For the MINIMALISTS - those who think less is more in chicken keeping - Please help

[AmeliaBedelia]

Okay, so I've been thinking way too hard. Just use what is dry?

It's nice they can free range. We have a space around our structure than is mostly fenced. If we stick another fence piece in, we can make it secure. We do have a hawk that flies around. How concerned should I be? Can I let them out for a couple hours and go in the house or do they need to be watched and defended?

I would say NOT to free range unless you are accepting the risk of losing a bird to a hawk. For me, the quality of life benefit they seem to get and enjoyment we get from seeing them running around (and eating soooo many bugs! Yay!) makes it worth it. We also almost always have ourselves and/or our dog out there watching them. But it is a risk.

 

[AmeliaBedelia]

On my phone, so not sure the best way to “catch” all your questions on my tiny little screen. Here goes…

Chickens (all birds I think) don’t have a “spicy” tastebud. So the pepper doesn’t bother them, but can help repel rodents. It isn’t magic, but can help make it less appealing.

Yup, for my run I basically use anything dry and brown. I also toss weeds in there from the garden sometimes. For the nesting boxes I use pine shavings since they seem cleaner for something that is going to touch my food…that a chicken just pooped out….

It seems like the main thing for chickens when they are having a disagreement is line of sight. So maybe have your line of water stations and keep an eye out. If someone is getting mean about it, stick a tall stump in the middle so you have two divided halves.

Those roosts should be plenty. I think the average recommendation is a foot per bird, but I would say more for bigger birds and more if you have hot summers (they spread out more in summer). Having them at different heights can be nice since fat birds like brahmas will likely roost a lot lower than the more sleek breeds. And the boss hen usually gets to perch up highest with her buddies. But having indoor/outdoor roosts probably works too. If needed, there will be a cool kid room and a reject room .

I am not a good resource for cool water setups…we went with a decent sized tub with large rocks in the bottom to keep it from tipping. And a non-tip large dog bowl. VERY high tech.

You should have fewer issues with “chill” breeds, but they will still need to develop their pecking order and they will bug each other sometimes. The places to get out of sight of each other help a ton with that. And no places to get cornered. Chickens can get stuck in peck mode it seems like if the thing they are pecking doesn’t get out of their way.

It is also helpful to keep an eye out for a large dog crate. Good to have around in case someone gets sick or hurt, or is broody and you need to “break” her out of it.

I hope I remembered them all? Basically chickens can be high maintenance or low maintenance depending on how fancy you want their coop to look and how much space they have to dilute the poop. If they have plenty of space and you can tolerate the idea of dried poops down in the bedding, they are very little work .

 

[3KillerBs]

I have to chuckle though, because I now have two chickens that insist on roosting on the rafters holding up the roof - I think they are perfectly placed in the only draft possible which is between the soffit vents and the roof ridge vent and facing the gable end top triangle vents. Silly girls!

Yep, I have my two SLWs who insist on roosting on the diagonal brace. When it was down into the upper teens on the coldest days this winter they moved a little further from the wall. Silly things, but as long as the draft-free area is available I guess it's their own choice to make.

Tell me more about the spices? I like this idea a lot. The chickens don't mind this?

*Personally* I save the spices for when I cook them, but since chickens can't taste hot peppers and rodents can, it's one way to limit the rodent damage.

So if I do a pvc water situation with 5 nipples, are you saying to have a second one of those?

If I do the trash can method with 5 feeders, it's good to have another trash can or feeder also?

Yes, two feeders and two waterers out of sight from each other are cheap insurance against a bully guarding the resources.

 

[Sally PB]

I went directly to the water situation next. I have been doing some research. Please chime in with your thoughts. I don't think we can use a hose in the winter. But I think we can do a rain water collection system. I think the biggest problems with that are algae, bacteria and parasites.

You and I have similar climates. We're probably colder, and we surely got more snow.

As my first winter with chickens approached, I was wondering how I'd deal with the water issue. I don't have electricity in my coop/run, but it is near my garage. Hubby solved the issue for me by drilling a 1" diameter hole through the garage wall. I got a construction grade, 3-outlet extension cord, and ran it from the garage to the run.

Then I bought a heated water bowl, like what they sell for dogs. It holds over a gallon, so I fill up a gallon milk jug with tepid water, take that out to the run in the morning, and that's it for the day, and it's plenty. I have the bowl up on a cinder block, and not much debris gets scratched into it. I unplug it and dump it out each evening.

If I hadn't done that, I would have been taking gallon jugs of water out 2-3 times a day. Not too bad, but this way is better. Since it's dumped out each day and it's cold, it isn't growing any algae.

In the summer, I use one of the same rubber bowls from TSC that I use for food. I empty it out, wipe it out, sometimes add some (1/4 cup?) kombucha to acidify to get rid of algae. (Kombucha is a fermented tea that is acidic like vinegar.)

I do not put any water in the coop. That way, no water gets spilled in the coop.

A lot of people jump into getting chickens and then try to figure what to do about coop/run/feed/water, etc? So thank you for asking questions, doing research, and listening (reading) what others have to say. You will be a great chicken mom.

 

[GetFitWithKrista]

I keep feed in a galvanized trash can sitting on 2 cinder blocks to keep it off the ground and I siliconed where the handle is attached to the top so rain doesn't get in and bent a couple corners of the top so it clicks on to keep the top from blowing off, outside

Good idea, thanks for the tip

 

[GetFitWithKrista]

Yes, exactly. The main variable is the moisture content and thus whether the system is dry or actively composting.

Perfect, thank you for confirming. I get it. I feel like I have closure with the coop and run bedding situation. Woo hoo.

One of the beauties of this system is that it doesn't have to be precise. If your coop/run don't stink then you're fine.

Excellent, that is easy enough

To comment on all these feed issues,

I do not move feed in and out and have not had a rodent problem in the chicken area. The hanging feeders I mentioned earlier limit the spillage that attracts rodents. I tried those spill-proof feeders and found my chickens unwilling to put their heads into a hole in order to eat.

If you are going to use that sort of feeder, be aware that rodents, including squirrels, can chew right through plastic. Also, depending on climate, it could be prone to condensation, which would cause the feed to get moldy -- very bad for the birds' health.

I was going to use a galvanized trash can with a PVC feeder or something like those feeders in the photo. Do you think this would be better than a plastic trash can?

We're in NJ so we have pretty balanced weather. I don't have to fill the trash can to the top with feed but I like that it doesn't' constantly need to be refilled. I would still cycle it through.

I would like to at least try to keep the food in the run in some type of large container with feeders in it and see how it goes.

There are many, many different kinds of bedding that you could use, each with its advantages and disadvantages. Some are universally available, some are locally abundant but unavailable in other areas. Sometimes you get free bedding where the price makes up for any disadvantages it has.

I would love to look around my property to see what's available. Maybe I'll take a look and report back. I feel better when I get someones blessing

Wood shavings -- universally available at a reasonable price, absorbent, somewhat resistant to packing/matting, light and easy to handle, slow to break down, may be dusty. Beware Cedar because Eastern Red Cedar contains aromatic oils that are highly irritating to the lungs and birds have delicate respiratory systems.

Straw (the stalks left over after harvesting grain) -- comes in bales or chopped and in different textures depending on which grain it was. Traditional animal bedding over millennia, absorbent, often inexpensive, composts readily, can be prone to packing/matting and thus may need to be fluffed up more often, may grow mold if it gets wet, hollow stems *might* (or might not), harbor parasites IF they are present (this is debatable). An intact bale with one string cut is an EXCELLENT boredom buster for a flock that has to be confined for some reason. Intact bales make excellent chicken-level windbreaks.

Sawdust -- fine and dusty. Fairly absorbent. Scoopable. May be available for free but be careful of the source to not get treated wood or Eastern Red Cedar. Easy to handle, composts faster than shavings but not as fast as straw.

Pelleted Horse Bedding -- Easy to handle, highly absorbent, may be expensive. Composts like sawdust because that's mostly what it is.

Wood Chips -- Coarse wood chips from a tree trimming service are generally considered the gold standard for controlling mud and odor in the run. Do not pack or mat. Highly absorbent. May be available free from a municipal waste site in variable quantities, may be available free by the dump truck load from a tree trimming service. Bagged mulch is similar but be sure to get it free of dyes and fertilizer and the coarse kind rather than the finer variety.

Hemp Bedding -- Trendy among the eco-conscious. Expensive. Scoopable. I have no direct experience with it.

Pine Straw (the long, soft needles from the Loblolly and/or Longleaf pines) -- Locally available in the US southeast. Inexpensive or free-for-the-raking. Not particularly absorbent. Highly resistant to packing/matting. Dries out on top quickly after even the heaviest rains. Very slow to break down.

Shredded Paper -- light, absorbent, may be free for the labor of doing the shredding. There's a long thread about it here: Using Shredded Paper for Coop Litter - As Good As Wood Chips?

Fall Leaves, Lawn Clippings, and other yard waste -- highly variable in availability and composition. May be excellent, may need extra management to keep it from packing and matting. Free. Uses material you would otherwise have to dispose of.

Ground Corn Cobs, Rice Hulls, etc. -- Locally available materials worth looking into if the price is right.

This is awesome. Thank you SO MUCH!

While the commercially available pine straw in the US Southeast comes from the Loblolly and Longleaf pines, any soft pine needle can be included in the "yard waste" category. I wouldn't use Spruce needles or anything like them simply because they're too sharp for me to handle comfortably.

I have some kind of pine needles out back. I'll check soon

My climate and water source tends to grow algae so I don't use a giant system for that exact reason.

Also, with my large, mixed age, mixed sex flock it's better to have multiple water sources in case of flock bullying issues.

Makes sense

 

[KyCoop]

And you might want to rethink that ramp/ladder to the coop. It won't be a problem when they are young but when they get a little older or someone gets an injury that might not work.
My girls are very spoiled and have a rubber coverd gentle sloping ramp because the little ones legs were too short for the treads and I had a girl with a wonky hip that appreciated it very much.

 

[3KillerBs]

I was going to use a galvanized trash can with a PVC feeder or something like those feeders in the photo. Do you think this would be better than a plastic trash can?

Metal is more rodent-proof but also more prone to condensation inside.

it's one of those things where you don't know if it's going to work until you try it.

 

[GetFitWithKrista]

Hahaha. Honestly, I don’t mind the northern “get to the point” mentality! But you’ll have to get used to some BIG small talk

I LOVE nice people and small talk which is a large part of the appeal of the south. I'll get there one day with you kind folks!

 

[GetFitWithKrista]

I would say NOT to free range unless you are accepting the risk of losing a bird to a hawk. For me, the quality of life benefit they seem to get and enjoyment we get from seeing them running around (and eating soooo many bugs! Yay!) makes it worth it. We also almost always have ourselves and/or our dog out there watching them. But it is a risk.

This is part of the reason I wanted a decent size run. It makes me nervous to let them out. My neighbor has 21 chickens and let's them do as they please. No incidents so far thankfully.