I have over 100 chickens not counting my meat bird rotations. Every now and again I look on you tube and look at the nonsense that everyone with a phone shares. I just shake my head. This man knows exactly what he’s doing. If you want to do your friends and neighbors a favor, you should share his site. I don’t know this man, but he has the formula just right. Understanding how the earth and soil works is key to being self sufficient.
I'm not so certaiin I am deserving of such high praise but I do thank you for your kind words! We are just trying to share a bit of what we are doing here and hope to inspire others to find what works for them. Thank you again:)
@@therealprtrhsenteal Hey did you used to live on Boylston Street in Seattle? You look like a former neighbor I used to see around. Either way, cool channel!
Awesome comparison of the two concepts. I have made an attempt to blend the two approaches to give my ladies some diversity (can't free range as we have aerial predators, and I don't want to egg hunt), while making some quality compost from the run. I have a 600+ square foot run attached to my hen's coop, and that's where their food and water stays. Additionally, I keep it loaded with wood chips and deciduous leaves (seasonal) and periodically fork together piles so that they break them down. I just established a relationship with a local brewery for some of their spent grain...looks like I'll get a five gallon bucket every week or so, so that will be incorporated into the piles. For the pasture aspect, I scabbed on a 40 foot long chicken tunnel to the side of the chicken run that can pivot back and forth across the yard. This is possible because first three foot section of the tunnel that is attached to the opening of the run doesn't have lower rails so it can act like an accordion to assist in the pivoting. I'm really happy with how this has worked out...if I ever decide to start a channel, this will be something I will show. Love the fact that you hooked up with the food bank...I really need to find that sort of community partner. In the meantime, they get may garden scraps during our growing season. Loving your channel...keep the great info coming!
I would dig seeing your setup if you decide to create content. It sounds like you have some great ideas. I am always looking for ways to cut cost for the livestock and I am grateful for the resources I can bring in. Thanks for sharing your setup. 👌
I've free ranged forever and rarely egg hunt. It only happens when it's broody season and a hen rolls up with 10 baby chicks in tow 😅 other than that they lay in their nest boxes in their coop, usually before I let them out in the mornings.
Im doing this but i make 4 foot diameter rinds eith chicken wire and fold the top in a bit so they can jimp in amd scratch around. Got the idea from a permaculture channel Edible Acres. Great easy method, and the netting keeps everything contained. Then you just remove the netting amd shovel the compost out and refill the ring after
Awesome. Sean has a great channel with alot of good ideas. I currently have 3 rings in my compost yard and they work well for me containing the material particularly when the piles are small. 👌
Both! In the pasture for fly control and to spread out the manure. In the compost yard to keep the compost fed, active and turned. It's a win, win and just proves you can't ever have too many chickens!!!
I came across you vidoes for the fist time today and to say the least i am impressed. The information and the way you present your information is wonderful thank you for taking the time to educate evryone and I Look forward to more videos. 15:32
I have kicked the tires long enough and decided to subscribe today. I do not want to subscribe to very many channels but feel yours is worth it. You are giving excellent information. I do not know if I will ever go to a chicken yard/compost pile style like you have but I love to learn about this idea which is new to me.
Hey I do appreciate the sub and the kind words. I will continue sharing what we are doing around the farm and I hope it provides some value. Thanks again!
Great video! I also do the chicken run composting system (no chicken meat scraps though) and I let them free range in the late afternoon after eggs have been laid. We pasture raise our broilers and bring them just the odd treat from the garden.
Awesome. Gave me ideas on how to set up my chicken yard for composting. I have been letting my girls free-range, but I love the idea of letting the hens do the work. Are the herfords in the background yours as well? I raise poled herferds fir years in Pennsylvania. After moving to Montana, we were cattle free. However, watching the economy over the last 2 years, I bought my father a miniture herford cross for Christmas, and I purchased an Aberdeen/herford cross. I went with miniture cows (still 800lbs) because I know I can process them myself come butcher time. The other reason is that I can graze more cattle on less ground. We have 40 acres, but 1/2 is wooded, and I need to also make hay, so rotation is important. I'm working on getting the soil in the wood lot amended so that I can range my cattle in the summer months.
Yeah I have raised cows most of my life and yes mostly herefords! I am down to just a few head and I am looking to transition to some sheep because of lack of food and feed prices. Miniatures are certainly a good choice for all the reasons you cited. Rebecca convinced me to buy some miniature hereford semen to breed on some of our cows years ago and boy were they easy calvers! Thanks for sharing some insight into your operation. Sounds like you are doing big things. 👌
@Our Montana Homestead We moved to Western Montana 10 years ago from Pennsylvania. I have worked all over Montana, and some of Central Montana is my favorite (between Grass range. Lewistown, Judith basin). I love the people of Eastern Montana, but the winners are hard, and the hot summers are harder. I worked in Glendive last winter. It was -36 when I got to one of my jobs. In September of last year, it was over 110° in Glendive. That's a ridiculous temperature swing.
@LLjean-qz7sb not really. If they are eating the produce at night they are less likely to try to get-together into my coops. We haven't lost a single chicken since doing this.
I have learned so much from you and Edible Acres! We are covered in snow and no where near spring, so our chickens are very bored! Since watching you guys I’ve been putting all of our scraps in their run instead of the compost bins i usually use. I will incorporate a better system before next winter! Do you give your birds meat scraps too? I never did in our regular composting areas, but feel like it would be ok with our hens. Thanks!
Hey thank you. Glad you are getting something from the channel. Sean and Sasha have a great channel and shate some really good ideas. I absolutely give them meat scraps cooked and raw as well. If they dont clean it up after a couple days I will bury it in compost if it is getting funky. Mostly to avoid drawing in scavengers. Thanks for watching as always:)
I throw in meat scraps along with all the kitchen and garden waste but I chose not to throw in any fowel meat. No chicken turkey, duck meat etc. Just pork, beef, lamb and venison.
@@therealprtrhsenteal places like yours are rare in UK as we are such a populated tiny island but ime working on an idea to get a smallholding and bresse chickens look good.
New subscriber !! I love your content and hope to learn more from you channel! Your voice is also nice to listen to …nice tone! I’m new to chicken keeping!
It varies by year and the amount of inputs but I have been generating around 10-12 yards per year. My compost is at least 2 months in the yard before coming out and in most cases 4-6 months before used.
Thank you for your insightful video. I currently have been researching between feeding chickens on compost vs pasture. One question though, how do you put the chickens back to their coop at the end of the day?
They get quite a number of eggs from the supermarkets so I have never asked them specifically. This food bank has more food than people in the area actually need. They never turn people away and there is always surplus for chickens and pigs. It's pretty great places like this exist. 👌
Amazing demonstration! Are you concerned about potential fertilizers and pesticides that may come from the grass clipping from the High School? Thank you for sharing your amazing knowledge!
I have asked the grounds keeper regarding the clippings and he assured me they are not treated so based on that I have decided to use these as an input during the winter months when grass clippings are scarce. Thanks for watching and your question. 😉
That is very cool - thanks for the detail. One question - I've heard that coffee grounds are poisonous to chickens but it looks like you're throwing a fair amount in of them in there without negative effects on your chickens - any feedback on that?
My chickens get access to copius amounts of grounds weekly. They snack on it sometimes but never do they taste more than what they like. My chickens get access to most everything that has been suggested is bad for them and they always seem to make the right choice. The key is to provide many options and let them decide what is best for them. My chickens are healthy and happy.
Question: my local food bank hands out rotted and very moldy food to the needy. if they should have any extra produce leftover I would not be able to let my chickens go into compost piles with badly moldy produce, correct?
Chickens are good at avoiding rotten or moldy food so long as they have other better options to choose from. That said I generally avoid intentionally giving them rotten spoiled food to begin with.
I love watching the chickens come running out. We will be adding 4 Black Australorps and 2 Buff Orpingtons in April to our Barred Rock. Who would have thought I would have a thing for chickens LOL We have to drive 1 hr out of town, as the places in town are charging $4-$8/bird with limited options. But, the price is fair and they are from healthy, local farms. Question: Burning bones for charcoal. This is not the same as activated charcoal, correct? I use activated charcoal medicinally, hence my naive question. Please share more on how you burn them. I do see the benefit in using it in our compost. Thank you. Great insight as always.
It is similar but as I understand it, activated charcoal is pyrolyzed using the addition of a gas like oxygen to achieve and increase porosity. I'm not certain about that but the char that I make is nit activated. Those australorps a pretty strong birds. I like the ones I have. 👌
It's not really a fair question. Both work, and which is better for a given operation is going to depend on which is more readily available for that operation. Not everyone gets to choose between the two.
They have assured me they do not spray their fields. I am definately concerned about the origins of the inputs I obtain as I have made that mistake before and I try to avoid making them in the future. When obtaining waste material from outside sources there is always risk.
Does the coffee grounds have an affect your chickens? I've been reading that coffee can be toxic to chickens so I haven't allowed my flock to have access to it
I have not had any issues with my chickens having access to coffee. My chickens tend to self regulate their intake of the foods they are provided so long as they have plenty of options from which to choose. Coffee has not shown itself to be harmful imo. My chickens may sample it but do not eat more than they want and are not overly attracted to it.
I’m curious, why do you want them eating the worms? Aren’t you biting the hand that feeds you (the worms doing the composting)? Curious, not criticism.
Great observation and thanks for the question. The hens are not allowed or able to completely have access to all of the worms in these piles. There is a large population in the compost and I ensure they are not obliterated by the the hens by re-stacking piles daily. Worms and other soil life is tremedously beneficial to the overall health of our birds which translates directly to increasing the7 nutrional density in the eggs we produce and ultimately consume. As you can see there is an abundance of worms throughout these piles and we like to share in that abundance with our flocks. You are correct the worms are doing massive work inside those piles however it's a balance that needs to be struck between the two interests. Thanks again. 👌
@@therealprtrhsentealin addition those chickens are adding valuable nitrogen to the compost which speeds up the composting action. And they are removing lots of weed or other undesirable seeds from the compost. In my opinion they earn the worms. 😁 Terry
Aerial predation can be an issue but I haven't lost a chicken due to that for many year. A good rooster and providing a living overstory can be an effective deterrent. 👌
Here is the video demonstrating A CLEAN way to feed your CHICKENS COMPOST: ua-cam.com/video/UjpaaXKpvNI/v-deo.html
I have over 100 chickens not counting my meat bird rotations. Every now and again I look on you tube and look at the nonsense that everyone with a phone shares. I just shake my head. This man knows exactly what he’s doing. If you want to do your friends and neighbors a favor, you should share his site. I don’t know this man, but he has the formula just right. Understanding how the earth and soil works is key to being self sufficient.
I'm not so certaiin I am deserving of such high praise but I do thank you for your kind words! We are just trying to share a bit of what we are doing here and hope to inspire others to find what works for them. Thank you again:)
@@therealprtrhsenteal Hey did you used to live on Boylston Street in Seattle?
You look like a former neighbor I used to see around.
Either way, cool channel!
It's interesting
Good information and well evaluated. I like the holistic thought process that incetivises folks to think about works best for them.
Absolutely. There is no right answer. Only a right choice to suit ones needs. Thanks! 😉
Great content Sir! I love learning about how to be self sufficient. This time next year I will be starting my front yard garden 🪴
I dig hearing this! 👌
New sub. Edible Acres is one of my biggest garden inspirations and has great ideas. Love seeing people grow upon them.
Yeah Sean has a great channel and is full of Good ideas! Thanks for the sub and welcome to our channel 🙂
Awesome comparison of the two concepts. I have made an attempt to blend the two approaches to give my ladies some diversity (can't free range as we have aerial predators, and I don't want to egg hunt), while making some quality compost from the run.
I have a 600+ square foot run attached to my hen's coop, and that's where their food and water stays. Additionally, I keep it loaded with wood chips and deciduous leaves (seasonal) and periodically fork together piles so that they break them down. I just established a relationship with a local brewery for some of their spent grain...looks like I'll get a five gallon bucket every week or so, so that will be incorporated into the piles.
For the pasture aspect, I scabbed on a 40 foot long chicken tunnel to the side of the chicken run that can pivot back and forth across the yard. This is possible because first three foot section of the tunnel that is attached to the opening of the run doesn't have lower rails so it can act like an accordion to assist in the pivoting. I'm really happy with how this has worked out...if I ever decide to start a channel, this will be something I will show.
Love the fact that you hooked up with the food bank...I really need to find that sort of community partner. In the meantime, they get may garden scraps during our growing season.
Loving your channel...keep the great info coming!
I would dig seeing your setup if you decide to create content. It sounds like you have some great ideas. I am always looking for ways to cut cost for the livestock and I am grateful for the resources I can bring in. Thanks for sharing your setup. 👌
I've free ranged forever and rarely egg hunt. It only happens when it's broody season and a hen rolls up with 10 baby chicks in tow 😅 other than that they lay in their nest boxes in their coop, usually before I let them out in the mornings.
I’m going to use your idea of creating the compost, working it toward the gate for easier access to my garden. 👍🏼
Absolutely. Find what works best for you. My system is constantly evolving.
Im doing this but i make 4 foot diameter rinds eith chicken wire and fold the top in a bit so they can jimp in amd scratch around. Got the idea from a permaculture channel Edible Acres. Great easy method, and the netting keeps everything contained. Then you just remove the netting amd shovel the compost out and refill the ring after
Awesome. Sean has a great channel with alot of good ideas. I currently have 3 rings in my compost yard and they work well for me containing the material particularly when the piles are small. 👌
Both! In the pasture for fly control and to spread out the manure. In the compost yard to keep the compost fed, active and turned. It's a win, win and just proves you can't ever have too many chickens!!!
I absolutely agree with you! We like to run behind the cows to comb through the manure so they eat all the fly larvae. Chickens for the win!
That’s some good looking compost
I really appreciate your thoughtful, well-considered comparison. This will help me decide what’ll work best for me. Thank you!
You're welcome! I'm glad you found the video helpful. Thanks for the feedback, let me know what you decide and thanks for watching. 🙂
Thanks for your suggestions. I know now what I have missed in raising my chickens
Glad to help
I came across you vidoes for the fist time today and to say the least i am impressed. The information and the way you present your information is wonderful thank you for taking the time to educate evryone and I Look forward to more videos. 15:32
Thanks much for the kind words. Glad you like the channel and welcome! 😉
Came here from you responding to that person in the comment section, well done sir
I appreciate that. Thanks for that and glad you are here! 🙂
This is dope, thanks man💯
Right on. I'm glad you got something out of the video. 👊🏼
I have kicked the tires long enough and decided to subscribe today. I do not want to subscribe to very many channels but feel yours is worth it. You are giving excellent information. I do not know if I will ever go to a chicken yard/compost pile style like you have but I love to learn about this idea which is new to me.
Hey I do appreciate the sub and the kind words. I will continue sharing what we are doing around the farm and I hope it provides some value. Thanks again!
Based on your track record I am sure you will continue to provide value in your videos. @@therealprtrhsenteal
Great video! I also do the chicken run composting system (no chicken meat scraps though) and I let them free range in the late afternoon after eggs have been laid. We pasture raise our broilers and bring them just the odd treat from the garden.
Good on you for getting your girls out to roam. Happy and healthy no doubt! 👌
Awesome. Gave me ideas on how to set up my chicken yard for composting. I have been letting my girls free-range, but I love the idea of letting the hens do the work.
Are the herfords in the background yours as well? I raise poled herferds fir years in Pennsylvania. After moving to Montana, we were cattle free. However, watching the economy over the last 2 years, I bought my father a miniture herford cross for Christmas, and I purchased an Aberdeen/herford cross. I went with miniture cows (still 800lbs) because I know I can process them myself come butcher time. The other reason is that I can graze more cattle on less ground. We have 40 acres, but 1/2 is wooded, and I need to also make hay, so rotation is important.
I'm working on getting the soil in the wood lot amended so that I can range my cattle in the summer months.
Hello from central Montana! We are originally from the south.
Yeah I have raised cows most of my life and yes mostly herefords! I am down to just a few head and I am looking to transition to some sheep because of lack of food and feed prices. Miniatures are certainly a good choice for all the reasons you cited. Rebecca convinced me to buy some miniature hereford semen to breed on some of our cows years ago and boy were they easy calvers! Thanks for sharing some insight into your operation. Sounds like you are doing big things. 👌
@Our Montana Homestead We moved to Western Montana 10 years ago from Pennsylvania. I have worked all over Montana, and some of Central Montana is my favorite (between Grass range. Lewistown, Judith basin). I love the people of Eastern Montana, but the winners are hard, and the hot summers are harder.
I worked in Glendive last winter. It was -36 when I got to one of my jobs. In September of last year, it was over 110° in Glendive. That's a ridiculous temperature swing.
Any issues with critters in your compost piles with all that fresh food out in the open?
@LLjean-qz7sb not really. If they are eating the produce at night they are less likely to try to get-together into my coops. We haven't lost a single chicken since doing this.
mini tillers.i love chickens .
Loving the content. Learning alot.
Awesome, thank you! 😊
Learning a lot from you, thank you 😊
Happy to hear that. It is my pleasure!
I have learned so much from you and Edible Acres! We are covered in snow and no where near spring, so our chickens are very bored! Since watching you guys I’ve been putting all of our scraps in their run instead of the compost bins i usually use. I will incorporate a better system before next winter! Do you give your birds meat scraps too? I never did in our regular composting areas, but feel like it would be ok with our hens. Thanks!
Hey thank you. Glad you are getting something from the channel. Sean and Sasha have a great channel and shate some really good ideas. I absolutely give them meat scraps cooked and raw as well. If they dont clean it up after a couple days I will bury it in compost if it is getting funky. Mostly to avoid drawing in scavengers. Thanks for watching as always:)
I throw in meat scraps along with all the kitchen and garden waste but I chose not to throw in any fowel meat. No chicken turkey, duck meat etc. Just pork, beef, lamb and venison.
Always good content
Thank you!
Thank you for the informative content!
You're welcome 😊
I really enjoyed that video mate. You have an amazing set up and so much knowledge. Greetings from the UK.
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed the video. 😉
@@therealprtrhsenteal places like yours are rare in UK as we are such a populated tiny island but ime working on an idea to get a smallholding and bresse chickens look good.
Awesome info!! Thanks from Nova Scotia 🇨🇦
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching . Greetings! 👋
New subscriber !! I love your content and hope to learn more from you channel! Your voice is also nice to listen to …nice tone!
I’m new to chicken keeping!
Chickens are a really great livestock when starting out. I'm glad you have found some value in the videos and thanks for joining our channel. 🙂
How many yards of compost do you produce per year with this system? I’ve really been considering going to this system vs our rotational pasture system
It varies by year and the amount of inputs but I have been generating around 10-12 yards per year. My compost is at least 2 months in the yard before coming out and in most cases 4-6 months before used.
Thanks!
Thank you so much! Very kind of you sir. 😉
@@therealprtrhsenteal You are welcome. Thanks for sharing
Thank you for your insightful video. I currently have been researching between feeding chickens on compost vs pasture. One question though, how do you put the chickens back to their coop at the end of the day?
We only give them feed at night so they are ready to eat when we put them up. They forage during the day and their ration is given close to dusk.
great stuff. hope you keep it up
Hey thanks for watching!
Do you share your eggs with the food bank … it lovely that the food bank help you with the chickens
They get quite a number of eggs from the supermarkets so I have never asked them specifically. This food bank has more food than people in the area actually need. They never turn people away and there is always surplus for chickens and pigs. It's pretty great places like this exist. 👌
Eu não entendi quase nada do que você falou, mais conseguir entender um pouco do que se trata, incrível a ideia.
Thanks amigo!
Man, you have a great job!!!
I don't know how I came across this channel, but it's really interesting.
Greetings from Mexico!
Thank you. I appreciate it. Glad you found the channel. Welcome amigo!
Amazing demonstration! Are you concerned about potential fertilizers and pesticides that may come from the grass clipping from the High School? Thank you for sharing your amazing knowledge!
I have asked the grounds keeper regarding the clippings and he assured me they are not treated so based on that I have decided to use these as an input during the winter months when grass clippings are scarce. Thanks for watching and your question. 😉
I love to raise chickens..
One of the best barnyard livestock around!
That is very cool - thanks for the detail. One question - I've heard that coffee grounds are poisonous to chickens but it looks like you're throwing a fair amount in of them in there without negative effects on your chickens - any feedback on that?
My chickens get access to copius amounts of grounds weekly. They snack on it sometimes but never do they taste more than what they like. My chickens get access to most everything that has been suggested is bad for them and they always seem to make the right choice. The key is to provide many options and let them decide what is best for them. My chickens are healthy and happy.
Question: my local food bank hands out rotted and very moldy food to the needy. if they should have any extra produce leftover I would not be able to let my chickens go into compost piles with badly moldy produce, correct?
Chickens are good at avoiding rotten or moldy food so long as they have other better options to choose from. That said I generally avoid intentionally giving them rotten spoiled food to begin with.
I love watching the chickens come running out. We will be adding 4 Black Australorps and 2 Buff Orpingtons in April to our Barred Rock. Who would have thought I would have a thing for chickens LOL We have to drive 1 hr out of town, as the places in town are charging $4-$8/bird with limited options. But, the price is fair and they are from healthy, local farms.
Question: Burning bones for charcoal. This is not the same as activated charcoal, correct? I use activated charcoal medicinally, hence my naive question. Please share more on how you burn them. I do see the benefit in using it in our compost. Thank you. Great insight as always.
Oops...just saw the link you shared about the biochar...off to watch that
It is similar but as I understand it, activated charcoal is pyrolyzed using the addition of a gas like oxygen to achieve and increase porosity. I'm not certain about that but the char that I make is nit activated. Those australorps a pretty strong birds. I like the ones I have. 👌
It's not really a fair question. Both work, and which is better for a given operation is going to depend on which is more readily available for that operation. Not everyone gets to choose between the two.
What is your choice?
Are locted in oregon? Id like to see your farm
We are in northern California.
Do you not worry about the chemicals sprayed on the grass from the school?
They have assured me they do not spray their fields. I am definately concerned about the origins of the inputs I obtain as I have made that mistake before and I try to avoid making them in the future. When obtaining waste material from outside sources there is always risk.
My chicken does not like worms. I am beginning to wonder whether I have jumping worms and not regular earthworms.
I have never heard of jumping worms but if it looks like a worm my hens will probably at least sample them. 🤏
Does the coffee grounds have an affect your chickens? I've been reading that coffee can be toxic to chickens so I haven't allowed my flock to have access to it
I have not had any issues with my chickens having access to coffee. My chickens tend to self regulate their intake of the foods they are provided so long as they have plenty of options from which to choose. Coffee has not shown itself to be harmful imo. My chickens may sample it but do not eat more than they want and are not overly attracted to it.
@@therealprtrhsenteal thanks for the reply! I want to get my chickens started on helping with the compost
What do you mean by hot compost?
In between 130° and 160°f.
I’m curious, why do you want them eating the worms? Aren’t you biting the hand that feeds you (the worms doing the composting)? Curious, not criticism.
Great observation and thanks for the question. The hens are not allowed or able to completely have access to all of the worms in these piles. There is a large population in the compost and I ensure they are not obliterated by the the hens by re-stacking piles daily. Worms and other soil life is tremedously beneficial to the overall health of our birds which translates directly to increasing the7 nutrional density in the eggs we produce and ultimately consume. As you can see there is an abundance of worms throughout these piles and we like to share in that abundance with our flocks. You are correct the worms are doing massive work inside those piles however it's a balance that needs to be struck between the two interests. Thanks again. 👌
@@therealprtrhsentealin addition those chickens are adding valuable nitrogen to the compost which speeds up the composting action. And they are removing lots of weed or other undesirable seeds from the compost. In my opinion they earn the worms. 😁
Terry
how do people trust having their birds with an open sky ? Aren't people worried about the things that prey on them ?
Aerial predation can be an issue but I haven't lost a chicken due to that for many year. A good rooster and providing a living overstory can be an effective deterrent. 👌
Don’t you attract mice and rats?
Yes we have alot of mice. But have never seen a rat on our property.