Chicken feet swollen by hot coop ground

[Bryce Thomas]

I take better care of them than I take care of myself. They are my babies and I have always loved birds and wanted to raise them and my 3 babies are my first babies. Im still figuring things out even after 9 months of owning them. Also the thing im concerned about using bedding is the wind taking it away. I have chain link fencing for the coop, it keeps out all the predators if ur wondering and they cannot get through it

 

[black_cat]

I take better care of them than I take care of myself. They are my babies and I have always loved birds and wanted to raise them and my 3 babies are my first babies. Im still figuring things out even after 9 months of owning them. Also the thing im concerned about using bedding is the wind taking it away. I have chain link fencing for the coop, it keeps out all the predators if ur wondering and they cannot get through it

Wind won't take it away.

 

[Bryce Thomas]

Topsoil, potting soil, whatever's cheapest. It shouldn't be sandy. If the dirt in your backyard is the same as what's getting hot, don't use it.

I have 3 massive ficus trees in my backyard and a really big oak tree by the coop. I can take off all the twigs and lower leaves of the tree, let the torn off leaves die and use them as bedding but idk if they would like the crunch sound

 

[Bryce Thomas]

Wind won't take it away.

oh thank god

 

[black_cat]

I have 3 massive ficus trees in my backyard and a really big oak tree by the coop. I can take off all the twigs and lower leaves of the tree, let the torn off leaves die and use them as bedding but idk if they would like the crunch sound

Don't hurt the trees, but they'll love to dig through dropped leaves. The won't mind the crunch sound.

 

[Bryce Thomas]

Don't hurt the trees, but they'll love to dig through dropped leaves. The won't mind the crunch sound.

When the chickens dust bathe, should I just take the shavings that were pushed aside and put them back? There would be spots with lots of bedding and parts with no bedding

 

[writerskramp]

Straw..

 

[3KillerBs]

My chickens don't have a run, but a very large coop. They have a run I would say, but its not very big. I only have 3 chickens and they have 7 by 7 feet of space. Thats a lot of bedding ;-; . They have shade and water and a treadle feeder and everything. They have lots of light too. I play with them 2 hours a day in there and thewy love cuddling with me, even my roo. I will send pictures tommorow of the coop

That's a nice size for 3 birds -- ventilation and elbow room are too of the main keys to good health.

Also the thing im concerned about using bedding is the wind taking it away.

No, the wind doesn't take the bedding away.

I have 3 massive ficus trees in my backyard and a really big oak tree by the coop. I can take off all the twigs and lower leaves of the tree, let the torn off leaves die and use them as bedding but idk if they would like the crunch sound

Don't hurt the trees, but they'll love to dig through dropped leaves. The won't mind the crunch sound.

This. Rake up the dead leaves that fall naturally and the chickens will love them. They are creatures of the forest floor and digging through leaf litter is one of their favorite things to do.

When the chickens dust bathe, should I just take the shavings that were pushed aside and put them back? There would be spots with lots of bedding and parts with no bedding

I rake bedding back into the holes once every couple weeks and then the chickens have fun digging new holes.

Straw..

An intact straw bale with one tie cut is a terrific chicken toy. They LOVE to sit on it, scratch at it, and spread it around.

However, straw *can* pack and mat if it is wet so it takes a little more maintenance than some other beddings -- needing to be forked over and fluffed up from time to time. It's often cheap though.

 

[Mamatomany123]

I have a run that has 66 square feet of space, and it all has bedding. It's not hard- find the cheapest dirt that you can at the hardware store, get two bags, and dump it all in the middle with some shavings.

I have a run that's 800 sq ft and it has wood shavings. My city let's you get as much as you want for free from their recycling center. It definitely helps keep the chickens feet off of the hot dirt in our 120+° weather we get here in west Texas. I also freeze a shallow dish every. Ight during our hot months and put it out every morning so they can stand in and sip from as it melts. Fans sometimes but we are very windy so we dont usually need it. And shade. Deep shade. The ground can get hot. They need a space that the sun isnt scorching down on.

 

[writerskramp]

That's a nice size for 3 birds -- ventilation and elbow room are too of the main keys to good health.



No, the wind doesn't take the bedding away.




This. Rake up the dead leaves that fall naturally and the chickens will love them. They are creatures of the forest floor and digging through leaf litter is one of their favorite things to do.



I rake bedding back into the holes once every couple weeks and then the chickens have fun digging new holes.



An intact straw bale with one tie cut is a terrific chicken toy. They LOVE to sit on it, scratch at it, and spread it around.

However, straw *can* pack and mat if it is wet so it takes a little more maintenance than some other beddings -- needing to be forked over and fluffed up from time to time. It's often cheap though.

Straw and mud make brick in the summer sun.. As long as it is dry there is no problem.. Straw solves much of the mud problem when it rains. Keeping their tootsies dry.. Until the chickens break it down and mix it in.. Takes them a while.. I till it occasionally with a tiller, chickens enjoy the loose tilling's and occasional worm. Takes care of that hardpan.. water drains and no more standing water.