Putting them out today

[troy4]

Yeah chicky poo doesn't make ANYTHING to mold.

 

[sdm1908]

My coop is 8 feet wide by 10 feet long. Not huge but not small. There are lots of chicks in there 30.  Free range unless it rains.  How much I clean depends on the weather and how long Ive left them in versus turning them out.  I just clean it when I start seeing dookey on their feet feathers.  lol.  Seriously though, about twice to once a week.  I make the dried cut grass pretty deep wait a few days, pile in new clean dried grass, wait another couple of days, then clean it out and stack the mess around the trees, letting it break down to sweet fertilizer and mulch.  If I don't start with moldy grass, I wont have mold in the coop because it will never get wet.

Oh okay see right now they're inside and it is to the point where I clean the cage twice a day :/

 

[sonally]

I use pine shavings as well, without incident.

 

[sdm1908]

I use pine shavings as well, without incident.

It was more expensive at my feed store for that

 

[Spongegirl]

I have chicks 4 months old on down to 4 weeks old outside. I have week olds outside but in a big tote, also on dried grass. I was using some old hay for a while and I really liked it too because the poo would fall in between and keep out of their feet a little better. But you cant beat using grass. I need to figure away to brick it up and string it so ill have some for winter. What i'm doing now with the grass and raking it, drying it, wheelbarrow it, is a bit labor intensive but im home and want to make some money with this hobby. Using grass just adds to my bottom line profit. I mow to the inside and keep pushing the grass so that most of it is collected in long thick rows. Then I turn it a few times with a rake for a couple of days then gather it.

 

[Melissa F]

I have chicks 4 months old on down to 4 weeks old outside.  I have week olds outside but in a big tote, also on dried grass.  I was using some old hay for a while and I really liked it too because the poo would fall in between and keep out of their feet a little better.  But you cant beat using grass.  I need to figure away to brick it up and string it so ill have some for winter.  What i'm doing now with the grass and raking it, drying it, wheelbarrow it, is a bit labor intensive but im home and want to make some money with this hobby.  Using grass just adds to my bottom line profit.  I mow to the inside and keep pushing the grass so that most of it is collected in long thick rows.  Then I turn it a few times with a rake for a couple of days then gather it.

I love this idea. I am going to give it a shot. It does sound labor intensive, and my coop is a stall in our barn so I would have to carry the grass through half the barn and maneuver around some stuff...but it's summer and I guess that's what the kids are for.

 

[sdm1908]

I love this idea. I am going to give it a shot. It does sound labor intensive, and my coop is a stall in our barn so I would have to carry the grass through half the barn and maneuver around some stuff...but it's summer and I guess that's what the kids are for.

I wish we had a barn

 

[KeepOnClucking]

Every 2-3 weeks I completely clean it out and start fresh.

 

[Spongegirl]

Thanks! And it even comes with free protein... bugs! lol

I took a tub tote thing and stuffed it and packed it with dried grass and I wrapped it in hay bale twine tonight. I didnt do a very good job, It's a mess. How to store this grass? The feed sacks would probably work great, huh? As long as the grass is all the way dry with 0 mold, it should keep right? plastic garbage bags? that would be easy to tote around. If that would work, I know I could put enough up to take me through a lot of winter. Hang the bags with the nice strings up on hooks to keep it off the ground. I have 2 acres to mow. Minus the trees and weeds, probably like an acre. It's nice to make use of the fuel we burn to mow. One of those 13 gallon bags would probably hold a weeks worth of grass for my size coop and cages. So...when do we stop mowing for the year? October? November thru February 4 months of grass...4 weeks...16 grass bags at least. I'm gonna try...this is gonna take some consistency and work. I love challenges and goals White bags to reflect light rather that black bags that really heat up? I'm thinking of the grass sweating even though its dried. Humidity could get up and that might happen. Lets see

 

[subhanalah]

I think feed bags would be best since they allow air flow