The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[JeffOeuf]

A dream addition to my "someday" mudroom hopefully in the future! Complete with one of those blow dryers they have in dog grooming places. My dogs were DISGUSTING yesterday.. dragged pounds of dirt in the house yesterday. Having a mudroom to dry off first would be so awesome!

I built something similar to this when I remodeled the basement in our last house. I built in a double sized shower base, enclosed on three sides and with a handheld shower. It kept so much mess out of the rest of the house -- even without dogs. Anything that needed cleaning got cleaned there (sometimes even me).

Within months of getting it finished, we decided to move and I don't have any place to put something similar in here.

 

[Bulldogma]

Yah, X2! (What Melabella said so colorfully, lol).
Glad you have been given a little something back, after all the culling you've had to do lately.

Thanks, everyone!!

Great info.
Have to put this in a note book for a reference.
Reminder to study up on hatching.

Peeps and TX - contact me as I'd love to use this information and the photos for the thing.

I built my Coop years ago in B.C. (before computers) around the concept of a deep litter composting pit. The coop is built on a brick foundation with a subground level dirt floor, all the wood is above the dirt level for rot prevent reasons. The ladder roost is pivoted so I can lift it up out out of the way for compost removal reasons. I clean it out in the spring for fertilizer for the garden and add lawnmower clippings, pine needles/cones, leaves, and anything else I can rake up or mow every couple weeks or so for a couple inches layers. The chickens scratch it up and add their ingredients all summer long. I rarely have to turn it by hand.
Other features of the Coop is that the roof overhangs all four sides and there is drip guards over the doors and openings---must be working, the Coop has held up over twenty years now.
I also collect the rainwater off the roof and only have to carry water during the deep winter when it stays frozen. I do not have water or electricity run to the coop---it's not needed in a well designed arrangement. I do know of friends with the raised coop on legs having their chickens freeze in the winter, mine stays warm.

I've loved your descriptions of your coop, the photos and the captions!! Keep them coming - it's a great education. And welcome to the thread!

How to y'all keep the wAter out of y'all's coop?

Many folks have coops that are raised. For coops built directly on the ground, you would need to make sure to build on a higher piece of ground so water moves away. If you are using an existing structure with poor runoff, you can look into building up the dirt around the perimeter to keep the water out. It can be hard to fix a water problem on an existing structure, but it is not impossible. My sister is having to have dirt brought in by the truck-load to fix the perimeter of her large horse barn. It's working, though!

Off topic, but have to share this video of this adorable teenage boy trying to do the right thing in his mind, and it didn't turn out the way he had hoped. Being the mother of three sons, I applaud when young men in training are sensitive, and thoughtful. With countless video's out there teenagers (and adults sadly) put up on the internet being hateful and harmful, it's refreshing to see a comical slant to one respecting even the smallest example of the animal kingdom. So many boys today are so misdirected, wish I could hug them all, make them see they are wasting their time, and get on the right track.

MB

That was really cute, though! What a thoughtful kid.

Well it looks like I will not be doing deep litter after all. I did try this year and nothing wrong with trying. Next nice weather we have I will be emptying the deep litter and going back to clean dry floors. I can compost in my original pile.

Well - it was worth a try, but you have to do what is going to work best for you and your setup!

A dream addition to my "someday" mudroom hopefully in the future! Complete with one of those blow dryers they have in dog grooming places. My dogs were DISGUSTING yesterday.. dragged pounds of dirt in the house yesterday. Having a mudroom to dry off first would be so awesome!

Wow... that doggie bathtub was nicer than any tub or shower I've ever used - LOL! Some pretty cool ideas, though. I'll keep them in mind for when I win the lottery.

 

[JeffOeuf]

Oh I know that scenario too... My goal for 2013 is to PURGE my life of all uneccessary "things"

Question for experienced egg gatherers.

I just went out to feed some scratch to the flock, and got 2 more eggs, up to 4 today... woo hoo! One of the eggs has a very almost sandpaperish feeling to it. All my eggs so far have been so nice and smooth. I have been feeding all my egg shells back to my girls in the oyster shell container. They always gobble them striaght up. Is it possible I am feeding too much calcium? That couldn't have felt good comin down the ol egg shoot!

I've noticed that a time or two. Not sure why it happens, but I doubt you're feeding too much calcium, particularly since they can take it or leave it as they choose.

 

[aoxa]

Melabella,

That reminds me of a certain image I have of my corgi mix & poodle a few years ago.. Our yard was so terrible from the thaw..



Look at my boy to the left. He knows he's going to get a bath. Doesn't he look thrilled? LOL My poodle loves baths, but she's too stupid to see it coming. Chloe must never have got the memo that poodles are supposed to be the most intelligent dog, as she is definitely not. She is crafty though, and good at sneaking into things and escaping.

 

[aoxa]

Oh I know that scenario too... My goal for 2013 is to PURGE my life of all uneccessary "things"

Question for experienced egg gatherers.

I just went out to feed some scratch to the flock, and got 2 more eggs, up to 4 today... woo hoo! One of the eggs has a very almost sandpaperish feeling to it. All my eggs so far have been so nice and smooth. I have been feeding all my egg shells back to my girls in the oyster shell container. They always gobble them striaght up. Is it possible I am feeding too much calcium? That couldn't have felt good comin down the ol egg shoot!

Yes I've had it happen. IT works itself out.

 

[alisasee]

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[chickiemomy]

Quote: can you elaborate on the value of guineas in the flock??? Lost my first chicken to a coyote (I think) last week. It was a space-case GSL - but the coyote snuck up thru the brush & snagged her quickly. Have now set up temp fence to keep the chickens from the edge of the brush, but have wondered about how effective guineas were - sounds like you are using them as 'guard birds'. Are there disadvantages to the guineas - have heard they are loud - which is ok with me. anything else we should know?

 

[JeffOeuf]

Oh I know that scenario too... My goal for 2013 is to PURGE my life of all uneccessary "things"

Completely off topic, except in the way that it funds chicken math...

I have sold $2,500 worth of "stuff" on eBay since mid-December. Not ONE of those things has been missed. The purge continues.

 

[kian]

I am doing the DL in a raised floor coop. So far, it's extremely dry, I haven't actually seen any signs of composting. Every week or two I stir it all up and add another layer of straw. So far it still smells sweet, like straw ( which is good since I can't get in there to stir and add for probably another week). I had added a lot more recently since our temps were dipping into the teens at night.... the girls kicked out nearly all that straw! And then it rained, so most of that ended up mulching the fruit trees. Grrr!

On another note, my oldest girls are now 21 weeks old, their combs and wattles and faces are all redding up, so now I am sooooooo impatient for that first egg. I get the sunrise/sunset times with my weather and each day I'm all "ok... today will be 5 minutes longer than yesterday...LAY!!!!!" LOL I'm a dork

 

[stonykill]

My oldest Roo, Loverboy with his 8 hens. You need to look hard to see all 8

shoulda named him stud

Loverboy is 5, and has been blind in one eye for almost all of that time. Lost it in a fight years ago. Doesn't stop him from being top roo!