Icelandic Chickens

[NotAFarm]

Quote:
X2 on this!! Pork fed on nuts (also known as mast) is HIGHLY sought after.

As far as the leaves are concerned, vacuum them up with a leaf vac like I do and put them in your coops for bedding.

I just might do that! Leaves instead of pine shavings? They wouldn't be very absorbent would they? Do you leave them all winter or change them out? It would take a gazillion bags to bag these up. Maybe I will try it.

Kathy, I put a good layer on the floor, then I bag a bunch so that throughout the winter I just keep adding them. They break down from the scratching and decomposition with the manure. Deep litter of a sort. In the spring, I completely clean the coop and put the bedding in the garden. Can't beat the fertilizer for fruit trees, veggies or flowers!


ETA:
OOppps, about absorbency, I make sure the leaves are dry before bagging them and I think they are plenty absorbent.

 

[kathyinmo]

I guess I will be shopping for lawn and leaf bags tomorrow.
OR, maybe construction size bags.... I think they are bigger.

 

[NotAFarm]

I use the very large contractor bags, they are black plastic...I get mine at Menards. I don't think you have them in MO but they are like a Home Deport or Lowe's. You can use them to stack against the coops for insulation if you're limited for storage space!!

 

[kathyinmo]

Quote:
Oh yes! We had Menards in Iowa! SOLD. You sold me. I am going shopping tomorrow for contractor bags and a pig.

 

[Farmerboy16]

Quote:
Oh yes! We had Menards in Iowa! SOLD. You sold me. I am going shopping tomorrow for contractor bags and a pig.

I would like to have a heritage pig someday.

 

[Chickielady]

Quote:
Do you have any idea how many leaves I have? ha! In some places they are up to my knees! No way I can compost all these leaves. They are a pain in the butt to deal with. Not to mention all the little acorns from the Oak trees to slip on. Those darn things are like a bunch of little marbles rolling around. The chicken runs that are not covered are deep in leaves. We rake and remove them several times before the snow flies. If we don't, we can't even open the doors to the coops! Deep, I tell ya.... very deep! The chickens love it when we are raking, too. They are alot of help. We rake into piles and they come along and scatter it all out.

You be careful traveling in that weather, Jake!

Kathy we have a leaf sucker/blower. They are hard to find but do exist.
You can use the blower part, or reverse the collection bag & tube to the opposite ends of the device, and suck rather than blow.
This thing is awesome!
You basically hang the bag under your arm & on your back & point the tube at the ground & it vacuums up all leaves & munches them & compacts.
When the bag is full, unzip & empty in your compsot pile.
It has issues with liquid amber "sticky balls" but I have not had any problem with acorns.
Rocks can be an issue, if you have pea gravel, but larger gravel won't suck up.
Ours is a Craftsman, has high & low.
On low I can vacuum leaves even in barked areas.
In the big graveled areas I can turn it on high.
Makes the best compost, or after all the shredding it does, maybe even coop floor bedding.

 

[Chickielady]

Quote:
Oh yes! We had Menards in Iowa! SOLD. You sold me. I am going shopping tomorrow for contractor bags and a pig.

Always have more than one pig.
One pig will not thrive and be lonely.
I think a herd of those little vietnamese porkers would be good, put 1 in each run.
Watch out, if they can get in the coop doors, they'll get your eggs.

 

[kathyinmo]

We have a big ol' Craftsman leaf blower. I will have to see if it vacuums, as well. I think it does have a bag with it, as a matter of fact. I will have to check that out!

 

[NotAFarm]

Quote:
Do you have any idea how many leaves I have? ha! In some places they are up to my knees! No way I can compost all these leaves. They are a pain in the butt to deal with. Not to mention all the little acorns from the Oak trees to slip on. Those darn things are like a bunch of little marbles rolling around. The chicken runs that are not covered are deep in leaves. We rake and remove them several times before the snow flies. If we don't, we can't even open the doors to the coops! Deep, I tell ya.... very deep! The chickens love it when we are raking, too. They are alot of help. We rake into piles and they come along and scatter it all out.

You be careful traveling in that weather, Jake!

Kathy we have a leaf sucker/blower. They are hard to find but do exist.
You can use the blower part, or reverse the collection bag & tube to the opposite ends of the device, and suck rather than blow.
This thing is awesome!
You basically hang the bag under your arm & on your back & point the tube at the ground & it vacuums up all leaves & munches them & compacts.
When the bag is full, unzip & empty in your compsot pile.
It has issues with liquid amber "sticky balls" but I have not had any problem with acorns.
Rocks can be an issue, if you have pea gravel, but larger gravel won't suck up.
Ours is a Craftsman, has high & low.
On low I can vacuum leaves even in barked areas.
In the big graveled areas I can turn it on high.
Makes the best compost, or after all the shredding it does, maybe even coop floor bedding.

Ours is a Craftsman too!! Love it, it was a gift when we moved to the country from a friend who didn't need it any more!!

I use it so much, leaves make great winter bedding and compost for the spring garden!

 

[thebirdguy]

Quote:
Oh yes! We had Menards in Iowa! SOLD. You sold me. I am going shopping tomorrow for contractor bags and a pig.

I would like to have a heritage pig someday.

I pick up my Large Blacks on Monday!!! 2 gilts, a boar and a barrow..