I have learned the joys of mucking out a chicken coop in mud! For a small fee, I'm willing to teach you. Line forms on the right. Hold your nose if you have a weak constitution.
3 month old chickens. Been in 4'x8' coop since 1 month old. Coop has floor elevated 2 feet above grade. Truck bed liner covering plywood and tree mulch from the local dump covering the whole floor. Mulch was dry, but partially composted when put in. Chickens hang out under the coop in the shade and if anything large flies over.
Hurricane Harvey showed me where rain would enter. When blown sideways. That and I never finished the front rain shield for the front window for sideways rain.
The mulch was soaked by the clean out door on top and bottom. Middle was dry and dusty. ~6 inches fluffed and almost 4" compacted after 2 months. Stirred occasionally, but compacted now.
I was forward thinking and lined the floor with flattened cardboard boxes for "easier" cleanout. The soaked boxes shredded and were a hassle. Most were soaked. I'm skipping the boxes this time.
Now besides the fact that roaches and fire ants get into everything, how did I get fire ants, roaches, earwigs, geckos and the little black ants inside my coop living together? Under the mulch. I could have brought them in with the mulch. Probable with earwigs. Roach egg sacks, ok. The chickens know what the roaches and earwigs are and pounce. The ants, they will pick, but not that excited. One will stand in the middle and run off when the ants get her. The fire ants were trailing up the entrance ramp this morning. So they were fleeing the flood.
How do you train chickens to eat ants? (And what is the best method to herd cats?)
I'm guessing a healthy dusting of 7 dust will cure my ant ills? Better options?
For the short term, going back in with dry hay until I can get more shredded wood. Have pine shavings, but read enough about those.
Coop pictures after I finish getting the ants out of my pants. Apparently they get upset when you clean their nest out of your coop...
3 month old chickens. Been in 4'x8' coop since 1 month old. Coop has floor elevated 2 feet above grade. Truck bed liner covering plywood and tree mulch from the local dump covering the whole floor. Mulch was dry, but partially composted when put in. Chickens hang out under the coop in the shade and if anything large flies over.
Hurricane Harvey showed me where rain would enter. When blown sideways. That and I never finished the front rain shield for the front window for sideways rain.
The mulch was soaked by the clean out door on top and bottom. Middle was dry and dusty. ~6 inches fluffed and almost 4" compacted after 2 months. Stirred occasionally, but compacted now.
I was forward thinking and lined the floor with flattened cardboard boxes for "easier" cleanout. The soaked boxes shredded and were a hassle. Most were soaked. I'm skipping the boxes this time.
Now besides the fact that roaches and fire ants get into everything, how did I get fire ants, roaches, earwigs, geckos and the little black ants inside my coop living together? Under the mulch. I could have brought them in with the mulch. Probable with earwigs. Roach egg sacks, ok. The chickens know what the roaches and earwigs are and pounce. The ants, they will pick, but not that excited. One will stand in the middle and run off when the ants get her. The fire ants were trailing up the entrance ramp this morning. So they were fleeing the flood.
How do you train chickens to eat ants? (And what is the best method to herd cats?)
I'm guessing a healthy dusting of 7 dust will cure my ant ills? Better options?
For the short term, going back in with dry hay until I can get more shredded wood. Have pine shavings, but read enough about those.
Coop pictures after I finish getting the ants out of my pants. Apparently they get upset when you clean their nest out of your coop...
