Deep Litter

[3KillerBs]

Does anyone know if there is any danger in the chickens going into a run and pecking around where a horse was housed? There are a few bits of manure, but most have been composted and broken down. Are there any precautions or anything I should be aware of? Or will they be just fine. Spread some diatomaceous earth, maybe? Thanks =)

The chickens will consider horse manure a splendid buffet, scratching out the bugs it attracts.

 

[RubySue]

The chickens will consider horse manure a splendid buffet, scratching out the bugs it attracts.

There are some juicy beetles up there if you dig down, lol. I was thinking parasitic . I'm new here... haha.

 

[3KillerBs]

There are some juicy beetles up there if you dig down, lol. I was thinking parasitic . I'm new here... haha.

Birds are more likely to pick up that sort of thing from contact with wild birds.

 

[NatJ]

I was thinking parasitic .

Parasites like worms that live inside an animal tend to be picky about what animals they live in. So horse parasites are not expected to be a problem for chickens.

In general, chickens can eat any parasites that came out of a mammal (horse, cow, sheep, dog, etc.), and you shouldn't have to worry. If you ever do think your chickens have parasites, there are ways to check, but your chickens are more likely to get such parasites from other chickens or other birds, not from horse droppings.

 

[RubySue]

That should be fine. I might move the chicks as well as the used shavings-- brooding in the coop often works quite well. Then just add more shavings as needed.

I am thinking of moving the chicks, as you said, to the coop to finish brooding. Once we get the door on in the next few days, the coop will be predator-proof. All we have to do is complete the run. The run is just about framed completely, then hardware cloth is next ( what we have been dreading the most ). They will be two weeks on the 2nd. I'm guessing because they were 1-day old chicks shipped on the 19th. For one, they have doubled in size already and I have them in a 50-gallon tote, and two getting them acclimated quicker. Over the next ten days, the weather here is expected as nightly lows of 35 - 45F and daytime highs of 50-65F. I plan to move the radiant heat plate and supplemental light so they can find the heat source. Any tips or things I should know? I kept them in the house only for about six days, then moved them to the garage. The lowest temperature in the garage has been around 45-50F at night as well, and they have had no trouble. A couple of the larger ones even sleep next to the heat plate.

Thanks!

 

[RubySue]

I am thinking of moving the chicks, as you said, to the coop to finish brooding. Once we get the door on in the next few days, the coop will be predator-proof. All we have to do is complete the run. The run is just about framed completely, then hardware cloth is next ( what we have been dreading the most ). They will be two weeks on the 2nd. I'm guessing because they were 1-day old chicks shipped on the 19th. For one, they have doubled in size already and I have them in a 50-gallon tote, and two getting them acclimated quicker. Over the next ten days, the weather here is expected as nightly lows of 35 - 45F and daytime highs of 50-65F. I plan to move the radiant heat plate and supplemental light so they can find the heat source. Any tips or things I should know? I kept them in the house only for about six days, then moved them to the garage. The lowest temperature in the garage has been around 45-50F at night as well, and they have had no trouble. A couple of the larger ones even sleep next to the heat plate.

Thanks!

 

[NatJ]

I am thinking of moving the chicks, as you said, to the coop to finish brooding. Once we get the door on in the next few days, the coop will be predator-proof. All we have to do is complete the run. The run is just about framed completely, then hardware cloth is next ( what we have been dreading the most ). They will be two weeks on the 2nd. I'm guessing because they were 1-day old chicks shipped on the 19th. For one, they have doubled in size already and I have them in a 50-gallon tote, and two getting them acclimated quicker. Over the next ten days, the weather here is expected as nightly lows of 35 - 45F and daytime highs of 50-65F. I plan to move the radiant heat plate and supplemental light so they can find the heat source. Any tips or things I should know? I kept them in the house only for about six days, then moved them to the garage. The lowest temperature in the garage has been around 45-50F at night as well, and they have had no trouble. A couple of the larger ones even sleep next to the heat plate.

That sounds good. Since they are already comfortable (with heat plate) in the garage, they should be fine when they are a week older and move to the coop which is a bit cooler at night (also with heat plate.)

I couldn't tell whether you were planning to move their tote brooder into the coop, or just move the chicks into the coop without the tote. Personally, I'd turn them loose and skip the tote, so they have access to the whole coop.

 

[RubySue]

That sounds good. Since they are already comfortable (with heat plate) in the garage, they should be fine when they are a week older and move to the coop which is a bit cooler at night (also with heat plate.)

I couldn't tell whether you were planning to move their tote brooder into the coop, or just move the chicks into the coop without the tote. Personally, I'd turn them loose and skip the tote, so they have access to the whole coop.

I'd like to get them out of the tote. I feel it's already too small (I bought the biggest one I could find ), and they are trying to take flight, hitting the walls, and landing on each other, .

 

[NatJ]

I'd like to get them out of the tote. I feel it's already too small (I bought the biggest one I could find ), and they are trying to take flight, hitting the walls, and landing on each other, .

Yes, they do outgrow totes quite quickly, no matter how big the tote is!

 

[Chinachik]

How specifically do you go about deep bedding then? You say you have a sort of collection area under the roost and clean that so often? The rest, if it gets bad remove some top layer and add that to the run to compost, and then add more pine shavings to top the deep bedding in the coop? This would allow me to only have to do a major clean out once a year? Because we live in a dry climate I suspect a deep bedding inside the coop may be the best bet. The other thing is the run will end up being about 8 ft x 20 ft. I doubt that will end up deep.

I like your roost bars. Was trying to figure a way to put roost bars in my coop away from the window on the north wall. I am new to this also. Everyone says use pine shavings. I have read numerous articles that say that the pine has a bad effect on your chickens. The toxins that are in pine trees cause lung damage. I started out with pine shavings, noticed that one of my chicks kept itching. I changed to aspen shavings. They seem to absorb better and don't smell quite so strong. I have covered the bottom of my coop with the aspen shavings and when it smells a little, throw a couple of small buckets in and rake it around. Yes I do pull the soiled shavings out first.