Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[itsren]

Quote: I think it's fine to put them outside after a few weeks as long as you can keep them warm. I brooded chicks last fall and put them outside at the normal 6-8 weeks but still gave them a heat lamp until around 10 weeks I think. Worked great.
Both of these give me a good idea. Thanks! I was *really* wanting them outside prior to my son's birthday in early December, and it sounds like that is doable as long as I use a heat lamp. They will be 7 weeks a few days before his birthday. If I work hard at it, I might be able to pull of getting some sort of ranging set-up for the bigger girls, too, along with getting the new coop/run fnished.

 

[Stumpfarmer]

How well do wood pellets compost?

Really well, and very quickly; if I were making hot compost for vegetable beds I'd kick it up by adding 1/4 chickenmanure/wood pellets, but my composter is more of a worm and sowbug farm than anything so I just use woodpellet bedding as a mulch for roses.

The downside for bedding on wood pellets (which can be either pellet stove fuel or animal bedding; I go with price since the stove fuel actually has tighter contaminent standards) is that some chickens (I'm looking at you, Sylvia) think it's food and then you're stuck with the possibility of impaction. Sand is better since if they eat it it's just more grit; If it were a perfect world or I was somewhere either decomposed granite or crushed limestone was the paving matrix of choice I'd use that. If I were young and healthy I'd just go get an occassional wheelbarrow of sand from the pit at the other end of the field west of the house, which is coarser and less likely to be clay-covered than the sack stuff at HD.

 

[hallerlake]

Quote: I wondered if they'd try to eat it. I have a three bin compost system. The last bin is a tumbler. I really wish I had three tumblers, or even two tumblers. Moving the compost from one bin to another is a chore I could do without.

 

[Stumpfarmer]

How well do wood pellets compost?

Really well, and very quickly; if I were making hot compost for vegetable beds I'd kick it up by adding 1/4 chickenmanure/wood pellets, but my composter is more of a worm and sowbug farm than anything so I just use wood pellet bedding as a mulch for roses.


The downside for bedding on wood pellets (which can be either pellet stove fuel or animal bedding; I go with price since the stove fuel actually has tighter contaminent standards) is that some chickens (I'm looking at you, Sylvia) think it's food and then you're stuck with the possibility of impaction. Sand is better since if they eat it it's just more grit; If it were a perfect world or I was somewhere either decomposed granite or crushed limestone was the paving matrix of choice I'd use that. If I were young and healthy I'd just go get an occassional wheelbarrow of sand from the pit at the other end of the field west of the house, which is coarser and less likely to be clay-covered than the sack stuff at HD.

I wondered if they'd try to eat it. I have a three bin compost system. The last bin is a tumbler. I really wish I had three tumblers, or even two tumblers. Moving the compost from one bin to another is a chore I could do without.

My composter is one of the 75 gallon heavy-duty plastic cones. Since the kids moved out my kitchen compost is about half coffee grounds; vegetable and fruit scraps (minus banana peels and sprouting onions) go to the chickens so most of what I'm composting now is sheep manure and waste hay. Sheep manure is really cold stuff; I'm tempted to grab a cow pie or two after the two-week Valbizen wormer withdrawal to up the nitrogen content.

 

[Rainwolf]

How well do wood pellets compost?

They are wood bedding pellets sold at the feed store for horses and such. Spray them with water and they fall apart. The ones I cleaned out last fall were gone by spring. The chickens kept spreading that pile out for me and I kept raking it back up. I had the volunteer squash come up there and they did really well, until we had that frost take them out the beginning of September.

I use wood stove pellets that have no additives.

Just be aware that pellets expand as the get wet from droppings...

1 cup pellets = 3 cups of wood sawdust

The reason I use it is due to composting... I already have enough sand in my yard so I use the pellets and dropping to add to my bad ground areas. It works rather well!

How is the cost compared to shavings?

Well I use it in the brooder mostly but the smell is much better and a 50lb bag is $3 to $4 and last awhile about 8 weeks of my brooder per bag unless I have more then 1 brooder running

I've thought about using in my hen house but my big birds are not in the hen house except at night so I just use shavings in the nest box and the old nest box shavings on the floor

 

[Rainwolf]

anyone want to visit the local evil walmart? I want to see if they will price match for canning jars.....
The place that has the super low price is out in all of western wa

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

anyone want to visit the local evil walmart? I want to see if they will price match for canning jars.....
The place that has the super low price is out in all of western wa

They should price match if you have a paper copy of the price you are wanting matched. If the clerk won't do it, ask for a manager, they usually will do it just to keep your business.

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

Quote: I think it's fine to put them outside after a few weeks as long as you can keep them warm. I brooded chicks last fall and put them outside at the normal 6-8 weeks but still gave them a heat lamp until around 10 weeks I think. Worked great.
After six weeks, I expect I'll only turn on the heat lamp at night for a couple more weeks, unless the temps turn really cold.

I am putting my 6 week olds out in the tractor this weekend. I have a heat lamp on a timer for night time temps. It has been getting down to mid 30's where I live. I have been taking them out in it during the day for "play dates" since the first week.

 

[Slinglings]

anyone want to visit the local evil walmart? I want to see if they will price match for canning jars.....
The place that has the super low price is out in all of western wa

I don't think I can next week, DH's parents are visiting from Monday-Monday, but the following week I could probably take you (week of Oct 30), if you don't mind going to Hobby Lobby with me And is there anywhere up there (MillCreek/Lynnwood) to get chicken feed? . It would be T-TH or F. between 9:30 and 2. I don't *think* I have anything scheduled on those days yet.

That might be longer than you want to wait though.

 

[VelvettFog]

Quote:
You do not need to clean their feet.