Re: Chicken advise newbie.


"Mary Fisher" <mary.fisher@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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"Amy Blankenship" <Amy_nospam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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We thought fortnightly was often enough to clean our Eglu, which has a
wire floor and removable tray. Last time Spouse did it the droppings
tray had a lot of small (unidentifiable by us) maggots in it :-(

Maggots are welcome.

Not in the coop :-(

When the chickens get out to forage, at least 4-5 go under the house to
scratch around in the compost. This is a great way to aerate it, and a
good source of protein. It makes a bit of extra work to rake the leaves
back under there, but it's no biggie. I've been thinking about adding
vermiculture down there to make it official. Anyone out there with a bin
of red wigglers under their chickens?

These weren't worms, they were maggots - some kind of insect larvae. Hens
will eat some maggots but not when they can't reach them. The maggots
would metamorphose into insects of some kind and we didn't want that.

Yes, I'm aware of that. But chickens love both maggots and insects of most
kinds
http://journeytoforever.org/farm_library/oliver/oliver2b.html#2-6

I've never seen an Eglu in person, but it looks rather small and
enclosed.

Not at all - as long as it's not overcrowded - the same applies to any
size of coop. It's designed for back garden chicken husbandry, people who
don't want to support the battery egg production industry. It's
recommended for not more than three full size chickens, we only have
bantams and only two roost in there.

Our chicken coop was built more for maximum ventilation than warmth.

The Eglu has both ventilation and insulation.

I'd be worried only cleaning something that air tight looking every two
weeks that the ammonia would build up.

LOL! It's not airtight and the debris falls through slats to a removable
tray below - which can be removed without disturbing the rest of the
structure.

Since the whole point of the way I keep my chickens is to deposit organic
matter in situ, taking it away doesn't make any sense. Your goals are
different than mine.

If my coop gets that kind of smell, I add more pecan leaves.

We've never, ever, had any ammoniacal smell from any of our chicken
houses.

You don't deliberately put your chickens on top of their own waste for
weeks, either. And you don't have 23 in one spot.

The Eglu is splendid chicken housing for its purpose. It's not intended
for commercial husbandry and it wouldn't be suitable. It's easy to clean
inside and out, needs no other maintenance and the chickens take to it
immediately. The only drawback is the cost but since it's a one-off (i.e.
no repair bills ever) it's good value.

If you don't have 27 chickens. You'd need an awful lot for that.

And I'm not easy to please, as Jill will tell you :-)

My husband says the same thing about me :-). We're in the middle of
building some smaller coops (one to give the 4 that live separately a better
space and one so that if I get a broody hen I can put her to work. He's
constantly questioning why I'll spend 15 minutes or an hour on a feature I
know will make the thing better for years to come. <sigh>

-Amy


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Relevant Pages

  • Re: Chicken advise newbie.
    ... Last time Spouse did it the droppings tray ... Maggots are welcome. ... I've never seen an Eglu in person, but it looks rather small and enclosed. ... not more than three full size chickens, we only have bantams and only two ...
    (sci.agriculture.poultry)
  • Re: Chicken advise newbie.
    ... wire floor and removable tray. ... Maggots are welcome. ... with a bin of red wigglers under their chickens? ... The Eglu has both ventilation and insulation. ...
    (sci.agriculture.poultry)
  • Re: Chicken advise newbie.
    ... wire floor and removable tray. ... Maggots are welcome. ... bin of red wigglers under their chickens? ... The Eglu has both ventilation and insulation. ...
    (sci.agriculture.poultry)