Paul Gautschi/Garden of Eden chickens?

[Chicken girl 15]

I'm in upstate NY and throw all garden and yard waste as well as pine bedding and hay into the run. The girls mix everything very well. The coop is strictly pine horse bedding that as it needs cleaned just gets shoved into the run. I clean the nest boxes daily and the coop when needed gets scooped with a cat litter scoop. Nothing fancy or in depth. Come tilling season I will take the large stuff out and shovel the good stuff to the garden and start all over again. I feed them well they feed my garden and family well. Its a happy relationship.

 

[lazy gardener]

Gotta love it. And, that is exactly why I got chickens. Bug patrol is also a huge factor for me. We've recently been afflicted with hawk predation. So, I'll be changing up my management style. Building a permanent run across the back and east side of the coop with bird netting over the top. I hate to moth ball my electronet, but... it will not be completely eliminated. I plan to use it around the garden, and can configure it to give an added extension to their permanent run.

 

[myfivegirls]

Gotta love it. And, that is exactly why I got chickens. Bug patrol is also a huge factor for me. We've recently been afflicted with hawk predation. So, I'll be changing up my management style. Building a permanent run across the back and east side of the coop with bird netting over the top. I hate to moth ball my electronet, but... it will not be completely eliminated. I plan to use it around the garden, and can configure it to give an added extension to their permanent run.

I've found you can use "aviary netting" - has 2" holes & made of a heavy duty material compared to the regular bird netting. If you set up your permanent yard with "grass paddocks", you can still let them have grass, if you rotate them & let the grass regrown in between. I have a "compost area", with surrounding grass paddocks, and it works well. You may be able to do the same thing with your electronet just with gates going from the permanent yard & moving the electronet before it gets too worn down. Just an idea to consider.



I too have watched many Back to Eden videos, especially the ones by l2surive's channel. I think it's incredible that Paul had enough garden produce to feed his chickens, but he also has fewer than what I have.
I've been wanting to try using wood chips in the coop, but most are wooden floors. But, I'm in the process of building new "coops" / grow out or breeding pens, which will be dirt floor covered in thick layers of wood chips.

 

[Chicken girl 15]

Im so glad i came across this thread! I was reaching the best way to do deep litter method and came across back to Eden. I've only been able to watch half the video so far and plan to finish the rest. However i then started looking up the proper steps for BTE and came across a site that had FAQ for Paul specifically about his chickens.

It asked things from what does he feed them, to what does he feel makes a perfect coop. In the answer it states he uses an old shed and wood chips for bedding. Wood chips for bedding!?!

before i ever researched deep litter method, we were cutting down overgrown forsythia bushes and chipping them and i had it in mind to either compost it or use it for bedding. That is until i read to only use kiln dried shavings for the deep litter because too much moisture could promote mold.

Here is a link to the FAQ page i found: http://www.l2survive.com/garden/back-to-eden-garden/back-to-eden-garden-faq/
The coop question is about halfway down.

I would love to know if any one has tried deep litter method using the Back to Eden method of wood chips (green parts and all)!

I am trying the DLM with "green" clipping. We have an over abundance of pine on our property which we are removing. So far we are on month 3 of fresh woodchips with no excess moisture no mold or bad bacteria growth. I do use a manure fork to toss everything twice a week. I also sprinkle cracked corn in the coop on days I don't toss it. That way the girls still keep it moving. The key, IMO, is to not let it sit too long without movement. I might be wrong, I'm only a first year flock owner, but my coop smells nice and pine fresh at all times. Its roughly 8-10 inches deep and as it starts to lose its pop of fresh pine smell I chip a few branches in.

 

[lazy gardener]

I am trying the DLM with "green" clipping. We have an over abundance of pine on our property which we are removing. So far we are on month 3 of fresh woodchips with no excess moisture no mold or bad bacteria growth. I do use a manure fork to toss everything twice a week. I also sprinkle cracked corn in the coop on days I don't toss it. That way the girls still keep it moving. The key, IMO, is to not let it sit too long without movement. I might be wrong, I'm only a first year flock owner, but my coop smells nice and pine fresh at all times. Its roughly 8-10 inches deep and as it starts to lose its pop of fresh pine smell I chip a few branches in.

Bee Kissed is doing DLM. Is your coop a dirt or a wood floor?

 

[Chicken girl 15]

Bee Kissed is doing DLM.  Is your coop a dirt or a wood floor?

the coop is plywood over pallets to raise it off the stone floor. My run is dirt. The coop is covered in 2 bags wood chips from the feed store, 2 bags soft wood pellet horse bedding and filled the rest of the way with fresh cut and chipped pine. Oh there are also tons or dry leafs and branches for them to play with. My coop is 8×16 with 20 birds and a 16×16 run. The run isn't used much as they free range.

 

[Chicken girl 15]

When I clean my coop I toss everything in the run with some cracked corn or scratch grain. Leave it until spring and fill my raised beds. All the moisture and movement in the run turn it good quick.

 

[Chicken girl 15]

Well I am very excited. Tonight it is raining, and yesterday the farm next door had horse feed delivered in paper feed bags. Sooo... Tomorrow I will cover my entire planting area with paper feed bags and then add a layer of horse poo. Oh and a nice layer of summers chicken run messing. I have a pile of fresh ,well 60 days in the chicken run, chipped pine branches and needles and dry leafs and other goodies to top it . Come spring it should be ready to plant in.

 

[lazy gardener]

I love hearing how everybody is taking advantage of all of the free for the taking mulch and amendment materials!

 

[Chicken girl 15]

The free and natural soil amendment is the only way to get it right. Its going to take years to purify the property we own but every layer of manure and leafs is a step closer to clean soil. Farmers all over would be happy to get rid of poo piles, ask the one you drive past , they might say take it.