Thank you again to HelloFresh for sponsoring today's video! For 16 free meals with HelloFresh across 7 boxes AND 3 free gifts, use code OAKABODE16 at bit.ly/37JsR8Q.
How about a video on the process of taking the used chicken bedding and how you then turn it into compost. I know nothing about that, and would love to find out 🙂
Keep it 3 x 3 Vertical if possible - and just compost, any compost - this also keeps the core temp highest vs scattering horizontally. Leave the vertical pile for one year once full, then tear it down and next to it have another and what did not compost out, put in the other bin, and keep rotating. Free Potting soil, raised bed material.
Check out perma pasture farm Billie talks and takes you step by step in composting chicken bedding. He's another homesteader on RUclips spread the love and knowledge in the community. Helping one and other.
I was 75 and had a desire to have chickens. I watched ever build video on chicken houses. During the next 1 1/2 years I built three houses with runs. At present I am extending one of the runs to give them an additional 18X18 yard to play in. I had over 2000 views on my first home and run. I did 95 % of the build myself with tips on using the tool from my husband. My motivation was to have a reason to keep active. To show you how obsessed I am I have just had two of my coops wired for electricity. I have a fan in each nest boss, automatic door and an exhaust fan in each house. Because of a family matter I had to rehome my first group of girls. In Sept I have a new set of girls to love and care for. Yes only 5 chicken. That is all my subdivision will allow. I love our content. Thank you for the time you put into each one.
Thank you for this! My husband was sitting next to me when I played this. Things like this help convince him that chickens are doable for us and I NEED CHICKENS!!
Suggestions for future videos: 1. How to use your chicken fertilizer, so many other RUclips videos out there giving conflicting info on how if you don't do it right, you will kill your plants. 2. How to make your own chicken feed. I've tried to do the research on this and it also got super confusing and when it didn't, I could find those supplies in my area.
Exactly, I'm new to chickens since Easter and I worry if I see poop that isn't usual or maybe I'm missing the signs of something. 🤔 A" Newbie Stay Calm" video would be great.
“A newbie stay calm” video is a great way to put it. I’ve seen you address some things but one place to find everything would be great. I get my chicks 8/1 so hopefully sometime soon 😂😂😂
I hatched a lot of eggs and normally raise them to "off heat" (6 weeks) that way I can mostly tell their sex, I then leg band the little cockerals and raise them to 14/16 weeks old before I process them for our freezer. This way I know exactly how they were raised, what they were fed and how they were killed..., which I believe is just as important as their well being whilst they were alive.
@@benniecotton4441 I'm aware this comment is old enough for your chickens to be adults now so you should be able to tell just by looking at them For the future there is a way of sexing young chick's called venting which means just look at their but there is a little ball for roosters and no ball for hens generally if you can search RUclips for "tips on how to sex chicken or vent chickens" or just Google how to do it you can probly find a guide I found there's a 90 percent success rate I was almost never wrong when I checked myself and remember to be gentle a lot of things say to squeeze the baby don't do that just firmly but gently hold them good luck hope this helps
Feed options, amaranth and sorghum video would be great. What are the easiest way to preserve eggs? What is your favorite chicken recipie? Favorite chicken breed?
I’d like to see a video just showing all the chickens you currently have and I’d like to know what you like/dislike about each breed you’ve owned. Maybe even listing other breeds of chickens you’d like in the future. That would be great!
Id love a video on growing their feed and how you mix it ect. We are growing Amaranth and trying to grow millet and clover to see how hard it is how much each plant produces and what not.
we have one entire garden for the chickens and ducks...spinach, argulla cherry tomatoes, peas., all fertilized with bedding.. the chickens dont do a lot of pest control here, but the ducks go after anything that moves...once a week I treat the chickens to a tub of 75 meal worms...they know that tub and come running from every direction..I cant free range...we have gators in the pond often..(but hey, they make a nice meal too)...we keep the drakes and roosters until November and then sell for holiday meals..keep one drake and one rooster for next year....pretty much all of them are spoken for already this year...the circle of life..
My Red Comets and Bardrocks produce about .7 eggs per day. Production decreases when they are free ranged because they will some times lay out in the weeds instead in the chicken house. Yes, the fertilizer will be priceless. Rabbits are probably more efficient, but the eggs are a better nutrition and easy.
I am a new chicken mama thanks, in part, to you and your videos (love them). You turned me on to Ameraucanas and Easter Eggers, which I have 3 of. Here are some new chicken content ideas: How to keep yourself from going over your lawful limit of chickens when experiencing chicken math, Some more in-depth videos on training dogs around chickens and appropriate correction when they are overly interested, How to train dogs to be protective of the chickens, How to cope with the loss of a chicken that you have nurtured, How to keep them cool in extreme heat, Which breeds to avoid ( So far I'm avoiding Leghorns despite their high production value due to their flightiness and reputation of not being friendly and perhaps a little too aggressive with my mild-mannered girls), Making proper ventilation in the coop, especially small, store-bought coops.
Not sure if this is too much information but if you want Leghorn level egg production but a nicer chicken you CANNOT do better than the Black Australorp. The Australorp held the world record for most eggs in a year (364) before the Leghorns broke it (372) and Australorps are quiet and very friendly in my experience. They’re also heavier and don’t fly as much. My two cents
@@isaiahhallett9871 Yes, I have one Black Australorp, and I totally agree! She is super lovey with us and assertive, not aggressive. She is definitely boss hen of the flock. Lol I'm thinking of trying a Blue Australorp next Spring as well. I don't think their production is quite as high, though. Do you have any experience with the Blues?
Would love more videos about chicken health. Like how to deal with common diseases (coccidiosis and Merck’s and what to put in a chicken first aide kit. I think those are important for every new chicken owner.
A video on when it is okay to have younger chicks introduced to older hens. My Norvegen chickens are picking on my little Rhode Island Reds. Don't know how much longer it will go on. Thanks Jerry
I’m SO excited to learn this information regarding the chicken bedding - compost for gardening!! This year we started a garden on our new property and 3 days ago we rescued our very first chickens. We’ve never owned chickens before so I’m at the point of absorbing as much as information as I possibly can. What a blessing that I found your channel!! Thank you SO much for sharing such invaluable information 🤗
Hatching your own is extremely rewarding. Our first go at it are hatching right now. Yes we have a heated area to keep them after they come outta the brooder. We were going to wait till spring but the kids got so excited when I came home with an incubator we just couldn’t wait.
Great videos first off. Wife and I love watching our 5 layers in our urban backyard here in Pittsburgh. We have a nice run/coup area next to our garden that we have been using hay and or straw for bedding and also to cover the bare earth with. So, we were out driving around one day and saw that a local farmer was selling hay for $5 a bale, we then questioned if the hay came from a field that was sprayed with “graze on” or similar herbacide and an easy way to test the eventual composted manure/hay mix before we dump this on our vegetable garden. I have heard that such herbicides cause vegetable garden to basically fail if the hay used for composting is contaminated with this. This is a concern for us because we know a lot of ranchers will use this to keep weeds in check in their pastures. Such herbicides allow grasses to grow but not vegetables
I kind of went through the same process with mine - at first I kept them in a chicken run and fed them all kinds of "chicken" food, scratch, soldier fly larva, etc. Now, I have them out in my larger yard and they are pretty self sufficient. It's still pretty fun to give them special treats though so I probably still spend too much money on them :) Thanks for the vid.
Pest control is the thing I appreciate most about our free range birds. We live in an old, old farmhouse, in the middle of 9 acres, and we've never had a mouse, or bugs, in our house. They take care of all of that, including snakes! Not having to use pesticides in the house, or poisonings, is a really great thing.
I've watched all of your chicken videos. Keeping me very entertained and educated on taking care of them. After breeding/raising wild chickens in the Seychelles and doing a lot of cooking eggs, I started raising baby chicks on scrambled eggs. They love it and we had a lot of extras. Also I saw you crack a bunch of eggs into a measuring cup. A suggestion: Crack each egg into a bowl first and then pour into the measuring cup. Once you crack a bad egg into 6 or 7 good ones and ruin the bunch, you'll remember it. Not rotten obviously but some slightly develop. Just a thought. Keep up the great videos! Love seeing them.
Chickens and goats make the best compost and fertilizer. You can use goat faster because you don't have to age it as long, but mixed together you'll get the most amazing compost.
This is really a good video. I spend too much feeding my chickens and I’m slowly getting the system to work better. Any cost saving farm videos are needed
I love your video and yours "sensitive philosophy" about chickens you raise at your property. You are very young but full of beautiful of "humanity". I will watch all yours video from now. Thank you...
If you are still looking for compost, you might try your local trash dump. I know some of them have a huge compost area and sell it cheap. I love you and your videos thank you for all the great information. My wife and I just finished our coop run and we used a lot of information you put out. We are going with the deep litter method so we can use it in our small garden we have. Thank you so much for being you and stay free spirited.
Jacquie Jacob out of University of Kentucky presented on chicken feeds recently. She had a section about various crop options. Corn and marigolds give the yellow pigment in the yolk for instance. It was through the Extension Foundation. Reach out to her for more information.
How to feed chickens kitchen scrap, then full circle, how to properly use bedding to start compost, grow compost, use for plants, how to turn over fruit and veggies and regular annuals and perennials
As feed costs are a major portion of raising chickens, I have a cost reduction thought for you. Perhaps even an idea for a new video as I have not seen this anywhere else..... If you or someone you know is a customer at a restaurant, diner, etc., perhaps you could ask them to occasionally set aside their kitchen scraps for you. You could use this not only for feeding your chickens, but could also add it to your compost pile if needed. The best part is that it is free. You might even be doing the restaurant a favor by reducing any waste removal costs they may have. You would also be using 'garbage' that would otherwise end up in the waste stream. I would make certain they are cooking with ingredients you agree with, though. Best of luck!
Just discovered your channel and I love it! My wife and I are moving south next spring and we plan to get chickens and I’m so glad I found you! Very helpful!
Thanks for making these. I really want chickens, but I’m really terrified to get them. And your videos help. They are really well made and the opposite of pretentious. And my kids love them and specifically ask to watch them.
We homeschool, so the chickens are also a daily living lesson in all kinds of things. Biology, animal husbandry, where our food actually comes from. Also entertainment, garbage disposals, food, haven't yet been able to use manure in the garden but hopefully soon!
My chickens have gone "native" . They wont roost in the coop any more. I have lewered soldier flies larvae (they love!) them into the run (attached to coop and they all wont come in. I have a electric fence surrounding their run and coop w a big tree in the center. They now roost in the tree (initially I thought it was due to heat - Texas) ...but they go so high, we can't t get down. They still lay in their boxes in the coop.
Manure from free ranging chickens is great insurance for keeping your compost free of persistent herbicides. Two years ago, policing my inputs became so challenging I had to change my composting process completely. Now I'm using primarily fall leaves for carbon. Last year, I collected 25 yards (volume before shredding). I use as much free range manure as possible for nitrogen, but my sources aren't nearly enough. I make up most of the difference with coffee grounds.
I appreciate the videos you post they helped me convince my wife to get chickens. An idea for a video could be on how you plan on setting up your pasture and what your planting in it ( I am in WI as well and looking for more ideas). Lots of good suggestions below as well.
Thank you for your videos! I would love a breakdown of what you need to provide or tips on ideas for the coop. You've done this a few times but I'm about to start on this and so nervous I'll forget something. We love long videos so a fresh video with #1 picking out your birds, budget ideas on different coop options, what would be necessary for new birds vs older birds when bringing them home, lost of what is a luxury for chickens but great options, and all predator protection ideas, how to eliminate odors as much as possible, your deep litter method, and keeping them healthy.
I’d be happy just having a video of your chickens walking around and doing chicken things 😆 I’d love to have some chickens of my own but sadly they are not allowed in my HOA
The difference between draft and ventilation. I'm so worried of them being cold in our New Brunswick, Canadian weather. 🥺 I'm over thinking everything 🤦♀️
I would like to see a video on an impacted egg. I had that happen, I tried to treat it, but chicken died. I’ve watched videos about it , but wouldn’t mind more tips or ideas ; or preventative measures
I would like to see you talk about the different illnesses chickens most commonly get, in your experience, and what to do about them. Also, what is cross-beak, etc.? There are lots of things you know about that us new to chicken folks don’t know. Thank you for sharing your knowledge, it’s making getting chicks seem so much less daunting.
I used to go out of my way (time) and pay a lot more (money) to find pasture raised eggs that came in a compostable egg carton. Having my own chickens in the backyard means zero waste egg cartons 😀 also they eat centipedes! They certainly increase my quality of life
rude... we have pasture raised eggs... tend to just recycle the foam cartons though (mostly cause all I have to do by law to use them, is mark out the grading)
here to watch chooks then ooh! - 1:24 Portmeirion plates! welsh flag(UK) Annoyingly we're not 'allowed' to give chooks kitchen scraps here in UK (BSE - other countries had it too - I wonder where it came from?) but we're always the first to put our hands up !ike - it was us! Quality of life? I retired at 60 & got more chickens, life is good - people come to have chicken therapy!
How do you collect the chicken doodoos for your compost? Looks like they're on grass there? What flooring would you recommend? Any help gratefully received (We are building a coop presently and are now wondering about the ground- currently grass).
have you heard about egg glassing? This is my first year trying it. I hope it works. I watched a ton of videos on it. It's supposed to preserve the eggs thru the winter.
🐓🐓🐓❤️ chicken video about dealing with roosters that are overly aggressive with the females and picking a favorite to step on. How to deal with it. I feel so bad separating one of my boys but he is very rough and only wants to mate with two of my hens. I have 20 hens and he only wants those two 🤦🏻♀️
Yes this would be great, a video about ROOSTER FAQ because I'm new to roosters and I don't know what is normal. I also have some small hens and my rooster is gigantic. I don't know what to watch for
Hello thinking of getting chickens what is a good breed for eggs meat type of chicken and easy care and friendly love your videos thanks so much also for michigan type of weather
How do you know they're getting enough to eat when they free range? They seem to be able to eat non stop all day whatever and however much you feed them. Thank you for the videos that are great!
Mine tell me when they are hungry like I walk by and they are right there. If they are content they don't follow me or try to get close. I have 8 different breeds and they all do it.
I love watching your videos here in Australia. We have 12 girls and recently a rooster too 😀 I do fermented food for them every week to which you can add lots of things that are cheap. It makes the food go further.
I’d love to see a video on how to keep my fluffy girl bottoms free of poo. I’ve got one girl whose poo gets caught in her feathers constantly and it not only looks bad but she gets pop on her eggs when laying at times too. Thanks so much 😊
I would love a video on your deep litter method. We just got our first 2 chickens and I would like to use that method but I’m not totally sure how to do it. Thanks for all of the information you provide!
I would like to see how much and how you love on your chickens! I am getting 5 new chickens and I’m a first time chicken owner and HUGE animal lover in general! What are ways that I can love on my chickens and spoil them!? Also, how do I train them to do (fill in the blank) anything that we can train them to do would be a great video! What kind of own toys are good and what ones are bad…
I really enjoy your videos. I have just bought 4 chickens for pets and weed suppression. I would really like it if they felt confident and comfortable with me holding and petting them. I would also like to learn how to feel confident in picking them up too. A good video for me would be, how to gain confidence for both my hens and myself. I am enjoying the journey with my chickens, holding and petting them is the icing on the cake 😁🐓🐓💛
We are new chicken wranglers (2nd year) and I decided to hatch some of our eggs. My success rate was terrible. I only had three hatch out 14 eggs. My sex ratio was even worse...3 roosters zero hens! Even worse two of the three where Wheaton Aseel roosters. My Wheaton hen was super aggressive and the roosters were crosses with a Road Island Red rooster, but still very aggressive. So it was either give them to someone who eat them or eat them our self. The first year of raising chickens we didn't think we would be eating any of our chickens, but the aggressive nature of this breed made it a lot easier to butcher the two young rooster. Still not sure we will be butchering our old hens (we were given an older flock of 7 chickens and one rooster) which have had a high mortality rate. Of the original hens only two remain and one no longer lays any eggs coming out of winter and the other just stopped laying because our new babies have just started laying. It appears she is upset with our new babies being in the nest boxes. We have two "hen houses" with 3 nest boxes in each house. But the hens only lay in two boxes of the same "house". So far they have not been very cost effective, but they are a lot of fun having! My daughters are surprised how much I spoil the little guys. I don't have any issue with male masculinity 🤣 so me pampering animals doesn't seem natural for me in there eyes. I've hunted and fished all my life. I spend almost all my free time doing that one or the other. I have also processed all my own meat...so putting creatures on the dinner table is easy for me, but my chickens have been pretty safe aside from these two aggressive roosters...their mother I gave away instead of eating because she was not very old and still laying...but very aggressive too!
Do you have any recommendation on hatcheries in Wisconsin? We're looking to get some Barred Plymouth Rocks this spring for the backyard, and are kind of smack in the middle of the state.
We've been doing deep litter all summer and yea it's deep. I think we clean the coop.(cause i want the poop + shavings to put the garden to bed for winter). If I do, how to start over with overnight temps in low 30's? Last late spring i started with a thin layer adding more every week. Same way now?
Thank you again to HelloFresh for sponsoring today's video! For 16 free meals with HelloFresh across 7 boxes AND 3 free gifts, use code OAKABODE16 at bit.ly/37JsR8Q.
How about a video on the process of taking the used chicken bedding and how you then turn it into compost. I know nothing about that, and would love to find out 🙂
Keep it 3 x 3 Vertical if possible - and just compost, any compost - this also keeps the core temp highest vs scattering horizontally. Leave the vertical pile for one year once full, then tear it down
and next to it have another and what did not compost out, put in the other bin, and keep rotating. Free Potting soil, raised bed material.
@@johnsturtevant9351 Is it already properly proportioned between green/brown, or does it need to be supplemented?
@@jaimieolson3796 chook bedding will form the ‘brown’ component of compost, as its all dead (straw, wood chips etc)
Check out perma pasture farm Billie talks and takes you step by step in composting chicken bedding. He's another homesteader on RUclips spread the love and knowledge in the community. Helping one and other.
Yes, I also want to know how to do this.
I was 75 and had a desire to have chickens. I watched ever build video on chicken houses. During the next 1 1/2 years I built three houses with runs. At present I am extending one of the runs to give them an additional 18X18 yard to play in. I had over 2000 views on my first home and run. I did 95 % of the build myself with tips on using the tool from my husband. My motivation was to have a reason to keep active. To show you how obsessed I am I have just had two of my coops wired for electricity. I have a fan in each nest boss, automatic door and an exhaust fan in each house. Because of a family matter I had to rehome my first group of girls. In Sept I have a new set of girls to love and care for. Yes only 5 chicken. That is all my subdivision will allow. I love our content. Thank you for the time you put into each one.
Thank you for this! My husband was sitting next to me when I played this. Things like this help convince him that chickens are doable for us and I NEED CHICKENS!!
Hope you get your chickens 🐓
I want a video on what to have on hand for chicken first aid😊
Suggestions for future videos: 1. How to use your chicken fertilizer, so many other RUclips videos out there giving conflicting info on how if you don't do it right, you will kill your plants.
2. How to make your own chicken feed. I've tried to do the research on this and it also got super confusing and when it didn't, I could find those supplies in my area.
Id love to see a video on what to grow to make chicken food
Have you made a video on common chicken ailments and how to care for them? Wounds, bumblefoot, being picked on by other hens…
Exactly, I'm new to chickens since Easter and I worry if I see poop that isn't usual or maybe I'm missing the signs of something. 🤔 A" Newbie Stay Calm" video would be great.
I was thinking the same thing. I have one that I suspect has wry neck. Would love info on that and other ailments.
This would be great!
Agree!
“A newbie stay calm” video is a great way to put it. I’ve seen you address some things but one place to find everything would be great. I get my chicks 8/1 so hopefully sometime soon 😂😂😂
I hatched a lot of eggs and normally raise them to "off heat" (6 weeks) that way I can mostly tell their sex, I then leg band the little cockerals and raise them to 14/16 weeks old before I process them for our freezer. This way I know exactly how they were raised, what they were fed and how they were killed..., which I believe is just as important as their well being whilst they were alive.
My peeps r now 6mon old. I still don’t know which are roosters
Gary pls
Tell me
@@benniecotton4441 I'm aware this comment is old enough for your chickens to be adults now so you should be able to tell just by looking at them
For the future there is a way of sexing young chick's called venting which means just look at their but there is a little ball for roosters and no ball for hens generally
if you can search RUclips for "tips on how to sex chicken or vent chickens" or just Google how to do it you can probly find a guide
I found there's a 90 percent success rate I was almost never wrong when I checked myself and remember to be gentle a lot of things say to squeeze the baby don't do that just firmly but gently hold them good luck hope this helps
@@benniecotton4441 i can try to help, have pictures? I need to see mostly their face up close and tail feathers
Chicken video idea:
-how to make your own chicken feed
-what to grow to make your own chicken feed
-composting with chicken poo for the garden
.....
Please do an in-depth video on growing fodder gardens for the chickens while considering different growing zones. Thanks
Feed options, amaranth and sorghum video would be great.
What are the easiest way to preserve eggs?
What is your favorite chicken recipie?
Favorite chicken breed?
Water glossing
Varies by person
Depends on what you want them for.
Food grade calcium hydroxide solution to preserve eggs is the easiest method I've seen. Lots of names for it so research carefully.
I’d like to see a video just showing all the chickens you currently have and I’d like to know what you like/dislike about each breed you’ve owned. Maybe even listing other breeds of chickens you’d like in the future. That would be great!
Id love a video on growing their feed and how you mix it ect. We are growing Amaranth and trying to grow millet and clover to see how hard it is how much each plant produces and what not.
Baby chickens behaviors, benefits of a rooster, diff sounds of chickens n why, funny chicken behaviors...
Can you make a video about egg storage and expiration after they start laying eggs?!?!
we have one entire garden for the chickens and ducks...spinach, argulla cherry tomatoes, peas., all fertilized with bedding.. the chickens dont do a lot of pest control here, but the ducks go after anything that moves...once a week I treat the chickens to a tub of 75 meal worms...they know that tub and come running from every direction..I cant free range...we have gators in the pond often..(but hey, they make a nice meal too)...we keep the drakes and roosters until November and then sell for holiday meals..keep one drake and one rooster for next year....pretty much all of them are spoken for already this year...the circle of life..
My Red Comets and Bardrocks produce about .7 eggs per day. Production decreases when they are free ranged because they will some times lay out in the weeds instead in the chicken house. Yes, the fertilizer will be priceless. Rabbits are probably more efficient, but the eggs are a better nutrition and easy.
I am a new chicken mama thanks, in part, to you and your videos (love them). You turned me on to Ameraucanas and Easter Eggers, which I have 3 of. Here are some new chicken content ideas: How to keep yourself from going over your lawful limit of chickens when experiencing chicken math, Some more in-depth videos on training dogs around chickens and appropriate correction when they are overly interested, How to train dogs to be protective of the chickens, How to cope with the loss of a chicken that you have nurtured, How to keep them cool in extreme heat, Which breeds to avoid ( So far I'm avoiding Leghorns despite their high production value due to their flightiness and reputation of not being friendly and perhaps a little too aggressive with my mild-mannered girls), Making proper ventilation in the coop, especially small, store-bought coops.
Not sure if this is too much information but if you want Leghorn level egg production but a nicer chicken you CANNOT do better than the Black Australorp. The Australorp held the world record for most eggs in a year (364) before the Leghorns broke it (372) and Australorps are quiet and very friendly in my experience. They’re also heavier and don’t fly as much. My two cents
@@isaiahhallett9871 Yes, I have one Black Australorp, and I totally agree! She is super lovey with us and assertive, not aggressive. She is definitely boss hen of the flock. Lol I'm thinking of trying a Blue Australorp next Spring as well. I don't think their production is quite as high, though. Do you have any experience with the Blues?
Would love more videos about chicken health. Like how to deal with common diseases (coccidiosis and Merck’s and what to put in a chicken first aide kit. I think those are important for every new chicken owner.
A video on when it is okay to have younger chicks introduced to older hens. My Norvegen chickens are picking on my little Rhode Island Reds. Don't know how much longer it will go on. Thanks Jerry
I’m SO excited to learn this information regarding the chicken bedding - compost for gardening!! This year we started a garden on our new property and 3 days ago we rescued our very first chickens. We’ve never owned chickens before so I’m at the point of absorbing as much as information as I possibly can. What a blessing that I found your channel!! Thank you SO much for sharing such invaluable information 🤗
Hatching your own is extremely rewarding.
Our first go at it are hatching right now.
Yes we have a heated area to keep them after they come outta the brooder.
We were going to wait till spring but the kids got so excited when I came home with an incubator we just couldn’t wait.
Great videos first off. Wife and I love watching our 5 layers in our urban backyard here in Pittsburgh. We have a nice run/coup area next to our garden that we have been using hay and or straw for bedding and also to cover the bare earth with. So, we were out driving around one day and saw that a local farmer was selling hay for $5 a bale, we then questioned if the hay came from a field that was sprayed with “graze on” or similar herbacide and an easy way to test the eventual composted manure/hay mix before we dump this on our vegetable garden. I have heard that such herbicides cause vegetable garden to basically fail if the hay used for composting is contaminated with this. This is a concern for us because we know a lot of ranchers will use this to keep weeds in check in their pastures. Such herbicides allow grasses to grow but not vegetables
I kind of went through the same process with mine - at first I kept them in a chicken run and fed them all kinds of "chicken" food, scratch, soldier fly larva, etc. Now, I have them out in my larger yard and they are pretty self sufficient. It's still pretty fun to give them special treats though so I probably still spend too much money on them :) Thanks for the vid.
I would love a chicken composting video I’m not sure how to do it If anyone knows how to start let me know!
Can you discuss dirt baths
What to use. When to introduce babies I am a new chicken momma
Pest control is the thing I appreciate most about our free range birds. We live in an old, old farmhouse, in the middle of 9 acres, and we've never had a mouse, or bugs, in our house. They take care of all of that, including snakes! Not having to use pesticides in the house, or poisonings, is a really great thing.
I've watched all of your chicken videos. Keeping me very entertained and educated on taking care of them. After breeding/raising wild chickens in the Seychelles and doing a lot of cooking eggs, I started raising baby chicks on scrambled eggs. They love it and we had a lot of extras. Also I saw you crack a bunch of eggs into a measuring cup. A suggestion: Crack each egg into a bowl first and then pour into the measuring cup. Once you crack a bad egg into 6 or 7 good ones and ruin the bunch, you'll remember it. Not rotten obviously but some slightly develop. Just a thought. Keep up the great videos! Love seeing them.
Chickens and goats make the best compost and fertilizer. You can use goat faster because you don't have to age it as long, but mixed together you'll get the most amazing compost.
This is really a good video. I spend too much feeding my chickens and I’m slowly getting the system to work better. Any cost saving farm videos are needed
I currently have two golden comets and two easter eggers, and I'm sitting by my 2 week old salmon favorelles! all thanks to you!
I love your video and yours "sensitive philosophy" about chickens you raise at your property. You are very young but full of beautiful of "humanity". I will watch all yours video from now. Thank you...
If you have left over produce you can also turn it into mulch and put it back into the soil for your plants.
You've given us SO MUCH chicken knowledge. Watched most of your chicken vids 2-3 times. Thank you for all the help!
If you are still looking for compost, you might try your local trash dump. I know some of them have a huge compost area and sell it cheap. I love you and your videos thank you for all the great information. My wife and I just finished our coop run and we used a lot of information you put out. We are going with the deep litter method so we can use it in our small garden we have. Thank you so much for being you and stay free spirited.
Jacquie Jacob out of University of Kentucky presented on chicken feeds recently. She had a section about various crop options. Corn and marigolds give the yellow pigment in the yolk for instance. It was through the Extension Foundation. Reach out to her for more information.
How to feed chickens kitchen scrap, then full circle, how to properly use bedding to start compost, grow compost, use for plants, how to turn over fruit and veggies and regular annuals and perennials
As feed costs are a major portion of raising chickens, I have a cost reduction thought for you. Perhaps even an idea for a new video as I have not seen this anywhere else..... If you or someone you know is a customer at a restaurant, diner, etc., perhaps you could ask them to occasionally set aside their kitchen scraps for you. You could use this not only for feeding your chickens, but could also add it to your compost pile if needed. The best part is that it is free. You might even be doing the restaurant a favor by reducing any waste removal costs they may have. You would also be using 'garbage' that would otherwise end up in the waste stream. I would make certain they are cooking with ingredients you agree with, though. Best of luck!
I'd love a video on all things important for new layers. I know it takes them time to get regulated. So, what to expect and what I should be doing.
Yes!
I think a lot of us forget we all have an hourly rate. Good point
Just discovered your channel and I love it! My wife and I are moving south next spring and we plan to get chickens and I’m so glad I found you! Very helpful!
Thanks for making these. I really want chickens, but I’m really terrified to get them. And your videos help. They are really well made and the opposite of pretentious. And my kids love them and specifically ask to watch them.
Like your easy going style...as soon as we get our place set up doing alot of gardening..some of your videos are helpful...
We homeschool, so the chickens are also a daily living lesson in all kinds of things. Biology, animal husbandry, where our food actually comes from. Also entertainment, garbage disposals, food, haven't yet been able to use manure in the garden but hopefully soon!
My chickens have gone "native" . They wont roost in the coop any more. I have lewered soldier flies larvae (they love!) them into the run (attached to coop and they all wont come in. I have a electric fence surrounding their run and coop w a big tree in the center. They now roost in the tree (initially I thought it was due to heat - Texas) ...but they go so high, we can't t get down. They still lay in their boxes in the coop.
Can you do a video on getting started with composting?
Manure from free ranging chickens is great insurance for keeping your compost free of persistent herbicides. Two years ago, policing my inputs became so challenging I had to change my composting process completely. Now I'm using primarily fall leaves for carbon. Last year, I collected 25 yards (volume before shredding). I use as much free range manure as possible for nitrogen, but my sources aren't nearly enough. I make up most of the difference with coffee grounds.
I love the work the our chickens do weeds near the trees.
I appreciate the videos you post they helped me convince my wife to get chickens. An idea for a video could be on how you plan on setting up your pasture and what your planting in it ( I am in WI as well and looking for more ideas). Lots of good suggestions below as well.
Thank you for your videos! I would love a breakdown of what you need to provide or tips on ideas for the coop. You've done this a few times but I'm about to start on this and so nervous I'll forget something. We love long videos so a fresh video with #1 picking out your birds, budget ideas on different coop options, what would be necessary for new birds vs older birds when bringing them home, lost of what is a luxury for chickens but great options, and all predator protection ideas, how to eliminate odors as much as possible, your deep litter method, and keeping them healthy.
How about a video on easy chicken and water feeders..or alternatives to oyster shells
Yes please!
Eggshells is an alternative
I'd be happy to just see vids of the chickens doing their thing! Lol I love just watching them.
I’d be happy just having a video of your chickens walking around and doing chicken things 😆 I’d love to have some chickens of my own but sadly they are not allowed in my HOA
The difference between draft and ventilation.
I'm so worried of them being cold in our New Brunswick, Canadian weather. 🥺
I'm over thinking everything 🤦♀️
I would like to see a video on an impacted egg.
I had that happen, I tried to treat it,
but chicken died.
I’ve watched videos about it , but wouldn’t mind more tips or ideas ; or preventative measures
I would like to see you talk about the different illnesses chickens most commonly get, in your experience, and what to do about them. Also, what is cross-beak, etc.? There are lots of things you know about that us new to chicken folks don’t know. Thank you for sharing your knowledge, it’s making getting chicks seem so much less daunting.
I used to go out of my way (time) and pay a lot more (money) to find pasture raised eggs that came in a compostable egg carton. Having my own chickens in the backyard means zero waste egg cartons 😀 also they eat centipedes! They certainly increase my quality of life
rude... we have pasture raised eggs... tend to just recycle the foam cartons though (mostly cause all I have to do by law to use them, is mark out the grading)
I would love a video on how to facilitate a broody hen to hatch and raise baby chicks!
I really enjoy your videos and you are one of the most “natural” presenters on you tube!
I would love to see some craft ideas for decorating around the chicken run and in the hutch.
Really enjoyed this video, very informative, thanks for sharing!
Thanks for sharing about how chickens can pay for themselves!! What do you do with your chickens after they stop laying? Thanks!
here to watch chooks then ooh! - 1:24 Portmeirion plates! welsh flag(UK) Annoyingly we're not 'allowed' to give chooks kitchen scraps here in UK (BSE - other countries had it too - I wonder where it came from?) but we're always the first to put our hands up !ike - it was us! Quality of life? I retired at 60 & got more chickens, life is good - people come to have chicken therapy!
I’ve enjoyed watching your chicken videos. I’ll be stating my own backyard flock soon. 🐓🐓🐓
How do you collect the chicken doodoos for your compost? Looks like they're on grass there? What flooring would you recommend? Any help gratefully received (We are building a coop presently and are now wondering about the ground- currently grass).
What about a video about “what to do when your hen is actually a rooster”?
Don't forget the savings on therapists/counseling 👍 An hour hanging out with chickens is cheap mental health care, and probably more successful ❤️
Would love to see some of your favourite egg recipes! Things that use up a good amount of eggs when we are swimming in them 😂
have you heard about egg glassing? This is my first year trying it. I hope it works. I watched a ton of videos on it. It's supposed to preserve the eggs thru the winter.
🐓🐓🐓❤️ chicken video about dealing with roosters that are overly aggressive with the females and picking a favorite to step on. How to deal with it. I feel so bad separating one of my boys but he is very rough and only wants to mate with two of my hens. I have 20 hens and he only wants those two 🤦🏻♀️
Yes this would be great, a video about ROOSTER FAQ because I'm new to roosters and I don't know what is normal. I also have some small hens and my rooster is gigantic. I don't know what to watch for
Hello thinking of getting chickens what is a good breed for eggs meat type of chicken and easy care and friendly love your videos thanks so much also for michigan type of weather
Chicken video idea... What do you do with your feathers? Or just a video all about feathers!
How do you know they're getting enough to eat when they free range? They seem to be able to eat non stop all day whatever and however much you feed them. Thank you for the videos that are great!
*THEY are great
Mine tell me when they are hungry like I walk by and they are right there. If they are content they don't follow me or try to get close. I have 8 different breeds and they all do it.
a chicken should go to roost with a full crop. you can feel they chest to know how full the crop i.
Can you do a video on how you do your deep litter method in depth please? Like what you use etc. 😊
I love watching your videos here in Australia. We have 12 girls and recently a rooster too 😀
I do fermented food for them every week to which you can add lots of things that are cheap. It makes the food go further.
Chicken therapy is my favorite way our chickens pay us back! It is much cheaper than psychotherapy! Lol
How about the latest coop build video??? 🙏🙏🙏🤞
I’d love to see a video on how to keep my fluffy girl bottoms free of poo. I’ve got one girl whose poo gets caught in her feathers constantly and it not only looks bad but she gets pop on her eggs when laying at times too. Thanks so much 😊
Make a video about the new chickens you got this year and how they are doing
Lots of concerns about availability of chicken feed this winter. What alternative foods or longer term storage feed options are available?
What is the brand of self composting bedding that you use?
I would love a video on your deep litter method. We just got our first 2 chickens and I would like to use that method but I’m not totally sure how to do it. Thanks for all of the information you provide!
I would love longer, more in depth deep litter and how to video
I would like to see how much and how you love on your chickens! I am getting 5 new chickens and I’m a first time chicken owner and HUGE animal lover in general! What are ways that I can love on my chickens and spoil them!? Also, how do I train them to do (fill in the blank) anything that we can train them to do would be a great video! What kind of own toys are good and what ones are bad…
Do you think you could do a video on how you compost & fertilize with the chickens? I have been trying to find some & no really explains it. 😭
I really enjoy your videos. I have just bought 4 chickens for pets and weed suppression. I would really like it if they felt confident and comfortable with me holding and petting them. I would also like to learn how to feel confident in picking them up too. A good video for me would be, how to gain confidence for both my hens and myself.
I am enjoying the journey with my chickens, holding and petting them is the icing on the cake 😁🐓🐓💛
They absolutely help me on pest control
I would love to see your new chicken run.
Just Cute Stuff Chickens Do.
Yessss!!! I second this video suggestion!!
can you show more on you deep litter bedding?
We are new chicken wranglers (2nd year) and I decided to hatch some of our eggs. My success rate was terrible. I only had three hatch out 14 eggs. My sex ratio was even worse...3 roosters zero hens!
Even worse two of the three where Wheaton Aseel roosters. My Wheaton hen was super aggressive and the roosters were crosses with a Road Island Red rooster, but still very aggressive.
So it was either give them to someone who eat them or eat them our self.
The first year of raising chickens we didn't think we would be eating any of our chickens, but the aggressive nature of this breed made it a lot easier to butcher the two young rooster.
Still not sure we will be butchering our old hens (we were given an older flock of 7 chickens and one rooster) which have had a high mortality rate. Of the original hens only two remain and one no longer lays any eggs coming out of winter and the other just stopped laying because our new babies have just started laying. It appears she is upset with our new babies being in the nest boxes.
We have two "hen houses" with 3 nest boxes in each house. But the hens only lay in two boxes of the same "house".
So far they have not been very cost effective, but they are a lot of fun having! My daughters are surprised how much I spoil the little guys. I don't have any issue with male masculinity 🤣 so me pampering animals doesn't seem natural for me in there eyes.
I've hunted and fished all my life. I spend almost all my free time doing that one or the other. I have also processed all my own meat...so putting creatures on the dinner table is easy for me, but my chickens have been pretty safe aside from these two aggressive roosters...their mother I gave away instead of eating because she was not very old and still laying...but very aggressive too!
Do you have any recommendation on hatcheries in Wisconsin? We're looking to get some Barred Plymouth Rocks this spring for the backyard, and are kind of smack in the middle of the state.
Thanks
I love your breeds of chickens. Can you go thru to id them for us looking to start getting some ladies in spring of 2024
What do you use as "self composting bedding"?
I’d like to know more about this too
We've been doing deep litter all summer and yea it's deep. I think we clean the coop.(cause i want the poop + shavings to put the garden to bed for winter). If I do, how to start over with overnight temps in low 30's? Last late spring i started with a thin layer adding more every week. Same way now?
How to get young chickens to start laying??
can you do a video unboxing chicken monthly supscription box please
Love your videos!