Daily progress August 6

in #chickens6 years ago

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I don't think the chickens like the pine in their roosting box...

when I went to work at 10 they were still roosted on the limb and wall in the run. I hope they're alright tonight. I included a before and after of underneath their roosting place in the box. (I'm not sure I know the right words for all this stuff 😂)

Sam and I took about 90% of the drippings and old bedding from the box and put it in the south compost heap. It was about half a tote full. Then we put pine needles in the box and some in the run. We'll see if they get acclimated.

Post is getting a bit long for steepshot, so I'll chill.

stay relevant

Nate


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I think this is an excellent article you want to read
https://permaculturenews.org/2014/11/11/chicken-systems-of-zaytuna-farm/

Also, I am going to do a podcast on chickens in a little bit :) And will get to doing a post - or a couple - on the building of our chicken area. hopefully soon....

Ooh, Geoff Lawton! A name I've heard, I'll go read it straight away :)

I can't wait! I've been listening to a few episodes a day. Got a big kick out of the one about mooching homesteaders.

hahaha - that was fun :)

I was almost done editing when I realized that I lost a whole segment - oh, the joys of the podcasters LOL

Will be another couple of hours at least. But I have some good info for you.

Awesome! We added another couple of totes full of leaves and some weeds. You can tell they're really enjoying it all!

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Up to about 4 inches deep in 1/3 of the run now. I'm thinking I should start breeding some bugs for them. Perhaps mealworms.

Wow, 18" deep mulch! I've got a ways to go, but Sam and I are headed out to collect more leaves :)

Yup, not using right words, so it's hard to know exactly what you mean. But here's some facts:

Chickens like to roost on the highest place they can reach. If the roosts they are on are higher than where you want them, you might need to lower the roosts.

By box, I think you mean coop? If so, and it is hot, they may not want to be in there. Also, if you have not put them in and kept them in there, they will not recognize it as "home" or a "safe place". If it is hot during the day, it's probably best they aren't locked in. But that won't make your life easier for a while...

I don't have pine trees so can't speak to needles. I use pine shavings in my nest boxes because it's what's available here.

Your birds aren't laying yet, but do you have nest boxes inside the coop? If so, you want to make sure they do not sleep in them, if they deign to use the coop at night. Very bad habit resulting in dirty boxes and dirty eggs, hard to break. Might want to close off the boxes until they do start to lay.

To prevent sleeping in boxes once laying, make sure the roosts are higher than the boxes.

Sweet! That's a lot of information as always, thanks!

Yes, I guess I'm talking about the coop. Their nesting boxes are low, and they do sit on the highest rung in there.

For clarification: the place where they sleep is the "coop" and the place where they play, eat, and do chicken things is the "run," right? What is the entire structure called as a whole?

Yes, coop is the house they live in, run is the enclosure they go outside in. As far as an all encompassing name for both, it's just not coming to me that there is one.....

As for nesting boxes, we've got three in there I believe. One egg crate and one double box with access from outside. There's room inside for a couple more egg crates too. Should they be in the coop, or should I have some outside as well?

For 3 birds, I box is enough. LOL You will find they all have a favorite (usually the one most secluded) and only use that one. It doesn't matter if it's inside or outside, but you do want them to use it to save on Easter egg hunts daily. I wouldn't put it outside at first, then plan to move it later. It should be where you want them to lay. But until they start laying, I'd limit access to prevent them sleeping in them....

I need some more birds actually. May go pick a few up this weekend. We're actually at one pullet and three roosters. Guess we're over prepared in the nesting department at the moment lol

Re: droppings

If you want to retain the nutrients in the droppings, they need to have a good carbon:nitrogen ratio and be protected from rain until incorporated into the compost. I know you've not had rain for a while, but when it comes....

The book Salad Bar Beef (get it from the library) will explain the logistics better. It would be in the chapter where he explains the bedding pack he uses in winter.

Ahh, so I need to have my compost pile sheltered? I can do that. It's conveniently on a mounded area which should keep the rain from rising up to the heap. I bet I could make a simple tarp roof for it.

For that matter, I could scoop up the whole thing into the coop where it'll be more protected without needing to make anything new. I think you and @mariannewest were saying that's the better route to take.

I know the new poo will help a lot, but is it not beneficial to have a bin outside the coop as well that can have things in it that the chickens would eat? Or is the carbon/nitrogen of the leaves and chicken manure enough?

howdy there nateonsteemit! very interesting and educational to read this post and comments!

We're blessed with people far more knowledgeable than ourselves lol

I feel that way exactly everyday here on steemit. @goldenoakfarm is simply amazing!

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