Run Floor

[Ponypoor]

After the DE is mixed with a whole lot of sand, the DE attaches to the courser sand. The dust level decreases and doesn’t hurt the lungs if mixed. Mixed it’s still effective against lice and mites.

Its true you have to be very careful if you apply it pure. The advice is not to inhale dust clouds of DE.

I make a yoghurt thick kind of paint from the DE too and apply it on the roosts and the walls the chickens can touch with their feathers. It helps at lot against the red mite. Red mites are often a plague for many chicken keepers where I live.

Even the industrial farmers use it. Many farmers spray all the walls and objects in the chicken stables after cleaning and before the new pullets are brought in.

Here (in the past, not so much now) spray lime was used, I would mix the lime (yee gads don’t get that stuff in your eyes!!), with water to make a thick sloppy mixture and paint it on the stall walls, some people would use a sprayer to apply it. It makes everything bright white and helps control odours.

Gosh I had forgotten all about this! Maybe I’ll do the Hen Houses in the summer

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

It’s this evil white stuff that happens around here, I had about 10’ of it this winter so far…..

View attachment 4308593

Normally these guys avoid it like the plague but I threw down some horse bedding when I mucked out, it’s mild today so they decided it was tolerable. In short amts of time…. My OEGB bantam really suffers in the cold so I am surprised she is outside. Earlier she tried to hitch a ride back to the barn
View attachment 4308594

great pic!

 

[Three Stents]

It’s this evil white stuff that happens around here, I had about 10’ of it this winter so far…..

View attachment 4308593

Normally these guys avoid it like the plague but I threw down some horse bedding when I mucked out, it’s mild today so they decided it was tolerable. In short amts of time…. My OEGB bantam really suffers in the cold so I am surprised she is outside. Earlier she tried to hitch a ride back to the barn
View attachment 4308594

that white stuff in your pic does not look evil to me

 

[Ponypoor]

that white stuff in your pic does not look evil to me

I’ll send you some!

But it does highlight a really important consideration when building a coop and run. Any extremes in temperature for any area need to be taken into consideration. Snow, ice, rain, heat & humidity, extreme cold, wind.

Having a plan on how one will mitigate these issues first thing will go a long way towards ensuring not only the chooks are safe, but us Hoomans also. For instance building a coop on a slope could be a slip/fall hazard for a Hooman, how will one deal with this? (FYI simple wood shavings are great).

I would start by listing what the extremes in temp and weather are and how I would deal with these.

 

[Three Stents]

I’ll send you some!

But it does highlight a really important consideration when building a coop and run. Any extremes in temperature for any area need to be taken into consideration. Snow, ice, rain, heat & humidity, extreme cold, wind.

Having a plan on how one will mitigate these issues first thing will go a long way towards ensuring not only the chooks are safe, but us Hoomans also. For instance building a coop on a slope could be a slip/fall hazard for a Hooman, how will one deal with this? (FYI simple wood shavings are great).

I would start by listing what the extremes in temp and weather are and how I would deal with these.

but why do the "know it alls" say chickens don't need heat?

 

[Ponypoor]

but why do the "know it alls" say chickens don't need heat?

People are certainly entitled to their own way of doing things. I’ve had various types of livestock over 40-odd years so I can only know what I know and have learnt.

 

[Three Stents]

People are certainly entitled to their own way of doing things. I’ve had various types of livestock over 40-odd years so I can only know what I know and have learnt.

LEARNT?

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

I roll my eye with some of these replies, but to each their own. My coop sits on solid concrete, with about 2' sand with about an inch layer of pine shavings. There is almost zero, if any poop on the floor, they poop in the poop shelf while they are roosting. My run is over dirt with a 2ft apron. I am in the process of putting down about 2" of free river bed sand over the dirt in the run. I do not have a rodent problem as I am proactive with any kind of predator.

Hopefully your eyes dont roll too much to notice where in the world people with replies are raising chickens. the thread context is 'run floor' and if they are from Cali like you, and have setbacks with their flock, your advice would be much more appreciated than say, someone on the east coast. Freezing cold below zero temp may not do as well with sand and pine shavings on concrete. I would love to see your set up tho, and good luck, I'm in CT and cringe at the thought of maintaining sand and pine shavings, but it works for you and if your chickens are happy we're happy

 

[Three Stents]

Hopefully your eyes dont roll too much to notice where in the world people with replies are raising chickens. the thread context is 'run floor' and if they are from Cali like you, and have setbacks with their flock, your advice would be much more appreciated than say, someone on the east coast. Freezing cold below zero temp may not do as well with sand and pine shavings on concrete. I would love to see your set up tho, and good luck, I'm in CT and cringe at the thought of maintaining sand and pine shavings, but it works for you and if your chickens are happy we're happy

Ha.....only been in this game since Dec 15th. Sorry you can't maintain