Welcome to my pond - Swim, wade, or sit on the bank

[shawluvsbirds]

Good to know... im kinda leaning toward dirt but may add sand during summer to help keep it cooler. But not sure yet.. the dirt is free, the sand isnt..

Deep litter method?

 

[Fields Mountain Farm]

Deep litter method?

Idk... ive read up on it, just not sure i could manage the turning part on my own. With the sand and dirt its mostly just some raking when needed...

 

[Alaskan]

Good to know... im kinda leaning toward dirt but may add sand during summer to help keep it cooler. But not sure yet.. the dirt is free, the sand isnt..

exactly why I don't usually add any.

 

[Alaskan]

Idk... ive read up on it, just not sure i could manage the turning part on my own. With the sand and dirt its mostly just some raking when needed...

exactly. With poop shelves it doesn't get that bad... even with my chicken hoard.

With the ducks, it is nice if you peel out the layer of poo on occasion.

 

[Fields Mountain Farm]

exactly why I don't usually add any.

Ivr read it supposed to help keep it cooler, do you know it thats so?
Although i suppose up where you are, keeping it cool im the summer probably isnt much of an issue?

 

[Fields Mountain Farm]

exactly. With poop shelves it doesn't get that bad... even with my chicken hoard.

With the ducks, it is nice if you peel out the layer of poo on occasion.

Ok.. yeah, I'll have ducks in one of the coops so wasn't sure what to do in theirs either..

 

[Alaskan]

yeah, no problem with heat here... none


Sand drains well... at times I wish for better drainage.

 

[Pyxis]

So, do emu have to be locked up at night like other poultry? Can't imagine much would target them unless you have big cats or bears or something.
And I would also like to know if you can saddle one up and ride it to work

A pack of coyotes could kill one, and probably a bear or mountain lion, but other than that they're pretty well too big for predators

You can't ride them, they're a bit too small for that. Ostriches you can though if you really want a bird to ride to work

 

[Fields Mountain Farm]

yeah, no problem with heat here... none


Sand drains well... at times I wish for better drainage.

Better drainage would be good. So far only one area gets gross after a bunch of rain but a duck pool and ducks might need the sand so it doesnt end up a mud pit.

 

[Alaskan]

only problem I have had with dirt floors, is where the walls started... isn't where they stay....

So some areas the floor gets higher (so my pop door gets smaller), and other spots the floor gets lower, so you suddenly have a nice gap for a predator entry or chicken escapes.

But then I have the same issue with my run... started out with that fence sunk a nice foot below ground... I now have some areas where there are entry/exit points.