Believe it or not, after I found I could not advertise my eggs on FB, I ordered a big “EGGS FOR SALE HERE” sign and attached it to my mailbox. I collected the eggs, dated them and left them in a fridge on my front porch(right in front of the ring Camera doorbell). Now I can’t keep enough...
I converted to hemp after 6 or 7 years with TSC wood shavings. Yes, the hemp costs more……..but I don’t need to clean the coop as often because hemp controls the odor and handles the moisture much better than wood shavings. I can also use the hemp I cleaned out of the coop in my garden as...
I have a clear polycarbonate roof over part of the run, no hardware cloth was used because it’s a lean-to roof and only runs on one side of the coop. In the summertime, I staple shade cloth to the rafters to keep it cooler in there; otherwise it’s like a hot humid greenhouse in there. I also...
I started using hemp last year after using wood shavings for the last 6 or 7 years. Hemp costs more but I only need to clean out the coop two or three times a year. The hemp composts faster and easier than the wood chips, there is a lot less smell. I just throw on more hemp bedding when the coop...
Mine get special treats when it’s cold…I make them hot oatmeal with slivered almonds and some dried cranberries. I also have a wire sphere the size of a softball that comes apart, ..i open it up and shove the spinach in and they chase after it so that’s where they get their daily spinach or...
Wow. Thank you for the reliable info. I live in Northeast Ohio and I have only let my flock out into the yard twice in the past month. I also put a fence up around the BirdBuddy wild feeder so that the chickens cannot get near it. I cannot sequester them from wild birds (like sparrows) but I can...
You need to wash that butt!!! It could be mites, it could be vent greet. You always need to check out a poopy butt and find the cause if you can. Good luck!!
The last time I replaced the hemp was this past December. I would never be able to go 7 months with using wood chips. I have poop boards and when the hemp starts to look like there’s a lot of poop on it, I just sprinkle on another layer.
I just started using hemp on the floor of my coop in the past year and I Will never go back to using wood shavings. There is no smell, and the hemp absorbs much better than the wood chips. Even though the initial cost seems higher, the fact that the hemp lasts much longer makes it (to me) worth...
I did not know this. I think the houseflies were attracted to the decomposing food. They DID lay some eggs (maggots) in the BSFL bin, but it seemed like eventually the houseflies disappeared and the BSFL took over. There were a lot more of them in the container than I originally thought. When I...
Thanks!! I will definitely try this. I know that when it started to get cold here, I dumped out the bin and there were a LOT of larvae in there. This year I will not be so quick to empty the bin when the temperatures go below 70 degrees F. The chickens still congregate on the spot where the bin...
I tried growing BSFL last year for the first time. I bought a LarvaeLab BSFL composting bin, and I put some wood shavings and old food on the bottom. I bought live BSFL grubs online because BSF are not popular here in Cleveland OH. I threw them in the bin and hoped they would grow. Apparently...
I put down a 6 inch layer of pea gravel. I can hose the poops through the gravel during thr summer. This time of year(I HATE IT!!!!) is always muddy and stinky. I use pine horse pellets to soak up the standing water in the run. The good thing about using the pine pellets is it makes the run...
I used clear panels on the roof of part of the run and it would get really hot in the summer. I stapled shade cloth to the underside of the rafters and it cooled it off considerably. I also hung a high output fan from the rafters to keep the air moving.
I remember when there were only 3 channels on TV….NBC CBS and ABC. They would each “sign off” every night by playing the national anthem. I guess that’s how I knew it was time to go to bed LOL.