Organic Approaches to Getting Feces Less Messy

[centrarchid]

Slight deviation from organic (sarcasm). Over last few days chickens been acting dead-headed, but not from wacky weed exposure. I spent only 15 minutes at a time twice a day in the room yet I kept getting headaches. Initially assumed allergies. Found out HVAC system broken dumping carbon monoxide into room. HVAC turned off and doors opened to ventilate. Will leave water dripping to prevent pipes freezing.

 

[Molpet]

Slight deviation from organic (sarcasm). Over last few days chickens been acting dead-headed, but not from wacky weed exposure. I spent only 15 minutes at a time twice a day in the room yet I kept getting headaches. Initially assumed allergies. Found out HVAC system broken dumping carbon monoxide into room. HVAC turned off and doors opened to ventilate. Will leave water dripping to prevent pipes freezing.

Lucky they survived and you figured it out.
Canary in a coal mine ya know

 

[HenOnAJuneBug]

Slight deviation from organic (sarcasm). Over last few days chickens been acting dead-headed, but not from wacky weed exposure. I spent only 15 minutes at a time twice a day in the room yet I kept getting headaches. Initially assumed allergies. Found out HVAC system broken dumping carbon monoxide into room. HVAC turned off and doors opened to ventilate. Will leave water dripping to prevent pipes freezing.

Natural gas furnace?

 

[centrarchid]

Natural gas furnace?

Yes, and supposed to be condemned two years ago. Somebody removed label to turn it back on.

 

[centrarchid]

Lucky they survived and you figured it out.
Canary in a coal mine ya know

It may have been close. Fish had problem with it in another location a few years back. Old hog house there.

 

[centrarchid]

After 18 hours turning off HVAC and passively ventilating building, rooster crowing and covering pullets and pullets producing egg song. Rooster crowed more in 5 minutes than he had over the previous 3 days. They were having troubles.

 

[centrarchid]

All three pullets produced their first egg ever today. One did so while one of my novice animal science students looked on. She could see the egg going in and out before falling with a plunk on the nest floor. Student was amazed. That was a feel good moment. Poor student otherwise will have to settle with spawning Largemouth Bass and Black Crappie which do not excite her like the chickens do.

 

[centrarchid]

We are going to make even egg part into a project. Eggs are marked, weighed and replaced so pullets can build clutches before going broody. First eggs ranged in weight from 35.5 to 36.0 g each so real tight for pullet eggs. My guess is eggs will be in the range of 50 to 60 g by time clutches are set and pullets go broody. I would like to be able to weigh chicks, but that will not be able to link up with egg they came from.

 

[centrarchid]

Just added another dimension to this project since pullets are often laying eggs while someone is watching. We have been watching how the pullets prep nest site while their system gear up to lay an egg. I have instructed students to watch for feathers showing up in nest. Many, many times people have asserted that hens pull feather from breast to line nest. We have three pullets for observations to confirm or refute feathers being pulled to line nest.

 

[centrarchid]

Sample / data collection started at 6:00 PM yesterday and will continue through 6:00 PM this evening. Somebody was up all night working tail off. It takes about 15 minutes to collect samples with 60 minute intervals between starts.

Pullets fully acclimated to regimen. I can now remove lid, call them out singly and carry them perched on my hand to weight determinations on scales, then take them back to pens.

I am anxious to see what was collected so far.