Ali James' Garden Chickens

[BY Bob]

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I just love the nest shenanigans that go on. It is never dull when they are first starting to lay. It is a great photo indeed.

 

[Ali James]

I just love the look on Echo's face. She's like "What the hell is she doing now?"

Great photo by the way Ali

Thanks ACM - Delta was not impressed!

 

[Ali James]

I just love the nest shenanigans that go on. It is never dull when they are first starting to lay. It is a great photo indeed.

I couldn't believe how unsettled Blue seemed - she was so noisy (and fidgety) compared to what we're used to anyway. She kicked the wood shavings all over the place (which would explain why one of the eggs we found the other day was buried in the nest box).

And then poor Delta went in to lay and picked up pieces of the wood shavings one by one and painstakingly rearranged them...

 

[BY Bob]

I couldn't believe how unsettled Blue seemed - she was so noisy (and fidgety) compared to what we're used to anyway. She kicked the wood shavings all over the place (which would explain why one of the eggs we found the other day was buried in the nest box).

And then poor Delta went in to lay and picked up pieces of the wood shavings one by one and painstakingly rearranged them...

O my. Poor Delta. When Aurora was first starting to try and lay I caught her in the nesting box one day. She started ot best building by picking up pieces of straw and placing them in her back, normal behavior.

Then she got up, walked into the coop, and proceeded to pick up straw from the coop floor and put it on her back as she was standing. Not exactly building a great nest.

 

[Ali James]

Then she got up, walked into the coop, and proceeded to pick up straw from the coop floor and put it on her back as she was standing. Not exactly building a great nest.

Hahahaha!!

 

[LozzyR]

Could I ask for some help please, oh wise ones?

Coop cleaning. At the moment I have pine shavings in the nest boxes which have stayed remarkably clean. How long should I leave it before replacing it completely?
Also, I have soft builders sand on the droppings board under the roosts. I use a cat litter scoop to pick out the droppings and any obviously damp patches. Should I completely replace the sand at any point, or can I just top it up?
How often should I completely muck out the coop, wash it down etc?

Hi Ali, this is my cleaning regime. I have two small hen-houses with slatted floor panels. I put paper down, then pine shavings and then straw in the nesting boxes. I dust the straw with Pestene dust for mites when I change the bedding, which is every week to two weeks. None of my girls roost so I do a daily poo clean and chuck it in a garden bed that isn’t being used at the moment. I am attempting to do the deep litter method but it’s so dry in Australia at the moment, it’s not really composting down. But I’ll still add used bedding to the deep litter and use the paper as weed mats. I’ve done a complete disinfectant clean only once in nearly two years, I’ll do another one at the end of the year. I sprayed the whole of the inside of the henhouse, then rinsed it off so the girls couldn’t lick it and then let it dry.

 

[Ali James]

Hi Ali, this is my cleaning regime. I have two small hen-houses with slatted floor panels. I put paper down, then pine shavings and then straw in the nesting boxes. I dust the straw with Pestene dust for mites when I change the bedding, which is every week to two weeks. None of my girls roost so I do a daily poo clean and chuck it in a garden bed that isn’t being used at the moment. I am attempting to do the deep litter method but it’s so dry in Australia at the moment, it’s not really composting down. But I’ll still add used bedding to the deep litter and use the paper as weed mats. I’ve done a complete disinfectant clean only once in nearly two years, I’ll do another one at the end of the year. I sprayed the whole of the inside of the henhouse, then rinsed it off so the girls couldn’t lick it and then let it dry.

Thanks Lozzy, that's really helpful

 

[Ali James]

Poor Blue. When F and I went out at 6:15 to let the girls out, there was the usual rush for everyone to leave to coop. However, Blue did a complete U turn and went straight back inside and started fussing in the nest boxes. Poor girl was probably trying to lay sooner, but Delta roosts right next to the nest boxes and was probably making life uncomfortable for her.

Then Echo began making quite the ruckus announcing to the whole neighbourhood that an egg was on its way. She went into the coop continuing to shout her head off at Blue - probably getting her own back for the other day and lecturing Blue on how egg laying is done properly!

I love my birds!

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

Poor Blue. When F and I went out at 6:15 to let the girls out, there was the usual rush for everyone to leave to coop. However, Blue did a complete U turn and went straight back inside and started fussing in the nest boxes. Poor girl was probably trying to lay sooner, but Delta roosts right next to the nest boxes and was probably making life uncomfortable for her.

Then Echo began making quite the ruckus announcing to the whole neighbourhood that an egg was on its way. She went into the coop continuing to shout her head off at Blue - probably getting her own back for the other day and lecturing Blue on how egg laying is done properly!

I love my birds!

So, did an egg appear?

 

[LozzyR]

Poor Blue. When F and I went out at 6:15 to let the girls out, there was the usual rush for everyone to leave to coop. However, Blue did a complete U turn and went straight back inside and started fussing in the nest boxes. Poor girl was probably trying to lay sooner, but Delta roosts right next to the nest boxes and was probably making life uncomfortable for her.

Then Echo began making quite the ruckus announcing to the whole neighbourhood that an egg was on its way. She went into the coop continuing to shout her head off at Blue - probably getting her own back for the other day and lecturing Blue on how egg laying is done properly!

I love my birds!

They are nothing if not entertaining.