Right before the big snow storm, I cleaned out the coop and added several new layers of pine shavings and straw for Lucy’s chicken babies so they could keep warm.
I know there are TONS of people out there who are into the deep litter method {including my friend Heather from MA.} but just the thought of it gives me the heebie jeebies.
Having all that waste in an enclosed environment? No thanks. So about every 2 weeks or so, I push all the old bedding out of the coop and into the 16 foot run and fill up the coop with new bedding.
In the past I’ve only used pine shavings, but with temps dropping down to 2 degrees at night the past few days, this time around I added a small bale of straw to the coop for extra insulation.
I didn’t tear apart the bale of straw, instead I just set the bale in the coop and went on my merry way. When I went to check on the chickens the next morning, they had torn apart half of the bale of straw and made themselves a couple of nests.
Those chickens, they sure are clever. š
Because of the cold, the chickens have been hanging out in the coop more than usual {smart girls!} and so every few hours or so we walk out to the coop with a small treat {yesterday it was chunks of brown bread with raisins in it} to make sure they are getting some exercise and of course, to make a social call.
The walk to the mailbox. It’s a long one, especially in the snow.
The sun was out yesterday and by around mid day the outside temperature had warmed up enough that Lucy could go without her snow booties on one of her mini walks.
She LOVES to be outside… but 5 minutes is her limit right now. Tomorrow though, it’s supposed to get up to 50 degrees, can you believe that!
The HH and I are both a little worried about how much the snow is going to melt and if the driveway is going to turn into an ice rink or not, but I guess there is no sense worrying about it because we’ll find out soon enough.
Living here in New England, it’s keeps you on your toes, that’s for sure.
But isn’t it lovely? The snow. The clear blue skies. Smoke coming out of the chimney. The stillness of it all. It truly feels like we’re living in a post card.
Our rock wall.
Carole’s rock wall. š
You can take the girl out of suburbia, but you can’t take suburbia out of the girl. That whole competition thing, it sticks with you. Rock walls included. Bahahahaha!
Ahhh New England, I love you. ♥
Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone,
~Mavis
Amanda says
Lovely photos! I use the deep litter method with my 4 rescue chickens and it works really well I find
Kay Bowles says
Thank you for sharing pictures of your beautiful home and surroundings! No wonder you are so happy all of the time! It is picture postcard perfect!
Emily Grant says
I may have missed it, but when was your house built?
Stephanie says
Ohhhh, those rock walls! Those were some of my favorite things about New England. I used to look at the rock walls surrounding the tiny cemeteries around town and wonder at how old they must be, and who built them. They’re one of the things I miss most, now that I’m back home in the Midwest.
MelindaW says
I use the deep litter method in the run, but not the coop itself. My coop is raised waist level and only 4×4, so there’s no depth to work with. I put down 4 doggy pee pads then replace them as needed, which seems to keep things nice and tidy inside. I think deep litter in the coop is for those with dirt floors and more space, from what I’ve read.
Kipper says
Donāt the hens peck the pee pads to bits? I put scrap vinyl flooring down on the coop and hens bedroom. Wood shavings on top of that and they toss those shavings everywhere! The coop is about same size as yours and is on ground(plywood sheet and chicken wire between dirt and coop)
MelindaW says
Nope, they just walk over it and havenāt bothered it at all. I had boards holding down the outer sides and one across the middle to hold things in place, and ended up removing them because they werenāt needed. I tried shavings and they scattered those everywhere, so I donāt think they feel the need to scratch on ābare groundā pads. They do have shavings in the nest box and play in those, but walk right over the pads to the nest box with no issue. Iāve got 4 Easter Eggers, 2 bantam Polish, and one tiny Old English Bantam, so from half a pound to 8 pounds, and clean it out maybe once or twice a week.
Leslie Honcoop says
Love all the pictures! So beautiful, and nice to get an broader view of your estate. Is the large building behind your house also yours? Is it a barn?
I think you ARE living in a postcard!
CARRIE C says
My coop doesn’t have enough depth for the deep litter method. I also switch to straw in the winter and pine shavings the rest of the year. My issue recently has been the run flooding because of all the rain the we haven gotten. I hope we get another snowfall this winter in NC!
Lauren says
Oh Mavis it looks so beautiful! We are facing 115 degree F temps today, this heatwave is definitely taking it’s toll but thankfully we have pretty good air conditioning. I think I’ll keep your post up on my work computer though, the snowy pictures might make me feel a bit cooler! LOL.
Misty J. says
I thought of your most recent post as I read the article listed below this evening:
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/new-england-stone-walls
Very interesting!
Mavis Butterfield says
Thank you Misty!! š
Diane says
Very interesting about how the walls are in now forested areas because small farms disappeared with industrialization. The picture reminded me of my trip to Ireland. Rock walls everywhere there also,
Misty J. says
It’s just crazy to think that 70% of New England was deforested by the mid 19th century. It’s really difficult to imagine this after seeing it today.
Wendy Clark says
Beautiful!
Julia Park Tracey says
Mavis, here’s an article I just saw this morning about New England’s rock walls:
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/new-england-stone-walls?utm_medium=atlas-page&utm_source=facebook.com&fbclid=IwAR0GYZxTSfHAAh8qM39Qbqa8rNYfKBx8IZQZcWCm0bsc7o88Ua3xztxIOnM&fbclid=IwAR0c3zMEI00sz2–LG5Gl7vqbCllffKrcrPuMOdTl3SVQ-1ceqsN19ccoWs
Enjoy!
Julia
Julia Park Tracey says
Oh, gosh, how many of us just sent her the same article!!!
Hillary says
Hi Mavis! Iām beginning to think about starting seeds and just ordered myself a little 6×8 greenhouse! Iām wondering how your black painted big water jugs worked for keeping your greenhouse warm last year? Did you heat your greenhouse in WA? (thatās where I live) Iām trying to decide my greenhouse plan and would love to hear any pointers about greenhouse gardening!
Debi says
Beautiful photos! It was very pretty here just before the storm too… funny how we get that little tease of beauty before the winds blow and the snow falls!
CSirca says
Deep litter will actually produce heat from the composting that is happening in the layers underneath. I use it with my chickens and it saves me a lot of time, plus it keeps them warm. All my girls and my one boy are happy, health, and they still manage to lay 2-4 eggs even in the wintertime