post your chicken coop pictures here!

[chicken chickie]

We didn't get them when they were chicks ..they were older but I am gonna clean out the coup tomarrow and just get pine from now on ...thanks

 

[CliffB]

You're welcome.

 

[perchie.girl]

[/URL]so many many fabulous coops here ...I love all the ideas ....we are still adding little things here and there ...since I am from Philadelphia and now live in the burbs I am going for the Pennsylvania Dutch Lancaster look ....we are even in the process of making a fake silo to really give it the Barn effect ...I am gonna make some little curtains for nesting boxes ..this coop thing is as much fun as the chickens themselves

[/URL]

[/URL]so many many fabulous coops here ...I love all the ideas ....we are still adding little things here and there ...since I am from Philadelphia and now live in the burbs I am going for the Pennsylvania Dutch Lancaster look ....we are even in the process of making a fake silo to really give it the Barn effect ...I am gonna make some little curtains for nesting boxes ..this coop thing is as much fun as the chickens themselves

[/URL]

Nice very very nice

deb

 

[perchie.girl]

Wow ....There is a very split opinion about cedar and pine chips ...I have been using it upstairs in their coop part which is very well ventilated and have sand down in the run which is where they spend most of the time or out free ranging ....I have avoided straw because I read that chickens can try and eat it and get it lodged in their throat and choke ...I am so confused now ...they haven't had any problems and seem to be thriving and happy hens ..but they are my pets and don't want to make them sick

There are couple of kinds of species of cedar tree some are worse than others.... If they smell very strong I would relegate them to the area around the coop... there is a reason they are excellent bug deterrents.... for that same reason they are an irritant to some animals.... Dogs cats, birds... birds are more susceptible because of their respiratory system... I am reading from memory here....

If they don't spend much time in them that's why you aren't getting a reaction... But there are several options besides cedar which I have used Over the years. Pine shavings come in a couple of varieties. if you are getting them at the feed store you will be able to see options...

There is a large flake which is great for horses but they pack down with moisture... There is a mini flake which still looks like a flake but is more like corn chips soft corn chips. I haven't used those. Then there is a micro which is made of even smaller chips but they are thicker i am told they are the least offender for packing down.

IF you have available to you Rice hulls I very much like those. Not only do they not compact they also are water resistant and if you get a leak or water spill only the bottom layer will remain wet.... Once the water is removed they dry out. They are small and break down in the compost well. My horse LOVES them... because they stay soft and cushy for bed time.... I bought them for her and happened to use them in the coop... The chickens love digging through the rice hulls and finding little bits of rice... LOL so did the horse... till she found out how much work it was.

Another excellent option is sand. It doesnt compost but hay there are trade offs. The poo just disappears.... Sand doesnt pack down especially with active chickens in there. You can rake it very nice and clean in a very short time. It also deals with moisture very well. It will allow rain and accidental run off to make its way out from the coop and into the soil OR if you put a water barrier under it... sloped of course... it will allow the water to simply drain away. It also can be used in the coop where the nest boxes are and can be cleaned with a kitty litter scoop. I know of some people that use it in the nest boxes too. A choice i have yet to try.

Mind you I am talking from my own experience of raising chickens and horses and live in a very dry climate.... I don't do compost because I dont Garden.... I also know there are certain things that arent possible to do in other climates... Just offering out some stuff to take or leave.

deb

 

[cwrite]

Beautiful coop @chicken chickie !
@perchie.girl I've been wanting to try rice hulls for a while, but haven't been able to find them in my area. They sound even better now!

 

[vehve]

@perchie.girl Don't forget hemp! That's my favorite of the ones I've tried so far. Peat moss is also very absorbent, but kicks up loads of dust.

 

[islandgirl82]

@perchie.girl
 Don't forget hemp! That's my favorite of the ones I've tried so far. Peat moss is also very absorbent, but kicks up loads of dust. 

Hemp litter is my favorite; no odor, no dust, super absorbent, and the fibers are silky in texture so they didn't stick to my rabbit's long fur. Unfortunately it's not so easy to come by here in the us. I used to be able to get small bales at a locally owned pet supply shop until their distributor stopped carrying it. I've asked my local feed store owner about carrying it and gone online to find it. From what I found I can still get the small bales (shipped in from Canada) like I used to for more than double the cost and it would take a lot to fill my coop. I can get it in larger quantities from a company here in the states but we're talking no less than a half ton. Yeah okay... if I had a large operation I'd consider that but I don't. I was also put off by the company requiring my ssn in order to purchase.

That is my choice litter though so maybe I'll start my search again.

 

[perchie.girl]

@perchie.girl Don't forget hemp! That's my favorite of the ones I've tried so far. Peat moss is also very absorbent, but kicks up loads of dust.

sorry Felix.... Yes Hemp bedding is a choice but here in the US its a little difficult to come by..... though I have found a distributor in Florida. Just because it says horse bedding doesnt mean you cant use it for chickens....

http://www.americanhempllc.com/#!horse-bedding/c1iam

this one is in Manitoba

http://www.emersonhemp.com/ContactUs.htm

deb

 

[perchie.girl]

Beautiful coop @chicken chickie !
@perchie.girl I've been wanting to try rice hulls for a while, but haven't been able to find them in my area. They sound even better now!

You should be able to get your hands on them in Australia....

http://www.coprice.com.au/rice/rice-hull-bedding-v15-167

I dont know where you are located vs the location of this company.... but it would be worth contacting them... Sometimes its just worth it to find out they are available i your country.... Contact your feed store to see if they can get them.

Here in California rice hulls are offered by a company called Mallard creek. They also do horse bedding and wood stove pellets. Once I found that out I contacted my feed store.... they carry Mallard Creek products and didnt know they could also get rice hulls from them. I ordered ten bales from them and in no time they were stocking them on a regular basis....

deb

 

[cwrite]

You should be able to get your hands on them in Australia....

http://www.coprice.com.au/rice/rice-hull-bedding-v15-167

I dont know where you are located vs the location of this company.... but it would be worth contacting them... Sometimes its just worth it to find out they are available i your country.... Contact your feed store to see if they can get them.

Here in California rice hulls are offered by a company called Mallard creek. They also do horse bedding and wood stove pellets. Once I found that out I contacted my feed store.... they carry Mallard Creek products and didnt know they could also get rice hulls from them. I ordered ten bales from them and in no time they were stocking them on a regular basis....

deb

Interestingly I see my local feed store listed on their outlet list. I was told that they could only get it supplied in farmer quantities so storage of the vast amount would be a problem but I might investigate further. My local feed store also told me that you couldn't get unmedicated chick crumble in Oz & I found it on a company website so they were telling porkies about that. Hmm...