The Chicken Chick

May 25, 2013

DIY Chicken Coop Flower Box

After having recently remodeled the front of our chicken run, I felt we needed to add some interest to it and, on a whim, put my husband to work making a flower box. The beauty of this micro flower garden is that the chickens can neither eat them nor trample it! Using spare wood from a previous project, he whipped up this flower box in less than a half an hour (paint drying time not included).

The front of my run, before flower box installation.

The top piece of the run measures 90 inches, so two pieces of wood were cut to 90 inches. The 2 ends and middle support were cut to 3 inches each. The wood was painted with paint we had on-hand and the five pieces were then screwed together.

Inspector #7 (a Buff Orpington) and Lucy (an Easter Egger).

After assembling the box, 1/4 inch hardware cloth was nailed to the bottom. I thought this would make the flower box lighter and allow for excellent drainage.

The bottom of the flower box was lined with burlap to keep the soil from washing through the hardware cloth when watered.

Once lined with burlap, the box was screwed to the front of the run.

I added some potting soil and compost, courtesy of my feathered pets, and then planted vinca vines and some petunias.

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May 23, 2013

GIVEAWAY! Reduce Flies with Farm360 All-natural Enzyme Cleaner/Purifier!

Today's giveaway is brought to you by the makers of Gro2Max Probiotics, BioNatural America Institute, Farm360 is an all-natural, cleaning and purifying solution for outdoor animal environments, ideal for farms, backyards, chicken coops, pens, stables, and pastures! Use to clean housing and maintain a healthy, sustainable living environment wherever animals live. Farm360 helps decrease harmful ammonia, and reduces fly populations by eliminating organic attractants.

My chickens, turning the compost pile.

How does it work?

Farm360 expedites the decomposition of organic waste, eliminating odors, NOT masking them. By breaking down organic waste, odor-causing compounds are eliminated, ammonia is neutralized, flies are reduced and the environment is healthier for chickens, pets and other farm animals.

How to use it:
One 3.5 oz. package of Farm360 mixes with water to make 20 gallons of spray, covering approximately 700 square feet. It can be mixed in smaller amounts according to package directions. Solution is distributed with a garden sprayer, spray bottle or plant waterer over areas where pets and other animals spend time.

Enter to win a 3.5 oz package of Farm360!

TO ENTER:

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Winner notified via email if provided or at the bottom of this post.

Giveaway ends 5/24/13, 11pm EST

Rather not wait to win a package? Farm360 can be purchased through Amazon.com

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May 22, 2013

Tater Totes: Feed Bag Potato Patch

I have been upcycling feed bags into market totes, chicken coop artwork, Christmas stockings and shipping envelopes for years and this spring I’m putting the feed bags to use in a different way: as portable potato gardens. Planting potatoes in a container allows them to be grown in a small space and provides more flexibility in location. It's ideal for keeping my chickens from scratching them up and it frees up space in my garden for other plants and herbs they won't eat. The technique is remarkably simple and I’m looking forward to the spuds in a few months!

Materials Needed:

woven plastic Feed bag with top end cut off

Seed potatoes

garden soil/compost

chicken manure compost or potato fertilizer

About the potatoes:

I ordered Yukon Gold seed potatoes, but there are endless varieties from which to choose; I found this variety selector very helpful. Store bought potatoes are not as good a choice as specially grown, disease-free, seed potatoes.

When the potatoes arrive, they can be "chitted," or sprouted to give them a head-start in the growing process. Placing them in a bright location for a week or two will result in eyes that sprout to an inch or less. I didn't bother chitting mine because I'm impatient like that and they'll grow fine without it.

Before planting, the sprouted potatoes can be cut into pieces, each containing a sprout, (or eye) but the cut pieces must be dried for 2-4 days before planting to avoid rotting. I used whole potatoes.

How to Plant 'em

1. Roll down a cuff on the feed bag 2/3 of the way down. I placed straw in the bottom for drainage.

2. Fill bottom 1/3 of the bag with high-quality compost/garden soil

3. Place 5 potatoes, eyes up, into the soil. They shouldn't touch each other or the sides of the bag.

Compost, courtesy of my backyard pets.

4. Either add a layer of chicken manure compost (my material of choice) or sprinkle some potato fertilizer around the spuds (not on top of them).

5. Cover with ~4 inches of compost/garden soil to the top of the bag.

6. Using a sharp knife or pair of scissors, poke holes in the bottom and sides of the bag for drainage.

7. Place in a location that receives full sun. Water sparingly each morning. The soil should not be soaked, but should not dry out either.

8. When leaves are approximately 6 inches tall, roll bag up a bit and cover all but the top most leaves with compost/garden soil. Repeat as leaves grow.

9. Fertilize every other week until leaves turn yellow and begin to dry out.

10. When leaves are dried out, harvest by cutting open the bag (preferably directly in the garden). Allow harvested potatoes to cure in full sun after harvesting for a day or two. The spuds will be ready to harvest in approximately 3 months (varies by variety).

For other uses for empty feed bags, visit my blog article here.

Feed bag coop art.

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This post was shared with: Adorned from Above, Cheerios & Lattes, Crafts a la Mode, Dear Creatives,Fluster Buster, Diana Rambles, I Gotta Create, I Gotta Try That, Small Footprint Family, The Pin Junkie, The Wilderness Wife

May 20, 2013

8 Tips for CLEAN EGGS from Backyard Chickens

Keeping backyard chickens should mean that their eggs are fresher, more nutritious and safer to eat than commercially produced eggs, but that will not be the case if eggs are allowed to be contaminated before they even reach the kitchen. Keeping eggs clean in the nest box is a critical step in egg safety and it's not difficult to achieve. None of the eggs in these photos has been washed- each is as it was when I collected it from the nest box. Accidents do happen and occasionally an egg will become soiled with droppings or dirt carried into the nest box by a wet hen, but 99% of eggs from backyard chickens should be clean when collected. Here are some simple steps to ensuring clean eggs.

1. Adequate Padding in the Nest Boxes

Eggs that have a soft spot to land will be less likely to break than those that drop onto the bottom of a hard nest box. This is also a good way to prevent hens from becoming egg-eaters. I use Nest box pads and liners with straw on top of them. The straw isn't necessary with the pads and liners, but I think the hens enjoy rearranging it and it seems more cozy than plastic. The hens do scratch the straw out of the nest boxes most of the time, but I still prefer using it in addition to the pads and liners.

2. Sand as Litter/Bedding in the Coop and Run
Sand dries up droppings quickly and keeps chickens' feet cleaner than any other litter type. Chickens that walk into a nest box with clean feet do not soil the nest or eggs with mud or droppings that they walked through enroute to the nest box.

3. Train Chicks Not to Sleep in Nest Boxes.
Good habits are easier to instill than bad habits are to break. Chickens should be discouraged from sleeping in nest boxes from the day they move into the coop because chickens that sleep in nest boxes poop in nest boxes. When eggs are laid on top of fecal matter, they become contaminated. Information about training chickens not to sleep in nest boxes, here.

Barricading the nest boxes with egg cartons discourages sleeping in them.

4. Provide One Nest Box for Every Four Hens
Sometimes when there are not enough nest boxes, hens will lay their eggs outside the coop where sanitation cannot be controlled. Providing enough nest boxes is one step towards ensuring that hens do not wander away to lay their eggs.

5. Check Nest Boxes Early and Often

Occasionally a hen will soil the nest regardless of efforts made to prevent it. Checking nest box sanitation as early as possible in the day provides the opportunity to clean them before eggs are laid. Frequent egg collection allows for periodic sanitation checks throughout the day.

Read about herbal pest control in nest boxes here.

6. Collect Eggs Frequently

Collect eggs frequently throughout the day if possible. The less time eggs spend in the nest boxes, the less likely they are to be broken, eaten or soiled accidentally. Roll-out nests will work for chicken-keepers that are not at home the majority of the day.

7. Do Not Allow Broody Hens to Raise Chicks In the Nest Boxes

Chicks hatched and raised by a mother hen inside a nest box will poop in the nest box overnight. When she takes the chicks out for breakfast in the morning, other hens will use the dirty nest box to lay their eggs. Move broody hens to a different location either before or after the eggs hatch.

8. Clean Feathers that Have Become Soiled with Droppings

For a number of reasons, droppings may soil feathers in the vent area of a hen. Hens with soiled feathers near the vent should be bathed in lukewarm water to keep eggs from coming in contact with fecal matter.

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This post is shared with: The Homestead Barn Hop, The Pin Junkie, The T2 Women, The Wilderness Wife

May 19, 2013

Clever Chicks Blog Hop #35 & Brinsea EcoGlow 20 Brooder Giveaway!

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Giveaway ends 5/26/13 at 11:59 pm EST.

Winners chosen from eligible entries & notified via email if provided or at the bottom of next week's blog hop. Winner has 14 days from the end of the giveaway to claim their prize by emailing their shipping address to: Kathy@The-Chicken-Chick.com

This Week's Featured Blogs

Featured bloggers, you're welcome to grab the Clever Chicks Featured button!

Eyes on the Source, Half Pallet Herb Garden

Ashley's Dandelion Wishes, Chevron Cork board Frame Tutorial

Calm, Healthy, Sexy: Spicy Italian Crockpot Beef

Organized 32, Tooth Fairy Tin

Farm Fresh Feasts, Arugula Pesto Foccacia with Marinated Artichoke Hearts

SaltTree, Teacup Garden

About Featured Blogs

Some of my favorite posts and/or most viewed posts will be FEATURED on Clever Chicks next week! I will also pin them to my “Clever Chicks” Pinterest board. The featured bloggers are invited to brag about how clever they are by posting the Clever Chicks "Featured” button on their blogs!

Clever Chicks Blog Hop #35

You’re invited to LINK UP!

Despite the title, this is an equal-opportunity link party!

GRAB MY BLOG HOP BUTTON!

How to Link-up

Share your clever ideas, DIY projects, recipes, tutorials, decorating tips,
stories about your families, chickens, farm animals or other pets!
** No linky parties, giveaways or items for sale please. **

Please use the direct link to your blog post, not to your blog’s home page;
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If you have trouble linking up, please email me the URL to your post and I will add it for you: Kathy@The-Chicken-Chick.com

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The winner of last week's Clever Chicks Blog Hop giveaways are:
1) Suzanne Schultz, Vetericyn Wound & Infection Spray Prize Package!
and
2) Rita Caldwell, Grit Country Skills Series Special Edition Magazines!