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  1. B'villechicken

    New to Chickens - My pen stinks

    Pine shavings. You can get them at Tractor Supply or any place that caters to the farm/horse trade. I use the deep litter method and get enough to make my 8x8 coop 6" deep with the stuff. Refresh periodically and completely hoe it out once a year. Agree that the smell is from too damp...
  2. B'villechicken

    So excited to show off my coop!! UPDATED PICS - DONE!! P. 3

    Great Job !!
  3. B'villechicken

    Pine shavings produce way too much dust, I can't take it anymore

    Like most here, I have alot of dust after the winter. I don't, however have visible dust in the air like the OP. Just make sure your ventilation is adequate. When I "hoe out" the coop in the spring I use the air hose to blow the dust out. I use a full mask respirator for that.
  4. B'villechicken

    What do you use for your fencing and run covers?

    2x2 welded wire for the run and bird netting for the top.
  5. B'villechicken

    New chicken coop/run construction (finally)

    Great job. You may want to put a support under the center of the floor. 2x4s lying on edge can sag over time. The weight of the hens won't be a particular problem but after awhile my guess is that the weight of people going in & out may cause some sagging. A column of block with a 4x4...
  6. B'villechicken

    What direction does you coop door face?

    Chicken door south,people door north.
  7. B'villechicken

    So excited to show off my coop!! UPDATED PICS - DONE!! P. 3

    Waterfront property! I'm moving in:lol:!! Great job with the coop. I'll give you two years and you will want more hens and will add on to the shed;). David
  8. B'villechicken

    Vinyl - good or bad

    Quote: I use deep litter and refresh it as needed. I only completely empty the coop once a year in the spring. Everything goes into compost for 12-18mos. and a new deep litter goes in for the next year. David
  9. B'villechicken

    Coop too close to the house?

    Quote: Agreed. Plenty of information on here on this subject. Even in Alaska, people do not normally heat coops; I believe somewhere around minus 25 is when heat is considered. I would not hesitate to put a coop near my house. Really, I wish mine were closer, and it is only maybe 200'...
  10. B'villechicken

    Coop too close to the house?

    Sounds like a good idea to me. Go for it. And (by the way) welcome to the forums:) David
  11. B'villechicken

    How do u take care of your sand?

    I don't clean my run either. I use a 12" deep layer of a mix of sand & gravel that they sell here in Upstate New York as driveway mix. When the hens pack it down with their feet so that it gets a crust on it and doesn't drain, I use a small elecrtic tiller (similar to a Mantis) to till it all...
  12. B'villechicken

    Scratch smells like....molasses???

    It may have been left over from a run of feed for Horses/Cattle. Quite often, molasses is added to their feed. When the mill switches over, sometimes there is a residual of molasses left over. David
  13. B'villechicken

    Using pool filter type D. E.?

    Tractor Supply has Stall Dry which is DE plus some clay. I use it to mix in my bedding. David
  14. B'villechicken

    How the heck can I DO this? Getting frustrated.

    Here in the Syracuse area we have alot of sand & gravel pits. I have found that they sell a small pea-sized stone mixed with coarse sand that is used for driveways. I put 6" of that in my run and it works great. When it packs down from chicken feet and gets a crust on it, I use an electric...
  15. B'villechicken

    Cookie Tin water heater

    Quote: I haven't seen a problem not having a big thermal mass for my water heater. The water itself is a thermal mass and heat transferred to it will buffer the temp changes. I use an old cookie sheet on top of my ciookie tin to keep the hens from sliding the waterer off but even at -13 last...
  16. B'villechicken

    Cookie Tin water heater

    Quote: I haven't seen a problem not having a big thermal mass for my water heater. The water itself is a thermal mass and heat transferred to it will buffer the temp changes. I use an old cookie sheet on top of my ciookie tin to keep the hens from sliding the waterer off but even at -13 last...
  17. B'villechicken

    best brand of chicken feed?

    Quote: Yes but I still like to read facts on different topics. With all the comments about Purina, I was hoping that there were articles out there commenting about the effects of Purina on different animals. It's all about learning. I absolutely agree with you. David
  18. B'villechicken

    best brand of chicken feed?

    kuntrygirl, I think you have illustrated the fact that you feed whatever makes your birds happy and what gets you egg production. As you have seen in this thread, there are varying (and sometimes passionate) opinions about different brands of chicken feed. I am a proponent of "whatever...
  19. B'villechicken

    deep litter question

    As I understand it, if there are alot of raw wood shavings in the mix, they tend to leach nitrogen from the soil for awhile till they compost. They then give it back. I have a rotating pile of shredded leaves, deep litter etc that I compost for a year then put on the garden. It will mean a...
  20. B'villechicken

    Thin or no shelled eggs

    Thanks, that's what I thought. I will isolate the hens one or two at a time until I can identify the one that is doing it. David
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