baby daddy
gardener
Laugh when you can, Apoligize when you should, Let go of the things you can't change.
Posts: 132
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Post by baby daddy on Jan 1, 2011 18:27:55 GMT -5
Thought I would post some pics, and what little info I have (novice level) . So if you have some pics and info you would like to share.. Well then show us what ya got.....   The girls.. Golden Comets, Wynndots, Cinnamon Queen, and Ugly Betty our Turken  Collecting rent..  |
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baby daddy
gardener
Laugh when you can, Apoligize when you should, Let go of the things you can't change.
Posts: 132
|
Post by baby daddy on Jan 1, 2011 18:48:40 GMT -5
One of the great benefits from our chicken coup is the fertilizer for the garden. I usually clean the coup once a month getting anywhere from 1 to 2 five gallon buckets of a mixture of manure and straw.
The fresh eggs and knowing that we are raising happy chickens that get to see daylight, are not confined to small cages until they end up deep fried in a cardboard bucket is also appealing to us.
Winter feed is usually a fifty fifty mixture of cracked corn and layer crumbles. They are also allow to free range weather permitting. Occasionally I will crack a pumpkin open in the winter for them and veggie scraps and scraps of fresh baked bread.
Summer allows them to roam more and cuts back on feed expense, and they happily fertilize the crab grass that has taken over our yard. ( I don't have time or money to invest in a lawn.)
When building the coop I did some research and found some neat ideas. One was using 2x4s for the roosts. The 2 x 4s were laid on their sides to give a flatter surface for their feet. This is a great benefit in the winter in that their entire foot can be covered by their body and prevent freezing.
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Post by steev on Jan 1, 2011 18:56:48 GMT -5
Thanks for the 2x4 tip.
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Post by flowerpower on Jan 2, 2011 7:52:59 GMT -5
Winter feed is usually a fifty fifty mixture of cracked corn and layer crumbles. Is there a specific reason you give crumbles instead of pellet? I think the birds waste more of the crumbles. |
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baby daddy
gardener
Laugh when you can, Apoligize when you should, Let go of the things you can't change.
Posts: 132
|
Post by baby daddy on Jan 4, 2011 17:25:11 GMT -5
No not really, thats just what I'm used to buying, but that is something that I may try the next time. I have noticed they are not free choosing the cracked corn much at all right now, so I guess I'll cut back on that for a while. I kinda surprised me, cause I thought with the cold weather they would use more than what they have.
Maybe it's the home made bread that is spoiling them....
Another thing that I didn't mention earlier, when constructing our coop, I used a piece of vinyl on the floor of the coup to make it easier to clean.
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Post by flowerpower on Jan 5, 2011 6:40:53 GMT -5
Home made bread will spoil anyone.  Luckily, there was already vinyl flooring where I wanted to keep the birds. It really does help. |
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Luckily, there was already vinyl flooring where I wanted to keep the birds. It really does help.