The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[SallyinIndiana]

Facing the Music: Deep litter ain't working in my linoleum-floored coop. I've done all the things - put some compost/dirt down to get it started, throw scratch in to get the girls to kick it up. I rake around the area under the roost to keep it from piling up. But there's no composting of any kind happening. I think I'm ready to suck it up and just deal with the cost of keeping a minimal layer of pine on the floor and replacing the litter once a month. This is the only time I actually wish the coop were smaller - it takes a lot of pine to make a 2" layer in a 12 by 12 foot space. I also kind of hate that this means chickens skittering all over the place when they jump down from the roost. I'll have to build a ramp for them. In my spare time.

So. Before I give up completely, is there something I missed that might make deep litter work for me?

we have found that the blocks of shavings we can buy from the feed store need some thicker sturdier pieces of wood tossed in. We get tree trimmings from a local tree trimmer as suggested by Leah's Mom. We use those in the coop with and without the shavings. During the winter we shovel out the coop almost every 3 weeks and start with at least 1/2 old and 1/2 new sometimes all new if the ducks were in that coop. During the summer we mist the coop litter area about every other week to add water. Then we toss some scrap food in the coop so the chickens will turn the litter.

 

[armorfirelady]

Quote: Even me with having a dirt floor I need to wet it down several times throughout the spring/summer/fall. I guess keeping the sides up helps it to dry fast even when some rain gets in. I was watching the girls today digging thru it & realized it was dusty again. Its suppose to rain the next few days so I am hoping that helps. Plus I have been dumping in wood shavings as we cut wood and they have been damp but not for long. Im hoping to get my grass mowed soon and dump that in damp as well.

I also have everyone on the look out for bagged leaves for use this winter. It worked out really well last year to help break stuff down last winter

 

[Leahs Mom]

@armorfirelady
Good point. I had part of my outdoor run that had a tarp over it so it wasn't getting rain. It's been very dry over there so it hasn't broken down as quickly as the uncovered part of the run.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Okay, peeps.

I just heard the news guy say we might get snow flurries tomorrow. I have done NOTHING for winter yet. Still contemplating pens for the pole barn instead of the shed so that no one gets stuck out in the cold.

I did find Four 10x6 kennel panels but I still need to find gate panels. I guess I better hurry up.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Quote: Somehow I totally missed this post! Thanks for the photos. And I love seeing all those eggs in the good girls nest. I haven't seen so many eggs in a nest in a long time

 

[armorfirelady]

Okay, peeps.

I just heard the news guy say we might get snow flurries tomorrow. I have done NOTHING for winter yet. Still contemplating pens for the pole barn instead of the shed so that no one gets stuck out in the cold.

I did find Four 10x6 kennel panels but I still need to find gate panels. I guess I better hurry up.

Oh boy I cant believe you guys will get flurries before us. I still have stuff growing in my veggie garden that I have been watering the last couple weeks (very rare)

But I did empty the old run of the stackable totes I store in there. They hold grit, wood ash & calcium for the hens. I had an old small pallet I set them on with 2 bales of peat moss (for the winter I feel it helps the DL break down better so I stocked up before you cant buy anymore) and threw a tarp over them to protect them from the snow. I really need to get my cover crop in. I think I am just going to rototill around the crops still growing & seed it. It can grow between the veggies. Guess I should trim the feathers of the peepers so they cant get in the veggie garden or the little stinkers will eat all the seed.

And if it helps the only thing I got done for the hens was cleaning out the old run. I am trying to get firewood cut & split & some other odd projects done first. Summer always seems so short but winter comes in quick

 

[LadyBehir]

Dumb question here - have a dog. I understand that if the chickens were to free range, the dog would think the chicken poo was a treat and that the chickens would feel the same about the dog's waste. So, is it ok to take the dog poo from the yard and toss it in the corner of the run that is where I toss the weeds and compostable food scraps? Have them compost it for me? Or is this a bad idea and the dog poo should go elsewhere. I know cat and dog poo is not supposed to just go in the normal compost type pile. If that is ok, could the cat litter also be put in there? If I were to use a safe biodegradable litter, not one of the clumping versions. With 5 cats, that would free up a lot of garbage cans to the dump. They already get the bunny cage cleanout from my son's rabbit.

 

[Lacy Blues]

I can't answer for sure on that. But I wouldn't give them that stuff... that's just me though. Rabbit droppings are from an herbivore whereas dog and cat are not.

 

[Lacy Blues]

Just thought I would share with you guys... I started a thread for my coop remodel. If you want to keep up...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...rn-and-need-guidance-in-regard-to-ventilation

 

[armorfirelady]

Dumb question here - have a dog. I understand that if the chickens were to free range, the dog would think the chicken poo was a treat and that the chickens would feel the same about the dog's waste. So, is it ok to take the dog poo from the yard and toss it in the corner of the run that is where I toss the weeds and compostable food scraps? Have them compost it for me? Or is this a bad idea and the dog poo should go elsewhere. I know cat and dog poo is not supposed to just go in the normal compost type pile. If that is ok, could the cat litter also be put in there? If I were to use a safe biodegradable litter, not one of the clumping versions. With 5 cats, that would free up a lot of garbage cans to the dump. They already get the bunny cage cleanout from my son's rabbit.

I have cats & dogs but I won't put it in the chicken coop. Different animals have different illnesses, etc. I would stick with just the rabbit poop into the compost.
(I agree Iw ould like to find a way to naturally get rid of the waste of the cats & dogs but I don't think the chicken coop is the answer)