Comments on: Latest Scoop From The Coop http://www.vintagegardengal.com/2009/08/07/latest-scoop-from-the-coop/ Cultivating the best of gardening, vintage containers, home-grown food, and vineyard lifestyle. Wed, 16 May 2012 14:51:08 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Bonnie Manion http://www.vintagegardengal.com/2009/08/07/latest-scoop-from-the-coop/#comment-701 Bonnie Manion Mon, 24 May 2010 13:43:30 +0000 http://www.vintagegardengal.com/?p=3690#comment-701 Sharon, sounds like your are on the right track. I do a through quarterly cleaning of my chicken coop, and replenish with fresh bedding when ever necessary. I actually remove my hen's manure and soiled bedding, putting it in my compost bin every day along with kitchen scraps. You are doing wonderful. Yes, chickens will bond with you easily if you raise them from a young age. Thanks for your wonderful comment....VintageGardenGal Sharon, sounds like your are on the right track. I do a through quarterly cleaning of my chicken coop, and replenish with fresh bedding when ever necessary. I actually remove my hen’s manure and soiled bedding, putting it in my compost bin every day along with kitchen scraps. You are doing wonderful. Yes, chickens will bond with you easily if you raise them from a young age. Thanks for your wonderful comment….VintageGardenGal

]]> By: Sharon Zen http://www.vintagegardengal.com/2009/08/07/latest-scoop-from-the-coop/#comment-700 Sharon Zen Sun, 23 May 2010 14:42:02 +0000 http://www.vintagegardengal.com/?p=3690#comment-700 Bonnie- update from Indiana - the horse ladies have their 13 chickens at home now...they are enjoying the Taj Majal of hen houses (well, at least WE think it is the TM!). Everyone having a great time watching them chirp, explore, peck, etc. They are now climbing on top of our shoulders and legs if we sit on the floor of the coop with them. A few will walk right on to our hands if we are quiet about it! A question on the deep litter method which we are using...we have about 4-5 inches of pine shavings down - and have been turning it over every day, compost style. Seems to be working...is that enough for now? Realize in 6 months or so we may need to do a clean sweep of the place, but it all seems to be decomposing underneath...or am I just imagining this? Ha! Could be wishful thinking, but anyway, your good advice, please! Thanks for being such a wonderfully informative resource. Just great. Sharon Bonnie- update from Indiana – the horse ladies have their 13 chickens at home now…they are enjoying the Taj Majal of hen houses (well, at least WE think it is the TM!). Everyone having a great time watching them chirp, explore, peck, etc. They are now climbing on top of our shoulders and legs if we sit on the floor of the coop with them. A few will walk right on to our hands if we are quiet about it! A question on the deep litter method which we are using…we have about 4-5 inches of pine shavings down – and have been turning it over every day, compost style. Seems to be working…is that enough for now? Realize in 6 months or so we may need to do a clean sweep of the place, but it all seems to be decomposing underneath…or am I just imagining this? Ha! Could be wishful thinking, but anyway, your good advice, please! Thanks for being such a wonderfully informative resource. Just great. Sharon

]]> By: Bonnie Manion http://www.vintagegardengal.com/2009/08/07/latest-scoop-from-the-coop/#comment-699 Bonnie Manion Sun, 23 May 2010 13:57:24 +0000 http://www.vintagegardengal.com/?p=3690#comment-699 Daemon, I use pine shavings myself, and compost with them everyday. Straw is good, too. It is your preference. I find straw to be messier, and harder to work with. Both are fine. I have never had my chickens eat pine shavings, and be sick. Thanks for your great comment...VintageGardenGal Daemon, I use pine shavings myself, and compost with them everyday. Straw is good, too. It is your preference. I find straw to be messier, and harder to work with. Both are fine. I have never had my chickens eat pine shavings, and be sick. Thanks for your great comment…VintageGardenGal

]]> By: Daemon Rowanchilde http://www.vintagegardengal.com/2009/08/07/latest-scoop-from-the-coop/#comment-698 Daemon Rowanchilde Sat, 22 May 2010 00:59:29 +0000 http://www.vintagegardengal.com/?p=3690#comment-698 Pine shavings or straw or both? Hi Bonnie The time quickly approaches for us to receive our 6 FBCM hens and 2 Ameraucana hens. There are differing opinion about whether to use pine shavings or straw. Some people believe that the chickens will eat the shavings which may make them sick and that shavings will not compost. We live in Canada and believe that deep bed shavings will help the chickens stay cleaner and warmer in the winter, but we're not sure. What is your take on this subject? Pine shavings or straw or both?

Hi Bonnie

The time quickly approaches for us to receive our 6 FBCM hens and 2 Ameraucana hens. There are differing opinion about whether to use pine shavings or straw. Some people believe that the chickens will eat the shavings which may make them sick and that shavings will not compost. We live in Canada and believe that deep bed shavings will help the chickens stay cleaner and warmer in the winter, but we’re not sure. What is your take on this subject?

]]> By: Bonnie Manion http://www.vintagegardengal.com/2009/08/07/latest-scoop-from-the-coop/#comment-697 Bonnie Manion Thu, 29 Apr 2010 20:10:11 +0000 http://www.vintagegardengal.com/?p=3690#comment-697 Sharon, I converted a vintage child's playhouse into my chicken coop. It was a well worn floor. I didn't paint it or treat it with anything. I'm not familiar with Stall Dri. Chickens are very susceptible to their environment, whether it is temperature, fumes, chemicals. I always say leave the wood untreated. If you clean your coop on a regular basis, and you have adequate ventilation for your chickens you should not get an ammonia build up. As far as treats, I like to give my hens fresh lettuce every morning. Spinach, chard, lettuce, are all good. Sometimes I give them cut up wedges of pears and apples. It depends too, on what I have been cooking as far as vegetable scraps, too. I don't normally give them potato peels, brussels sprouts, onions. Remember, what you feed your hens will influence the taste of your eggs. Stick with fresh greens, and some fruit. Try bananas and strawberrie, some like them, and some don't. Thanks for your questions....VintageGardenGal Sharon, I converted a vintage child’s playhouse into my chicken coop. It was a well worn floor. I didn’t paint it or treat it with anything. I’m not familiar with Stall Dri. Chickens are very susceptible to their environment, whether it is temperature, fumes, chemicals. I always say leave the wood untreated. If you clean your coop on a regular basis, and you have adequate ventilation for your chickens you should not get an ammonia build up.

As far as treats, I like to give my hens fresh lettuce every morning. Spinach, chard, lettuce, are all good. Sometimes I give them cut up wedges of pears and apples. It depends too, on what I have been cooking as far as vegetable scraps, too. I don’t normally give them potato peels, brussels sprouts, onions. Remember, what you feed your hens will influence the taste of your eggs. Stick with fresh greens, and some fruit. Try bananas and strawberrie, some like them, and some don’t. Thanks for your questions….VintageGardenGal

]]> By: Sharon Zens http://www.vintagegardengal.com/2009/08/07/latest-scoop-from-the-coop/#comment-696 Sharon Zens Thu, 29 Apr 2010 19:07:36 +0000 http://www.vintagegardengal.com/?p=3690#comment-696 Bonnie - me again. Wrote to you earlier about the "horse" ladies starting the coop. We have 13 three week old chicks...almost ready to go in our hen house! Question - we have put in an untreated plywood floor as advised, but I noticed some people use Stall Dri or other products to help with amonia smell. Not sure I like the thought of doing that - can you tell me if you use anything on your floor, prior to the shavings being put down? Also, advice on what scraps NOT to give-I did hear that potato peels were not good for them. Thanks very much for your expert advice! Bonnie – me again. Wrote to you earlier about the “horse” ladies starting the coop. We have 13 three week old chicks…almost ready to go in our hen house! Question – we have put in an untreated plywood floor as advised, but I noticed some people use Stall Dri or other products to help with amonia smell. Not sure I like the thought of doing that – can you tell me if you use anything on your floor, prior to the shavings being put down? Also, advice on what scraps NOT to give-I did hear that potato peels were not good for them. Thanks very much for your expert advice!

]]> By: Bonnie Manion http://www.vintagegardengal.com/2009/08/07/latest-scoop-from-the-coop/#comment-695 Bonnie Manion Mon, 04 Jan 2010 15:36:45 +0000 http://www.vintagegardengal.com/?p=3690#comment-695 Debra, that is so wonderful. They are happy. Congratulations. Thanks for your comment....VintageGardenGal Debra, that is so wonderful. They are happy. Congratulations. Thanks for your comment….VintageGardenGal

]]> By: Debra Polasko http://www.vintagegardengal.com/2009/08/07/latest-scoop-from-the-coop/#comment-694 Debra Polasko Sun, 03 Jan 2010 00:34:52 +0000 http://www.vintagegardengal.com/?p=3690#comment-694 My baby guinea hens finally got old enough for me to tell them apart. I have one male and one female. The female laid her first egg today. I was so excited! My baby guinea hens finally got old enough for me to tell them apart. I have one male and one female. The female laid her first egg today. I was so excited!

]]> By: Bonnie Manion http://www.vintagegardengal.com/2009/08/07/latest-scoop-from-the-coop/#comment-693 Bonnie Manion Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:25:51 +0000 http://www.vintagegardengal.com/?p=3690#comment-693 Your first egg is always so exciting! November does seem like an odd time to start laying. Yes, I will write more about chickens and my hens. Thanks for your great comment...VintageGardenGal Your first egg is always so exciting! November does seem like an odd time to start laying. Yes, I will write more about chickens and my hens. Thanks for your great comment…VintageGardenGal

]]> By: -d! http://www.vintagegardengal.com/2009/08/07/latest-scoop-from-the-coop/#comment-692 -d! Mon, 23 Nov 2009 07:38:59 +0000 http://www.vintagegardengal.com/?p=3690#comment-692 It's been two full summers and 8 birds but today we just got our first egg! So yeah, late November isn't really let's talk about chickens time - but i'm chicken excited today and would like very much to see you do new chicken articles. It's been a few months now.. wink-wink! It’s been two full summers and 8 birds but today we just got our first egg!
So yeah, late November isn’t really let’s talk about chickens time – but i’m chicken excited today and would like very much to see you do new chicken articles. It’s been a few months now.. wink-wink!

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