Leaves as bedding

[Nym]

View attachment 3976900

So beautiful! And spotless!

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Thanks for the picture! I was going to ask you to post one.

Well, I could hardly make a pronouncement like that then disappear. But this wasn't a statement I could support by linking a source, so... I put my picture where my mouth was.

There are roses to either side (different color), but too tall to get in frame. 3yrs old, btw - and this is the second year I've had to stand on a ladder to prune them

 

[RiDaGeckoGuy]

You're good with those trees

Tbh I used google scanner for the elm because I had no idea what it was and I new the Bradford pear because of the little pears and how much it stinks in spring and I just went off leaf shape and height for the other one but I think I may have been confused and it might be some sort of maple.

 

[TooCheep]

Tbh I used google scanner for the elm because I had no idea what it was and I new the Bradford pear because of the little pears and how much it stinks in spring and I just went off leaf shape and height for the other one but I think I may have been confused and it might be some sort of maple.

Maples are fine as well- no problem.

 

[saysfaa]

Do you have a picture of the tree and leaves? Or at least one or the other.

It isn't likely to matter because most tree species are not a problem but, hm, oaks and maples are pretty easy to tell apart - at least if one grew up under them and/or grew up with people to liked to "tree watch" (like bird watching only for trees) and hunt wild flowers and such. So, it might or might not be a maple or an oak, I'm thinking.

 

[paintedChix]

Tomorrow I’ll post how mine looks after I replaced the chicken coop bedding with pine and leaves mixed and dumped some in the runView attachment 3976302heres my cat Chloe sitting on my run with my Buff/lav Orpington red and shiner one of my other free range roosters just eating stuff off the ground, because why not

Mine do that, too. Only couple of pics...




And some of our leaf & leaf mix litter...





And leaf & shred ...

 

[paintedChix]

i have another question- what about ducks- they love to dig in the leaves but they don’t break them down very much. so when it rains- (if it ever rains again lol it’s been months and is very dry here now) the leaves get slippery and moldy gross thick etc etc i guess that’s why i’m in the habit of raking or blowing them away into piles or out into the woods.

Mowing over them will break them up. Then rake into a windrow & mow over again if needed. If you have a bagger on your mower, great. Otherwise you will need to bag them. Once mowed over a few times, blower doesn't work well, imo.

 

[Jenbirdee]

Mowing over them will break them up. Then rake into a windrow & mow over again if needed. If you have a bagger on your mower, great. Otherwise you will need to bag them. Once mowed over a few times, blower doesn't work well, imo.

i would mow but the terrain and multitude of obstacles i have set up for hawk protections make it pretty much impossible to mow back here

 

[paintedChix]

i would mow but the terrain and multitude of obstacles i have set up for hawk protections make it pretty much impossible to mow back here

So a little harder. Dry them out, preferably on a tarp. Then enclose the tarp around them & walk on it or run a heavy tire over it, maybe drive over it... That will break them up... Or could drop heavy object on it, but that would damage tarp.

When put in duck run, if you can, mix w/ other natural materials. Depending on how may ducks, how large their area & how wet it gets, may not be able to treat as DLM, but may have to do regular clean outs...

When I raise ducklings under my carport, they are on bricks. I do a "psuedo" DLM - hay, pine shavings, straw, leaves, shredded paper. As it gets dirty & packed down (ducks are so wet, it packs down), I add more. They will spread & play in it, not as much as chickens though. After it's about 6-8" deep, I just remove all of it. I used a lot in my raised garden beds. It's in blocks & wafers. I used a short fork or gloved hands to break it up... When I dumped it in the chicken runs, they also broke it up & it just added to their DLM.

Unfortunately, I don't have pics of any of them on that DLM pack. Just after cleanouts, when predominantly on straight bricks, before bedding added... Incidentally, I brooded ducklings on paper shreds... NEVER again will I brood ducklings in the house & way I'm setting up brooders now, no chicks either.








I seem to like raising ducks w/ rabbits. I know I had leaves in the pack under the hutch - 2nd pic. It's wet, packed & needs to be transfered to areas for fertilization... The tub - leaves may not show, used a mix & might have been a little older before I mixed them in..




When older, these ducks transferred to an area 16' wide x ??. I will have to count how many panels... around part of our pony training roundpen. Currently have 2 peach & 2 pear trees in it... litter is leaves, grass that grows, wood chips, etc... their kiddie pool made the peach trees GROW. Have to find those pics - Verizon cloud didn't keep 9,000+ pics In their albums when changed phones.

 

[Jenbirdee]

15 ducks have upwards of 2000 square feet used to be 3000 but I gave the 3 chickens 1/3 when I split them up . the duck area is on a hillside, soil is clay, some areas have added gravel and sand over the past nine years those areas don’t get too muddy anymore. In there they have their duck house plus a few children’s play houses some picnic tables several chairs had a deck style a lot of potted trees, landscape logs to help prevent erosion that make the Hillside sort of like steps, also childrens slides, and other random fun equipment in there and other small trees. it’s a duckies paradise, so many hiding places. And it gets multitude of leaves I mean so many trees back there it’s ridiculous , generally i have always rake them onto tarps and drag them to my compost heaps outside the fence in the forest area. But this is only the first year I have had the chickens separated into their own area and I am considering just leaving their leaves in there because of this awesome article less work for me yay! oh i also use boat carpet in some areas / to make paths for me to be able to walk around without slipping when it’s wet. here’s a few random pics