Hi Folks,
Got this article this morning from the MEN newsletter I get.
Be sure to read the pros and cons all the way through the article.
I had great luck with allowing debris, straw etc. to build up in the coop and yard run for my girls during the winter when I had my girls. The lower parts decomposed and I could put them in the garden and the upper kept them warmer and away from the damp ground.
My personal choice was to never feed the girls meat, bones or other animal scrapes on the theory that it encouraged canabalism. But I never thought to just through all the other type scrapes in there. I gave them what I "thought" they would like and the rest of the veg matter went into the compost pile. I kind of like the idea of basically having one large 'compost' area if I have hens again. They do a great job of 'sorting'. :-)
Replies
I started this this summer when I got my ladies. Large flake pine shavings. The problem was the mister. All was fine until this month with the humidity. The shavings got too wet and then the ground beneath. It was starting to rot and mold.
I turned down the mist rate and removed the rot. But composting in place should work well in the cooler months.
Just a warning, FWIW.
The problem wasn't your mister...the problem was the pine shavings. When they get wet, they clump together too much and choke out the ground below. You'd be better with hay or straw, wood chips, or rice hulls. I use shavings inside the nesting area, but that's it.
What do you use outside the nesting area? I tried straw but the ladies did not like it at all (it didn't soak up the poop as well as the shavings and the ladies got cranky) The straw also attracted ants like crazy. The shaving do get wet by the misters so I am looking for a replacement, especially in the summer. :/
I've been afraid to do a deep litter method as we have a lot of scorpions and I don't need to get stung again or have one of the girls get stung. It would be a perfect location for them to hide out in.
When we bought our house last year, we had a huge scorpion problem. When the ladies were old enough to finally go outside in the coop, the scorpions were gone in a week. I don't know if they scared them or ate them but the scorpions we saw every last year have not been spotted once this year.