Peep Peep

Chick Days has finally arrived! Who will be starting or adding to their brood? I know we will be adding some new tiny girls to our group!

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The Hunt for a Chicken Waterer

I wanted to share some small but very good news with my fellow readers. We finally found a waterer that works! Wahoo! Since we got the eight little hens we have been struggling to find a watering system that would be care free and provide enough water that all eight hens have the opportunity to drink at the same time.

The first one we tried was a gravity fed galvanized 3 gallon waterer. But the gravity feed on it was not working properly so the water just kept spilling over the edge until the waterer was empty and the bedding became soaked. Back to the store that went. The next two we tried were both plastic waterers, also 3 gallon I believe. The first one the handle broke off which is what controls the gravity feed. The second one the ring around the top that seals the lid snapped. Back to the store those two went as well. In between all of the returns and frustration we used a regular glass bowl in the brooder box for the chicks and when they were bigger switched over to a Tupperware tub (This is what you are seeing in the video at the top of the page). The glass bowl when they were chicks we also placed and even smaller bowl in the center to take up some of the space to prevent drowning. Chicks are not as equipped as hens to get out of water as easily and we wanted to prevent anyone for being harmed. With the Tupperware tub, this was large enough that several hens could drink at the same time in the coop and we raised it up a bit on some stones for easier access. The only big downside to these two options was we had to change the water every single day. They are not closed off watering systems and sometimes bedding would get in there or the girls would tip them over and we would have to clean up and refill. I did not mind doing this in the spring and summer because we had our garden hose right next to the coop and we could just fill it up each time. However, once winter came, it was a whole different ball game.

 Now I cannot complain too much because this winter so far has been relatively mild. However, we have had some freezing temperatures which led to frozen water in the coop. As I have mentioned in previous posts, water is essential to the hens health especially in the winter because they are consuming more food to keep warm hence they drink more water. We would have to break the ice up or dump it out and pour fresh water in. It was okay at first, but if the water in the bowl was frozen then that usually means the water in the hose was also frozen. Not the easiest task to accomplish. We would have to go inside the house fill up the waterer and bring it back out, sometimes multiple times a day depending on the weather. I really did not mind doing this for the little ladies but it was becoming quite the chore.

  This was all until Cory found the best waterer!! It is a tall skinny plastic electric waterer!! Electric!! It holds 3 gallons of water and has a plug that you just hook up to an extension cord or however you want to get power to it and boom you are done. No freezing water and no changing it every day! It is a beautiful thing! Haha. We set this up on top of a milk crate in the coop to keep it higher to make it easier for the hens to drink out of but also to keep the bedding out of it. When the hens scratch they tend to make quiet a mess and so you want to make sure their water is always clean. The waterer also has an internal thermostat so it only runs when it is beginning to get below freezing otherwise it will shut itself off! We have had it for a few months or so now and have had no complaints yet (fingers crossed). 

Winter Wonderland

Footprints in the first snowfall

This winter season is really throwing me for a loop this year. I was anticipating heavy snow, bone-chilling temperatures and a battle between us and mother nature. So far, we had one soft snowy day and it did not even stick to the ground. Don't get me wrong, I am totally happy not having to shovel my car out of the snow, but I was prepared to help our little hens tackle the winter.
   This is our first winter with the girls and so I wanted to make sure we were ready for the challenge. I did a lot of research in preparation of the colder months to understand the do's and don'ts for chicken keeping.
    Chickens are known for not being huge fans of snow. When we did have the one day of light snow fall the girls went outside and looked a little confused. They kept picking their tiny feet up and pecking the ground trying to understand what this cold white stuff was. Since we have been lucky without having a large amount of snow yet we haven't had to worry about the run as much. A few ideas of what to do when it does snow is you can cover the snow with some straw for the chickens to walk on. If the snow becomes deep, you will probably have to shovel an area for them to peck around and free range. If you have a smaller run, I have read other owners covered their run with a tarp to keep the snow off the ground. Our run is more of a larger fenced in area so we will be picking up our shovels and make a path for the ladies.
    Our coop is pretty much squared away since we are already doing the deep little method that adds extra insulation to keep the hens warm. You will want to make sure there is no draft in the coop. Chickens are able to sustain pretty cold temperatures by huddling together. It is easier for them to get warm in the winter with their natural down coats than to cool down in the summer. However, too much wind can cause the chickens to get frostbite and sick. If the wind is too much in the coop you can tarp the outside. It is important to make sure your coop has great ventilation since the hens might spend some more time inside than they normally do. If you see a build up of condensation on your coop windows, that means you do not have enough ventilation and need to come up with a way to get better air circulation.
Water is the enemy in colder months. It is sort of a catch twenty-two when it comes to water. You need to keep the coop as dry as possible to keep the hens healthy, yet you need to make sure the hens always have access to drinking water. The reason being, hens consume more food in the winter to keep their bodies warm and in turn drink more water. Water freezes. You can get a heated bowl that plugs in and keep the water at an above freezing temperature. Or you can make several trips from the inside to the outside changing out the frozen water for fresh water. (which we have been doing since the temps have been above freezing most nights). Another idea I read about is placing a ping pong ball in the water to keep the water in constant motion to prevent freezing. I have not tried that one yet!
 It is not recommended to insulate your coop. This can cause humidity and ammonia levels to increase which can cause your hens to become ill. If you purchase hearty birds they are built to handle colder temperatures. The only thing I would keep an eye on is their feet, wattles and combs to make sure they are not getting frostbite. These are areas of their bodies where they release heat. Our White Leghorns have larger combs so they are more susceptible to frostbite than our other hens since the combs are farther away from their bodies. To be proactive in preventing frostbit you can put petroleum jelly on these body parts to give them a layer of protection.
 Do not be surprised if your egg production decreases a little bit. The hens go through an adjustment with the season changes and sometimes they do not lay as frequently. They are getting use to temperature changes and the fact that in the winter it gets darker earlier. Hens usually need 12 hours of daylight to lay productively. Some owners place supplemental light in the coop to keep production up. We decided we are not going to do that only because we are not dependent on having the large volume of eggs. They will lay when they lay! Also, you will want to collect your eggs more frequently to prevent them from freezing. Adding straw to the egg boxes helps for a little bit of extra insulation.  Lastly, the hens wanted to celebrate the holiday season too so we added some lights to the outside of the coop! We turn them off at "bed time" so they can get some rest. It is a fun and festive way to jazz up the outside of the coop.

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!!

The Deep Litter Method

       When looking into what type of bedding we wanted to use for the coop we found a simple yet effective technique called the Deep Litter Method. They suggest that pine shavings for bedding are the best to use. You would not want to purchase cedar shavings because those have led to respiration problems with chickens. They also recommend when using the Deep Litter Method you will want to mix the bedding with diatomaceous earth (DE). Make sure you purchase the food grade diatomaceous earth because if the hens consume it, it gets passed to their eggs which you eat, so you want to make sure it is safe for you as well. DE also is helpful in preventing mites, fleas and ticks in the coop and on the chickens. It is a natural bug repellent. We actually sprinkle some around the outside of our house to keep ants and spiders at bay. It works!  They also mention that if you mix some in the chickens feed it helps to keep their eggs clean while they lay. It is a very safe product all around.

 To build up your litter you first want to add about 4-6 inches of pine shavings to your coop floor. Then take some of the DE and sprinkle it over the top surface area of the pine shavings. Now you could mix it in yourself or let the chickens do it when the scratch while they are in there. Either way is fine. I prefer to mix it in myself. Pine shavings are good for soaking up any moisture and the DE helps to keep the bedding dry. It dries up the chickens droppings so the ammonia in the air is low which helps with the chickens health and keeps the smell of the coop fresh. After a while, the bedding will begin to break down. Essentially you are creating a compost inside the chicken coop. You will want to stir the bedding (I do it daily) with a yard rake or pitch fork. The chickens will mix it up when they are inside the coop, but free-range chickens tend to not mix it enough because they are not in there as often. You want to make sure it is not matted down otherwise the break down process will not work correctly. You will noticed if it needs to be rotated because it will look dusty in the coop and the bedding on top will be too dry as opposed to the bedding on the bottom. Each week or every other week you can add another inch or so of bedding to freshen it up and to begin to build the layers. Theoretically, you are supposed to only have to change their bedding in the coop once a year with the deep litter method. It is very safe and sanitary in both respects for the chickens. We will be changing ours every 6 months which is just a personal preference.

  Typically, you would want to change the bedding as the seasons change. We are doing ours during the fall and then will change it again in the spring. I read that in the summer you want to keep the bedding layers a little lighter than you would in the winter because it does add extra insulation. Which is great when it is freezing temperatures to help keep the hens warm but dreadful when its 90 and the chickens are trying to keep cool. So the bedding in our coop during the summer and into fall was light but we have began to beef it up a bit because winter is right around the corner.

 You will also notice that the scent in the coop will begin to smell earthy. That is the best way I can describe it which is normal. If it smells like ammonia that is not a good thing. I would suggest cleaning the coop out and trying again if that happens. The Deep Litter Method is not for everyone. If you prefer to change the bedding more frequently that is perfectly fine. We just found that this is a safe, sanitary, and even a highly-cost effective way to do it. Not to mention it saves a good amount of time too!

 

Chicken Run

Recently, the little chicken ladies turned seven months old. Now that they are older and officially comfortable with their surroundings one of their favorite things to do is go exploring. They are always out on the prowl to find new places to scratch, peck for snacks, and take dirt baths. When they first were placed outside they were timid. Always stayed in a group and usually remained in one small portion of the yard. Not anymore! They each have developed their own personalities and do not mind at times breaking off from the group to do their own thing.
  At first, Cory and I were fine with this because they always found their way back to the coop at dusk. We would leave them out for a while when we ran errands so they were free ranging for most of the day which they enjoyed. This was all until I encountered the fox and we realized they were getting into things that they should not be. For example, they loved laying and eating all of the flowers out of the flower pots I had put together. Which I was not very fond of! Haha. We decided it was time for fencing. Our goal was to create an area around the coop that was large enough for the chickens to range in. With that in mind, right now since we are around the house when they are outside we were not building a fence to keep predators out but more to keep the chickens in. Eventually, we will develop our fencing more with bird netting etc. to keep predators out but we wanted to create a basic fencing foundation first.
      Fencing can be quiet expensive if you have to purchase everything for the store, however, it is still an option! Luckily for us, Cory is very creative when it comes to projects like this so we were able to do this at an affordable cost. The fencing itself we found for free. The wire portion we found at our local town transfer station; someone had graciously set it aside! We also incorporated some wooden fencing that was set out for free in the neighborhood. The fence posts, Cory had cut down small trees from the back woods earlier in the year. To create a gate, we will be using a portion of the wooden fence with some hinges, a lock, handles, and a wheel on the bottom to help support some weight and improve moment for opening and closing. This will allow us access to the coop and run as well as an easy way to occasionally let the chickens out to range in the rest of the yard.

This is what the post hole auger looked like

Once all of the materials were gathered the first step was to dig the holes for the posts. We rented a post hole auger and every eight feet around the coop we dug down two feet to create the holes. The area ended up being 24x24 which is plenty of room for the tiny girls. The posts were set in a mixture of cement and dirt. We wanted to make sure they were sturdy enough to hold the fencing and the gate once we put them up. We let the posts set overnight.
  The next day it was time to add the fencing. Across the back area of the coop towards the woods we used a large portion of the wooden fencing because the ground was more level and that is where the chickens tended to "break out" of the coop area. The rest of the way around we use the wire fencing. We did stack two layers of wire fencing behind the coop next to the wooden portion just to make sure they would not try and fly out. It does also provide a barrier for predators even though that was not our main concern at this time. Our woods is the home to many hungry creatures so any means to protect the chickens is always helpful.
   There are three chickens that I like to refer to as the three amigos; Betty, Luna and Dumpling. They are always the three that break out of the coop area to go roam around the rest of the yard. They never seems to want to follow the rules! Haha. No matter how many barriers we tried to create they always managed to find a way out. However, now that we have the official fencing up they have been staying all together which has helped lower our anxiety levels and puts our minds at ease. Knowing they are safer while they are outside is a great benefit to building the fencing!

Snack Time!!

 

 

    Who doesn't love snack time? I sure do! The rule of thumb when giving chickens a snack is to not feed them anything that you would not eat yourself. That means if you have something that has expired it is suggested to not feed that to your hens.  I was doing some research to see what types of snacks that chickens could eat and if there was anything in particular that is not good for them. So far, what I have seen is they can pretty much have anything. I would not advise you go out and get them a snickers bar, but giving them fruits, vegetables and even scrambled eggs would be delicious treats that they would enjoy. I would give the girls scrambled eggs every once in a while when they were babies to make sure they were getting enough protein. Recently, I found that one of their favorite snacks are mealworms. You can buy live mealworms to feed them but that freaked me out so we got the dried ones. They come in a bag that you can purchase at your local pet or tractor supply store. They are obsessed with them. There are several different varieties that you can buy when it comes to mealworms which I found interesting. They are like the potato chips for chickens haha! There are mealworms that are plain, or you can purchase a mix. Mealworms with corn, mealworms with sunflower seeds etc.

   I also use these bag of mealworms to my advantage as well. I taught the girls that as soon as I start shaking the bag they all start running towards it and then I sprinkle a bunch on the ground and it turns into a feeding frenzy. It is hilarious watching them all sprinting over to the sounds of the shaking bag. They come flying around the corner or down the ramp of the coop to get a taste of their favorite treat. When we first fed it to them we would put some in our hands and let them peck at it but that led to them climbing all over each other and to be honest their pecks hurt a little bit. Placing them on the ground is much easier and creates less of a mess.

What's on your beak Peanut?

  Snacks can also be used as boredom busters. I was doing some looking around on my favorite chicken website Backyard Chickens to try and gather some ideas of what to give them in the Winter since I am assuming they will not want to be outside as much due to the cold. ( I could be proven wrong on this since this will be our first winter with the ladies so stay tuned). However, I read that you can get a head of lettuce and tie it inside the coop with a string so it hangs and the chickens will peck at it for hours. It is a nice treat and a way to occupy their time so they do not begin to pick on each other. Another one I would like to try is putting feed or a chicken “snack mix” into a water bottle with holes that they can peck at. Kind of like those treat toys you can purchase for your dog. The ones that they pat around and bite and eventually a treat falls out. I want to do something similar to that since they love to scratch their feet and peck at things. You can mix anything together and put it in there. I was thinking about corn, raisins, maybe dried fruit. I also recently purchased a treat square. It has sunflower seeds and mealworms compacted together so the chickens can peck and scratch at it and break it apart. I have not give it to the girls yet but I am fairly certain they are going to love it!

They all come together for snack time!

  Now I do not give the chickens snacks every day because I do not want their healthy lifestyles to become unhealthy by being over fed. However, every few days they get some mealworms or left over fruit and veggies. We will want to monitor the amount of snacks they get in the winter if they are not getting as much exercise because that could lead to other problems with their legs, overall health etc. Chickens are already known to consume more food and water in the winter as a means to help keep themselves warm without snacks included.  

    Also, when giving them treats make sure you size them down so they are easy for the chickens to swallow and digest. They get so excited trying to eat it they almost swallow the food whole so make sure it is portioned small enough that the do not have any issues. Happy Snacking!