The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Shan30]

When the dust box gets messy I just dump it in the coop. I think once its wet it doesn't do much to the bugs. It seems to absorb a bit of the moisture in the litter but I haven't noticed it effecting the breakdown of the litter at all. Always figured that whatever was good for the compost was good for the deep litter.

 

[Tnic]

It does sound counterintuitive, but I know people put wood ash in their compost piles, and DL is really just a compost pile, so I would imagine it's a-ok.

YAHTZEE!!!

 

[SallyinIndiana]

we have ants, beetles, and spiders that I have seen in our fire pit and wood chip piles. The ashes have never really stopped those bugs.
I need to get a small kiddie pool, that would make the ashes last so much longer. Right now we just choose a corner and put them in that corner and refill when we get a decent amount of ashes again.

 

[armorfirelady]

So Sophie thinks she needs to go broody again. I have been removing her from the nest the last few days but she is being stubborn. So this morning I tossed her in the broody crate. She complained some but I think the sunflower head I stuck in there with her made it more bearable.


Not much room for her to do much except roost & complain. She will stay in here for a couple days to make sure her mind is changed about being broody.

 

[Leahs Mom]

@armorfirelady
Have you had luck with breaking in your crate before? Just curious.

 

[armorfirelady]

@armorfirelady
Have you had luck with breaking in your crate before? Just curious.

Yes I used it with Lucy also. She had more airflow on the bottom because I took the tray off. But the door I used as a base, so they wouldn't injure their legs, is back where its suppose to be. So I left the tray in with peat moss on the bottom to collect the droppings. I am hoping since she doesn't have much room in there to hunker down she will break soon. I put the roost in low purposely to keep her from nesting in the crate

Oooh I have updated pics of the coop. I've found grommets (like for tarps) can easily be put on the billboard covering it making it easier to secure down for the winter.

I even used them on the clear plastic that I have on the ends. They are rolled up here. I keep them up from April thru October/November. When we get out first snow. Hopefully in a week or 2 I will have the last part from the old mini coop attached to where you see the covered pop door. Its going to be pernament. No more moving structures around. ANd with ataching the nest box to the outside it gives them a little more space inside the coop come winter.

The other end. This structure will remain here all year long also. I am going to cover the 3 ends with heavy duty shower curtains so that when the pop door is moved to the opposite side they can use the area all winter (as small as it is) I planted spearmint, hostas & lilys around this entrance and covered it with saw dust which the girls happily scratched all around. Next spring everything should be growing giving them some shade in the coop & entrance. The billboard & clear plastic are easily help up with heavy duty plastic clips.


This is my watering structure. It faces east so it does get morning sun but tucked back in the corner with black cloth on the south & west side has really kept the water from going green in the waterer all summer. It will be moved to the other side of the fence and hold their heated water and heated dog bowl for winter.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Love it! Is that wooden part the nest box?

 

[Lacy Blues]

Does the top of your little feed area open up for ease on your back in putting the waterer in the back corner like that? I really like that set up. Thank you for sharing.

This is my hoop coop. I have a billboard tarp over the top now. The sides, above the corrugated roof panels has hardware cloth over the cattle panels for about two feet on both sides, then the tarp above. I plan to get some clear vinyl to cover those side windows with. It will let in plenty of light. I intend to leave the ends open so air can still move through the coop, though hopefully there won't be any drafts.



You can sort of see the billboard tarp in this photo.

 

[armorfirelady]

Love it! Is that wooden part the nest box?

Yes. It was also part of the tiny coop I first started chickens with. I am repurposing everything from the tiny coop. Well except the poop board

I believe I have enough plexi glass pieces to cover the open areas of the tiny coop thats going over the other pop door. If not it will get covered with clear shower curtains as well.

Does the top of your little feed area open up for ease on your back in putting the waterer in the back corner like that? I really like that set up. Thank you for sharing.

No it doesnt. But I am short so I can easily reach under it to clean/fill the water container when needed. I also have hardware cloth around all side of the hoop coop. I only bought 1 roll the rest I got when others put them out for trash day

All the bricks in the walk way were free also. I have another pile to finish up s small part to make it all brick then taking brick over to the gate you see to the left of the coop. The pine pellets I bought to keep our feet less muddy worked ok but the bricks will def be better. Other peoples trash is my treasure

Lacy don't you live where its warm? Do you get really cold for winter? Last year I had a heavy tarp over the coop but found the billboard for free so switched them out. Both have been good at keeping rain and cold winds out. I think the wood you have around the base will keep the drafts out. That door in my coop? I keep the window open open 3-6 inches all winter. Their roost is at the opposite end of the coop so I don't think the little snow or wind that blows in at night bothers them.

 

[Lacy Blues]

Lacy don't you live where its warm? Do you get really cold for winter? Last year I had a heavy tarp over the coop but found the billboard for free so switched them out. Both have been good at keeping rain and cold winds out. I think the wood you have around the base will keep the drafts out. That door in my coop? I keep the window open open 3-6 inches all winter. Their roost is at the opposite end of the coop so I don't think the little snow or wind that blows in at night bothers them.

One would think so wouldn't they? It gets plenty hot here in the summer. But winters are plenty cold too. It's not uncommon to get down around zero. I live at 4,000 elevation and I think this area is known as a cold desert. That certainly doesn't apply to summer unless of course you compare it to Phoenix, Arizona temperatures. Compared to that, it might be considered by some to be cold. We can get up to 100 degrees F on a fairly regular basis, occasionally we go over but I don't think I've seen 120F here. I prefer it to be in the 70-80 degree range... like it is now.

We get plenty of wind too... flat country with nothing to stop it let alone slow it down.