Thrilled with my box of Black Currant cuttings, all are planted and an extra special 🍾🎉sweet treat of some Jostaberry cuttings! Thank you to infinity and Beyond!💖🌟✨✨🤩
We're so happy that the cuttings landed in a great new forever home. Thanks so much for being part of our growing community and wishing you abundant growth in all the ways
This $10 structure is amazing! This is where you had figs, ginger, tomatoes and vege growing all summer, and now it’s producing compost and warmth for the hens? So cool!
This is actually its own structure, would you referring to is a larger high tunnel in our neighbor's yard. This space is a bit more dedicated to the hens needs
Very smart! I usually grow winter greens in a hoop house but last year I only used the insulated row cover fabrics and it worked really well! We had 2 days of -7 F standing temp and everything did great! Didn't get to it this fall so very much missing the greens. One year I put a chicken enclosure in my hoop house for added warmth. It worked but there was dust on everything so stopped doing it! You have lovely compost! That is what I need to work on more!!
I grow winter greens under cover, too. I live in a warmer climate--it gets down in the teens some, but mainly fluctuates in the 20s and 30s at night. My little flock loves when I uncover the garden and let them have a go on a sunny day. The main beds have fences, but the flock has a root bag garden where they can eat as much as they want. Funny to watch the brassicas try to recover--they WANT to survive and reproduce. So it the chickens eat the head of the cabbage, the plant makes several more smaller ones to try to head again. Happy gardening and chickening!
Such dear consideration . . . a short commute and shoveled walkway for the chickens. Such comfort for the ladies and mouthy rooster. Cows already calving in the vast field behind me, our coldest front of the year impending.
First winter with chickens but I build something similar. Struggling to find enough greens to get the heat up. so far they can still scratch, dig, abd dust bathe. I am east coast Canada so anything that is out of the wind and snow is great for my birds
Sounds crazy but I would suggest using urine to get it to heat up quickly. Collect it daily in a five gallon bucket, use it pretty quickly or the nitrogen will off gas if you don't have a lid (I think 24 hrs is what they say for that) but it will heat your pile up very quickly, is free, and you don't have to scramble to find greens to add to your pile.
It can be hard to develop warmth in a compost pile if it's already quite cold out. You may do well to consider covering the pile with scrap plastic on the coldest nights maybe even flaking hay over it to conserve warmth. The idea of adding urine can help kick-start things and increasing the total volume helps immensely. Think large volume and insulation from the coldest moments for good results
We don't have chickens yet,but the plan is for this spring. Had a nice chat with one of our close neighbors about gardening/chickens and composting. She's gonna keep her eyes and ears open for anyone getting rid of their old car shelter that wantsbto get rid if it. I mentioned your channel and how inspiring it is and she should check it out. Thanks again Sean.
Sounds like an amazing collaboration and Community Building. Kudos for making it happen. The carport can be useful, but simple palette structures, cattle panel High tunnels and more can all work. Be creative!
@@edibleacres thanks Sean. I do have some pallets,which I am reserving for plan B. Lol. My other neighbor has an empty barn vacant tbat used to be part of this property. That is Plan A. Im confident he'd let us use it for his supplying him his eggs for Sunday mornings. 😁 Have conversations in the past but time to chat again to make it all happen. Best wishes.
I find it so crazy how depending on which side of the river we are on dictates they type of snow we get sometimes. I am across from Ogdensburg but north a ways and we had finer snow and about 4"/10cm of it. Yours looks like some great snowpeople snow. ☺
Thank you very much for sharing Sean! I am gearing up to put together same (simple, recycled, net zero cost) chicken run in NH. I enjoyed seeing your previously done video with your thermal device. Be well friend!
I've thought about it but we absolutely don't want to do it because there is 0 protection from predators in this space. Having a 'home base' that is super secure is incredibly important in this system for us
Yes, I had chickens in Alaska, and predators literally ate most of my birds. Security is IMPORTANT, and a hard lesson in the grim realities of life itself. Seeing Sean's nicely ordered and well organized garden paradise can make it hard to remember the dangers lurking for the unwary. Thanks for keeping it real, Brother!@@Terri-n6w
Love this setup. I need to do something similar. My coop I decently insulated but they don’t like to leave it. I was made some make shift wall to block the wind so they are more inclined to come out but this is the next step. We live out in western NY north of the ridge and it’s always windy here near the lakeshore
I feel for you. Intense wind is just so difficult to work with for so many reasons especially in the winter. You might consider sourcing pallets and creating wind blocks with pallets that have Greenhouse poly stapled to them. It would cost next to nothing if not free and might only take an hour or two to set up. It could offer the hens a windless run
Could you do this run as an off season greenhouse? Would like to use it as multi purpose throughout the year. Like greenhouse plants on one side and chicken run on other side
That seems like a very reasonable design. You could have the hens have full access late fall through early spring and then partition them out of the space for production in the summer months. They could clean up debris and chaff as well. Great thinking
I wish I had something like this for my chickens. I attached a small covered pen to their coop but its not really big enough for all of them. Maybe someday!
@@edibleacres I really wish hens weren's so horribly treated in factory farms. They are wonderful souls. So glad to see others value them and care about their quality of life.
I'm binge watching your vids right now. I'm envious of your set up. Can I ask where you get all your greens from? Where is a good place for me to look?
You might find some value in looking at our chicken playlist or our chicken compost design playlist. There might be some good videos for you there and the comments are gold
Have you ever considered building a small tunnel similar in design to a high tunnel only on a smaller scale that connects the winter run to the coop so that they have an indoor so to speak commute?
I certainly have thought about it, but the logistics just don't line up with how things are laid out in the space, where the door is, Etc. It could be a nice design consideration if someone was starting from scratch in this way
We have a pretty large number of hens so their food needs are decently large. We soak whole grain every night for them and add in as much food scraps as you can find and turn compost every day and that all seems to meet their needs
How do you handle the hen's waste from the coop? I am new to chicken keeping and only have 3 chickens, but I have been collecting their poo in a compost ring--I am just not sure how best to handle it and get it ready for the garden. Thanks so much! Love the quality of life you provide for your hens. I got my chickens for pets, eggs, and fertilizer (but they are mostly pets). They have a patch in the garden where they are allowed to scratch and munch and they love it! They are good company in the garden.
Sounds like you're taking care of your hens in wonderful ways. We just incorporate their bedding into the composting system shown in this video, adding the red wigglers helps integrate that fertility very quickly
@@edibleacres Thank you for the information. And, thanks for the content you create. It is encouraging and informative. I really want to get to where I can set up a mini version of what you're doing.
Greetings from California! As usual, your techniques and know-how continue to amaze me in such a positive way. This video begged the question; Why not close the entrance to that carport thing a little better? It sounded like it was around 50 F in there? But with just a little more closure, it would be around 80 F or so? A small entrance so the chickens could easily come and go, but the rest of the doorway closed against what must be a major heat loss? Just wondering if this was intentional for reasons not obvious to me? Anyways, a real Happy New Years for you and your family!
Hello! Saw your question and knew the answer because I'm a chicken mama so thought I'd chime in. Chickens grow down feathers in the winter that are really thick. Like a big insulated jacket. They actually do Best Around 50 degrees. When it starts getting anything above 70 they start getting uncomfortable.
One quick answer is I didn't get around to it yet! Also, the weather hasn't been super cold to need it... Also, it feels better to err on the side of more air flow and openness when possible instead of maxing out temps, that is until it gets super super cold
Ok, I think I get it now. Sort of like only putting on a warmer shirt when it first gets cold, and saving the parkas for deep winter. Yes. That definitely makes good sense. LOVE your methods and ideas. Bye the way, how is your side-room project going? I remember a year or so ago you were working on an attached green house-like room for your actual home that was built from plexi-glass and cinder block, with hoses, etc woven around for heat exchange and such. This whole concept is very intriguing and has such vast potential for energy efficient buildings that has seen so little promotion so far in the mainstream building world. With your dedication to innovation and the abundance of materials you already have on hand, it seems perfectly logical that with the right combination, you'll soon find yourself hardly even needing your woodstove, except as a 'cheerfulness device'! @@edibleacres
Thinking of doing this on a slightly smaller scale. If I build a tunnel approx 3 ft high over a raised Bed 4x15, how few chickens could I employ to do the job? Also, how thick does pile need to be to generate heat in that space? Any input would be appreciated. Thanks
I bet too many variables to consider to answer your question in an easy way, but the great news is you can set it up and experiment and make adjustments as you go. The colder your winter climate the more important it is to have an ever-increasing volume of compost if you want it to generate Heat. You can adjust as you go and the system will respond and teach you
You mention the red wigglers and I'm wondering if you or anyone reading this has experience with asian jumping worms. We're in Massachusetts and we have many jumping worms that may be driving out our red wigglers. We're tgnking about getting chickens but I've seen people say chickens won't eat them and I've also seen reports suggesting people shouldn't eat eggs or meat from chickens who eat lots of jumping worms. Any wisdom on this topic would be most welcome.
Jumping worms show up in our system periodically but to be honest we haven't had a huge amount of direct experience with them. I find that the hands generally don't seem to go after them or take much interest in them, so I'm not sure the best way to resolve that. They tend to like very shallow High nutrient soil so you may do well to build deep compost piles to promote red wigglers
How do you handle mold? I have a compost pile but everyone tells me to not let my chickens go in it because of possible mold, bacteria, etc? Any input?
I think if all they have access to is moldy food that's very problematic. If there is a diverse amount of food and some of it happens to have a little bit of mold, our experience is that the hens just simply work around it. If you bury that material in some wood chips it will break down into compost eventually anyway
How do you protect such a large area from rats and medium sized predators? I know they're less active in the winter, but it seems like a source of warmth and poultry would be very attractive to everything from squirrels to raccoons and foxes.
do you ever get table scraps from restaurants to feed the hens? I've gotten veggie scraps from restaurant prep work, but i'm not sure if table scraps pose a hygienic risk for me or the hens.
That needs to be your own decision around Comfort level there. That said we have done just what you described extensively over about 8 years now and I can't think of a reason why I wouldn't continue to do it. Just me though
I came across an interesting bit of information on the abilities of chickens to handle germs; They are incredibly able in this regard. They are better than dogs when it comes to their immune systems.
Great video Sean 😊 A few questions 1. Are the hens still laying eggs even though it is winter? Compared to summer laying, do you have an approx. ratio of their laying now compared to summer? 2. When it gets dark, do the hens go into their coop voluntarily or do you have to help “shoo” them to the coop? Do some hens stay in the hoop house overnight? Thanks
1) They lay probably 1/3 of the total eggs in the winter as they do in summer... Maybe even a little less, but we have no lights in there 2) They naturally go into the coop... Some take some time to learn the ropes but they all have done it and now go in on their own
I'm not quite sure what varieties of Willow we have in the chicken yard. We found for the most part all Willows seem to root pretty darn easily. I haven't actually tried to grow them from seed but they do show up from seed periodically
No questions but I wanted to tell you if there is such a thing as reincarnation I want to come back as one of your chicken. They are the happiest girls. I have not seen them peck at each other once in all the years I have been watching your video's. they know they have it good. Thanks again for the lovely video.
I love your content....I just subscribed. I love how you grow things within your chicken yard/runs. I will keep searching your channel for more content. I am guessing you do not have a lot of room for a full garden? Either way, what are some crops you would suggest to grow in a garden for winter feed? I am in MN so winter here is very long and cold. I want to strive to grow as much as I can for my flock of 50 hens. I have all the room I could want to grow, so space is no issue. I need advice from someone like you with lots of experience. Thanks!
Welcome aboard :). We have a lot of videos sharing our systems that may be of value to you. We love growing ample greens and roots to share with our hens in the winter months, but we mainly collect food scraps from other sources to suppliment feed...
I love your process but you have many chickens. How much composting can I expect to get done with only four chickens? I'm not sure how large to make my system
I don't know that there's some particular rule you have to follow about size and scale for things to work. It seems reasonable you can add a little bit of the composting ideas we share with your smaller system and see how it works that way. You can always scale up or scale down depending on what makes sense
Fresh raw arugula might be one of the very best pre-workouts in existence, I mention this after considering you say you were winded from shoveling and I know that it literally will "help you breathe easier", no lie.
@@edibleacres I used to sometimes myself, thanks for the reminder, sprigs of it were tiresome to chew though (15 minutes and they're lumped together and still fibrous enough to be hard to swallow). I'm likely going for just the leaves next time, maybe with much less stem or maybe just a sprig at a time.
We have a pretty robust coop they go in to at night and that takes care of that pressure. Skunks, racoons and opossums have shown up in the past but haven't been a problem.
Si pusieras subtítulos en castellano te lo agradecería ...me interesan mucho tus vídeos aunque entiendo algo me cuesta seguir lo qué dices ..Saludos desde España 🐞🌼
Chicken do better in winter temps long as you give them feed and water and don’t let it freeze without replacing the water! Summer usually harder on chickens, especially when you get record high temps(197F) last summer! Neighbors lost their whole flock! Those hot temps you need to keep your chickens cool! Ice water for the chickens to drink. A mister and fans also help quite a bit! Naturally any large shade areas around trees will be cooler for the chickens to gather in too. Fortunately I didn’t loose any of my chickens. Neighbors called me asking how I kept my chickens alive? Now that is a question I wasn’t expecting to hear! 😂
I love seeing the happy hens do their thing.
So do we!
Me too.
It's fun to see/hear how you recycle everything!
Always happy to share!
Thrilled with my box of Black Currant cuttings, all are planted and an extra special 🍾🎉sweet treat of some Jostaberry cuttings! Thank you to infinity and Beyond!💖🌟✨✨🤩
We're so happy that the cuttings landed in a great new forever home. Thanks so much for being part of our growing community and wishing you abundant growth in all the ways
My chickens aren’t big fans of the snow either, but my ducks seems to like it well enough.
Thats neat to know!
This $10 structure is amazing! This is where you had figs, ginger, tomatoes and vege growing all summer, and now it’s producing compost and warmth for the hens? So cool!
This is actually its own structure, would you referring to is a larger high tunnel in our neighbor's yard. This space is a bit more dedicated to the hens needs
My hens love their Chunnel! Wish I had the compost you all have!
In some ways it's a bit excessive what we have here. There's a balance!
Little Rooster made it! Glad to see him get out despite his worry. Now, if I can talk my dog into having a pee. . .
Ha!
High nitrogen liquid. Yep.
Yep
Very smart! I usually grow winter greens in a hoop house but last year I only used the insulated row cover fabrics and it worked really well! We had 2 days of -7 F standing temp and everything did great! Didn't get to it this fall so very much missing the greens. One year I put a chicken enclosure in my hoop house for added warmth. It worked but there was dust on everything so stopped doing it! You have lovely compost! That is what I need to work on more!!
That's a great idea!
I grow winter greens under cover, too. I live in a warmer climate--it gets down in the teens some, but mainly fluctuates in the 20s and 30s at night. My little flock loves when I uncover the garden and let them have a go on a sunny day. The main beds have fences, but the flock has a root bag garden where they can eat as much as they want. Funny to watch the brassicas try to recover--they WANT to survive and reproduce. So it the chickens eat the head of the cabbage, the plant makes several more smaller ones to try to head again. Happy gardening and chickening!
Such dear consideration . . . a short commute and shoveled walkway for the chickens. Such comfort for the ladies and mouthy rooster. Cows already calving in the vast field behind me, our coldest front of the year impending.
Your comment somehow reads a bit like poetry, pretty neat!
First winter with chickens but I build something similar. Struggling to find enough greens to get the heat up. so far they can still scratch, dig, abd dust bathe. I am east coast Canada so anything that is out of the wind and snow is great for my birds
Sounds crazy but I would suggest using urine to get it to heat up quickly. Collect it daily in a five gallon bucket, use it pretty quickly or the nitrogen will off gas if you don't have a lid (I think 24 hrs is what they say for that) but it will heat your pile up very quickly, is free, and you don't have to scramble to find greens to add to your pile.
Fresh Horse manure is also providing heat if there are stables around.
It can be hard to develop warmth in a compost pile if it's already quite cold out. You may do well to consider covering the pile with scrap plastic on the coldest nights maybe even flaking hay over it to conserve warmth. The idea of adding urine can help kick-start things and increasing the total volume helps immensely. Think large volume and insulation from the coldest moments for good results
We don't have chickens yet,but the plan is for this spring. Had a nice chat with one of our close neighbors about gardening/chickens and composting. She's gonna keep her eyes and ears open for anyone getting rid of their old car shelter that wantsbto get rid if it. I mentioned your channel and how inspiring it is and she should check it out. Thanks again Sean.
Sounds like an amazing collaboration and Community Building. Kudos for making it happen. The carport can be useful, but simple palette structures, cattle panel High tunnels and more can all work. Be creative!
@@edibleacres thanks Sean. I do have some pallets,which I am reserving for plan B. Lol. My other neighbor has an empty barn vacant tbat used to be part of this property. That is Plan A. Im confident he'd let us use it for his supplying him his eggs for Sunday mornings. 😁 Have conversations in the past but time to chat again to make it all happen. Best wishes.
Truly awesome in my minds eye for sure. No complaints coming from the occupants in this home stead. AWSOME cheers
I find it so crazy how depending on which side of the river we are on dictates they type of snow we get sometimes. I am across from Ogdensburg but north a ways and we had finer snow and about 4"/10cm of it. Yours looks like some great snowpeople snow. ☺
Yep, a lot of snow people showing up in the neighborhood after this snow!
Had a tough time getting all my free rangers up, they had a traumatizing spring. Love this set up!
Hoping they settle in in a great way
This was very instructional... I'm going to start having some chickens. Super glad I came across your channel.
We're really glad to have you as part of our extended community
Binge watching Edible Acres on a Sunday.
So nice that you want to spend your time with us!
Thank you very much for sharing Sean! I am gearing up to put together same (simple, recycled, net zero cost) chicken run in NH. I enjoyed seeing your previously done video with your thermal device. Be well friend!
Sounds great!
Your system is one of the most thoughtful & best choice for hens. Hens, garden & soil microbe building projects all benefit. 👍
So nice of you
So far only 13 percent of viewers gave it a thumbs up. Why? It's a great video. 🐥🐣🐤🐥🐣🐤
Have you thought of putting movable roosts in the polytunnel so they roost there at night and poop on your compost and keep a little warmer at night?
I've thought about it but we absolutely don't want to do it because there is 0 protection from predators in this space. Having a 'home base' that is super secure is incredibly important in this system for us
@@edibleacres oh yea, I didn't think of that.
Yes, I had chickens in Alaska, and predators literally ate most of my birds. Security is IMPORTANT, and a hard lesson in the grim realities of life itself. Seeing Sean's nicely ordered and well organized garden paradise can make it hard to remember the dangers lurking for the unwary. Thanks for keeping it real, Brother!@@Terri-n6w
Love this setup. I need to do something similar. My coop I decently insulated but they don’t like to leave it. I was made some make shift wall to block the wind so they are more inclined to come out but this is the next step. We live out in western NY north of the ridge and it’s always windy here near the lakeshore
I feel for you. Intense wind is just so difficult to work with for so many reasons especially in the winter. You might consider sourcing pallets and creating wind blocks with pallets that have Greenhouse poly stapled to them. It would cost next to nothing if not free and might only take an hour or two to set up. It could offer the hens a windless run
Could you do this run as an off season greenhouse? Would like to use it as multi purpose throughout the year. Like greenhouse plants on one side and chicken run on other side
That seems like a very reasonable design. You could have the hens have full access late fall through early spring and then partition them out of the space for production in the summer months. They could clean up debris and chaff as well. Great thinking
I wish I had something like this for my chickens. I attached a small covered pen to their coop but its not really big enough for all of them. Maybe someday!
I think even a small enclosure to give them a little bit of cover in the cold goes a long way in their well-being
@@edibleacres I really wish hens weren's so horribly treated in factory farms. They are wonderful souls. So glad to see others value them and care about their quality of life.
I'm binge watching your vids right now. I'm envious of your set up. Can I ask where you get all your greens from? Where is a good place for me to look?
You might find some value in looking at our chicken playlist or our chicken compost design playlist. There might be some good videos for you there and the comments are gold
The hens have an ideal place to scratch and peck. They are beautiful.
Thank you!
Have you ever considered building a small tunnel similar in design to a high tunnel only on a smaller scale that connects the winter run to the coop so that they have an indoor so to speak commute?
I certainly have thought about it, but the logistics just don't line up with how things are laid out in the space, where the door is, Etc. It could be a nice design consideration if someone was starting from scratch in this way
Love the evolution of your chicken system. Years behind you but looking to build a compost refuge.
You can do it!
well done
I like the way you think!
Thanks kindly!
Beautiful!!!❤
Are you still doing soaked grain or just kitchen/restaurant scraps and worms in the winter?
We have a pretty large number of hens so their food needs are decently large. We soak whole grain every night for them and add in as much food scraps as you can find and turn compost every day and that all seems to meet their needs
@@edibleacres I am surprised they need that much, but that's why I ask.
I showed this video to my chickens and now they want to move to your place.
:)
How do you handle the hen's waste from the coop? I am new to chicken keeping and only have 3 chickens, but I have been collecting their poo in a compost ring--I am just not sure how best to handle it and get it ready for the garden. Thanks so much! Love the quality of life you provide for your hens. I got my chickens for pets, eggs, and fertilizer (but they are mostly pets). They have a patch in the garden where they are allowed to scratch and munch and they love it! They are good company in the garden.
Sounds like you're taking care of your hens in wonderful ways. We just incorporate their bedding into the composting system shown in this video, adding the red wigglers helps integrate that fertility very quickly
@@edibleacres Thank you for the information. And, thanks for the content you create. It is encouraging and informative. I really want to get to where I can set up a mini version of what you're doing.
Greetings from California!
As usual, your techniques and know-how continue to amaze me in such a positive way. This video begged the question; Why not close the entrance to that carport thing a little better? It sounded like it was around 50 F in there? But with just a little more closure, it would be around 80 F or so? A small entrance so the chickens could easily come and go, but the rest of the doorway closed against what must be a major heat loss? Just wondering if this was intentional for reasons not obvious to me?
Anyways, a real Happy New Years for you and your family!
Hello! Saw your question and knew the answer because I'm a chicken mama so thought I'd chime in. Chickens grow down feathers in the winter that are really thick. Like a big insulated jacket. They actually do Best Around 50 degrees. When it starts getting anything above 70 they start getting uncomfortable.
One quick answer is I didn't get around to it yet! Also, the weather hasn't been super cold to need it... Also, it feels better to err on the side of more air flow and openness when possible instead of maxing out temps, that is until it gets super super cold
Ok, I think I get it now. Sort of like only putting on a warmer shirt when it first gets cold, and saving the parkas for deep winter. Yes. That definitely makes good sense. LOVE your methods and ideas.
Bye the way, how is your side-room project going? I remember a year or so ago you were working on an attached green house-like room for your actual home that was built from plexi-glass and cinder block, with hoses, etc woven around for heat exchange and such. This whole concept is very intriguing and has such vast potential for energy efficient buildings that has seen so little promotion so far in the mainstream building world. With your dedication to innovation and the abundance of materials you already have on hand, it seems perfectly logical that with the right combination, you'll soon find yourself hardly even needing your woodstove, except as a 'cheerfulness device'!
@@edibleacres
Thinking of doing this on a slightly smaller scale. If I build a tunnel approx 3 ft high over a raised Bed 4x15, how few chickens could I employ to do the job? Also, how thick does pile need to be to generate heat in that space? Any input would be appreciated. Thanks
I bet too many variables to consider to answer your question in an easy way, but the great news is you can set it up and experiment and make adjustments as you go. The colder your winter climate the more important it is to have an ever-increasing volume of compost if you want it to generate Heat. You can adjust as you go and the system will respond and teach you
Edible acres has LOTS of videos already out that answer pretty much all your questions. Happy viewing!
Awesome thank you
No problem!
You mention the red wigglers and I'm wondering if you or anyone reading this has experience with asian jumping worms. We're in Massachusetts and we have many jumping worms that may be driving out our red wigglers. We're tgnking about getting chickens but I've seen people say chickens won't eat them and I've also seen reports suggesting people shouldn't eat eggs or meat from chickens who eat lots of jumping worms. Any wisdom on this topic would be most welcome.
Jumping worms show up in our system periodically but to be honest we haven't had a huge amount of direct experience with them. I find that the hands generally don't seem to go after them or take much interest in them, so I'm not sure the best way to resolve that. They tend to like very shallow High nutrient soil so you may do well to build deep compost piles to promote red wigglers
@edibleacres I hadn't thought of that. Thanks so much for the suggestion!
How do you handle mold? I have a compost pile but everyone tells me to not let my chickens go in it because of possible mold, bacteria, etc? Any input?
I think if all they have access to is moldy food that's very problematic. If there is a diverse amount of food and some of it happens to have a little bit of mold, our experience is that the hens just simply work around it. If you bury that material in some wood chips it will break down into compost eventually anyway
How do you protect such a large area from rats and medium sized predators? I know they're less active in the winter, but it seems like a source of warmth and poultry would be very attractive to everything from squirrels to raccoons and foxes.
do you ever get table scraps from restaurants to feed the hens? I've gotten veggie scraps from restaurant prep work, but i'm not sure if table scraps pose a hygienic risk for me or the hens.
That needs to be your own decision around Comfort level there. That said we have done just what you described extensively over about 8 years now and I can't think of a reason why I wouldn't continue to do it. Just me though
I came across an interesting bit of information on the abilities of chickens to handle germs; They are incredibly able in this regard. They are better than dogs when it comes to their immune systems.
Great video Sean 😊
A few questions
1. Are the hens still laying eggs even though it is winter? Compared to summer laying, do you have an approx. ratio of their laying now compared to summer?
2. When it gets dark, do the hens go into their coop voluntarily or do you have to help “shoo” them to the coop? Do some hens stay in the hoop house overnight?
Thanks
1) They lay probably 1/3 of the total eggs in the winter as they do in summer... Maybe even a little less, but we have no lights in there
2) They naturally go into the coop... Some take some time to learn the ropes but they all have done it and now go in on their own
🦃
What kind of willow is that? I read some willows are easier to propagate from cuttings, whereas some only from seed. Also, some trees, some thickets.
I'm not quite sure what varieties of Willow we have in the chicken yard. We found for the most part all Willows seem to root pretty darn easily. I haven't actually tried to grow them from seed but they do show up from seed periodically
No questions but I wanted to tell you if there is such a thing as reincarnation I want to come back as one of your chicken. They are the happiest girls. I have not seen them peck at each other once in all the years I have been watching your video's. they know they have it good. Thanks again for the lovely video.
Have u experienced molting in ur chickens? If not, what sort of precautions u r taking for molt prevention
awsome I do a very simaler set up to you at my farm !
Right on
I love your content....I just subscribed. I love how you grow things within your chicken yard/runs. I will keep searching your channel for more content. I am guessing you do not have a lot of room for a full garden? Either way, what are some crops you would suggest to grow in a garden for winter feed? I am in MN so winter here is very long and cold. I want to strive to grow as much as I can for my flock of 50 hens. I have all the room I could want to grow, so space is no issue. I need advice from someone like you with lots of experience. Thanks!
Welcome aboard :). We have a lot of videos sharing our systems that may be of value to you. We love growing ample greens and roots to share with our hens in the winter months, but we mainly collect food scraps from other sources to suppliment feed...
I love your process but you have many chickens. How much composting can I expect to get done with only four chickens? I'm not sure how large to make my system
I don't know that there's some particular rule you have to follow about size and scale for things to work. It seems reasonable you can add a little bit of the composting ideas we share with your smaller system and see how it works that way. You can always scale up or scale down depending on what makes sense
Fresh raw arugula might be one of the very best pre-workouts in existence, I mention this after considering you say you were winded from shoveling and I know that it literally will "help you breathe easier", no lie.
I don't doubt that for a moment. My go-to is huge mouthful of raw parsley
@@edibleacres I used to sometimes myself, thanks for the reminder, sprigs of it were tiresome to chew though (15 minutes and they're lumped together and still fibrous enough to be hard to swallow). I'm likely going for just the leaves next time, maybe with much less stem or maybe just a sprig at a time.
Amazing. Is this where your chickens also sleep at night?
No they go into a wooden coop right next to this
What ground predators do you have? How do you deter them?
We have a pretty robust coop they go in to at night and that takes care of that pressure. Skunks, racoons and opossums have shown up in the past but haven't been a problem.
Subscribe if you haven't already done so. 😊
6:50 😂 high nitrogen liquid fertilitet fluid. So you have peed on the compost :)
It's hard to say :)
Hello. Yes, I mean you. Have you already pressed the Like button?
Do you find that you half to deal with rodent populations? Rats, with having these warmer compost piles that could provide them heat and food?
Si pusieras subtítulos en castellano te lo agradecería ...me interesan mucho tus vídeos aunque entiendo algo me cuesta seguir lo qué dices
..Saludos desde España 🐞🌼
Es cierto , gracias , no me había dado cuenta 👍🏻
🐔🐓🤩🤗💕
Chicken do better in winter temps long as you give them feed and water and don’t let it freeze without replacing the water! Summer usually harder on chickens, especially when you get record high temps(197F) last summer! Neighbors lost their whole flock! Those hot temps you need to keep your chickens cool! Ice water for the chickens to drink. A mister and fans also help quite a bit! Naturally any large shade areas around trees will be cooler for the chickens to gather in too. Fortunately I didn’t loose any of my chickens. Neighbors called me asking how I kept my chickens alive? Now that is a question I wasn’t expecting to hear! 😂
Different climates definitely have their different challenges
Algorithm take this.
Stop shoveling! Snowshoes!
They shovel paths for the chickens, too, to get to the winter run. 😊