Sanitation!!

[junkman56]

Please post a picture of the poop boards when you have completed them. Thanks!

Here is a picture of my poop board and roost

 

[doublecrossranch]

Half the poop boards got put up las

Please post a picture of the poop boards when you have completed them. Thanks!

Half the poop boards got put up last night in the dark so it didn’t get PDZ yet. The chickens were afraid to get down this morning. So afraid a hen dropped an egg...onto the uncovered poop board. I’ll post a progress picture after I clean up the egg and poop.

 

[doublecrossranch]

Here is a picture of my poop board and roost
View attachment 1928890

I love your setup. I may need to add some of this to my coop

 

[junkman56]

I love your setup. I may need to add some of this to my coop

I'd you go on my profile and click albums there is my whole build there

 

[doublecrossranch]

You have received excellent advice. I'm going to address the germiphobe aspect in relation to your chickens.

We confine farm animals for their safety and for our convenience. Animals that roam free are at a lower density, and free to move away from soiled areas. Confined animals are constricted to living with their own soil. One of the challenges of farming is to provide a relatively clean environment. If you think chickens are hard, try cows.

Animal can live with a certain level of soil without ill consequences, however it is always a good idea to avoid excess moisture, strong odors (particularly the ammonia that results from nitrous wastes), and excess fecal material in the nest boxes. This can be done in many ways, including different beddings, providing adequate ventilation, and providing the level of cleaning necessary for the size of the enclosure and the number of birds present. If you notice bad odors or excess moisture, that indicates cleaning is needed. If the bedding is not wet (slightly moist is not a problem), there are no objectionable odors, and the birds are not tracking poop into the nest box, you are doing fine. I clean my coop out in the fall, then gradually add pine shavings as the winter progresses, to keep the moisture down and provide good footing. Everything in there freezes solid for most of the winter, so in the spring I will get some odor, which I manage by shoveling out the dirtiest bedding (once it thaws), spreading PDZ, and adding some extra shavings as needed.

I can not overstate the value of good ventilation.

Like others in cold climates sand in the run has not worked well for me - freezes up solid in the winter, and stinks to high heaven in the spring and when it rains. On the advice of others here I started adding partially decayed wood chips (thanks Cloverland Electric who left a big pile when chipping nearby - they thought I was nuts to want a pile of chips the size of a Volkswagen). If you let them sit until the worms start showing up, they are just right to spread in the run. I make sure there is a good layer in there every fall.

I also wash my hands after handling birds or doing chicken chores.

Is there a place that sells decayed mulch? I know I’ve seen a post about it but forgot to write it down. Does the mulch last a long time?

 

[aart]

On the advice of others here I started adding partially decayed wood chips (thanks Cloverland Electric who left a big pile when chipping nearby - they thought I was nuts to want a pile of chips the size of a Volkswagen). If you let them sit until the worms start showing up, they are just right to spread in the run. I make sure there is a good layer in there every fall.

Is there a place that sells decayed mulch? I know I’ve seen a post about it but forgot to write it down. Does the mulch last a long time?

They don't need to be 'partially decayed' necessarily, but best if they are not 'just chipped fresh' especially if chipped in summer along with lots of green leaves. This 'green' and wet condition can create a growth spurt of molds to levels of toxicity. 'Perfect' for me is when the wood is nice and dried out but not yet decaying.

 

[doublecrossranch]

They don't need to be 'partially decayed' necessarily, but best if they are not 'just chipped fresh' especially if chipped in summer along with lots of green leaves. This 'green' and wet condition can create a growth spurt of molds to levels of toxicity. 'Perfect' for me is when the wood is nice and dried out but not yet decaying.

If I went to a landscaping place what should I ask for? I have been using grass clippings but they compost so fast and I don’t think I can convince my husband to mow through the winter. Lol. I am also getting a load of straw but I want a mixture of stuff

 

[aart]

If I went to a landscaping place what should I ask for?

Anything that's not dyed or treated, but they usually don't have coarse enough stuff.
You want big thick chunks that won't break down fast....like this:

 

[Nor-Cal Chickens]

you can add beer to this and speed up the process

 

[doublecrossranch]

you can add beer to this and speed up the process

In my experience it usually slows down most projects. Lol. But it’s a good incentive to trick friends into helping you move or build fence.