California - Northern

[ronott1]

So talk to me about substrate. What kind of bedding do YOU use in your coop. Some people use sand, pine chips, straight up dirt etc in their coop. My concern with pine chips is 1) cost 2) clean up 3) a giant compost pile full of almost nothing but pine chips. Sand seems good. But I am concerned about how easy it is to clean...straight dirt seems like the worst option as the poop builds up and I would step in major bad. And the run currently is dirt- I do not want to line that with sand but nor a bunch of chips. Leave the dirt? I have read all over BYC on this. There is no clear choice. You guys share my climate so I thought I would ask what you all do. TY

I use pine shavings in the coop. I have seen people putting tubs under the roosts, so the chickens poop into it at night. They then dump the pans into the compost bin. If you use the pans, you won't have to change the pine shavings too much. I have a wooden floor with linoleum in my coop. Yours with a dirt floor can use sand and the tubs.

The post I read said to use plastic shoe boxes from the dollar store.

I will be interested in seeing what you set up

Ron

 

[lawatt]

coop is only just beginning construction, but i am planning to use the deep litter/compost method, probably with pine shavings. does anyone have experience with this?

thanks,
laura

 

[chickee]

What is the coloring of the middle ones...is it a blue? I am trying to learn to identify the colors and patterns. LOVE that color!

From left to right~ White Crested Blue with Cuckoo markings bantam Polish hen, WC Chocolate Cuckoo bantam Polish hen and next to her is 2 bantam Blue Laced Red Wyandotte pullets.

Hope I am not boring anyone

I love taking pictures of my chickens!

WC Blue with Cuckoo markings~


WC Chocolate Cuckoo~



Blue Laced Red Wyandotte bantams~ Two variations of blue and a splash (white laced red)

 

[zooweemama]

From left to right~ White Crested Blue with Cuckoo markings bantam Polish hen, WC Chocolate Cuckoo bantam Polish hen and next to her is 2 bantam Blue Laced Red Wyandotte pullets.

Hope I am not boring anyone

I love taking pictures of my chickens!

WC Blue with Cuckoo markings~


WC Chocolate Cuckoo~



Blue Laced Red Wyandotte bantams~ Two variations of blue and a splash (white laced red)

Shoot. I love pictures. I have tons building up that I am itching to share but I also don't want to bore anyone. haha! I love the lacing patterns and I love the blue coloring. Can the cresteds see? I have 1 crested duck and he can see fine- his pom doesn't hang over his eyes though.

 

[chickee]

Shoot. I love pictures. I have tons building up that I am itching to share but I also don't want to bore anyone. haha! I love the lacing patterns and I love the blue coloring. Can the cresteds see? I have 1 crested duck and he can see fine- his pom doesn't hang over his eyes though.

That is a problem with the show quality Polish having such big crests! I do trim them some so they can see better, but their vision still isn't very good. Makes them startle easily but they are super gentle and friendly birds. I love them!

I really enjoy seeing pictures of everyone's poultry! So bring them on!

 

[chickee]

If anyone is looking for some nice breeder quality one year old W/BW Ameraucana hens, I have 3 available (2 wheaten, 1 blue wheaten) that I purchased from Paul Smith as chicks. I want them to go together and have reduced their price since one lays a white egg (the other two lay a blue egg) and I don't know which one it is. If you are interested please PM me.

Here is a picture of each of them. I have some beard nibblers so the BWs beard is thin right now.

 

[Wishing4Wings]

I love seeing all the pics! It helps me learn what all the chicken acronyms mean! Finally got WC chocolate and BLRW, thanks to Chickee.

Zooweemama, I loved your photo of ducks on the pond. Will be thinking how lucky they are to be cool during the sweltering days this week. I am also interested in what to cover the coop/run floor with, so would love to hear more about what folks use and pros/cons.

I finally got a few pics to post, so Chickee can see where her girls are going to live. We're not very fancy here, so hope you don't change your mind!

The coop under the apricot and cherry trees.



All 9 of the mob in their chicken yard. (no dogs allowed!) About 4 months old, under the apple tree.

left to right: EE, SLW, BA, NH, BO, Welsummer, BR, WL, gold-SL (How 'bout them acronyms!)

Favorite hangout, under the grapefruit tree.

Monkey, the EE says "Hi! Got anything to eat?"


Spot, Monkey, Miss Peach's backside, Penny, and Matilda. (Biscuit and Freckle back by the water.)
The kids helped name them!

 

[cherylcohen]

I love seeing all the pics! It helps me learn what all the chicken acronyms mean! Finally got WC chocolate and BLRW, thanks to Chickee.

Zooweemama, I loved your photo of ducks on the pond. Will be thinking how lucky they are to be cool during the sweltering days this week. I am also interested in what to cover the coop/run floor with, so would love to hear more about what folks use and pros/cons.

I finally got a few pics to post, so Chickee can see where her girls are going to live. We're not very fancy here, so hope you don't change your mind!

The coop under the apricot and cherry trees.



All 9 of the mob in their chicken yard. (no dogs allowed!) About 4 months old, under the apple tree.

left to right: EE, SLW, BA, NH, BO, Welsummer, BR, WL, gold-SL (How 'bout them acronyms!)

Favorite hangout, under the grapefruit tree.

Monkey, the EE says "Hi! Got anything to eat?"


Spot, Monkey, Miss Peach's backside, Penny, and Matilda. (Biscuit and Freckle back by the water.)
The kids helped name them!

great setup!

 

[zooweemama]

I love seeing all the pics! It helps me learn what all the chicken acronyms mean! Finally got WC chocolate and BLRW, thanks to Chickee.

Zooweemama, I loved your photo of ducks on the pond. Will be thinking how lucky they are to be cool during the sweltering days this week. I am also interested in what to cover the coop/run floor with, so would love to hear more about what folks use and pros/cons.

I finally got a few pics to post, so Chickee can see where her girls are going to live. We're not very fancy here, so hope you don't change your mind!

The coop under the apricot and cherry trees.



All 9 of the mob in their chicken yard. (no dogs allowed!) About 4 months old, under the apple tree.

left to right: EE, SLW, BA, NH, BO, Welsummer, BR, WL, gold-SL (How 'bout them acronyms!)

Favorite hangout, under the grapefruit tree.

Monkey, the EE says "Hi! Got anything to eat?"


Spot, Monkey, Miss Peach's backside, Penny, and Matilda. (Biscuit and Freckle back by the water.)
The kids helped name them!

NICE coop! Wow! Mine looks like I got it from Sanford and Sons junkyard. hehe Hopefully it will be secure and that is what is important for us right now. Nice lookin chickens!

 

[DavidandWendy]

So talk to me about substrate. What kind of bedding do YOU use in your coop. Some people use sand, pine chips, straight up dirt etc in their coop. My concern with pine chips is 1) cost 2) clean up 3) a giant compost pile full of almost nothing but pine chips. Sand seems good. But I am concerned about how easy it is to clean...straight dirt seems like the worst option as the poop builds up and I would step in major bad. And the run currently is dirt- I do not want to line that with sand but nor a bunch of chips. Leave the dirt? I have read all over BYC on this. There is no clear choice. You guys share my climate so I thought I would ask what you all do. TY

We use mainly chopped straw with some pine chips (a very small amount in the coop only)! We like the straw because it's easy to rake out and we have a small "bowl" area behind our Rhododendron's at the very back of our yard where we dump it for compost!

We thought at first that it would build up faster than we could use it and we'd have to haul some of it away! Much to our surprise we've found that our 4 Chooks

have dug thru it so many times that they keep it not only compacted but they have also shredded it while scratching for worms and bugs making it into manageable rich looking compost!

So far so good for us!

~David