From: Community Chickens
By: Michelle Tullis
If you have chickens, you have a battle with poop. And if you're getting chickens, you'll soon find out.
I found that out last year when we bought our first mature laying hens ...
The first thing they did when we got them into the kennel to take home was to lay the biggest, foulest-smelling, fist-sized poop. I thought we may have made a huge mistake; there was no way we could have eight chickens pooping that much around our property! Researching poultry health and nutrition led me to this thread on the BackYardChickens.com (BYC) forum, and that led to a friendship with the author, a wildlife biologist.
One important point I've learned from my wildlife biologist friend is that an accumulation of poop and feather dander in your birds’ living quarters is unhealthy. I also discovered that what and how we were feeding our chickens was unhealthy. I started our chickens on Forage Cakes and amended their layer pellets with Ultra Kibble. The result is smaller, harder, walnut-sized, low-odor poop.
We got our food and water out of the coop and off the ground, and I constructed a "Poop Hammock" under their roost. The Poop Hammock is just that: A hammock hanging under the roost that collects poop. The apparatus was born from ideas gathered from email correspondence with my wildlife biologist friend. He suggested fabric tied under the roosts, preferably shade cloth.
For my Poop Hammock, you'll first need to construct your roost. Chickens would roost high off the ground on a branch, so if your chickens aren't too overweight, try giving them things to hop/fly up and down from (and get rid of those ridiculous ladders!). Make their roost at least a few feet off the ground. Mine has a lower bar 2 feet off the ground and the upper roost 4 feet off the ground. They roost on the higher one. I will replace the 2x4's with perfect, straight but undulating branches ... when I find them.
Once your roost is constructed (or reconstructed), measure for your fabric width, adding 2 inches (1 inch on each side) to fold and sew the edge. Measure between poles, dipping the tape about 12 inches below the lower bar and adding about 8 inches to that for the rod-pocket, depending on what type of rod you use (4" on each end). I used 1"x2"s.
The shade cloth I use is from Home Depot and cost about $30. If you're a fancy sewer or know someone who has the ability to create side gussets, that's what I did. They're just side panels that hold the poop in the hammock.
I've had people ask me how I train the chickens to poop in the hammock. Ha, I wish! Chickens naturally put themselves to bed at dusk, and from that time until dawn (when they're roosting), they'll poop. The Poop Hammock just catches that poop! No poop on the floor.
Use eye-bolts screwed into the tops of the 1"x2" s, cutting small holes in the shade cloth and burning the holes to prevent fraying. Match the eye-bolt positions to mark placement of the hooks you'll attach to the lower edge of the roost poles.
For easy, monthly cleanup: Unhook the Poop Hammock and carry it like a burrito out to the compost. Wear a mask and if your chicken poop is like ours, when you shake it the dried poop will just CRUMBLE out! I'll spray out any smears and occasionally use a push broom and some dish soap. It all takes less than 10 minutes. Really, no joke.
In keeping with the "keeping it clean" idea, let's move on to food and water.
First off, get your food and water OUT of the coop! If you read the thread I spoke about on the BYC forum, you will have read about the "poultry smut" in the coop and how dangerous it is for your birds. They can breathe it in, it collects on their beaks when preening, and it can contaminate their water, which they drink! Get their water off the ground and out of the coop. Chickens need clean water, just like you do. You're eating their eggs or their meat. Contaminated water creates unhealthy, infected birds.
We live in the mountains so we use a heated base that has a built-in thermostat that heats at freezing temperatures. The watering station is on an elevated base of river rock, and I also use river rock around the outside of the outdoor, covered run (that cuts down on dust getting in the water on windy days). I can also just hose down any poop around the waterer.
I amend the food with Ultra Kibble and have it in a feeder placed on an upside-down planter, off the ground. I placed rocks around the base, which the chickens stand on to reach the food. If any food falls to the ground, it falls between the planter and the rocks. They can reach it with their beaks, but they can't walk through it or poop on it. I also don't feed them anything on the ground. Chickens work for their food ... If you've ever let them out into your garden, you see how they dig deep and wide, and then use their beaks even further, pushing the dirt out of the way to find insects and worms. There isn't poop on it. If you just throw food out (over poop), like "scratch," they don't work for it. It's just right there and yes, they will eat it, even if it's laying on poop. That's gross! No thanks. That's not a "treat," that's a recipe for infection! If you want to give them a treat, set up a foraging table or bench and get some Forage Cakes, which will get them healthier and reduce their poop size and odor!
Some ideas on a foraging table or bench.
Get your chickens moving, the more up and down, the healthier they are. Do a quick search on the respiratory system of a chicken and you'll see how important that is. Chickens need to move their chest with their muscles, jumping, hopping and flying up and down.
The next best thing in keeping your coop healthy, is keeping it safe!
I used hardware cloth for my outdoor run panels and gates. I also dug 2 feet down and 2 feet out around the entire perimeter of the coop and run. The roof is corrugated PVC panels, which let light in but keep the run dry. When we're on vacation or gone all day, I know they're safe. We put so much money and time into raising healthy birds ... what a shame it would be to lose an entire flock! Our chickens also have more outdoor foraging area that I let them utilize just about every day. I'll cover that in another blog post in the future.
Showing posts with label chickens. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chickens. Show all posts
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Cannibal Chickens!!!!
From: Community Chickens
By: Meredith Chilson
A reader has asked for advice on what to do about his 1-year-old flock of two Rhode Island Reds and three Wyandottes. They have begun eating eggs as fast as they are laid, and he wonders if he will have to butcher his entire flock.
I’ve done a bit of research on this, as I think I may have a “closet” egg-eater in my flock. Occasionally, I will go to gather eggs and find yolk or part of a shell stuck to another egg in the nest box. In my henhouse, it doesn’t happen very often, and I’ve never caught the culprit in the act, but I am concerned enough about this to want to take preventive action.
I’ve found that there are several things that could be causing this behavior, but the usual basis is either a diet deficiency, boredom or crowded conditions.
Chickens need a variety of things to eat—bagged feed usually has sufficient vitamins, but calcium needs to be added to laying hens’ diets. Low calcium levels lead to thin or porous shells that are easily broken. Small bags of crushed oyster shells can be purchased at your local feed store; I have a two-bin feeder that holds oyster shell on one side and grit on the other. Chickens also need Vitamin D (this helps their bodies absorb the calcium more efficiently), but if your flock is outside during the day, they shouldn’t need supplements of this. A free-ranging flock will also have access to fresh greens, bugs and earthworms that add more nutrients to a diet. Chickens also need lots of clean, fresh water; sometimes egg-eating is in response to lack of liquid.
Egg eating is a form of cannibalism, and because boredom is one cause of chickens “picking” at each other, it makes sense that boredom could also lead to egg eating. Once chickens develop a taste for egg eating and learn how to break eggs for that tasty snack, it’s difficult to change that behavior.
If your chickens are let outside to roam each day, you shouldn’t have a crowding problem. If your flock is penned, however, your coop should allow up to 10 square feet of floor space per bird, depending on the size of your chickens (and Rhode Island Reds and Wyandottes are good-size birds). Your coop ought to have at least one nest box for every four hens, and most sources say you should have at least six nest boxes, no matter how many chickens you have. I have seven nest boxes for 18 hens, but they often only lay eggs in three or four of the boxes. Sometimes with too few boxes, eggs will be laid on the floor, stepped on and broken, and this is the first taste the chickens will have of that yummy treat.
A flock owner can try several approaches to curbing egg-eating behavior. First, be certain that the chickens have a varied diet, plenty of oyster shell for calcium, and daily fresh water. Some sources suggest adding liquid whole milk to their diet for a few days, too. Strong eggshells will make it much more difficult for accidental egg breakage. Only serve scratch grain as an occasional treat, and don’t mix it in with your bagged feed.
If you can’t free-range your chickens, you might try a chicken tractor or portable coop to ensure that your birds are getting fresh greens and other yard delicacies. I also take all my apple and carrot peelings, leftover watermelon and cantaloupe, and (right now) bolted spinach from the garden in to my hens as diet additions. There have been several recent Community Cluckers blogs that talk about extra treats, too, and one last spring gave directions for building a neat “boredom buster” from a cabbage. Look for Cortney’s “Variety is the Spice of Life, Same Goes for Chickens” or Jennifer Burke’s “Boredom Buster."
Gather eggs several times a day. Because my birds often choose to lay their eggs in the same few nests, I think that my heavy Buff Orpingtons, jostling around on top of several eggs, can cause one or two of them to crack. Leaving eggs in nests, particularly if you know your birds have an egg-eating problem, is asking for trouble. Also, make sure that your nests have plenty of nesting material in them. I use shavings as a bottom layer, and cover them with straw. Eggs landing on hard surfaces tend to crack, too!
Some of the resources I consulted suggested darkening the nest boxes, with a tacked up curtain. This is one way to keep egg-eating chickens from seeing if there are eggs in the boxes. Another suggestion, from a Mother Earth News article (February-March 2010) is to raise the nest boxes 18’’ off the floor so bored chickens won’t be able to reach in. This article also suggests using nests that allow eggs to roll to a tray behind the nests, so chickens will not be able to reach them.
I found, in three or four places, recipes for things to mix in with broken eggs to make them taste so nasty that chickens wouldn’t want to eat them ever again. I haven’t tried any of these, but the basic recipe is a broken egg mixed with (your choice) several teaspoons of black pepper or mustard and chili powder, served in a bowl on the floor of the coop. I’d be interested in hearing the results from you if you try this!
If you have just one chicken that’s eating eggs, and you can identify which one, it might be best to cull that one.
If you’ve tried gathering eggs frequently, checked the diet and added more calcium, darkened nests filled with lots of nesting material, made sure your chickens have plenty of room and lots to do … and they are still eating their eggs, as a last resort before sending them all to the stew pot, you might try this:
Take a pair of nail clippers or small, sharp scissors and clip the point off the top mandible of the birds’ beaks. Just clip the point off the top: Don’t clip far enough in to make it bleed, and don’t clip the bottom. They’ll no longer be able to break the eggs with their beaks.
I hope this helps solve any egg eating problems in your henhouse. While doing the research, I’ve picked up some ideas that I’m going to try out in my own coop: I may raise the nest boxes a little higher, add curtains to a few of the boxes, and be more conscientious about gathering eggs frequently. If I can be sure which hen is doing the munching, I may even see about clipping her upper beak. And if all else fails, I have a great recipe for chicken stew.
By: Meredith Chilson
I’ve done a bit of research on this, as I think I may have a “closet” egg-eater in my flock. Occasionally, I will go to gather eggs and find yolk or part of a shell stuck to another egg in the nest box. In my henhouse, it doesn’t happen very often, and I’ve never caught the culprit in the act, but I am concerned enough about this to want to take preventive action.
I’ve found that there are several things that could be causing this behavior, but the usual basis is either a diet deficiency, boredom or crowded conditions.
Chickens need a variety of things to eat—bagged feed usually has sufficient vitamins, but calcium needs to be added to laying hens’ diets. Low calcium levels lead to thin or porous shells that are easily broken. Small bags of crushed oyster shells can be purchased at your local feed store; I have a two-bin feeder that holds oyster shell on one side and grit on the other. Chickens also need Vitamin D (this helps their bodies absorb the calcium more efficiently), but if your flock is outside during the day, they shouldn’t need supplements of this. A free-ranging flock will also have access to fresh greens, bugs and earthworms that add more nutrients to a diet. Chickens also need lots of clean, fresh water; sometimes egg-eating is in response to lack of liquid.
Egg eating is a form of cannibalism, and because boredom is one cause of chickens “picking” at each other, it makes sense that boredom could also lead to egg eating. Once chickens develop a taste for egg eating and learn how to break eggs for that tasty snack, it’s difficult to change that behavior.
If your chickens are let outside to roam each day, you shouldn’t have a crowding problem. If your flock is penned, however, your coop should allow up to 10 square feet of floor space per bird, depending on the size of your chickens (and Rhode Island Reds and Wyandottes are good-size birds). Your coop ought to have at least one nest box for every four hens, and most sources say you should have at least six nest boxes, no matter how many chickens you have. I have seven nest boxes for 18 hens, but they often only lay eggs in three or four of the boxes. Sometimes with too few boxes, eggs will be laid on the floor, stepped on and broken, and this is the first taste the chickens will have of that yummy treat.
A flock owner can try several approaches to curbing egg-eating behavior. First, be certain that the chickens have a varied diet, plenty of oyster shell for calcium, and daily fresh water. Some sources suggest adding liquid whole milk to their diet for a few days, too. Strong eggshells will make it much more difficult for accidental egg breakage. Only serve scratch grain as an occasional treat, and don’t mix it in with your bagged feed.
If you can’t free-range your chickens, you might try a chicken tractor or portable coop to ensure that your birds are getting fresh greens and other yard delicacies. I also take all my apple and carrot peelings, leftover watermelon and cantaloupe, and (right now) bolted spinach from the garden in to my hens as diet additions. There have been several recent Community Cluckers blogs that talk about extra treats, too, and one last spring gave directions for building a neat “boredom buster” from a cabbage. Look for Cortney’s “Variety is the Spice of Life, Same Goes for Chickens” or Jennifer Burke’s “Boredom Buster."
Gather eggs several times a day. Because my birds often choose to lay their eggs in the same few nests, I think that my heavy Buff Orpingtons, jostling around on top of several eggs, can cause one or two of them to crack. Leaving eggs in nests, particularly if you know your birds have an egg-eating problem, is asking for trouble. Also, make sure that your nests have plenty of nesting material in them. I use shavings as a bottom layer, and cover them with straw. Eggs landing on hard surfaces tend to crack, too!
Some of the resources I consulted suggested darkening the nest boxes, with a tacked up curtain. This is one way to keep egg-eating chickens from seeing if there are eggs in the boxes. Another suggestion, from a Mother Earth News article (February-March 2010) is to raise the nest boxes 18’’ off the floor so bored chickens won’t be able to reach in. This article also suggests using nests that allow eggs to roll to a tray behind the nests, so chickens will not be able to reach them.
I found, in three or four places, recipes for things to mix in with broken eggs to make them taste so nasty that chickens wouldn’t want to eat them ever again. I haven’t tried any of these, but the basic recipe is a broken egg mixed with (your choice) several teaspoons of black pepper or mustard and chili powder, served in a bowl on the floor of the coop. I’d be interested in hearing the results from you if you try this!
If you have just one chicken that’s eating eggs, and you can identify which one, it might be best to cull that one.
If you’ve tried gathering eggs frequently, checked the diet and added more calcium, darkened nests filled with lots of nesting material, made sure your chickens have plenty of room and lots to do … and they are still eating their eggs, as a last resort before sending them all to the stew pot, you might try this:
Take a pair of nail clippers or small, sharp scissors and clip the point off the top mandible of the birds’ beaks. Just clip the point off the top: Don’t clip far enough in to make it bleed, and don’t clip the bottom. They’ll no longer be able to break the eggs with their beaks.
I hope this helps solve any egg eating problems in your henhouse. While doing the research, I’ve picked up some ideas that I’m going to try out in my own coop: I may raise the nest boxes a little higher, add curtains to a few of the boxes, and be more conscientious about gathering eggs frequently. If I can be sure which hen is doing the munching, I may even see about clipping her upper beak. And if all else fails, I have a great recipe for chicken stew.
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