Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[Leigti]

I'm thinking about just putting down pine shavings in my run for the winter. About a third of it is covered and the rest isn't. They also free range in the yard. I just want something to keep it from getting too muddy. The ground is very very rocky but there still enough dirt to make mud. Does anybody have any opinions on this idea?

 

[Hinotori]

I'm only getting two eggs a day from the big girls. Less light, molting, and age at work there.


The silkies are giving me 10 a day even with the molting and broodies. Too bad that roughly 4 of those are being collected for hatching still.

I do keep a white light on a timer my lay all year
long do you need influx of younger easter eggers this spring

This was the first year I didn't buy or hatch large fowl.

 

[junebuggena]

I'm thinking about just putting down pine shavings in my run for the winter. About a third of it is covered and the rest isn't. They also free range in the yard. I just want something to keep it from getting too muddy. The ground is very very rocky but there still enough dirt to make mud. Does anybody have any opinions on this idea?

My whole run turned to mud this weekend. SO MUCH RAIN. No issues with muddy feet though. The chickens handle mud with no problems. It's us clumsy humans that have difficulties with the stuff.

 

[Hinotori]

I'm thinking about just putting down pine shavings in my run for the winter. About a third of it is covered and the rest isn't. They also free range in the yard. I just want something to keep it from getting too muddy. The ground is very very rocky but there still enough dirt to make mud. Does anybody have any opinions on this idea?

They are fine. They don't last as long as straw or bark. You'll have to add to them more often.

My smallest runs are 10x20. I go through a lot of straw with the big girls. They really work it around looking for bugs and it decomposes faster with them. The silkies don't scratch that much

 

[Hinotori]

I'm thinking about just putting down pine shavings in my run for the winter. About a third of it is covered and the rest isn't. They also free range in the yard. I just want something to keep it from getting too muddy. The ground is very very rocky but there still enough dirt to make mud. Does anybody have any opinions on this idea?

My whole run turned to mud this weekend. SO MUCH RAIN. No issues with muddy feet though. The chickens handle mud with no problems. It's us clumsy humans that have difficulties with the stuff.

They are good at walking across and turning it into a fine slurry. I sink a few inches so straw goes in to stop that.

 

[Duck Drover]

I use a high pressure hose to dilute the mud and basically wash the manure out of it so then the water drains into the soil. It seems like a strange concept to add water to mud to dry it our but it actually works because it breaks down anything that traps the watercin the soil to create mud. The worst mud we get is due to fallen leaves or mulch holding in the moisture and not allowing the water to soak into the ground so I make sure the ground is bare undervthe trees (or grass is growing) in order to soak up the rain water. We have gutter spouts that dump so much water in certain areas that I have sloped the yard to get the water to spread as it moves downhill away from the house but it does go past the main coop so I have to make sure it does not get dammed up in order to form puddles that the ducks will enlarge if they get a chance. Rain barrels would help alot but using the hose to keep the water running off downhill and diluting the mud works the best and the ground dries out pretty quick once there is nothing to absorb and hold water. Our ground is rocky and sandy so we have pretty good drainage as long as the rich topsoil is not keeping the water from soaking into the ground.

We also got some used deck boards and made sections of boardwalk that can go over the areas where the gutters run off and that is helping by allowing the water to flow and drain while keeping a dry and yet easily cleaned walkway. I spend alot more time cleaning up after the chickens while the ducks just love the rain and mud. My garden area is muddy because I use rabbit manure as fertilizer and the little time release pellets get saturated when it gets wet but the worms are attracted to it and then the ducks love the worms that surface to feed when it gets muddy so they are as happy as can be digging around the muddy garden. The chickens are not nearly as happy when it rains but the ducks absolutely love it.

 

[Chickielady]

They are good at walking across and turning it into a fine slurry. I sink a few inches so straw goes in to stop that.

I do not add straw anymore...it worked fine for a few days but them the birds rotovate it into the poop soup & it turns into very heavy & thick adobe MUD that I end up having to pitchfork out again (with the added weight of the mud this time) and it was hell on my back..
I have pea gravel in my runs, and I use the deep well pump (all by itself) to wash the clay slurry from the gravel, which creats a manureavalanch or poop soup running down the hill....and leaves the pea gravel nice & clean.

 

[Chickielady]

Here is one for Penny!!!

What's the difference between a doughnut and a deernut? Doughnuts are about $4 per dozen, deernuts are under a buck.

Another :

What do you call a chicken halfway across a road? Poultry in motion!

 

[clawstar]

So could I rake up the mud and put it in the compost? If I dig like mini ditches in the really muddy parts would that help keep the run dry as long as the ditches don't get filled up or blocked?

 

[Chickielady]

STOOOOOOPID ! Sorry peeps, I just had to post this...forgive me !

What do you call a caveman who wanders aimlessly? A Meanderthal.