What bedding materials you choose is a personal preference. Most anything that is absorbent will work. Pine shavings are most popular and smell great. You can also use shredded paper or cardboard, straw or if you like free, leaves and dried grass work too. The dry materials will dry out the poop and keep things from smelling. If you have big clumps under the roosts, just stir it in or skim it off. Add more material as it breaks down over the winter. Strip it out once a year and start all over.
Pullets will typically start laying between 4-6 months of age depending upon breed, time of year and management. The slimmer bodied egg layers start earlier and the heavier dual purpose hens go longer.
So... if I'm doing the "deep bed" method, what I've read is that I start with pine shavings as a 6" base and then straw over top of that. Fine; I understand. But then, the article that I read got confusing because it said that you have to turn the bedding. Do you just turn the top layer, or the whole "sandwich" and if the latter, won't the straw end up on the bottom? Maybe it doesn't matter if it does, but that's where I get most confused.
The 14' x 14' coop should hold all your chickens(not sure about the guineas).
I'd leave them locked up in that coop for a solid week (24/7) to acclimate them to laying in the coop nests.
Then start free ranging again.
Young birds will grow several new sets of feathers in the first 6 months, thus the feathers you see laying around.
Then they will do an annual full adult molt starting around 18 months old, usually in the fall but it can vary.
Lots of different ways to do bedding. I prefer a poop board under roosts to collect poop a couple times a week for composting,
and bagged kiln dried pine shavings on floor to keep things dry, dry, dry...this gets totally changed out once a year in the fall for composting.
Winter management can be interesting...what is your climate?
Putting your location in your profile can help folks give better answers/suggestions.
The first year of chicken keeping has a very steep learning curve, hang in there, next year will be much easier!
Thanks for the welcome and the information. The chickens and the guineas will need to be in together for the winter, but the good news is that they've been there since a week old, and get along well with the chickens. Chez Poulez has electricity and water, so we need all our birds there. In the summers, if another hen goes broody, we plan to move her to the coop pictured on page 1, but for the winter, all birds in one place because of water/size, etc.
We're in the mountains of WV, so it gets COLD here. We have about a month of zero degree weather, typically, and lots of wind.
Chez Poulez is in pretty good shape, I think, as a building. I think the ventilation needs are well met (it's a 14' ceiling or better inside).
We had some leftover mason sand and I read here and in other places how great it was, so I tried it, but I don't like how it works for me. It also looks like it would be SO cold in the winter, that I'm drawn to the deep bed method. After taking pictures this AM, I'm pretty sure that I have 11 hens, 1 rooster, 7 guineas, and then however many of the Teenagers to house for the winter. So, that's between 19 (if all Teens are cocks) and 23 (if all Teens are hens) to house.
My concern was that there would be too much poop for deep bedding method. (Saw in a detailed article about it that too many birds = too much moisture = ammonia hazards. I don't want to start down a road to ruin, so I'm trying to get advice before the cold really sets in. Thoughts?
Quote: Moisture is why I don't like the true deep litter(where it's supposed to compost) in my wooden floored coop.
But it can work in a coop, Beekissed is in WV, has dirt coop floors, and she uses it very successfully and has a great video of it.
Poop boards, dry shavings(2-4" deep) on the floor and a closed waterer work good for me
Sand mixed with PDZ is great for the poop boards but I wouldn't use it on the floor or even outside.
Have started building DL out in my run this fall, gonna put the dry shavings from the coop out there mixed with other yard 'waste'.
Where do you look to do the sexing? Their heads? Feet? Butts? Let me know what to get close shots of... and I will do my best tomorrow AM. Also, you CAN click on the shots: they are clearer when you do.
Any disagreements with my calls on the other pullets?
Of the chickens that we bought and raised, here are the pictures: I think he's a rooster... and I call him Joseph because of his coat of many colors. He's totally gorgeous... I may need to see if anyone wants him before we eat him. I also believe that this is a rooster... he's a bit older, he crows, and Chanticleer chases him. I call him Lichen because in the sun, his feathers make it look like he's growing lichen all over his back. All the rest, I believe, are hens. Can you affirm or contradict me, please? I actually have two nearly identical birds as pictured in the first below. They always hang out together with one of the guineas. They are Aurora and Jasmine.. so exotic looking. Are they a breed? I was told by the FB seller of these birds that they were all Barred Rock/RIR crosses.. but these two look SO different from Jane, Julia, and Ginger (pic below)... These three also hang together. I think you can click on this to get a better view (bigger). From left to right: Jane, Julia, and Ginger. She's a loner: I call her "Ice Princess." Thoughts?
Where do you look to do the sexing? Their heads? Feet? Butts? Let me know what to get close shots of... and I will do my best tomorrow AM. Also, you CAN click on the shots: they are clearer when you do.
Any disagreements with my calls on the other pullets?
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Try to get close ups showing head (side view), neck feathering, and tail.
I agree with your guesses on the gender of your chickens, and the "Teenager's look like all pullets to me (female)
One reason you may be getting less eggs is that chickens do not lay eggs consistently year round, they take a break ... some a month, some 4 months! This coincides with their molt (loss of feathers, and re-growing new ones) Since they are about 1.5 years old, and the days are getting shorter, and cooler ... this is my guess on what may be happening.
Sometimes putting a few "dummy eggs" in the box where you want them to lay will show them where they are supposed to lay ... dummy eggs can be wooden craft type eggs, golf balls ...
Most breeds of chickens have different shapes of feather between the genders ... and cockerels tend to have bigger combs and wattles too!
They were backyard bred. And they always hung out with the guineas, not the other chickens. In fact, one of my seven guineas still hangs with them, making a threesome, when they are out foraging. I'm wondering if they might be red-breasted rosecomb bantums? There's a review on BYC with a picture of their coloring, but I can't find that name as a standard color anywhere else on the Internet. I am REALLY new to breeds: what is a bantum? These two are smaller than all the others; lighter weight for sure. Is a bantum a miniature chicken, of sorts, as with dogs?
