Dusting Boxes

One more thing the brothers did for me recently, was to make two dusting boxes for my chickens. I first read about the idea in my trusty chicken book,  "The Small-Scale Poultry Flock," by Harvey Ussery. 

Chickens clean themselves by rolling around in dry dirt. Typically they will loosen dirt and dig a small hole big enough for them to sit in. They will sit or roll in the loose dirt. The downside is that the chicken area develops dozens of small indentations that I usually trip on.

So the dusting box is supposed to give them an easy place to "dust" and should prevent all the holes in the yard.

Nice idea if it would work.

My chicken book gave instructions on how to build a simple box, all of which was too much for me, but seemingly an easier thing for the brothers to do. I showed them the pictures in the book and gave them the dimensions.

The boxes turned out exactly like the one in the book. But also a lot bigger, heavier and more substantial than I had expected. I guess I was thinking they'd be more like heavy cardboard boxes. They were too heavy for me to move, so the brothers helped get them situated where I wanted them.

I decided to put one inside the coop and one outside. They made a lid for the outside one to keep the dirt inside dry when it rains. The one inside was a tight squeeze, so they removed one of the broken nesting boxes and modified the roost supports for it to fit in the corner. I should have measured better before having them built.

The goal was to fill the box about 5-6" full to give the chickens plenty of dusting material. So I filled the boxes with two rounds of:
     6 parts peat moss
     1 part diatamaceous earth
     1 part wood ash (I'd been saving from our fireplace)
The book also suggested to sift the material, but I didn't have a suitable sifter (which may be my next project for the brothers) so just picked out the bigger pieces with my hand.

I'm hoping the chickens will eventually use them. So far they perch on the edge of the outside one. And lay eggs in the inside one.

Needed Repairs

In addition to the cross fencing the brothers did recently, they had a free day to do a few needed repairs around the house.

They added hardware cloth to the base of the chicken coop to keep the chickens from getting under the coop and laying eggs. Read here about that time. Plus it keeps other things out. Previously I had just stacked up old bricks and boards around the bottom but it wasn't ideal. They buried the hardware cloth a few inches and then put the bricks and board along the edge.

They also removed the side hatch and replaced it with plain metal sheeting. The hatch had originally been designed to gather eggs. But I have learned that the chickens don't always lay eggs in the nesting boxes. So I have to step inside the coop every day anyway to gather eggs.

The old wood on a couple of the raised beds was beginning to rot and fall apart. So they replaced several sections to keep them together.

Likewise, the compost bin that was made from the same old wood from the original deck was rotting and falling apart. So they replaced that too.

And again, a few little annoying things that were repaired in a day with the right skills.

Ugly Carrots

I have been digging up some of those carrots I planted back in the fall. There aren't that many, but I dig up a few when I need a couple for a meal I'm making.

I was surprised they survived the winter without any special care. I even dug them up a couple of times and moved them around to consolidate space in the raised beds. But none of them were very big. And all of them were misshapen and curly. Nothing like the ones you see in the grocery store.

But they are very tasty. So I plan to try planting them again, except maybe earlier in the year to give them time to grow before it freezes.

Cross Fencing

We were having some difficulty making arrangements with a local fencing company, so instead we hired our son-in-law and his brother to replace two sections of cross fencing. This was a job needing to be done since the perimeter fencing was upgraded five years ago. Remind yourself here and here.

First they removed all the rotten and rusty posts and barbed wire. They put new wooden braces and secured them with cement. New gates, metal posts and barbed wire were also installed.

They even tied up all the old rusty barbed wire so it would be easy to carry off for recycling. We have saved the old gates which might have a useful purpose somewhere else.

We lost some of the wild blackberry vines along the fence line, but it was a small price to pay to get new straight fencing and gates that swing level and don't catch the ground.

It had seemed like an overwhelming job before, but with the right help and skills it was all completed in a couple of days.

The second cross fencing was between the two far pastures. We added a second gate at the near end.

Frozen Egg

Recently when it was below freezing in the daytime, I found one egg out in the coop that had frozen and cracked.

When it's that cold, I try to gather the eggs several times during the day to prevent this from happening. This was the first time I had found a frozen one.

I decided to experiment a little. I was curious, wouldn't you be? So, I cracked open the egg to see how solidly frozen it was. It was frozen solid and a little icy. Then I put the egg in a bowl and left it to thaw at room temperature for about an hour. After thawed, it looked just like a regular egg.

So I scrambled it up and ate it for breakfast. It tasted fine. And I didn't get sick or die.

Freezing Temperatures

The cold weather arrived right around the new year and we have had several days of below freezing weather, lots of rain, and some ice and snow. Mostly it's been a dreary cold few months.

Our main concern when the temperatures drop is frozen water. All the animals need water. So we have to make sure everyone has enough to drink.

We have a separate water line for the animals outside which has to be turned off. Remind yourself here about the process. The main valve is up by our front gate. We've decided it's better to turn the water off whenever the temperatures are forecast to be near freezing, rather than spend the next day checking and repairing leaks.

Guv'nor has set up the cow water troughs with automatic water valves but these don't work when the water is shut off. Most of the cows (the 'main herd' as Guv'nor calls them) are in a field with a large tank (pond) so they are usually fine throughout the cold weather. The tanks  don't usually freeze.

The four Belted Galloways and the three bull calves are both in smaller separate areas. So they have small water troughs that have to be monitored. The goats and dogs have a small water bucket that freezes easily.

Up near the house, the chickens are a little easier. I can bring their waterer inside at night, or take hot water out to them during a cold day.

Even the dog and cat have a water bowl that freezes.

So, we're not fans of freezing temperatures because it means more work for us. We'd much rather stay inside where it's warm.

The bulls are usually so thirsty they can hardly wait for the water to be poured.

Using 5 gallon buckets for warm water - too heavy for me to carry.

We also used one gallon milk jugs which are easier but take more to fill up the trough.

The goats and dogs don't drink as much but have a small bucket that freezes easily.

The main herd have a larger trough with an automatic valve.

One morning the ice was about an inch thick.

A leaf was frozen in the ice.

Ice art

Inside the chicken coop was freezing.

We got a dusting of snow one day.