Bagged leaves in run?

[henless]

Throw it all in, leaves, pine straw, kitchen scraps, grass clippings, garden leavings. I just put 10 wheel barrow fulls of pine straw & leaves in my run. Put another 7 loads in the coop. Next spring, this is what will come out of my run, black gold.

 

[aart]

Leaves are best with other stuff mixed in...if they get wet, they can pack and slime pretty easy.

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

Yep, pine straw is pine needles (dried).

I would not put pine needles in the coop, they mat down and take forever to break down. Maybe my pine needles are tougher than everyone else's !

Gary

 

[aart]

I would not put pine needles in the coop, they mat down and take forever to break down. Maybe my pine needles are tougher than everyone else's !

Gary

I've found 'pine straw' to be a good 'slower to break down' ingredient.
Too much of any one thing can be bad.

 

[Minky]

Hey "henless", Id like to get my chickens to make me some of that "black gold" for my veggie garden...!! Looks devine!

Any ideas on how to do that?- we dont have a run, we just open the chicken door on the barn, and they free range all day. They mostly stick to the edge of the forest, though. I'm wondering if anyone has some great ideas on how to get them to work for me! ?I have mountains of leaves that I rake and then dump in the forest. We have a ton of pine needles, too. I'd like them to wander around the orchard, but they like the forest.

 

[Sunshine Flock]

One of the first places my flock heads to when I open the gate for some free ranging is the compost pile. I don't use bins or walls to contain it. It's just a huge growing pile in a recessed area on our land. They level mounds in minutes and dig and churn and add new composting material with each visit.

So you could do the same. Keep it back from your home in case forest creatures visit your compost. Add leaves and green lawn clippings (or weed whacked grasses like we do) and kitchen waste you can toss in a gallon stainless steel bin, and save everything from inside the chicken coop and throw it on the compost pile.

And eventually you'll have yourself some bonafide black gold. The good stuff settles at the bottom. Moisture is a boon, so if you have long spells with no rain, toss some water on it now and then.

 

[henless]

Making a compost pile like CSF suggested is a great idea. I keep my chickens in a run due to my dogs. They are great at keeping predators away, but if my chickens where out & about, the dogs wold get them.

Another thing you could do is go out in the woods, rake back the leaves and use the composted debris underneath. Should have some good leaf mold going on. Or make your own leaf mold. It takes longer than a compost pile, but is very good for your garden.

 

[Playford Flats Farm]

I use leaves all the time to cover the snow so they’ll actually go out in our run. They love it! And it’s hilarious to watch them scratch through it.

 

[Minky]

Speaking of snow... we got a couple of inches this morning and its still coming down- and no one wants to go out in it. Should I expect indoor chickens for the rest of the winter if the snow stays? Ill keep opening the chicken door on the barn, but any other tips to help them be a bit more adventurous? We dont have a run or any covered areas that are covered enough to stop snow from collecting.

 

[lazy gardener]

Throw some hay or leaves on top of the snow. Even old shavings. they don't like to walk on the white, so cover it up!