Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[bigmrg74]

This poor old dog. Kind of difficult to herd the kids when your legs don't work so well anymore.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10152513257565659

Poor old fella. looks kinda like our old 15 year old jack russell terrier trying to keep up with our new mini Aussie Shepherd. She pretty much bosses and herds him around now. That is when I don't have her out of the dog yard to help keep an eye on the girls when they're free ranging. The girls are about as big as what she it, and we don't think she's going to get any bigger.

I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO SLEEP FOR 2 NIGHTS

(Yes, I am yelling!)

Go get a massage. My standard cure all for about anything that's not contagious.

 

[preciouskitty]

Go get a massage.  My standard cure all for about anything that's not contagious.  

Funny you mention that cuz my back is really bothering me, too. BUT, my masseuse is off this week
Hoping she will be in tomorrow. Really don't want to see anyone else cuz she knows all my "ailments" & always fixes me!

 

[bigmrg74]

Funny you mention that cuz my back is really bothering me, too. BUT, my masseuse is off this week

Hoping she will be in tomorrow. Really don't want to see anyone else cuz she knows all my "ailments" & always fixes me!

is she an AAIMT grad??

 

[preciouskitty]

is she an AAIMT grad??  

Had to look that up to see what is was! Then had to check her bio...."Irene's Myomassalogy Institute".
She also is really good at reflexology...

 

[uchytil]

I don't think of it as heat source, but mine breaks down quite well to a crumbly mixed material by the time a year is up. I do not use poop boards, so all manure is incorporated. You do have to toss it around periodically to avoid wet and dry spots.

I'm curious. What are you using and how deep? How many birds?

 

[preciouskitty]

I'm curious.  What are you using and how deep?  How many birds?  

Same deal here as @1muttsfan.
I use pine shavings with the straw that's gets kicked out of nest boxes by the girls.
Use a pitchfork to turn it every day or 2...
Mine is probably 8-12" deep...think I start around 8"; then add an inch or 2 fresh every month or 2. Not sure really how often,,just can kind of tell when it's needs a new layer!

Was able to doze lightly for about an hour. May have actually fallen asleep IF my one cockerel would SHUT UP. Sparkie goes non-stop from the time Bigboy crows first til...I don't know, probably 0830.

 

[taprock]

A few days ago I posted a missive about housing chickens over the winter and commented about heat, light and such in the coop. I hope that was helpful for the readers of this thread. Nobody flamed me so I guess that the information was OK.


So now I pose the question, do you think that deep litter is a heat source in the coop?

Cement floor, at least 8 inches of pine shavings in the winter. It can get damp and break down some but usually just gets smelly. It does not HEAT. It freezes solid under the roosts. In the middle of winter it is a work out to turn. I do deep litter because it does give protection from the cement and in winter there really isn't a good way to clean it out completely. So spot cleaning and adding to it works best for me.

 

[1muttsfan]

8-10" deep pine shavings, the current batch have been in for over a year. There are definitely still shavings present, but lots of crumbly brown stuff too, not smelly if I keep it mixed. It freezes solid in the winter, so no breakdown then!

 

[SillyChicken]

hey t here, my coop is about two feet lifted off the ground, could I pack compost undearneath it this winter to help
keep the coop warm? Is this a stupid question?

No question is stupid.

I'm not sure that I would do that. Compost is generally wet and will hold moisture... and has organisms and bugs that eat decaying wood etc... So I wouldn't pile that kind of material up around my structure supporting my coop. Mine is also raised so I just screwed some wood around the base to keep the wind/snow out from under it. They do just fine over winter.

 

[mindylee]

My goodness!
My chickens must be spoiled more then I thought. I clean my coop every month and my shavings are about 8 inch's deep. I don't think I could let it go a whole year. If I can't sit on the ground in my coop because of being nasty, then my birds won't have too either.