Hi from texoma

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Katonk

Katonk

Songster
Apr 4, 2019
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Texoma
Hi all, I'm New to the forums but I've been reading for a few years or so.
Never joined as every question or curiosity was satisfied with a good forum search.
I've got just over 2 acres in texoma (north texas on Oklahoma boarder)
We have high winds, intense summer heat, soaking rainy season (property frequently pools during the rainy season), and winter night temps normally go lowest at 18 degrees. We get ice but no snow. Soil is pretty high in clay. I'm on top of an aquafer.
Soil will hold it's water pretty good, if I did me a burn pit it will turn into a pond (from experience).
We bought our property three years ago, this is the first season I'm venturing out.
For those perplexed by the wait: I'm a Californian native (beach cities southern California) and had been living in the southern Nevada desert for about a decade before buying my homestead here. My family has a hobby farm in California, in the desert I learned about water conservation and sediment leaching in my spare time.
I spent the last three years observing my land so I could understand the seasons here and how it naturally drains.
It's been fun.
I have a yearly and decade plan.
I'm establishing my flock a good two years in advance of said plan, but current ag market conditions and projections made me make the decision to get a flock going early.
I've purchased a commercially produced flock- got them at tractor supply- I've got 14 chicks total in the brooder hoping to add 4 more guineas/keets before my chicks heg too much older.
5 leghorns pullets, 4 Rhode island straight run, 4 barred rock pullets, and one pullet that was on with the leghorns that I suspect is a California hybrid/ white spotted sexlink.
I'm after black sexlinks with a male red and my barred rocks.
I need a mixed flock of meat and egg birds, I'm a fan of duel purpose birds.
In about 2 years I plan on completely replacing this flock with heritage breeds.
Here's my problems:
Unfenced property, rainy season that will soak a deep litter coop, rural varmits (Hawks, owls, pigs, coyotes, racoons, possums, snakes) loose country dogs (not mine), and a bobcat who hangs out in my spring.

I'm here to mine info on a mobile tractor coop that uses deep litter. I need my flock to work my pastured land.
My home is merely a wheat/hay field with a double wide, aerobic septic, and well water. We have co-op water and electric so understand we're only the kinda country.
I volunteer at a stable so have access to horse compost and raw manure.
Fyi I've 6 sons, hence the need to produce my own meat.
I'm an avid Mickey mouse it yourselfer.
Thanks for reading.
 
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I'm also a big fan of dual-purpose chickens, and an aspiring homesteader... but in the suburbs! Looking forward to the day when we can finally raise our own meat.

I've never heard of a tractor that uses deep litter... they're quite opposites. Deep litter is effective in a stationary environment as the litter builds up over time and forms its own evolving micro ecosystem. The tractor is a way to protect birds from daytime predators while out scratching up a small section of grassy areas at a time.

I also live in a region with a long rainy season and found a great system to manage the rain and keep mud away. I have a raised coop, covered run and an open chicken yard. I use pine shavings in the covered areas but it's not exactly deep litter even though I only change it out once a year. The greatest working parts of my system include a poop tray under the roosts, gutters and pipes to redirect the roof runoff, and large chunky wood chips in the open yard. Gutters are absolutely necessary to keep my dry areas from flooding. A PVC net barrier under the wood chips keep my chickens from scratching down to expose the wet ground. All the poo and old bedding is composted and turned into a new batch of garden soil every year, thought the wood chips will last a few years before breaking down.

Good luck with your research and best wishes in your new ventures!
 
"I've never heard of a tractor that uses deep litter... they're quite opposites. Deep litter is effective in a stationary environment as the litter builds up over time and forms its own evolving micro ecosystem. The tractor is a way to protect birds from daytime predators while out scratching up a small section of grassy areas at a time."
I totally understand the thought there but let's consider it. I've never heard of it being done before either but that just means no one has exactly advertised the effort and results.

So deep litter is simply approx a foot of litter that the chickens themselves till. Bugs are good, d.e. is bad, ventilation is really good, moisture is really bad.
Drainage isn't an issue as long as ventilation and moisture control are addressed correctly as I understand it.
Tractors are great for three seasons and they help you rotate the flock while providing protection.
So. Why not combine the two?
An all season tractor. Problem here is that my land presents so many issues I can't guarantee the health of my flock with a deep litter model. The slope and the pooling would invariably soak my deep litter cultures. It's going to run me about 500 to set up a raised earthen foundation, just the foundation not any part of the coop, to ensure my deep litter stays dry. My coop can be done on the cheap but that dirt and drainage can't be fixed any cheaper than that.
That's not worth leaving the Walmart meat aisel.
Deep litter seems to be the only way to go when considering winter temps.

So if deep litter simply requires a floor that will stay dry and an appropriately designed covering building, then why can we not construct a waterproof bin floor in which to hold deep litter?
It would solve my need for temp regulation, pasturing rotation, ongoing anti varmit efforts, and a dry location all year round. I'm going to put the question to the local agriculture college/ poultry husbandry educators and see what they think.
Never know, might be on to something, might only be rediscovering something someone else has already fine tuned.
Either way I'm not about to try to reinvent the wheel- let's see what's out there.
 

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