. I use paper shreds in pens, coops & chickens brooders. In nest boxes though, they stick to the eggs (wet when 1st laid) & dry hard. It is hard to get them off, even w/ a full scrub.
Late summer/early fall, this year, i mixed them w/ leaves. That DID work, though the shred...
I enjoyed your article & learned a few new things. Your article was easy to read & understand - unlike some research.
Ive known for a while that Marigolds are good for & around chickens., but you expanded the knowledge.
I didn't realize that some feed companies add it to their feeds.
The 1st time I tried crochet, was also with family. In IA, at the time, there were/was a women's group(church group?). They did a lot. Some crocheted, some knitted some "tatted" (dont know if it is right word?). Almost all sewed & some did both hand & machine quilting. All cooked & each had...
And here is how a pallet hoop looks...
This was a temporary feed shed on rented property for 3 months. It does not have wire on it meant to protect chickens.
The pallets were true 48"x48" (somewhat rare & difficult to find) - they were $2 each. This is after being purchased used, used for...
I automatically assumed that it was roofed...
If water is a problem right now due to flooding, id put in pallets. This will keep "baby feets" from constant exposure to water or dampness. It will also limit the amount of pecking or digging in the wet w/ their beaks. Only until you have...
When I was up in MT, I didn't have chickens.
For the horses & ponies, we used 1/2 metal barrels (like 55 gallon drums cut in half, but either manufactured or someone did a nice job rolling the top edge, no sharps) & 100 gallon Rubbermaid tanks. The 1/2 barrels had the round tank heaters that...
I have used the rubber round feed tubs since 1995 for feeding horses & ponies. Had horses off & on from 1970 - 1995 but can't remember what we used to feed them in.
I started w/ chicks in 2011. I think ive used just about every type of waterer since, including the black rubber tubs. I haven't...
I didn't realize my link was from so deep into the thread.
Here is link to 1st page.
Thread 'Using Shredded Paper for Coop Litter - As Good As Wood Chips?' https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/using-shredded-paper-for-coop-litter-as-good-as-wood-chips.1503415/
All points i was thinking of have been addressed.
But consider shredded paper for bedding. The materials themselves are usually free. Shredded paper consists of bills & junk mail w/ plastic windows removed, used copier paper slated for garbage, older worksheets & coloring sheets from...
I LOVE how you re-used your loft bed. I had to flip back & forth between pics to understand parts of your build. That's OK, as your pics are great.
As to the meanings of "open air coop" most seem to apply it to the run portion of the coop/run combos. Dog kennels & some hoop coops seem to be...
The Joel Salatin tractor, the Suscovich tractor, the CP hoop tractors (several varieties in BYCs Coop area under articles.
No reason to have a floored coop for meat birds - pooping machines. CC very rarely will go up a ramp to get to a floored coop. I've never actually seen them fly either...
I see from your 3rd pic, that you attached the CP to outside of your pallets. Nice overhang actually, do you have gutters on it to catch rain & snow water?
How has it held up?
My own builds have always had CP on inside of framing.
In our area of NC, on our property, our Rat/Jack digs up Voles & nasty white/grey grubs. The Voles underground trails are 1/2 above ground... They aren't deep. I stomp them down flat w/ other areas of yard. Ive never actually seen him eat one, though ive seen him carry them. I have also...