The Old Folks Home

[drumstick diva]

speaking of vehve - haven't seen anything from Felix in a long time

 

[Beer can]

speaking of vehve  -  haven't seen anything from Felix in a long time

Neither have I on another thread he's usually on. I bet he stops in sometime soon with alot of updates. Kinda wonder if our Finnish friend is on here more when he's not working. Hope he stops back in sometime. He and a couple others are the only reason I started on BYC. Not that I don't like conversing with the rest of you'all, love you'all.

 

[BullChick]

I have used sand, pine chips, leaves and straw. Straw is my favorite. Especially in the winter. Not awesome in the duck pen though!
As long as it gets turned daily if not more than that, it does not get matted. I find it easier to clean out because it is such a large material. Most importantly, it does hold in the heat. I had a lot less frozen water last winter.

 

[perchie.girl]

I think bedding is really dependant on several things

climate
soil
availability
logistics

Climate for me is dry year round so even when its cold enough to form ice it evaporates quickly.

Availibility Here there are no trees no grass clippngs . No lumber mills either. So what I have to choose from is Straw, Shavings, and Rice hulls. I grew up with horses and here the most common bedding is Shavings. very few people use straw. My origanal choice was shavings because it was familiar.

A boarding facility I moved my horse to banned the use of shavings. because it compacted and was hard to remove in time. Sweet PDZ micro flakes and rice hulls were the only allowable product. Rice hulls were my choice because they were the least expensive and were a by product so ecologically on my radar.

I switched to rice hulls for every one. LOVE them both the horse and chickens love them too.
The7y arent always available though. The drought in northern California affects rice production so some times the hulls arent available.

Logistcis.... I use a walker to get about. using a pitchfork or rake and shovel are difficult for me. But a rake by itself lets me pull the bedding out and spread it in the yard. But honestly the chickens keep it pretty stirred up and there is very little poo that showes up.

soil at home there really isnt any soil its Decomposed granite. very little organic material in it. Because of that it has a fabulous perk rate. So the rice hulls do their job by allowing moisture to wick through them without retaining much. so when my open air coops get rained in or snowed on the moisture disappears and the bedding stays reasonably dry.

deb

 

[pennyJo1960]

penny do the birds get enough ventilation with that covering the dome?

yes they sure do several vents placed around and the height of it
I never have had an order issue

 

[Wickedchicken6]

I have used sand, pine chips, leaves and straw. Straw is my favorite. Especially in the winter. Not awesome in the duck pen though!
As long as it gets turned daily if not more than that, it does not get matted. I find it easier to clean out because it is such a large material. Most importantly, it does hold in the heat. I had a lot less frozen water last winter.

My straw was short and fine, it was dedusted straw. (weird I know...for my allergies) not the kind we bale. I always liked the coarsest straw for bedding my sheep. Round bale straw was better than square bales. Maybe that was my issue. The girls turned it a lot.

 

[Wickedchicken6]

I think bedding is really dependant on several things

climate
soil
availability
logistics

Climate for me is dry year round so even when its cold enough to form ice it evaporates quickly.

Availibility Here there are no trees no grass clippngs . No lumber mills either. So what I have to choose from is Straw, Shavings, and Rice hulls. I grew up with horses and here the most common bedding is Shavings. very few people use straw. My origanal choice was shavings because it was familiar.

A boarding facility I moved my horse to banned the use of shavings. because it compacted and was hard to remove in time. Sweet PDZ micro flakes and rice hulls were the only allowable product. Rice hulls were my choice because they were the least expensive and were a by product so ecologically on my radar.

I switched to rice hulls for every one. LOVE them both the horse and chickens love them too.
The7y arent always available though. The drought in northern California affects rice production so some times the hulls arent available.

Logistcis.... I use a walker to get about. using a pitchfork or rake and shovel are difficult for me. But a rake by itself lets me pull the bedding out and spread it in the yard. But honestly the chickens keep it pretty stirred up and there is very little poo that showes up.

soil at home there really isnt any soil its Decomposed granite. very little organic material in it. Because of that it has a fabulous perk rate. So the rice hulls do their job by allowing moisture to wick through them without retaining much. so when my open air coops get rained in or snowed on the moisture disappears and the bedding stays reasonably dry.

deb

I think rice hulls would be pretty cool! The horse boarding facility needed some chickens to stir up the bedding.

My base is dirt with pit run gravel from our pasture. I've taken the bigger rocks out of it so it's mostly sand.
Our humidity was listed on the weather channel as being in the 80s and 90s a lot of the time.
That made it pretty hard to keep the coop perfectly dry. Probably didn't help my straw.
It's not the most ideal coop, it's in an old garage which will still go back to being a garage once I'm done.
Or once we decide on a better building. Not sure how this will play out...lol.

I can't do anything heavy anymore...but that would make everything SO much harder having to do it with a walker.

They're great on flat surfaces that have no raises or drops or one has to lift them around a bit.
(and everything has raises and drops because those that create plans and build structures have NEVER had to use a walker/wheel chair/ or do anything with limited use of hands or legs)
I have to bring my husband to lift and deal with my grandmothers walker.

 

[pennyJo1960]

@Wickedchicken6 I am right there with you only my worst enemy is my vision
put something in my path I go down boom I have neuropathy in my feet rarely feel them
but have the added fun it will tip me over without warning

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote: I use what they call a rollator. It has four wheels and a seat and brakes... I can walk about a bit without it but any thing that takes some time I need it to sit on. I once raked poo in my horses corral ... Park the walker and rake towards me... move the walker and rake again.... Makes the waste into a row....

Here are my plans for my next coop.... or poultry house. I modeled it with a wheel chair because that was the only ergonomic tool I could find. I may be in a weelchair eventually though. so planning ahead.


.
Here is what one of the partitions should look like when I am done.


deb

 

[pennyJo1960]

Wow Deb... I understand that if my neck takes a blow
or hit I will be in that wheelchair or worse bedridden I do not choose to be here then
but will only go kicken and screaming