Good morning, Pinkmartin73!
My coop came with the house. We're on an 1880's homestead. The coop is over 100 years old and is huge. It's 10x12. Of course it was built at a time when having a large flock was crucial. I started out with 12 chickens, figuring they'd be enough to provide eggs for...
I think it's a good idea to "plant" a worm colony. It certainly won't hurt and will probably help both the composting action and the birds by providing extra protein.
Even if you don't add worms, they will come on their own in time.
As far as coop size goes, my advice is to build it...
Good morning, Shining Hill
I do wet down my coop floor to help the DL compost faster. Maybe once I week I hose it down until it's wet, but not sopping or muddy. Then I throw scratch feed on top so my chickens (I have 25 of them) work at turning all the bedding material over. My bedding...
Although this post is two years old, I thought I'd add some information based on my own very recent experience with similar symptoms. One hen in my flock of 18 started sneezing. By evening, more were doing it and by the next day, all of my birds were making a wet sneeze/cough sound. None of them...
I made a second attempt at using foster hens to raise chicks from a farm store. It started out rough, though. I lost a few chicks, but that was my fault and not the fault of the broody hens. It's a long story, so I posted it on my blog in three parts. I learned the hard way that you need to...
Hi ContessaKris!
I use pine shavings inside the coop for the DL method. I like the pine shavings because the composting action of DL breaks it down quickly and I can put it right into my garden. With straw or hay, I'd have to put it in a compost pile first to break it down enough to use in...
Hello goodb!
I've had broody hens raise foster chicks in a deep litter coop with no problems at all. If you want, you could always add fresh litter to the area where your hen and chicks will be. No need to take out any of the old. Simply add a bit of new on top.
I got a 50# bag of BOSS at the local farm store and they sprouted nicely. First time I tried sprouting. My flock of 20 chickens was suspicious of the new food at first, but eventually decided it was OK to eat.
Here's a link to the blog post I wrote about my experiences sprouting BOSS. Hope...
In all of my experience with livestock (goats, cows, horses, chickens) straw is always used as bedding. Hay is food for the animals. Straw is a byproduct of growing grains. It's the stems left over after the grain heads have been harvested. Hay is grass grown specifically for harvest and use as...
Thank you mamabear72! We have WAY too much fun here on our little ranch! The blog is a neat way to share all the lessons learned. It makes me happy to know that other people like reading about the things we do here.
Hi Gilcamp4. Hay isn't good bedding material for any animal. Straw is better. I only have experience with using pine shavings, though. If you are wanting to try the DL method again, use straw or pine shavings instead.
I tried using the deep litter method in our large coop with 18 chickens. It does work. And it's so easy to manage. The litter has been building up for about 8 months. Just cleaned it out yesterday for the first time. The bottom layers were all broken down and composted. I dug it all right into...
I just tried the foster mother hen thing for the first time and it is working. I have a Golden Laced Cochin hen that was broody for about a week. I got three Buff Orpington pullets from a local farm store and slipped them under Momma hen in the middle of the night. Even though the pullets were...
My flock makes a bit of a mess with their nipple water system, too. I don't think you've done anything wrong or that your chickens are especially sloppy. All I do to address my mess is rake pine shavings around under the waterers daily. Maybe you could put something under your system like a...
Hi! I built and installed some neat gravity-fed feed and water systems for my flock of 24 chickens. I've just posted the how-to for the feeder on my blog, "Meanwhile, back at the ranch..."
http://crossedsabersranch.blogspot.com/2013/08/gravity-fed-poultry-feeder.html
I'm still writing up the...
Oh, I know...I'm happy they're not trying to kill each other. However, it can get hot inside the coop, even with a fan going. It would be so much healthier for the Cochins if they were allowed out into the run where it's cooler and there are nice breezes.
I have 13 straight run 10 week old Golden Laced Cochins and took in 11 hens (several different, but docile breeds) of approximately the same age from a neighbor. All of the birds went into the coop at the same time. This was nearly two weeks ago and the two flocks are not co-mingling. They've...