Arizona Chickens

[SonoranChick]

Maybe you could slope the ground a bit in the run so that the excess water will run outside of the coop in the direction that you would feel comfortable with?

This is a great idea! Yes I can definitely do that

 

[SonoranChick]

Are alfalfa bales expensive?

Not really, our local feed store sells them for $12. The cow hay, for comparison, is $7.
Edit to add: they last a long time, about 6 months for me (unless it rains 4 days straight) lol

 

[Bobby Basham]

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/great-lakes-alfalfa-compressed-alfalfa-bale-44-lb

Thank You!

 

[SonoranChick]

[QUOTE="FeatherPugs, post: 1957 get it in bales and transport it on my husband's wheelchair lift! Yep I get those stares but it works.[/QUOTE]
I admire your ability to find different uses for the wheelchair lift. Those bales are huge!

 

[DesertChic]

I use large flake pine shavings for deep bedding in all of my pens. When it gets too wet and/or dirty, I shovel it all out and put it in a huge round trough to compost. The chickens have full access to that trough and LOVE scratching through it to eat any bug larvae.

Occasionally I buy alfalfa hay bales to put throughout the yard for my chickens so they have extra greens. They LOVE it, and yes, they eat more than just the hay. A lot of bugs like to lay their eggs in straw and hay bales. I tried straw bale gardening once and was blown away by how many insect eggs and larvae I found in the decomposing bales.

 

[meetthebubus]

I don't do hay my girls are picky and prefer everything to be bite size, so large amounts of kale is what they love for greens the most

 

[Btruax]

Yes I believe it does. I have enough room to spread it all out in the sun so it dries but I think I am going to have to replace it today or tomorrow. I don't want to risk having mold anywhere in the run

Agreed, it can mold, hay moreso than straw. However, if we get some warm days it should be fine. Mold will not form without continuous moisture absorption. I am/was certified for mold remediation when I was a flooring/remodel contractor in Cali.
I have noticed that the "cow hay" comes with mold already well formed in the bales, the straw not so much if it is kept dry at the stores. I did remove 4 wheelbarrow loads of straw from my coops though lol, even Im paranoid

 

[SonoranChick]

Agreed, it can mold, hay moreso than straw. However, if we get some warm days it should be fine. Mold will not form without continuous moisture absorption. I am/was certified for mold remediation when I was a flooring/remodel contractor in Cali.
I have noticed that the "cow hay" comes with mold already well formed in the bales, the straw not so much if it is kept dry at the stores. I did remove 4 wheelbarrow loads of straw from my coops though lol, even Im paranoid

Thank you so much for this info! Good to know.

 

[MagicChicken]

I've had problems with moldy hay bales too. Mostly during the rainy season. I give them the hay a few flakes at a time. If the bale gets moldy I use it on the garden for mulch instead of giving it to the chickens. I stopped buying hay in the summer because I couldn't keep it dry enough during the monsoons. (No hay barn.)

I use pine shavings when it rains to keep the runs from getting too goopy. It works well for me, and the bags of shavings are a lot easier to transport than bales of hay.

Edited to add I also use the shavings in the nest boxes. It's not ideal, and the smaller flakes tend to stick to the eggs, but it works.

 

[cactusrota]

What do you use in your nest boxes? At least my nest box stays dry. Right now I have cow hay and alfalfa in there, but I could do wood chips. They would love that, I am just imagining them partying and throwing wood chips like confetti

I've been doing wood shavings, simply because the bags they have at TSC are cheap. But they do kick it out alot and I have to keep adding more. I'm thinking of cutting some outdoor carpeting to set in the bottoms of the nest boxes in addition to the wood chips. They have those cheap doormats at Home Despot for less than $3 each that I've cut up for other projects. I don't mind using them until they're trashed then cutting up more at that price.