The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[LindaB220]

Farmer have been buying grain in bulk for a very long long time. With out the stuff spoiling. A good try wooden box is sufficient. Or as us new age homesteaders are doing, an old freezer that doesn't work any more work excellent. No critters get in and it's content stays dry as long as the old freezer it's self is not exposed to the elements. Works just fine. We have been doing this for 40 years.

Ellen, what a fabulous idea.

 

[LindaB220]

Fall chicken chores:

harvest comfrey and dry for the flock
harvest tansy, mint and wormwood for nest boxes
harvest and dry clover, dandelion leaves, sorrel, oregano, marigold petals
grab a couple of garbage bags of fallen leaves and forest duff once the leaves fall
clean out firepit and put ashes away for winter use
mow one last time and rake up grass clippings when dry for coop.

build a sunporch out of old storm windows and haybales to provide more snow free areas for the run in the winter
haul hay bales into coop for winter use
dig out and test old heated dog bowls
haul some fresh dirt for under the coop

start talking to people about saving pumpkins for the chickens

take chicken supplies that shouldn't be frozen out of the coop and into the house (vetrx, cod liver oil, vinegar)
put away glass waterers and metal waterers, secure a supply of ice cream buckets for the winter

cull three roosters (find delisha's brine recipe first)

y'all might think I'm hitting fall chores early but.....first snow is coming this week up north, and I've only two weeks before first average hard frost date......

All very good ideas.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Fall chicken chores:

harvest comfrey and dry for the flock
harvest tansy, mint and wormwood for nest boxes
harvest and dry clover, dandelion leaves, sorrel, oregano, marigold petals
grab a couple of garbage bags of fallen leaves and forest duff once the leaves fall
clean out firepit and put ashes away for winter use
mow one last time and rake up grass clippings when dry for coop.

build a sunporch out of old storm windows and haybales to provide more snow free areas for the run in the winter
haul hay bales into coop for winter use
dig out and test old heated dog bowls
haul some fresh dirt for under the coop

start talking to people about saving pumpkins for the chickens

take chicken supplies that shouldn't be frozen out of the coop and into the house (vetrx, cod liver oil, vinegar)
put away glass waterers and metal waterers, secure a supply of ice cream buckets for the winter

cull three roosters (find delisha's brine recipe first)

y'all might think I'm hitting fall chores early but.....first snow is coming this week up north, and I've only two weeks before first average hard frost date......

That's a great list and it's very sad that we have to be thinking that way already.

I want to see a drawing or visual of what you're thinking about with the bales and storm windows. I'm looking for ideas. I need a winter "scratch" area outside of the hen shed that gives shelter from snow and winds but I really don't think I want it to be permanent.

I refuse to shovel like I did last year.
I want at least some kind of sloping roof from the shed across the 10 ft. to the dog kennel panel across the way. I was looking at the roofing material that @armorfirelady used but they are small pieces. I'd love to find something pretty rigid that is about 13-16 ft. in length that can span the whole area and probably would have to build a frame for it to sit on. So far everything I find is shorter than I'd need. I want it to be able to handle snow on top as well as I don't plan on knocking snow off the top. And lighter in weight than plywood panels if possible.

Am I asking too much?

Seriously...I hate dealing with winter snows. It's not a problem if I have no animals. But with animals I just hate it.

Maybe I should break down and figure out a way to use part of the pole barn (which isn't currently set up for animals) for winter housing. Right now everything...and I mean everything...that has to do with building anything feels too overwhelming. (I'm a little bit on overload right now...)

 

[armorfirelady]

 
Fall chicken chores:

harvest comfrey and dry for the flock
harvest tansy, mint and wormwood for nest boxes
harvest and dry clover, dandelion leaves, sorrel, oregano, marigold petals
grab a couple of garbage bags of fallen leaves and forest duff once the leaves fall
clean out firepit and put ashes away for winter use
mow one last time and rake up grass clippings when dry for coop.

build a sunporch out of old storm windows and haybales to provide more snow free areas for the run in the winter
haul hay bales into coop for winter use
dig out and test old heated dog bowls
haul some fresh dirt for under the coop

start talking to people about saving pumpkins for the chickens

take chicken supplies that shouldn't be frozen out of the coop and into the house (vetrx, cod liver oil, vinegar)
put away glass waterers and metal waterers, secure a supply of ice cream buckets for the winter

cull three roosters (find delisha's brine recipe first)

y'all might think I'm hitting fall chores early but.....first snow is coming this week up north, and I've only two weeks before first average hard frost date......

That's a great list and it's very sad that we have to be thinking that way already.

I want to see a drawing or visual of what you're thinking about with the bales and storm windows.  I'm looking for ideas.  I need a winter "scratch" area outside of the hen shed that gives shelter from snow and winds but I really don't think I want it to be permanent. 

I refuse to shovel like I did last year. 
I want at least some kind of sloping roof from the shed across the 10 ft. to the dog kennel panel across the way.  I was looking at the roofing material that @armorfirelady
used but they are small pieces.  I'd love to find something pretty rigid that is about 13-16 ft. in length that can span the whole area and probably would have to build a frame for it to sit on.  So far everything I find is shorter than I'd need.  I want it to be able to  handle snow on top as well as I don't plan on knocking snow off the top.  And lighter in weight than plywood panels if possible.

Am I asking too much?

Seriously...I hate dealing with winter snows.  It's not a problem if I have no animals.  But with animals I just hate it.

Maybe I should break down and figure out a way to use part of the pole barn (which isn't currently set up for animals) for winter housing.  Right now everything...and I mean everything...that has to do with building anything feels too overwhelming.  (I'm a little bit on overload right now...)

Wow Lala hard frost in 2 weeks? Yuck!!! They keep saying we are going to have an early winter but 2 weeks time is to early for us. Heck all the firewood isn't cut, split and stacked yet.

I like the idea about the windows and hay bales also. I was wondering if I made hoops for like a green house and covered with heavy plastic if it would work? Or I have those giant old garage screen doors that I used as cold frames that I could lean against each other in a triangle after putting a few more slats of wood on them to keep heavy snows off. I would like a larger area for the girls also. That might just work. Hmmmmmmmm

I wonder if you could make something like that LM? A tepee sort of roof that would just slide the snow off? You get less snow then us so I think it would work with some heavy duty tarps? Just put some post down the center to hold the peak up? Then it could be a green house in the spring?

I still need to make the old coop parts into an entrance cover for the other side of the coop where the pop door is in the winter. Need to dig some holes to put the posts in then putting structure on top. I am going to make a long hall way of the coop pieces for the hens to have this winter for use. One is going to be just for food and water. While the plastic dog house worked last year it was hard for me to get in there to fill/clean the stuff. This year the lean to will suffice where I have the water in now. Snow doesn't normally blow from that way.

The babies are almost as big as Edie. Little grey still hasn't crowed......they are 12 weeks old now. Still haven't given any away.......since I'm down one from the predator if I kept the other 4 I would only be up one hen from last year.........decisions decisons. Still cute but they have discovered pumpkins and tomatoes taste good and are helping themselves in the garden. I turn on the sprinkler to get them out lol

 

[EllenjwGogan]

Thought this freezer info might be helpful. You can put the bag and all in or just dump the grain in. Its fine either way. There's just no need for fancy stuff.

 

[Leahs Mom]

@armorfirelady

Re your hoop coop - Do you ever have to brush the snow off of it or does the hoop take care of the weight of the snow?

 

[armorfirelady]

@armorfirelady

Re your hoop coop - Do you ever have to brush the snow off of it or does the hoop take care of the weight of the snow?

Well it depends on the type of the snow and how much sun we get. When we got 3 feet of snow last December over a couple days it was wet, heavy snow & I did have to shovel it off. If its light snow or the sun comes out for the day the snow will usually melt & slide right off.

Last year I had a white tarp on it. This year I have the billboard on it and the black is facing the outsise so I am curious if it retains more heat & helps keep snow off

 

[lazy gardener]

I had to go out and shovel the snow off after every storm. Then, it would pile up so high at the sides, I had to shovel it away from the sides, or there'd be no place to put the next load of snow. Hopefully my new coop will alleviate that problem.

 

[LindaB220]

@armorfirelady

Re your hoop coop - Do you ever have to brush the snow off of it or does the hoop take care of the weight of the snow?

Check out the hoop coops on BYC. One of them is reinforced with a beam longways under the wire and anchored

 

[mlowen]

@armorfirelady

Re your hoop coop - Do you ever have to brush the snow off of it or does the hoop take care of the weight of the snow?

I made a cattle panel hoop "leaf barn" and the snow mashed it down & bent the sides some. This summer, I built a 2x4 "wall" down the middle to reinforce the top of the arch and I hope it will keep it stiff enough that the snow will slide off. Or at least not smash it, again.