Michigan

[Olive Hill]

Hi all. Just popping in to check up on everyone. Hope you all are enjoying this weather. It's about time we got the warm and dry stuff!!

Nice to see so many new posters aboard!

Bubba -- It very well could be a fox. Most people think wild animals are incapable of killing for sport and will either take or eat their prey depending on the animal, but that's not true. I've personally watched a fox play 'kill the poultry for fun' in broad daylight in my yard. Foxes also are not nocturnal like many think. They're animals of opportunity and early morning is quite an opportune time -- especially in a place that's void of humans for a couple of hours.

Domestic dogs are, of course, also a possibility. But if you have a known fox around... it wouldn't surprise me a bit.

HH -- Have you looked at their "shavings". I only ask because we use "shavings" straight from the mill in our barn and have for some time. They are not the same thing as what you buy in the store. Saw dust is a much more accurate descriptor. It works great (if you have horses make sure you ask for Black Walnut Free saw dust only) but just didn't want you to get it home -- or make the drive to pick it up -- only to find out it's not what you want.

Babigyrl -- DE = Diatomaceous Earth. It's thought to have natural anti-parasitic properties.

 

[babigyrl22]

LOL hilarious. That was a mouthfull. I will go google it. HAHAHHAhA

 

[RIRJen]

Hi Olive!!! I've been wondering where you were!

 

[Opa]

Personally I don't think sand is a good idea. Plus I can't see me sift sand to remove droppings. Sawdust and wood shavings are two different things. Sawdust from a Amish mill is green. It still contains a lot of moisture. A lot of it is from deciduous trees and you will find the smell objectionable. Pine shavings are made from wood that has been kiln dry and as such will absorb moisture.

Probably one of the best things you can do is install dropping trays or boards. I remove 10 gallons of dropping from the trays each week. Droppings that would have been on the floor of the coop. You will find that you will have to clean the floor less and the shavings will last longer. DE also will reduce odors.

 

[Olive Hill]

Quote:
Ohhh... around. LOL! Spring is always busy here. How are those hares of yours? Any new pictures for me to drool over?

 

[Olive Hill]

Quote:
I LOVE the smell of fresh saw dust.

 

[Opa]

As a finish carpenter I've smelled a lot of sawdust over the years and some smells fantastic and others not so good. When wet many types take on an objectionable smell.

 

[RIRJen]

Quote:
Ohhh... around. LOL! Spring is always busy here. How are those hares of yours? Any new pictures for me to drool over?

One of my younger boys...his name is Pretty Boy

 

[snowflake]

I'm with Opa on the dropping boards, I have them under my roost and put straw on them, I clean once a week(some times more) I roll up the straw and poo and compost it. refill boards with straw,hey mix from the floor. coop smells fresh and floors stay much cleaner. Have a few that roost in the rafters so I have to remember to clean up under the rafter

 

[chickflick]

Nice to hear from you, Olive. Been wondering where you are. Hope all is well.

Seems like one of my SLW has lost most of her sight. Her pupils are very small. Seems to get along ok. She sits on the floor until I come in to put her on the roost. Don't know what happened to her.