Heritage Large Fowl - Phase II

[Beekissed]

My husband made me a "chore train" that I drag around the pasture with the riding garden tractor/mower. 35 gallon tank to hold water that has a gravity spigot and also a pump attached to a battery - makes hauling water out to the pasture so much better, especially in summer. Then another cart goes behind the water cart to carry other items I need.

Bless his pea pickin' heart for that one! Getting water to livestock has to be the biggest pain in the patoot for most any farm.

 

[gjensen]

With people using sand in there chicken coop runs to keep it from mudding do people use play sand or commercial grade sand? Also is 1" thick of sand good?

1" and they will make you bricks. You want to be above the surrounding grade by at least a few inches, plus some for the digging. I am fine with 6".

Play sand by the bag? Play sand is fine. So is masonry sand. Both should be clean.

The thing about sand is it varies by area to include the name. No fill sand etc. Too much clay.

 

[Tomtommom]

1" and they will make you bricks. You want to be above the surrounding grade by at least a few inches, plus some for the digging. I am fine with 6".

Play sand by the bag? Play sand is fine. So is masonry sand. Both should be clean.

The thing about sand is it varies by area to include the name. No fill sand etc. Too much clay.

I heard masonry/river sand is the way to go. Something not too fine (fine gets stinky and dusty).

 

[Vamvakas]

1" and they will make you bricks. You want to be above the surrounding grade by at least a few inches, plus some for the digging. I am fine with 6".

Play sand by the bag? Play sand is fine. So is masonry sand. Both should be clean.

The thing about sand is it varies by area to include the name. No fill sand etc. Too much clay.

Oh ok, thanks. I need to wait till the snow melts before adding the sand but it's good to prepare now. Also, I never realized how cheap sand is.

 

[3riverschick]

Sounds like you're getting your plan together. Take it slow. It's easy to get excited and want to jump right in to this, but you have to remember to just jump in the shallow end so you don't get overwhelmed and have to start backtracking too much. Once you start with chickens, it is easy to get overwhelmed - have you come across the term chicken math yet on this site? It's easy to get so excited and focus on the less important things and overlook the really important things. There are tons of ways to raise chickens and what works for one won't work for another and what works today won't work tomorrow for you. So taking things slow and step by step can help you avoid big blunders that you want to kick yourself for. Set your short and long term goals for your flock and take it step by step and before you know it you will be enjoying some chicken TV in your backyard.

After trying several breeds, I finally decided on Light Sussex.
I was waiting for my birds to grow out before the breeder sent them to me.
So I went on the forums and found a lady who had some Speckled
Sussex she wanted to rehome. Drove out and got them. Had them
here about 9 months while I got to know the breed before my show
quality birds arrived. Then I rehomed them. The trial run was good
because I got to get to know the breed and any specific needs they had.
Best,
Karen
On another note, Hubby Bob called me from Tractor Supply Company
today and informed me he was bringing me home some chicks
because he knew I was frustrated by a delayed hatching season.
5 yellow chicks from their chick days. I was sitting at home
trying to figure out which eWh breeds they might have at TSC. He
came home and told me the chicks were on the front seat.
I went out to get them and there was the cutest little 5 chick statuette.
What a kidder! They sit on my computer table now
reminding me hatching season is not too far away!

 

[Lacy Blues]

On another note, Hubby Bob called me from Tractor Supply Company
today and informed me he was bringing me home some chicks
because he knew I was frustrated by a delayed hatching season.
5 yellow chicks from their chick days. I was sitting at home
trying to figure out which eWh breeds they might have at TSC. He
came home and told me the chicks were on the front seat.
I went out to get them and there was the cutest little 5 chick statuette.
What a kidder! They sit on my computer table now
reminding me hatching season is not too far away!

Sweet!

 

[hellbender]

It is just like that. I actually enjoy cleaning the coops. I do not even know why, but I do. I especially enjoy it when they are all back in and looking pretty on the nice clean bedding.

I do not know, but if I had to give it up, it would not be the same.

Even with the sale of roughly half my flock (Australorps), I still have about 230 birds. Since our chicken houses are converted dairy barns, they have concrete floors and that makes it easy to clean them with a 4-wheeler blade and a Bobcat, I still enjoy watching the birds kicking the shavings around. We don't even bother spreading them...just dump them where we think they should be and when we come back, the birds have had a good work-out and they have the shavings spread so much better than we could have done.

EDIT: For Spelling!

 

[thedragonlady]

Oh ok, thanks. I need to wait till the snow melts before adding the sand but it's good to prepare now. Also, I never realized how cheap sand is.

Sand is cheap , and if at least 1 FOOT above grade, cuts down on parasites as it dries so fast. If your runs aren't level, you will have to shovel it up the hill occasionally though.I use liriope ( Monkey grass ) to hold the sand on my runs, as they are on a hill. The Orps don't seem to like the stuff, and it really makes a mat that holds the sand.Masonary sande is the best, as it is coarse.

A nice by product of using sand is that if you screen it every day, you have instant fertilizer. Chicken litter mixed with sand, NOT shavings, does not burn my flowers , or bushes. It's a win-win.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

It really is better to learn on a breed or mixed breed, the care and work involved with chickens. There's a lot of it.

X2
If one intends to breed and starts with limited knowledge, they'll most often end up messing up some good birds and have to start over. Start with 2 or more breeds. Nothing special. Tinkering with improving and crossing will teach a lot. Hatch a lot and often. Try to get several generations a year if you can. That way the learning curve won't take as long.

Right on George. If you do not enjoy the birds , wheel barrowing shavings , or sand, gets old in a hurry, as does lugging sacks of feed. Never mind trudging out in rain, sleet, and snow to feed .If you can sit on a bucket in the yard, and watching your birds feeds your soul, you're in it for the long run. You have to try it to see.

I only have one coop that I have to work in the rain. I don't mind snow or even a light rain but yesterdays downpour with 55 MPH winds was a bit much.
Sitting and watching the birds is something one should do every day.

It is just like that. I actually enjoy cleaning the coops. I do not even know why, but I do. I especially enjoy it when they are all back in and looking pretty on the nice clean bedding.

I do not know, but if I had to give it up, it would not be the same.

Cleaning coops, is one of my most rewarding tasks. I love how they look afterward. Processing day is one of those tasks I put off as long as I can because I am almost always doing the whole job by myself.

I like chicken chores too. I've always liked farm type chores, so they aren't much like work to me. My least favorite is carrying water, but that's about it.

Carrying water in the dead of winter, 4 times a day is definitely the worst.
I have bulk feeders that last close to a week. There are also automatic watering systems that I only have to fill every 3 months and verify daily that they're functioning. I have to shut them down the day of the first hard freeze. For next winter I'm making it a 4 season system. I'll enjoy chickens much more next winter.

My husband made me a "chore train" that I drag around the pasture with the riding garden tractor/mower. 35 gallon tank to hold water that has a gravity spigot and also a pump attached to a battery - makes hauling water out to the pasture so much better, especially in summer. Then another cart goes behind the water cart to carry other items I need.

I had a similar thing, a cart with full clean waterers and feed buckets. That worked till the snow got too deep.

With people using sand in there chicken coop runs to keep it from mudding do people use play sand or commercial grade sand? Also is 1" thick of sand good?

I would say the more coarse the sand the better.
1" would disappear after a day or two. 6" minimum and then be prepared to add more as the chickens scratch it up.

... easy to clean them with a 4-wheeler blade and a Bobcat, ....
We don't even bother spreading them...just dump them where we think they should be and when we come back, the birds have had a good work-out and they have the shavings spread so much better than we could have done.
.
...

When I built my compost bins, I had a bobcat and built them wide enough for the blade. When I sold it I had to start turning by hand. Then I wished I had made them a little smaller. I ended up putting old galvanized roofing on the ground so the tree roots wouldn't grow up through it which made it easier to turn.

I do the same. About 3 or 4 big piles and after a couple hours it's all spread around.

 

[hellbender]

Oh ok, thanks. I need to wait till the snow melts before adding the sand but it's good to prepare now. Also, I never realized how cheap sand is.

In areas of heavy foot traffic, I use what we call 'slag'...some quarries call it limestone sand. It's cheaper than other true sands and it works well for me. it also does double duty...my birds use this as their grit, plus it costs about half what other sand does.

It is anywhere from twice to three times the size of regular sand and does good for the jobs mentioned and I carry a 100 pound sack of it around in the trunk of my 'banger' grocery car in winter. It goes like a Jeep anyhow but this is just a little bit more for traction..The car is a 3 cylinder 1989 Metro.

I had the engine rebuilt about 9 months ago @ $2400 bucks...total and it's like a new vehicle. I'm going to see if Jason will take this fine (and quite comfortable) car to Conroe Texas to pick up our new pup. He's been a man for a long time now but he'd rather walk than be seen in that car....Ohhhh, the false pride of the young...