- Jun 10, 2013
- 40
- 21
- 94
First, chickens die. I used to cry but I understand they are birds and are very sensitive to the environment. I do not name them anymore that happened after my first flock.
The best way to determine if you are doing everything right is watch, smell look. If it smells bad... like the coop has amonia take action. If you can’t clean it then add fresh bedding to soak it up.
Thee combs are black at the tip... increase air and evaporation. The list of this goes on.
Never in all my years had bumble foot but I do know that wet bedding and roosts can cause this... again... add dry bedding if you can do a clean
Watch the eggs are they not laying or laying more? Well if the first take a look at too many treats or illness. If laying more add egg shell.
Dieing in numbers always takes me right to coop health. Wet litter kills in every way. Right away.... clean the cool best you can. Start with that.
Chickens eat eggs they love them. We all hate that as the egg on shells sits like shellac. People you give eggs to do not appreciate your story about dirty eggs. Clean them before giving them out. You trust them... but your friends won’t tell you they don’t.
Poop! Omg great for the garden but how do you do it? You can’t just keep adding it to the same pile you let sit there. Nope. If you plan to use it, and you are a lazy composer like me.... do some research about the safety. I do add greasy compost to fall beds and I make poop yea I’m summer as fertilizer all summer. But still working on the composting thing myself. I think you need two piles cause last years needs to sit. Look into it.
Some chickens are better flyers then others. If you don’t want to go running into the snow for a bird who flew the coop, or wrangle them down from trees look at your breeds. Or learn to clip wings.
Always have an out in the coop. Or otherwise for a sick bird. Sometimes they are lamb and the others will try to kill them. Quarantine is easy in a cage away from others or within the coop.
Do not ever just grab birds from anywhere... someone wants you to take a few. Unless you are set up to separate them for weeks. Do you have two houses?
They bast thing I did was buy an old children’s playhouse all wood and sided. I was going to use it as storage for all my chicken stuff from feed to baby feeders and bedding. It started that way but quickly became a coop for new birds I had bought. So they were in the same run area but separate . Worked wonderfully. Once grown up they were forced in one coop ( added them at night) and now that is the shed it was intended for. Still easily converts back to a coop for chicks.
Well I guess those are some of the major things I learned but there are so many little things that help me along the way... coop cleaning tips and tips to keep the laying area clean even when hens poop and sleep there. Gosh so much fun and learning. It never ends. Now... I am working on a better way to keep the hens out of the tomatoes! But I have a pan! Love you all!
The best way to determine if you are doing everything right is watch, smell look. If it smells bad... like the coop has amonia take action. If you can’t clean it then add fresh bedding to soak it up.
Thee combs are black at the tip... increase air and evaporation. The list of this goes on.
Never in all my years had bumble foot but I do know that wet bedding and roosts can cause this... again... add dry bedding if you can do a clean
Watch the eggs are they not laying or laying more? Well if the first take a look at too many treats or illness. If laying more add egg shell.
Dieing in numbers always takes me right to coop health. Wet litter kills in every way. Right away.... clean the cool best you can. Start with that.
Chickens eat eggs they love them. We all hate that as the egg on shells sits like shellac. People you give eggs to do not appreciate your story about dirty eggs. Clean them before giving them out. You trust them... but your friends won’t tell you they don’t.
Poop! Omg great for the garden but how do you do it? You can’t just keep adding it to the same pile you let sit there. Nope. If you plan to use it, and you are a lazy composer like me.... do some research about the safety. I do add greasy compost to fall beds and I make poop yea I’m summer as fertilizer all summer. But still working on the composting thing myself. I think you need two piles cause last years needs to sit. Look into it.
Some chickens are better flyers then others. If you don’t want to go running into the snow for a bird who flew the coop, or wrangle them down from trees look at your breeds. Or learn to clip wings.
Always have an out in the coop. Or otherwise for a sick bird. Sometimes they are lamb and the others will try to kill them. Quarantine is easy in a cage away from others or within the coop.
Do not ever just grab birds from anywhere... someone wants you to take a few. Unless you are set up to separate them for weeks. Do you have two houses?
They bast thing I did was buy an old children’s playhouse all wood and sided. I was going to use it as storage for all my chicken stuff from feed to baby feeders and bedding. It started that way but quickly became a coop for new birds I had bought. So they were in the same run area but separate . Worked wonderfully. Once grown up they were forced in one coop ( added them at night) and now that is the shed it was intended for. Still easily converts back to a coop for chicks.
Well I guess those are some of the major things I learned but there are so many little things that help me along the way... coop cleaning tips and tips to keep the laying area clean even when hens poop and sleep there. Gosh so much fun and learning. It never ends. Now... I am working on a better way to keep the hens out of the tomatoes! But I have a pan! Love you all!
