Surviving Minnesota!

[KlopKlop]

@Dandelioness & @duluthralphie

Rodents may be an issue...presently no cats or dogs. Moisture (Sticky feed) was my bigger concern. I think we will be doing some more research before I bite the bullet and invest time and money. Until then hanging feeders will be the plan.

T minus 28 days until chicks come.

You could make something like I have. It works well and was cheap to make.

Get a metal hog pan from the farm store for a few bucks and find a free 5 gallon bucket. Drill several large holes (1.5" -2") around the bottom edge of the bucket (a hole saw is best) then run screws through the hog pan, through the bucket into a scrap of wood. hang the works from the handle with wire or set on some blocks. Easy to use easy to fill.

THis is the only photo i could find of mine (i know i took pictures when i built it but alas..) i will google for some


Here is a video that shows how another guy made the same kind. The wood tray is probably more work that it is worth. If you look around you probably could repurpose enough materials to make this without buying anything

Here is a photo i got from google. I wouldnt recommend a foil pan as i dont think it will last. $2.79 for a feed pan that lasts forever vs $1 for a foil pan that lasts a not very long.... easy call there.

 

[KlopKlop]

Deleted post... thought my last post got lost and rewrote it. nevermind!

 

[KlopKlop]

My wife seems to think that we need to clean the coop once a week (using a $6 bail of straw). I was just going to throw some new straw (about 1/4 or 1/2 bail) down on top of the old stuff and give them a fresh layer on top. But she had talked to someone who said they cleaned their coop twice a week to avoid mites, etc. I think they can go a couple of weeks or longer between cleanings. Am I wrong?

Since I removed all the old straw last night and swept out the coop, it was a good time to work on the roost. There was only one roost at about 40 inches from the floor. I only ever saw 2 chickens using it. All the other chickens either sat on the floor or in a nest box. So I removed the existing roost and moved it further away from the wall and then added a new lower roost closer to the wall. In other words, they were staggered so the hens on top weren't dropping poo on the hens below. I also figured they could hop from the low roost to the higher roost. Well...I saw the same 2 hens on the roost afterwards and the others on the floor. I'll watch to see if anything changes.

In the summer you wont need to clean nearly as often as summer if you are letting them free range. I prefer wood shavings in the coop to straw myself. Straw mats down when it gets damp and can get moldy. Wood shavings you can turn over and stir and it lasts a good while. You can add more on top when needed until it is a few inches thick (I can go months between cleanings in the summer). less chance of mites too.

As 100 chickens owners the best bedding or how often to clean and you will get 100 opinions. Try what you have going and if you like it keep doing it, if not keep trying things until you find what works for you

 

[KlopKlop]

DW is having some girlfriends over this weekend for painting and girls day. She called a bit ago and told me that more people were coming than she had originally thought and we needed more easels. Good thing i have the day off and was in the woodshop already haha

tada! the old ones were too small for the taller canvases she likes so i scaled up. managed to squeeze 3 easels from an 8 foot 1x4 board and a little scrap wood. if you looked at the number of easels we have around here you would think that we are avid painters even though not really lol. DW likes doing these girls days with friends or her aunts and grandma. much cheaper than going to those wine and painting classes. they are also handy for other things like use in our farm stand!

 

[MNBobcat]

KK,

Can I ask where you get your shavings and how much they cost?

 

[KlopKlop]

KK,

Can I ask where you get your shavings and how much they cost?

I get them from the local farm and feed store or fleet farm, whichever end of town i happen to be going to. They are about $5 a bale from either place. Just guessing from your photos one bale would probably put a nice thick layer down in your coop. then you can turn it and sprinkle in more when needed. I would also recommend doing some research on adding 'poop boards' under your roosts. that will also reduce your coop cleaning needs as the most poop in your coop comes from your roosts.

 

[holm25]

My wife seems to think that we need to clean the coop once a week (using a $6 bail of straw). I was just going to throw some new straw (about 1/4 or 1/2 bail) down on top of the old stuff and give them a fresh layer on top. But she had talked to someone who said they cleaned their coop twice a week to avoid mites, etc. I think they can go a couple of weeks or longer between cleanings. Am I wrong? Since I removed all the old straw last night and swept out the coop, it was a good time to work on the roost. There was only one roost at about 40 inches from the floor. I only ever saw 2 chickens using it. All the other chickens either sat on the floor or in a nest box. So I removed the existing roost and moved it further away from the wall and then added a new lower roost closer to the wall. In other words, they were staggered so the hens on top weren't dropping poo on the hens below. I also figured they could hop from the low roost to the higher roost. Well...I saw the same 2 hens on the roost afterwards and the others on the floor. I'll watch to see if anything changes.

I see no reason to clean it that often. We only clean ours 3-4 times a year. But our flock stays outside all day and has a poop board which really keeps it clean. If she is worried about mites I would give your flock a a mixture of wood ashes and sand. I am going to start having that stuff out once a week. Btw I am having alot of trouble getting rid of mites. There is wild birds that feed with the flock outside all day. I am going to try a few things but am NOT using chemicals! I want to use more natural way and we raise a flock to have healthy eggs and I dont see how chemicals are healthy

 

[ejb3810]

Does anyone on this thread have Appenzeller Spitzhauben? I am searching for some to use in a project, and if I can find them close to home it would be good.

 

[MNChickMom]

You could make something like I have. It works well and was cheap to make.

Get a metal hog pan from the farm store for a few bucks and find a free 5 gallon bucket. Drill several large holes (1.5" -2") around the bottom edge of the bucket (a hole saw is best) then run screws through the hog pan, through the bucket into a scrap of wood. hang the works from the handle with wire or set on some blocks. Easy to use easy to fill.

THis is the only photo i could find of mine (i know i took pictures when i built it but alas..) i will google for some


Here is a video that shows how another guy made the same kind. The wood tray is probably more work that it is worth. If you look around you probably could repurpose enough materials to make this without buying anything

Here is a photo i got from google. I wouldnt recommend a foil pan as i dont think it will last. $2.79 for a feed pan that lasts forever vs $1 for a foil pan that lasts a not very long.... easy call there.

Love the hog feeder pan idea.

 

[Rhetts]

I was going to suggest poop boards too @MNBobcat Also make sure your bottom roost isn't too high. I think the height to shoot for on that is about 18 inches from the ground?? I have 40+ birds in one large coop. I do not clean it once a week. Maybe once a month when the weather is damp and the shavings get dirtier faster. I do not have poop boards yet either. I use pine bedding about $5 and it lasts a long time. Like @KlopKlop said you can turn it over and add more. And like @holm25 pointed out, have something for them to dust bath in like ashes or peat moss or something like that until they get outside and can dig in the dirt. Mites happen. You can try to prevent them as best you can. There is poultry dust you can sprinkle around the coop corners and nest boxes and I think put on the hens. Can't remember the name of it but some folks around here have used it. Maybe they can chime in to suggest the name. Starts with a 'P' I thought.