Chickens and Ducks at school

   I am helping with the chicken coop at Faith North. Dont know much... The pen is nice sized, approx  20 x 20, there is a baby pool for the ducks, chicken feed in an automatic feeder, as well as water in an auto feed. The chicken coop is enlcosed within the pen and has a straw bedding floor along with several nests for the hens. The floor looks as if it has never been cleaned out. We're having a parent work day soon; Should we clean out this coop floor and put fresh straw down? How often does this need to be done, and how often should the bedding in the nests be changed?

   The floor of the pen is all gravel / dirt with a few desert agave around and a pine tree for overhead shade. I would like to put in an area for greens to grow and am planning to put in swiss chard plants for them there. I dont think there is any possibility of growing grass inside the pen, but it seems to me the animals would benefit from some sort of green area... Any suggestions?

 

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    • Hi Jay -
      We have a parent work day scheduled for this saturday (9/18) from 9 - noon, in case you are interested!!
      I am volunteering to care for the school's garden; my good friend, Laurie Clark has taken over the ODE duties.
      I will be at school tomorrow (wed) from about 11:00 til 2:30. Maybe we could meet if you have a teacher conference... I have much experience with gardens, but little with animals and we could use all the help we can get. Do you have compost experience too?

      Thanks,
      Laura (aka Miss Flowers)
    • Sorry, just noticed your note. Let me get back to you about Saturday - I'm supposed to be working on my old property this weekend - lots of clean-up since the renters have moved out. Not looking forward to it, but it has to get done. But, I may be able to spare an hour or two.

      RE: Composting - not really. Just started composting myself.
    • Jay-
      It was so great to meet you on saturday! Thank you so much for all your help. The parents at Faith North are SO GENEROUS with their time and money! I am thrilled with what got done in just that one day!!! This school is so dedicated to their garden and outdoor environment; I have never had this kind of cooperation before... it's a dream come true.
      I am going to take Rachel Bess' class on chickens ASAP, and hope to do some real interesting stuff with our chicken run. Susan wants to get rid of the ducks, get more hens, and sell the eggs to raise funds for the care of the flock... I am totally on board with that idea! I am hoping that by next year we will be able to open our coop up to the public for the 2011 Tour de Coops!!
      Let me know if you have any brilliant ideas!! Thanks again,

      Miss Flowes
  • Don't even try to grow chard inside the coop, those chickens will never let the seedlings get any higher than a sprout :)
    Chickens eat -EVERYTHING. If you have grass in the coop, well that will last maybe a week, then it is all eaten and gone. Best bet is to grow outside the coop and feed or let them browse as you allow. Or, fence off sections so that the chickens cannot get to the things until they are fully grown.

    Sounds like it might be a good idea to take the Rachel Bess Chicken class Sept. 25th. She also has an advanced class coming up Oct. 6th. She really knows her stuff and she has been raising all kinds of fowl for quite a while. Have fun! Chickens are great!

    OH! The Tour de Coops 2010 will be coming up Dec. 4th, that is a good way to get ideas from fellow chicken owners too!
  • just a thought for you...without a large enough area the ducks and chickens may not get along. The ducks can be aggressive toward the chickens, and they tend to be larger than the chickens. This is just a thought for you.
    The greens/grass would not really stand a chance of growing fast enough for the animals especially the ducks.....they can soon eat though a yard of grass what the don't eat gets tramped down,..
    • I have 7 ducks and 4 chickens in an area about 15x35. I have never had issues with aggression at any time of the season. I might suggest just keeping an eye on them to ensure flock happiness. Maybe aggression depends on the breed? Mine are beyond gentle.
  • Hi Laura,

    So nice to learn your school is providing a chicken coop. Where exactly are the nests/boxes? Are they on the floor, raised up? Most of us who have or are raising chickens and ducks have our preferences for handling the floor subject, so you will undoubtedly get other ideas. During the summer I liked to keep the floor cleared, so the birds if they wanted to could snuggle down into the dirt to cool off. During the winter I allowed the straw to pile up to add a layer of insulation to the floor in the cooler weather - when unlikely as it may seem the birds may molt and have fewer feathers.

    You may find it helpful to your girls to provide a dust/sand wallow area for them to help control bugs - they love rolling around in a dust or sand 'tub'

    If the nests/boxes are up, they should be cleaned when they are soiled -- if they are up I found my girls did not generally poop in the nests. If they are on the floor you will need to keep the straw fresh at all times.

    The hens in addition to the ducks will make use of the baby pool particularly in the hot weather the hens need to stand in water to help keep them cool - it really keeps the death rate down. Ducks and chickens together is doable, but the ducks tend to be like the Queen Mary ocean liner moving through the yard - the chickens will give them a wide path - so you will need to watch that the ducks do not keep the hens out of nesting boxes or provide nest boxes spread out, otherwise you will find eggs anywhere.

    As for growing grass inside the pen - it depends on sunlight availability and density of bird population - they love to scratch in the soil and it might be impossible to grow grass in the pen even with sufficient sunlight. Growing greens for them outside the pen is an excellent idea - they birds and the resulting eggs will be healthier. Mix up the greens, dark leaf lettuces are good for them also. They like certain weeds, so you can try different ones for them, while weeding gardens.

    Hope these help,

    Good Luck,
    Catherine
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