This New Hampshire Red is the Queen of the Compost. She’s perched on the bin in the chicks’ run. I put the muck from the goats’ stall in here, as well as discards and weeds from the vegetable garden.
When the old hens lived here they never roosted on the compost bin. These 8-week old chicks are more agile. We’ll see how long these acrobatics last.
(The chicks will be named this week!)
I bet they find lots of great treats in that compost bin. They must love it.
so cute!!
do you avoid putting anything on the pile? Anything that is dangerous to them? I recently moved my compost bin into the hen yard. and they love it, but I was wondering about my household scraps.
Jane (the one in Hawaii)
thanks!
I don’t put in greasy, smelly animal products that attract vermin and flies. Otherwise there’s no restrictions. They get coffee grounds, but I’m the only coffee addict in the house so it’s not to excess. Haven’t noticed the hens with caffeine jitters yet.
do any of your previous blogs have a full photo tour of your farm? every time i see photos of your place i think it’s just so gorgeous and well laid out and i wish i could see the whole thing :)
Not one post. I’ll have to do a video!
Aww your chickens are gorgeous, and your farm is a proper playground for them. Also i love the rabbit on your webcam, when he sits still long enough to see him! lol
Now that’s a happy looking bunch of hens!
My 2-year-olds have never flown. The chicks we hatched last year were flying at a very young age. So I wonder if there’s a difference between chicks raised by hens and those we raise without hens. I’ll see how my new ones do. Could it be I’m over thinking it???? LOL!
None of my hens fly! When they’re chicks they flap and get lift-off but that’s it. Some can hop up to things better than others. Bantams and the lighter breeds go further, but not by much.
Twinkydink does a real good hop, up onto the third rung from underneath.
I love your concept of having the compost inside the chicken run…I was wondering, when you have time if you could post some photos up of your run and coop, to see how you have it laid out. My husband and I want to build a larger, more permanent structure, and yours looks amazing. Thanks
Until I get around to a new post with pictures, here’s an older blog post about compost.
http://www.hencam.com/henblog/2009/04/compost/
I got my new chicken coop built Thursday. It took a good two days to train them to go to the new coop and not huddle at the door of the converted garden shed, chicken run as yet to be built.
But to the point of the blog, last night was the first night they all but three went into the new coop on their own. The three were on the roof of the new coop. The sides are seven feet high. They were three of chicks hatched in March, brown leghorn, blue andulasian and a minorca were the high flyers.
At the risk of raising a sore subject, is that Maizie I see in with the other hens? Hope so!
It is Maizie! She’s still bloated and pooping green slime, but she’s eating and taking part in flock life. Amazing.
how great to hear!
Great news. Animals are such stoics. Hope she gets better and better.