Deep litter method

[armorfirelady]

 
Ayep.  Seems like the south knew that all along and just weren't real successful at driving the point home.  Now we just rebel by being all the redneck we can be. 

Question on using ashes for dusting. Will any type of ash do or does it need to be wood ash? We did some pine straw burning over the weekend and thought I'd shovel it up to save it for my chicks when I get them in.

I've been told something in wood ash is what keeps the mites and lice away. Maybe the sulfur?

Hens will dust bathe in anything they find, mine like to dust bathe in the DL (yuck) or in dirt hole they made this year. They may like the pine straw as long as there as no slivers of straw to get stuck with lol

 

[RoosterLew]

I've been told something in wood ash is what keeps the mites and lice away. Maybe the sulfur?

Hens will dust bathe in anything they find, mine like to dust bathe in the DL (yuck) or in dirt hole they made this year. They may like the pine straw as long as there as no slivers of straw to get stuck with lol

LOL, ours dust bathe in an old pile of horse manure!

 

[fosterson]

Question on using ashes for dusting. Will any type of ash do or does it need to be wood ash? We did some pine straw burning over the weekend and thought I'd shovel it up to save it for my chicks when I get them in.

I think the only thing I'd keep them away from is cedar and cedar ashes. Cedar has something in it that's bad for chickens, especially if it's used for bedding...and I haven't had enough coffee yet to find it in the memory banks this morning.

BTW, what part of East Texas you from? I was born in Naples, raised near there too!

 

[henless]

Cedar has something in it that's bad for chickens, especially if it's used for bedding.

BTW, what part of East Texas you from? I was born in Naples, raised near there too!

I believe it's the cedar aroma, it bothers their respiratory system.

I live out in the country in the Tyler/Longview area. About 2 hours east of Dallas and 1 hour west of Shreveport, La. I was born in Lubbock, Tx, and moved here when I was about 2.

 

[MagicChicken]

Wow!!! What a score!!! Lucky you! I'd definitely go with those instead of a more expensive roofing. I'd do an underlayer of plastic on the roof part and then place the tarp over it...that's how mine is constructed, so that even if the tarp leaks it has a second layer of waterproofing for insurance.

Here's a pic of it, before the tarp was applied. The plastic is attached to firring strips placed on the inside, then when the tarp was applied, another set of firring strips was applied to the outside to keep the tarp snug to the top of the coop and to prevent wind shearing. I wish now that I had extended that plastic layer about a foot farther down the sides for better guarding against leaks.

I "borrowed" Bee's idea last year when I built my hoop coop. The plastic underlayer is now disintegrating. I have no idea how or why - it has never been exposed to the sun, except for the first hour or two it was on. My exterior tarps only last 4-5 months in the desert sun. It is costing a fortune to keep the coop covered. I did buy a billboard tarp which is supposedly more UV resistant and is much thicker than the heavy-duty tarps I have been using. 31 mil as opposed to 10-11 mil. Have not installed it yet because the 16' x 16' tarp weighs about 70 pounds and I can't lift it. Plus the tarp I got is not grommeted, so I have to put in the grommets myself. Which requires maneuvering the tarp, which requires assistance, which has not manifested yet. The billboard tarp has been sitting in a box on my front porch for a few months now. In the meantime I keep layering on the Home Depot tarps.
The hoop coop is sporting three layers of heavy-duty tarps from Home Depot. It's looking truly redneck

If I could get that big billboard tarp grommeted and installed it might help a lot.

 

[Lacy Blues]

I "borrowed" Bee's idea last year when I built my hoop coop. The plastic underlayer is now disintegrating. I have no idea how or why - it has never been exposed to the sun, except for the first hour or two it was on. My exterior tarps only last 4-5 months in the desert sun. It is costing a fortune to keep the coop covered. I did buy a billboard tarp which is supposedly more UV resistant and is much thicker than the heavy-duty tarps I have been using. 31 mil as opposed to 10-11 mil. Have not installed it yet because the 16' x 16' tarp weighs about 70 pounds and I can't lift it. Plus the tarp I got is not grommeted, so I have to put in the grommets myself. Which requires maneuvering the tarp, which requires assistance, which has not manifested yet. The billboard tarp has been sitting in a box on my front porch for a few months now. In the meantime I keep layering on the Home Depot tarps.
The hoop coop is sporting three layers of heavy-duty tarps from Home Depot. It's looking truly redneck

If I could get that big billboard tarp grommeted and installed it might help a lot.

Instead of repeatedly buying tarps, why not get some of those corrugated panels that are made for being in the sun? I have some white ones, however, I don't have them on a roof, I needed to close an area and am using them for a wall. The eastern sun comes up and is immediately blistering hot! These panels receive that morning sun for several hours and have not suffered in the least. Then again, I haven't used them on a roof. They are supposed to have some sort of guarantee to last a number of years, can't remember how long right now. I've had mine up for 3 summers now and am happy with them. Also, they're lightweight and you could most likely do the job yourself in the absence of helpers.

 

[fosterson]

I live out in the country in the Tyler/Longview area. About 2 hours east of Dallas and 1 hour west of Shreveport, La. I was born in Lubbock, Tx, and moved here when I was about 2.

Yup. You're close enough to chuck a rock and hit a relative or three of mine!

I miss that place sometimes. Sometimes, a lot!

 

[Beekissed]

Instead of repeatedly buying tarps, why not get some of those corrugated panels that are made for being in the sun? I have some white ones, however, I don't have them on a roof, I needed to close an area and am using them for a wall. The eastern sun comes up and is immediately blistering hot! These panels receive that morning sun for several hours and have not suffered in the least. Then again, I haven't used them on a roof. They are supposed to have some sort of guarantee to last a number of years, can't remember how long right now. I've had mine up for 3 summers now and am happy with them. Also, they're lightweight and you could most likely do the job yourself in the absence of helpers.

I'm not sure how to attach fiberglass corrugated panels to a hoop coop, as there is no wood surface into which one can pound a nail. A person could punch a hole and zip tie them on but that leaves them open for leaking. I guess I person could fasten them with some rubber washers, screws and brackets but it would cost quite a bit for all those fasteners.

You know what I'd do if I had one of these in the desert? I'd overlay with some fine wire and cover the whole thing in adobe! It would be cool and would withstand the sun for many a long year. If it needed patching, just mix up some more adobe and smear it on. It could also be painted with some cool paints or designs etched into the surface. Just a thought....

 

[Lacy Blues]

I'm not sure how to attach fiberglass corrugated panels to a hoop coop, as there is no wood surface into which one can pound a nail. A person could punch a hole and zip tie them on but that leaves them open for leaking. I guess I person could fasten them with some rubber washers, screws and brackets but it would cost quite a bit for all those fasteners.

You know what I'd do if I had one of these in the desert? I'd overlay with some fine wire and cover the whole thing in adobe! It would be cool and would withstand the sun for many a long year. If it needed patching, just mix up some more adobe and smear it on. It could also be painted with some cool paints or designs etched into the surface. Just a thought....

You know what? I have just now decided that if I need to dream up something and find myself falling short YOU are going to be my GO TO source for everything! I think you must have been first in line when it came to receiving portions of imagination on that great day!

 

[Beekissed]

LOLOL You are so funny!

I've always wanted to build a cob or adobe hen house...I saw one once and it was so neato. The nests were built right into the wall and formed out of cob and just placed here and there sort of in a decorative manner. It didn't look to have enough ventilation but that would be real easy to fix with some strategically placed clay flower pots with the bottoms busted out and wire cobbed on.