Deep litter method

[RoseMarie1]

If you have a lot of feed on the floor, I'm betting you have mices you don't get to see...that's like ringing a dinner bell for them.

They come out at night, so if you leave the feed there over night, they are feasting and eating all your money. You can still use your hanging feeder but as you can see, it creates a lot of waste...they aren't the most efficient style of feeder one can use. You can hang a trough from the ceiling as well, if you like. I'd feed in the morning and only what they can mostly clean up in an hour or so. I've been doing it that way for years upon years.

oh that gives me the hibby jibbies. lol Man I could do some dancing if I walked in their pen at night time to close their gate to their roosting area and mices started running every where.

 

[schnebbles]

lol! I think mice are cute I also had snakes and had to feed frozen mice, which actually really bothered me at first.

My goofy chickens hate walking on the snow. They stay in if they see snow. I'm hoping they come out today because it's already mid 30s and nicer, but they will look out and see snow...I am just taking the food out all day while sparrows are out.

They aren't really messy with the water.

 

[gilcamp4]

we use feed pellets and they don't get on the floor, they eat most of it, we do not have a covered yard so we have to feed inside, we did have a mouse in the rabbit cage, cleaned out the hey and it was in there, so it ran away and i put hey back in cage.

 

[Beekissed]

oh that gives me the hibby jibbies. lol Man I could do some dancing if I walked in their pen at night time to close their gate to their roosting area and mices started running every where.

Hibby jibbies......

Oh, Rosemarie..always a hoot to read your posts!

Historically, where there is grain, there are mice and that's difficult to prevent no matter how tight a coop you have as they can squeeze into some mighty tiny places. A good outside cat can help with that and keep the numbers down and sometimes a dog will as well. A family of mice can cart away and store a surprising amount of feed and rats even more.

It's not so much the feed they take but they are parasite and disease vectors, much like the song birds stealing food, so it's a good idea to keep them to a dull roar if you can by not making food so available.

 

[RoseMarie1]

Hibby jibbies......

Oh, Rosemarie..always a hoot to read your posts!

Historically, where there is grain, there are mice and that's difficult to prevent no matter how tight a coop you have as they can squeeze into some mighty tiny places. A good outside cat can help with that and keep the numbers down and sometimes a dog will as well. A family of mice can cart away and store a surprising amount of feed and rats even more.

It's not so much the feed they take but they are parasite and disease vectors, much like the song birds stealing food, so it's a good idea to keep them to a dull roar if you can by not making food so available.

Well that's JUST what hubby said when I read to him what you replied. He said that MUST be WHY snoot his hanging around out there. Says every time I go out there to do something with the chickens she gets up on the top of the pen while i am out there and every time I walk out there she's out there. No mice, nor moles nor birds or anything gets by this cat and she is SNOW WHITE! ALL white except for a faint calico color on her ears.

 

[Beekissed]

Good cat!! We've got a good one here now too and I've not seen a mouse up there by the feed since he got to hunting age. He's an excellent hunter and has a ravenous appetite...which probably makes him a better hunter!

It sure makes the CX good hunters and foragers too.

 

[schnebbles]

I've certainly reduced the amount of feed since taking food in! those sparrows were probably eating about 12 cups or more of their food a day. I'll keep an eye out for mice. I have cats but don't let them out.

 

[armorfirelady]

My DL is so damp from all this rain the last few days. The ground is just so mucky and it seems the DL is sucking it up. I put some leaves in yesterday and the girls spread them around nicely, a bag of leaves seems to break down in a week or so with the humidity and rain. But boy does that DL on the bottom look so nice. And it's smell nice to

 

[Beekissed]

My DL really needed this moisture, so I'm glad it's come. Smells earthy and like the forest in there now, which is a good smell to me. The middle of the coop is still dry enough for the birds to dust themselves in, which is just fine, and the edges are damp which is great for the breaking down of the materials there.

 

[armorfirelady]

Here is mine now. The handful is stuff about 2 inches down from the top. You can see the leaves I dumped in Monday. Everything is breaking down so well including the shavings. I can't wait to dump that this spring in the veggie garden