Dixie Chicks

[ApiaryandAviary]

picture from 2 years ago.

Geepers, It has grass

 

[Amberjem]

picture from 2 years ago.
Geepers, It has grass

 

[ApiaryandAviary]

Use a rubber water bowl and an 8 ft 2x2 and poke it up under the tarp next to the small coop. So it is lodged against coop and ramp. And all ok. Will be switching to more substancial house soon very soon with metal roof on each.

 

[ApiaryandAviary]

The understanding is when I gave hubby my 20x41building, that he would build me 4 new coop
Houses larger and better than what I bought at TSC some time back. He had to beef those up before their first winter.

 

[ApiaryandAviary]

I took this pic of a pirate ship play hut. I told him this is what I want for one of my chicken huts. He is still
Laughing. I dont think he is going to build me anything like this,...

 

[CanuckBock]

I know I know it's chicken poop ect.. But this is whats coming out of my deep composting chicken coop floor..... I'm excited about it........and the girls look like they are doing a good job composting stuff up in there...

How does everyone else deal with their chicken waste clean up?

We have more than chooks poo to do up.

Waterfowl of all sorts (ducks, geese, swans, ruddies) and landfowl (turks, pheasants, chickens)...then the ruminants (llamas, goats, sheep).

We approached owning five acres with the attitude if'n you gotta haul it in and it gets soiled & used up for its initial purpose, you better have a good turn round use for it too. Hauling away used bedding was not in the plans...that would be insurmountable in costs to be wasted and to us, a waste of a good resource. Right from day one, bird bedding has been put back to the land. One of the surprising observations of a vet that visited here years back...that our goose area greened up like two weeks before theirs does. Yup, green green grasses of home are owed to them goosey goos. Wash them nuggets down to not smother the grass and watch as you reap the benefits...

Mmmm...lookit the recycled poo...

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Self-sufficiency...that being the target for many of us. Haul it in and that costs to start with...not use it a few times (bedding becomes compost becomes dirt becomes food...yummy thoughts) and that is just plain silly.

Those onions are growing in turkey compost...yeh...
How good is yer dirt...how hard are you battling the weeding?​

Look first at your land type...we are grey wooded soils with a clay layer then river bottom rock. This is a river valley and the river meandered all over the valley over the millenniums.

- Places we wanted to build buildings...we took off top soil, took off clay and added more washed rock to form a solid drainable base. Up high for those ongoing 150 year floods we get every 15 years or so...time flies, eh.

- Places we wanted vegetation, we bought a tractor and implements to work it...work it smart.

Tilling up used strawberry barrel dirt...​

Funny looking back at my investment of a rear tined rototiller because I paid four grand for the tiller and the one that is for the tractor was a quarter that cost...oh well...I got the tiller in 1999 or 2000 and the tractor is just coming on being here for five years (dang near paid off, clear!).

I did alot more back breaking forking pre getting smarter...now we use things like the lawn tractor and trailer plus the tractor and implements to save our energies for the finer things in life...

I do have to say, that my tiller worked this area where some of the beans will be...
so I guess all tractor tilling is not completely the answer
​

So in here, our latest planter...for raspberries...

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I bought a bale of peat moss (raspberries like it a bit acid), so that be in it...but there is river sand (Rick hauled me in seven or so boxes...we have a huge sand pile for pen flooring<--duna be hucking sand at moi...I got unlimited resources to huck back with

), there is some garden dirt and turkey composted poo...there's feathers and oat straw in that combo too...lovely icky but RICH nutrients. Stand back, watch it grow like Jack's beans...eh!

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Redid these half barrels with strawberries and did the same fabric cloth to stop grass coming UP the planter and same mix...composted turkey plops, dirt and sand. No peat as I had not bought the one bale so skipped it on these. I will be adding in some oat straw around the strawberries...but Rome was not built in a day and I'm not as zippy and efficient as I once was.

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So here's a progression fur yah...pile a section high with used bedding...then bring in the big guns...men with equipment...our heroes, eh!

Sept 2012 - Ram Pasture​

Tiller man...man with tractor...dangerous combo, eh!

That be my future tater and corn spot...on the far right by the yoke...no joke...good ground...very!

Tilled up good...and resting... 2012 sept​

Our barns for the ruminants are on skids-pipe or timbers...so portable...move them about twice a year...once to winter quarters, let them get filled on up and tug them off and let the tractor bucket move that lovely product to areas where it can be composted...then tilled on in.

How's that work out...well let's see...

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From left to right...up top on right is area tilled, so work in progress...then the middle part, that is UNtouched pasture...tired, in dire need of fluffing...dire need of nutrients... and on the right side...that be lush plush greeneries!

Here is the reverse view​

In the forefront it the tractor tilling...on the left is a patch I took me tiller and buzzed in...it was lumpy and tired remnants from the strawberry half barrels...it is dirt but tired and depleted dirt. I used my tiller after the leftovers dried out...now compost and straw and Rick put river sand in here too (some came from the pens, general pen cleaning means some from the floor of the pens gets picked up too...all good though!).

Can you see the GREEN? The good green grasses of home?​

Now me sheeps, being Jacobs and a primitive breed...they love a mixed pasture...straight grasses is tres boring to them.

I've actually caught them climbing up fence posts to chaw off poplar leaves over straight green grasses... big old ewe with a bulgy belly snacking on tasty treaties...dang things. EAT yer GRASS...grrr...leave them trees alone!

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This is NOT some city lawn...this is a welcomed mix of dandelions (their tap roots go way down and bring up goodness in the form of nutrients and moisture which is then shared with the surrounding grasses) and grasses...nummy num nums...delicious. I even paid extra for our forage seed to add in sheep fescue...the name shouts it all...sheeps luv this type of grass and it does extra well in my area...given soil type and climate. Yee haw!

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This is the tired and much in need of nurturing pasture...she is plumb ugly on a stick, she is plumb depleted...she needs to be rejuvenated...and that be that. Gettin' on it.

So hear that critters...get pooping and peeing please...we are in need of your castoffs, please and thanks.

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Now with all this pictorial proof...you see why I bust a gut when I see bags of sheep manure, or chook poop for sale...yeh, that'll be the day...I pay for it once and keep it as ours...all mine...all ours...mine, ours, MINE! Good gravy, eh.

I cant ever let 50 see your place tara he is always grumbling bout not wanting to be a zoo keeper...

You mentioning zookeeper had me go look for a coupla clicks I took...

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Yeh, I do feel like I work in a blooming zoo at times...

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The melon is for the Mandarins...they luv watermelon

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They nibble it right on down to rind...pelts...vicious ferocious melon abusers!)...

Mandarin pelted melon...

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The other mixture is for them goslings...hard boiled egg yolk (any species of egg will do yah!), natural yoghurt to put good bugs in the poultry guts (do that once for all birds...get them off to a good beginning) and waterfowl non-medicated starter crumbles. Sliced and diced romaine...could be broccolis too...mini-honks luv crunch veg...sorta mimics mucking around in pond vegetation.

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Took this click ages ago...this is the poultry rations...waterfowl, landfowl...whole grains, cracked corn, grits, oyster shell, duck or chicken or turkey species rations...yeh...then the greens and veg they love to have as treats...nicer rations than the HUMANS get...whatever...

Gotten told enough times, coming back here as a bloomin' duck after I kick...dang it all.

Doggone & Chicken UP!

Tara Lee Higgins
Higgins Rat Ranch Conservation Farm, Alberta, Canada

 

[Amberjem]

heard 50 bemoan the fact he got rid of the tractor more then once but we are dealing with smaller land here, yes we have tons of use for the animal waste and adding organic material to the so very sandy soil here...I have bemoaned the desire for a we bit of clay lol... but when I lived in texas it was just practically pure red clay now dealing with sandy ahh somewhere the happy medium will meet..
and if I have anything to say with it will be in my raised beds lol. nice raspberry spot


so today busted a suspected egg eater... out she will go today... I know there are methods to possibly train it out but she isnt a bird I want to see in the flock and I had considered selling her but now that I confirmed she is an egg eater out she goes.......


so how does everyone else deal with culling what do you cull for? besides a lovely dinner

 

[WalnutHill]

heard 50 bemoan the fact he got rid of the tractor more then once but we are dealing with smaller land here, yes we have tons of use for the animal waste and adding organic material to the so very sandy soil here...I have bemoaned the desire for a we bit of clay lol... but when I lived in texas it was just practically pure red clay now dealing with sandy ahh somewhere the happy medium will meet..
and if I have anything to say with it will be in my raised beds lol. nice raspberry spot


so today busted a suspected egg eater... out she will go today... I know there are methods to possibly train it out but she isnt a bird I want to see in the flock and I had considered selling her but now that I confirmed she is an egg eater out she goes.......


so how does everyone else deal with culling what do you cull for? besides a lovely dinner

I cull for crossbeak and other developmental issues, general unthriftiness, poor laying performance, injury with poor prognosis, bad temperament, and egg eating.

I also cull for illness or infection, but those don't get eaten.

 

[ApiaryandAviary]

Thank you all for the kind comments about my chicken runs.

 

[Amberjem]

Thank you all for the kind comments about my chicken runs.

it's awesome thanks so much for sharing love to see and share stuff with friends here