897tgigvib
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That sounds like a good plan BayMule
Chicken question..
- Thread starter RickF
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baymule
Garden Master
Thanks Marshall! It really does work! The coop is dirt floored and the girls are constantly scratching and turning that dirt. They enjoy the pea hulls, corn shucks, grass clippings and garden trimmings. They eat it, peck it to pieces, poop on it and scratch it and turn it into beautiful compost.marshallsmyth said:
When vegetables are winding down, broccoli for example, I pull a couple a day for the chickens. They get a good meal and I am satisfied that even a plant ending it's useful life is not wasted.
Smiles Jr.
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baymule - in your post #10 you said that you toss the compost stuff into the "coop". Do you mean that you actually put it inside the little building, or shed, or shack where the chickens roost? I have never heard of this before and I'm curious. Sometimes I dump our compost bucket from the kitchen into the chicken run but I don't put it inside the coop itself. I find that dumping the stuff in the run results in a messy chicken run (we always have lots of paper, coffee grounds, and ugly things in there) and it also attracts other critters that I don't necessarily want in there. But the biggest drawback to this practice is that I do not get much material to put on the compost heap when the animals are finished. The chickens spread it all over the place and critters drag it out of the run so I don't have anything left to call compost.
Smiles Jr.
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We're getting away from the OP's concerns about noisy chickens - sorry. Our chickens are very noisy in the mornings and especially when they are laying their eggs. I really do not think there is a cure for this condition.
baymule
Garden Master
Smiles, my coop is 8'x7' and has a dirt floor. I built it purposely without a "floor" as I wanted as low maintenance as possible. I worked long hours and didn't have much time for sweeping and scraping out the pretty little coop. So, yes I put the vegetable matter directly in the coop where the girls roost. I only have 8 hens, but have bought 3 cow panels to make a bowed run for them.........so I can get more chickens! 
The pea hulls, corn shucks, grass clippings, garden refuse, weeds etc all get put in the coop. The girls do all the work for me, they are happy and so am I. Added bonus: when it is scorching hot, I water them a corner down in the evening so the next day they have cool earth to burrow into.
When I build them a run (and get MORE chickens lol) I have plans to build a frame in which I will plant winter rye grass for them. I'll cover it with hardware cloth so they can't scratch it up, but can eat the grass as it grows up through the holes in the wire. I'll still dump "goodies" in their coop.
The pea hulls, corn shucks, grass clippings, garden refuse, weeds etc all get put in the coop. The girls do all the work for me, they are happy and so am I. Added bonus: when it is scorching hot, I water them a corner down in the evening so the next day they have cool earth to burrow into. When I build them a run (and get MORE chickens lol) I have plans to build a frame in which I will plant winter rye grass for them. I'll cover it with hardware cloth so they can't scratch it up, but can eat the grass as it grows up through the holes in the wire. I'll still dump "goodies" in their coop.
- Thread starter
- #16
RickF
Deeply Rooted
Boy.. You all have been busy!!! I disappeared for a few days and tons of replies magically appeared! Thanks All! No worries about steering the thread a bit.. I don't mind..
Our run is fairly small but our 4 little birds love it much better than being inside at this point.. We are still training them to walk up the ladder to the coop where they can spend the nights. I will take all of the advice given and not give into their odd behaviors if they have any -- and try to ensure they aren't training me!
So far I've put some grass clippings, some kitchen scraps (water melon rinds) and some of their old pine bedding on the floor of the run -- I've seen these little birds shuffling through all of it so that's a good start.. I realize it will take time before the stuff starts really doing anything but at least I've got 4 little 'turners' that I don't need to pay!
Our run is fairly small but our 4 little birds love it much better than being inside at this point.. We are still training them to walk up the ladder to the coop where they can spend the nights. I will take all of the advice given and not give into their odd behaviors if they have any -- and try to ensure they aren't training me!
So far I've put some grass clippings, some kitchen scraps (water melon rinds) and some of their old pine bedding on the floor of the run -- I've seen these little birds shuffling through all of it so that's a good start.. I realize it will take time before the stuff starts really doing anything but at least I've got 4 little 'turners' that I don't need to pay!
- Thread starter
- #17
RickF
Deeply Rooted
Boy.. You all have been busy!!! I disappeared for a few days and tons of replies magically appeared! Thanks All! No worries about steering the thread a bit.. I don't mind..
Our run is fairly small but our 4 little birds love it much better than being inside at this point.. We are still training them to walk up the ladder to the coop where they can spend the nights. I will take all of the advice given and not give into their odd behaviors if they have any -- and try to ensure they aren't training me!
So far I've put some grass clippings, some kitchen scraps (water melon rinds) and some of their old pine bedding on the floor of the run -- I've seen these little birds shuffling through all of it so that's a good start.. I realize it will take time before the stuff starts really doing anything but at least I've got 4 little 'turners' that I don't need to pay!
Our run is fairly small but our 4 little birds love it much better than being inside at this point.. We are still training them to walk up the ladder to the coop where they can spend the nights. I will take all of the advice given and not give into their odd behaviors if they have any -- and try to ensure they aren't training me!
So far I've put some grass clippings, some kitchen scraps (water melon rinds) and some of their old pine bedding on the floor of the run -- I've seen these little birds shuffling through all of it so that's a good start.. I realize it will take time before the stuff starts really doing anything but at least I've got 4 little 'turners' that I don't need to pay!
catjac1975
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I equate it to giving birth every day. Can you blame the poor girls?
Smiles said:
baymule
Garden Master
RickF, I know it gets HOT in LA, so you might want to let those watermelon rinds spend a night in the freezer and then give them to your girls. I call them "chicken popsicles"
I call them "chicken popsicles" - Thread starter
- #20
RickF
Deeply Rooted
Good idea.. I'll keep that in mind for next time.. Unfortunately even these 1 month old birds have had their go at them..baymule said:RickF, I know it gets HOT in LA, so you might want to let those watermelon rinds spend a night in the freezer and then give them to your girls.
