Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[Sally PB]

Maybe I can learn how to compost all the deep litter,lol I know that I piled a lot of stuff way in the back but have no clue about how to do any of it.

We gotta talk about compost, girl! Poop-->compost is the second gift that chickens give, after eggs.

 

[Dreamzchaser]

I'm OCD when it comes to poop. I clean the coop and run every day. I pick up the dog poop and even pick up the chicken poop in the yard.
Have a good day...

Me too but winter was hard to go and stay out so I went for the deep method. There is no smell at all but I get a bit shameful, I guess

 

[RaZ]

Me too but winter was hard to go and stay out so I went for the deep method. There is no smell at all but I get a bit shameful, I guess

Deep litter is good for all seasons. Trouble is that there is a tonne of bad information about it on the inter-web. DL is the only thing I do in my coop based on 10+ years of having chickens and composting for even longer.

I lost a layer recently. A Wyandot hen a bit over 4YO. I found her in the nest box. There were no signs of trauma, no discharges, nothing at all to create worry. I took the carcass to the far end of the property to dispose of her. Maybe a fox can get a meal and help the kits. Maybe a snack for the crows or even the eagle. The loss saddens me to a point but as other people have said, if you have livestock you'll also have deadstock. I still have 14 layers. They are between 3 and 4 ears old and no longer consistent egg factories. . That has me thinking that I consider getting some chicks. So far I have avoided TSC and FFH and their "chick days". I need to make a plan on how long I want to be keeping chickens.

 

[Sally PB]

@RaZ Sorry you lost one of your girls.

 

[RaZ]

https://www.canr.msu.edu/avian_influenza/index

This came to me today. There are several links that you can click on to go down the rabbir-hole that is HPAI.

 

[saysfaa]

Whoo hoo!! I finally found a second vacuum insulated ice bucket in a resale shop!!!! It isn't ideal - only the inside is stainless steel (outside is acrylic) but at least the inside is. And it has a handle. And $5 is much better than the $40 they are at Meijer. I saw them for $15-$20 several places last fall before it got cold enough for me to realize just how well they work. Then I was willing to buy new for $15 -$20 but didn't want to pay the $30 they were everywhere. Then I began to hope I could find one for $30.

Now I can do the chicken chores in one trip even when it is cold... lol, just in time for it to be spring enough that it hasn't frozen overnight even with lows in the low twenties, but there is next winter. And washing out the bucket periodically.

 

[Dreamzchaser]

@RaZ sorry about your loss. Maybe time to get new but also need to consider all the work of raising new chicks. Or maybe a different animal. Only you shoud know what to do.
DL or compost, I do not understand much. Just noticed that hub brought small chips from FHH and I have alwayd bought the medium. Poop does not hide well at all. Noticed during winter, those chunks freeze and stick together. Maybe easy to clean,coop,and remove for sure. However, maybe the small chips are better for composting? Do I need to get worms? I cannot touch those critters,lol. So much I need to learn,lol.

Well, have appointment early with VA vampires for a deep lab. Horrible that cannot have a snack and have been dreading since 8pm.

Anyways, love you all for real. You all are the most amazing people I have ever met. Michiganders are way better than Floridians, maybe since the constant heat does not damage neurons,lol

~Hugs~and~Kisses~

 

[RaZ]

I never really thought that raising chicks was work. Same with puppies or kittens. I also realize that I complain some times about hauling sacks of feed or cleaning the litter box. I'll keeping doing it until I can't. Until then I'll continue the animal care chores with an occasional whine about achy joints or stiff back.

 

[Sally PB]

However, maybe the small chips are better for composting? Do I need to get worms?

Small chips may break down faster, that's true.

You do not need to get worms, though they may find their way into the pile, either after it cools down, or if it does not heat up.* Worms are a composter's friend. They help break stuff down, and their poop is great for the garden too.

*Depending on what is in the pile, and if it gets turned (stirred up), it will either be "hot" or "cold," as in temperature. Either way will work, though hot will compost faster.

 

[Dreamzchaser]

Small chips may break down faster, that's true.

You do not need to get worms, though they may find their way into the pile, either after it cools down, or if it does not heat up.* Worms are a composter's friend. They help break stuff down, and their poop is great for the garden too.

*Depending on what is in the pile, and if it gets turned (stirred up), it will either be "hot" or "cold," as in temperature. Either way will work, though hot will compost faster.

It does get hot? Interesting. Well I have not seen anything that tells me of any warmth at all. I just took some of those big chucnks and threw them in the same area I did last year. It is all in a pile out there and have no clue as to what to do with it. Maybe this year, I can figure it out with your help,