Maine

[buckabucka]

Yes, I've thought about planting frames, I just never get around to building them! For now, I plan to let the chickens into a planted area just for a day or so, then close it off and let it regrow. I may just throw a tunnel piece over it (with sealed ends so they can't get in).

 

[woods79]

I use only leaves from the trees in my yard. Oak, maple, birch and beech, mostly. I bag them in the fall, store them in a diy "leaf barn" hoop house made from cattle panels and spread them out as the hens break them down into lovely dirt for my garden.

I did more research and other info from others I have gotten I am going to just do shavings,I have not trees on my property thus little to no leaves just what blows from other properties and I use them for my compost.... my roosts are going to be set up ladder style with a removable tarp hung under so it can be taken out scraped off/cleaned. Thought my wife was going to kill me when she got home the other night, I ripped one coop wall down and expanded it so now it is a 12 ft x 8 ft. needed some storage room and area if I need to section off a hen for health or other reasons

 

[buckabucka]

I'm glad I'm not the only one with no leaves. It's too hard to rake in the woods, so I go over to the neighbor's and rake their huge piles of maple leaves. I use them in my hoop coop, which has a dirt floor, and shavings in the other. Earlier in this thread, we had a discussion about shavings. Most people agreed that the TSC shavings were often wet and full of giant kindling pieces. If you can locate Robbins brand (Agway) or those from Hancock lumber (good quality and cheaper than Robbins), I think they are worth seeking out.

It is good that you already know you'll need storage space and a place to separate a bird. I did all that after the chickens were in the coop, as it never occurred to me.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

Knights Farm Supply in Augusta has really fine shavings that are stored inside, so they're very dry.

In Waterville so far the best I've found have been Aubuchon - but they're stored outside, sometimes wet and each bag has 1-2 big wood chunks in it. I prefer these shavings to the really fine ones - the fine ones go flying when the birds roost and unroost and my birds generally seem afraid of the shavings when I first do a clean out and replace. In fact a couple months ago I switched from the Aubuchon shavings back to the Knights shavings and my girls refused to go to bed because they had to walk over the puffy scary shavings!

 

[lazy gardener]

Last fall, I went door to door asking for leaves. Hit the jack pot with one yard. A little old lady lived there, and was paying someone to rake and bag her leaves. Evidently, other folks had taken them away from her yard after bagging (most likely for the same purpose) but, I was the first one to show up, so I told her I'd take them all. I was hauling leaves into November, and the last 3 loads were heavy and wet. They were packed in contractor bags. About 100 bags! I had to ration the dry ones through the winter. But they made all the difference in my coop for DL w/o ammonia smell compared to trying DL with shavings. BTW, DL is not just deep litter that will later get cleaned out. It is litter that stays in the coop and actually turns into compost. I haven't quite arrived at that stage yet, but am well on my way... I think. Bee Kissed has an excellent video she's made re: deep litter. It works best if you can do it in a coop with dirt floor. I have that set up in lower level of my CP coop, and it's totally idiot proof. It always smells nice and fresh... like good garden soil, or forest humus. The stuff just melts into the soil. When I have that lower level open so that free ranging chickens can access it, the first thing they do when I let them out of their run (also working on DL there) is RUN, FLY, RACE!!! to that CP coop so they can dust bathe and play in that DL.

The way I look at it, I'd much rather spend a couple of days hauling bags of leaves than spending money on shavings. Hubby looked at me like I had 2 heads when I got sick, and asked him to help me fulfill my obligation to that sweet little lady. (She'd come out in her slippers when I showed up to chat with me!) Then, I explained to him that each bag would displace the same volume of shavings, which sell for around $6/bale. The light went on, and we got the job finished!!!

 

[oldfartfarmer]

been a bad week,
lost one chicken to a truck bumper--he never stopped,
then one to a owl a day later,
THEN as i was sitting outside, my dog lifts it head and sniffs, hackles rising, and stops, staring at one spot,,i look and look, and theres a big ol red fox sitting there watching the chickens,
i get up to get my gun, poof gone,,,it takes off,

then i walk out to the mailbox, a pile of feathers,,it was "stay at home jenny" the one chicken that stays home and doesn't wander, fox tracks,,dang it,,

go back out onto the porch, reading the mail, and the dog tears off the deck charging behind me,--another fox, orange black and white,,,running off with another chicken,
this is in daylight,,,

I'm down to two, there in there coop and within the 6x6 cage,,,

anyone know where i can buy 4-6 Buffs, jersey giants? 6-7 months old? I'm running fence

 

[MainerChick]

I've got a couple big buff roos I can readily spare, the hens are harder to part with but it's possible. Where are you located?

 

[buckabucka]

been a bad week,
lost one chicken to a truck bumper--he never stopped,
then one to a owl a day later, 
THEN as i was sitting outside, my dog lifts it head and sniffs, hackles rising, and stops, staring at one spot,,i look and look, and theres a big ol red fox sitting there watching the chickens,
i get up to get my gun, poof gone,,,it takes off,

then i walk out to the mailbox, a pile of feathers,,it was "stay at home jenny" the one chicken that stays home and doesn't wander, fox tracks,,dang it,,

go back out onto the porch, reading the mail, and the dog tears off the deck charging behind me,--another fox, orange black and white,,,running off with another chicken,
this is in daylight,,,

I'm down to two, there in there coop and within the 6x6 cage,,,

anyone know where i can buy 4-6 Buffs, jersey giants? 6-7 months old? I'm running fence

Wow. So sorry for all your losses! Unfortunately, I don't raise either of those breeds (not to mention I seem to be stuck in a pattern of heavily male hatches!).

 

[Hiltonizer]

Knights Farm Supply in Augusta has really fine shavings that are stored inside, so they're very dry.

In Waterville so far the best I've found have been Aubuchon - but they're stored outside, sometimes wet and each bag has 1-2 big wood chunks in it. I prefer these shavings to the really fine ones - the fine ones go flying when the birds roost and unroost and my birds generally seem afraid of the shavings when I first do a clean out and replace. In fact a couple months ago I switched from the Aubuchon shavings back to the Knights shavings and my girls refused to go to bed because they had to walk over the puffy scary shavings!

RT Farms in Winthrop has nice local shavings as well. I usually have a few come every other feed delivery in winter.

 

[lazy gardener]

been a bad week,
lost one chicken to a truck bumper--he never stopped,
then one to a owl a day later,
THEN as i was sitting outside, my dog lifts it head and sniffs, hackles rising, and stops, staring at one spot,,i look and look, and theres a big ol red fox sitting there watching the chickens,
i get up to get my gun, poof gone,,,it takes off,

then i walk out to the mailbox, a pile of feathers,,it was "stay at home jenny" the one chicken that stays home and doesn't wander, fox tracks,,dang it,,

go back out onto the porch, reading the mail, and the dog tears off the deck charging behind me,--another fox, orange black and white,,,running off with another chicken,
this is in daylight,,,

I'm down to two, there in there coop and within the 6x6 cage,,,

anyone know where i can buy 4-6 Buffs, jersey giants? 6-7 months old? I'm running fence

So sorry for your losses. Hope you are able to get rid of those foxes. Putting up electric??