Using Straw And Hay In A Backyard Chicken Coop

We raise horses, chickens, and ducks on our small hobby farm and we buy both straw and hay our local feed store.

You might ask why we buy both — what’s the difference, after all? They look similar and both come tied up in bales — but hay and straw are two very different types of harvested material, each with a very different purpose on a farm.


Hay Let’s start with hay. Hay is primarily a livestock feed. There are various different types of hay available such as timothy, alfalfa, etc. but hay is generally grasses, and also some grains, leaves and legumes that have been harvested, dried and baled for use as animal fodder (or feed) before the seeds have formed (the formation of the seeds lowers hay’s nutritional value)
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Horses, cows,  sheep, and goats all eat hay, especially in the winter months when there is no fresh grass available to graze. Smaller animals such as rabbits and guinea pigs also eat hay. Hay is usually a shade of light green and smells good – like a sunny field on a warm summer day.

Prices for hay depend on where you live, the time of year and the supply of hay available. Right now in our area, hay is selling for nearly $9/square bale. Round bales are also available, at far more economical prices, for larger herds of livestock.

Straw Straw is primarily livestock bedding. Straw is a by-product of the harvest, usually the stalks and stems of the cereal grains or grasses such as oats, barley, rye or wheat, which are harvested after the plants are dead, so straw is far drier and doesn’t smell nearly as good — although I think it does still have a nice, albeit it more faint, farm-y smell! Occasionally there will be some kernels left at the tips of the stalks (the chickens love to eat those!), but straw is mostly hollow stems. Although goats can eat straw, there isn’t as much nutritional value in it as there is in hay.

Straw is far less expensive than hay in our area, selling for under $4/square bale.

So logically, we use straw and hay for their intended purposes. Since hay is more nutritious, but more 

expensive, we buy hay solely for the horses to eat.  

Since straw is cheaper, dried and therefore less likely to mold or attract moisture, we buy straw for the backyard chicken coop and nesting boxes. Being hollow, straw also provides more of a cushion for the eggs in the nesting boxes and for the chickens to hop off the roosts onto. Because the hollow tubes retain warm air, straw is also an excellent way to keep your coop warmer in the winter.

Stacking straw bales along the inside walls and allowing for a nice deep layer on the floor in the winter is an inexpensive way to insulate your coop. Filling your nesting boxes with straw can help prevent frozen eggs.

Some say that straw can attract mites to your coop. I don’t agree. I have been using straw in our coop in warm, humid Virginia (optimal mite breeding ground!) for more than five years and never had any problem whatsoever. Mites and lice feast on blood and skin tissue, not straw. They are not going to live inside straw tubes for very long, if at all. I do sprinkle food-grade diatomaceous earth on the floor of our coop and in the nesting boxes as a natural way to kill parasites and also use lots of dried and fresh herbs in the coop which help repel them. Bottom line, straw is a far better choice for coop bedding than hay for us both because of its price and far lower moisture content.

So that’s why we buy both straw and hay. Hay for the horses to eat and straw for the chicken coop and nesting boxes. 

I do recommend using straw in your backyard chicken coop, but if you choose to use hay, for economical or logistic/convenience, just be sure to check it frequently and remove any wet or damp hay to prevent mold or mildew from building up in your coop litter.

http://www.backyardpoultrymag.com/straw-hay-backyard-chicken-coop/

by Lisa Steele

January 15, 2015

 

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Keeping Chickens Healthy in the Cold Weather

Keeping Chickens Healthy in the Cold Weather

By Leigh Schilling Edwards
1/6/2014

    As humans we tend to humanize our critters, saying to ourselves, “If it’s too cold for me, it must be too cold for my _______ (insert type of livestock here).” Too often we fail to note the massive physical differences and coping styles of our furry or feathery wards, and ourselves.

Put quite frankly, as homo sapiens we are physically one of the most bizarre and unlikely protectorates of the animal kingdom. While other animals have been granted a wide array of survival skills, instincts and automatic seasonal wardrobe changes, our own biggest asset is intelligence. And as great as intelligence is, intelligence alone does little to keep us warm in a hostile environment.

So – what do you need to do for your chickens? The following advice is for flocks of fully feathered, mature and healthy birds:

1. Ventilation. Ventilation is of utmost importance when the temperatures drop into the “Oh sweet Mary and Joseph it’s COLD,” range. Do NOT close up all the windows and vents – you need to leave something open.

Open vents in this cold? Have I lost my marbles?

Yes – I believe my last marble was lost some time ago by my children, but that has little to do with this particular blog post.

The reason ventilation is so important is to avoid frostbite. Yes – avoid frostbite. You see, any living critter that breathes will release moisture into the air and if that moisture can not escape, it becomes a problem.

A visual example of this is the defrost setting in your car or truck. On a cold or wet day, what happens if you forget to put the defrost setting on? Your windshield fogs up. This is caused when the heat and moisture you are emitting when you breathe condenses on the colder surface of the windshield.

Same thing happens in your barn or chicken coop. Think of those windows or vents under the eaves as your coop’s defroster. These vents allow the moisture to escape. If the moisture can’t escape, it will condense on the warm, exposed comb and wattles of your chickens … and freeze there. This causes frostbite.

Frostbite = Bad. Ventilation = Good.

Rooster in the snow

2. Dodge the draft. You want your ventilation to be above the level of your birds because moisture rises. You want to let the moisture escape, but you do not want open windows or vents at the same level as your birds. This is the wind chill factor thing at play. When it is frigid outside, that wind just intensifies the “oh-my-land-I’m-miserably-uncomfortable” factor in a big way.

If your birds are housed in a structure with a lot of gaps in the walls, consider creating a wind-block at roost level by stapling or nailing up some empty feed bags, tarps or plastic on the inside walls of the coop. Don’t worry too much about the areas below or above where your birds roost, but make sure the roost area itself is well protected from drafts.

Icy chicken wire

3. Water. You need to find a way to provide your flock with water a few times a day. In the coldest climates this may mean bringing fresh water out to your flock at least two or three times each day. Other methods include wrapping heat tape around a waterer, chicken-size freeze-resistant solar water troughs, heated dog bowls, and so-on. If you choose to use electricity in or around your coop, I can not stress enough that precautions need to be taken to avoid a fire hazard!

One note I need to add on the water thing is that if the temperatures will be in the negative digits, be sure your birds can’t step or fall into the water. Water can flash-freeze on a bird’s extremities and cause instant frostbite in these temperatures. You can help avoid this kind of situation by placing rocks in the bottom of the water dish. This will serve two purposes; it will prevent birds from getting into the water, and the rocks will also help maintain heat in a heated bowl.

Hens finding treats in the snow

OK…

So what about young, ill or frail birds?
Obviously the very young, very old and the infirm flock members will be at the highest risk of succumbing to the cold.

Do not rely on a heat lamp in the barn to keep sensitive birds or chicks warm enough in sub-zero temperatures. First, heat lamps are the No. 1 cause of coop fires. It is very risky to have a heat lamp in areas filled with dust and flammable bedding materials.

Second, with temperatures going well below zero, a heat lamp will not be able to create an ambient temperature high enough to keep young chicks or frail birds warm enough. Chicks especially need to be relocated to a room that has its own heat source or that is capable of maintaining a high enough ambient temperature to prevent hypothermia.

That said, chicks under a broody hen should be OK as long as they can not accidentally become separated from mom – say by falling out of a raised nest box.

Chick under a broody hen.And … that’s pretty much it. As a chicken keeper, do what you can to protect them from frostbite, drafts, dehydration and fire, and from there – well, just understand they are very well equipped to manage in cold temperatures. Chickens have been around for thousands of years, and in that time it has been necessary for them to acclimate to all kinds of weather extremes.

Lastly, understand chickens that are prone to heart failure are more likely to die during extreme cold snaps. If you take the above precautions and still find that a bird has passed away on an extremely cold night, it’s not your fault. It was just a matter of time for that particular bird.It’s cold – and I do mean COLD in many areas of the United States and Canada right now, and over and over again people are asking about what measures need to be taken to protect their chickens though this arctic insanity.

The answer I give over and over is simply, “not too much.”

Cold feet !


Do you like stories like this? Find answers to your questions quickly on the Natural Chicken Keeping blog "Article Index" page!

Read more: http://www.grit.com/animals/poultry/chickens/keeping-chickens-healthy-in-the-cold-weather.aspx#ixzz3PHYeYyWB

Cat Urinary Health

Cat Food Information for Urinary Health

Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD) can be considered a catch-all phrase which describes several conditions affecting the lower urinary tract of cats. These conditions can be uncomfortable and in severe cases, life-threatening. Find out more about FLUTD and why nutrition is an important factor in treating and preventing conditions related to urinary crystals or stones.

Understanding FLUTD: Conditions & Symptoms

The three most common conditions are:

• Feline idiopathic cystitis
• Bladder stones
• Blockages of the urethra caused by the accumulation of urinary crystals (urethral plugs)

These conditions may cause a variety of symptoms:

• Blood in the urine
• Frequent urination
• Painful urination
• Unproductive attempts at urination
• Inappropriate urination (outside of the litter box)

Causes of FLUTD

The exact cause of these diseases is unknown. However, it can occur when crystals accumulate and form stones that prevent urine from passing. Crystals can also form smaller pieces, called plugs, which may block the urethra, particularly in male cats.
The two most common types of crystals associated with FLUTD are:

• Struvite crystals that form when the urine pH is higher or alkaline
• Calcium oxalate crystals that form in more acidic urine with a lower pH

Because urinary obstructions related to FLUTD can be life threatening, consult a veterinarian if your cat is showing any urinary symptoms.

How Urinary Health Cat Food Can Help

A balance of nutrients helps maintain proper urine pH levels so it does not become too acidic or too alkaline and produce crystals.
If your cat is susceptible to struvite crystals, look for urinary health foods that:

• Are specially formulated and have been tested extensively
• Have the proper mix of nutrients which aids in the production of acidic urine to prevent struvite formation
• Are low in dietary magnesium (less than 0.14%)

Managing your cat's feeding schedule is also important in maintaining the proper urine pH. Feeding multiple, small meals throughout the day helps minimize pH fluctuations.
Decreased water intake and obesity can be risk factors for FLUTD, so ensure your cat is drinking plenty of water.
While surgery is sometimes needed to treat FLUTD, many cases of struvite crystals or stones can be treated with specially formulated or prescription foods for struvite dissolution and feline urinary tract health.
If you suspect your cat has urinary stones or crystals, consult with a veterinarian before attempting to treat your cat with a targeted diet. Diets designed to dissolve and prevent struvite crystals may not be effective against calcium oxalate stones and may worsen that condition.

Posted by PetSmart
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Try Pigmy Goats As Pets

Tiny Pigmy Goats

Tiny Kid

Pet Goats

Pigmy goats are small breeds of domestic goats, which are not typically used for meat or milk, although they can produce milk in large quantities and can be eaten. These goats are more robust and continually breed throughout the year more than the meat and dairy goats. In most cases, these goats are kept as pets especially in urban backyards. Keeping a pigmy goat as pet will, however, have to be according to the local regulations of ownership of livestock, and this is because it is different in various towns and cities.
 
A pigmy goat can adapt to any type of climate and is considered as an asset in many ways. A male pigmy goat is known as a buck, and a female pigmy goat is referred to as a doe. The female pigmy goats weigh between 40 lbs to 60lbs while the male pigmy goats weigh between 40 lbs to 60 lbs. The pigmy goat height will range form 16 inches to 23 inches. Their color ranges from white caramel, dark caramel, medium caramel, medium grey agouti, silver light grey agouti, brown agouti, dark grey agouti, solid black and black with frosted points.


Pygmy goats are known to be polyestrous breeders as they can bear one to four young ones every 9 to 12 months. This is after a gestation period of five months. The pygmy goat is believed to have originated from Cameroon. They were later imported to the US from European zoos. They were mainly for using in zoos, and as research animals but they were later used by private breeders as pets due to their friendliness, hardy constitution and good natured behavior. It is important to take good care of a pygmy goat and one of the things that you need to look into here is their diet which should have greens and grains. It is also important to provide them with items to play with.

It is, also, advisable to provide a shed, as well as an accessible open area. You should ensure that every pygmy goat has a companion. Due to the fact, they are prey animals; they should have a shelter that is in a predator proof area more so during the night. You should always provide fresh drinking water to your pygmy goat. Keep in mind that if you treat the goat with respect it will be affectionate. A pygmy goat can also be trained although this will require a lot of time.

  Found on bleieshia.hubpages.com

Looking Back On 2014 - Chickens

Looking Back On 2014 - Chickens

Looking Back On 2014 - Cats

Looking Back On 2014 - Cats

Looking Back On 2014 - Dogs

Looking Back On 2014 - Dogs