Chicken Compost - Prepping for Cold Snap

www.edibleacres...
We've been coasting this fall and early winter without any seriously heavy and prolonged cold or snow load. Our chicken composting system is pretty robust at this point overall, but seeing an incoming cold snap in a few days puts the reminders on to dial in certain aspects.
Focusing our composting pipeline to be inside and near our winter run for our hens, getting mulch and insulation banked around and queued up for easy access, bringing in a bounty of food scraps, soaking more grain and getting seed mixed into our 'browns' stockpile all help get us prepared to provide a comfortable time for our hens and let them continue working through cold weather...
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Edible Acres is a full service permaculture nursery located in the Finger Lakes area of NY state. We grow all layers of perennial food forest systems and provide super hardy, edible, useful, medicinal, easy to propagate, perennial plants for sale locally or for shipping around the country…
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Happy growing!

[@edibleacres]

Please consider subscribing and hitting like if you found this video useful!

[@nymbeats]

off topic, but I'm so glad you don't have theme music or interlude music in your videos. it's as if you watched a video with "twelve simple tricks to make a popular KZbin channel" and ignored it to great effect.

[@edibleacres]

This is great to hear! Sasha and I joke that without her influence the channel would probably have grown faster and been trashier :) Maybe I can rename this video: THEY said it would never work: 10 ways to PREP (prepper hacks) Ha!

[@nymbeats]

@@edibleacres just do one parody video to get it all out of your system, wear your most garish clothing and leap in from offscreen screaming nonsense about plants over squelchy edm. it'll be great.

[@johnndamascene]

@@nymbeats LOLLLLLL savage,

[@chevy6299]

@@edibleacres I also appreciate the lack of music. Some videos I watch I feel like I'm watching a music video.

[@terrykunst3883]

I have to agree too. No longer having this lifestyle, I miss it terribly. I love the sounds of the lifestyle, hearing the work, hearing the chickens scratch, the gentle noises they make. It’s music to my soul! Thank you!

[@chantaltulliez8066]

I love how you respect your animals...you're a wonderful human being...

[@lblake5653]

Your birds are so loved and it shows.

[@stuartcook2062]

These have become "comfort visions", for me. Thanks

[@edibleacres]

I love that phrase... 'comfort visions' how sweet.

[@frasersgirl4383]

I simply love how you speak about the hens. It’s incredibly inspirational. Your videos are so educational and inspiring. They are also very peaceful.

[@scottcomella2264]

I'm fully blown away at how much I enjoy chicken TV time.

[@edibleacres]

The good news is it is the easiest content for us to provide since the chickens do all the work! :)

[@jameskniskern2261]

Once again, great content, and something new! Thanks for emphasizing that your system wasn't "instantly" up and running, but evolved over time from a "rough sketch". If more folks get the idea that starting small, and going with what works for them, and having your examples as signposts along their journey, they can see what could happen. And how well chickens can clean a deer carcass. Haha. I bet lots more homesteaders will now be picking up roadkill and bringing their flocks "treats". Peace and keep warm!

[@frankdaywalt9281]

I agree whole heartedly with what James has said here , i think u make a great teacher , well spoken kind and easy to understand thankyou kindly. I'm out here in Colorado Springs across fm Cheyann Mountain. God Bless

[@edibleacres]

It feels important to share this point since I've seen so so many videos that show a system that seems well thought out, running super smoothly and it can easily feel like there is no way I could make that. But to chip away at it, inch towards it, that I think I can do!

[@tmzumba]

I love seeing your comments on the homesteading videos. You have such a kind, positive attitude.

[@mickybearden9641]

Oh My Goodness, I so Love how you treat your Girls as "Family"....with Respect & Love. Thank you!! I feel the same way! We are so new at this, but I've learned so much from You!!

[@Angie-jg4nz]

I love the respect you have for your animals. They are certainly healthy/happy looking birds😊

[@edibleacres]

They have provided us with a critically important part of our diet and health for a half decade. They deserve as much care and respect as we can possibly give.

[@Angie-jg4nz]

@@edibleacres i agree! chickens will a part of my future, for eggs only but i want to make sure i prepare, properly for them and know as much as i can before i get them. yours are great!

[@davelawson2564]

@@Angie-jg4nz They are getting real natural food for chickens. worms and veggies plus seeds!

[@WelcometoChickenlandia]

I love how you’re treating these chickens and acknowledging them as sentient beings who deserve love and respect. Where has this channel been? This is the first video I’m seeing. This is amazing.

[@edibleacres]

We've been making them for a while, but glad you found us now. Welcome!

[@fourdayhomestead2839]

Very informative chicken tv today. I love the simplicity of the process.

[@grabmike]

Thanks to you I am going on now two years with the winter cattle panel green house for the chickens. I is a very good idea and has made my chickens very happy and helps with composting through out the year.

[@edibleacres]

So very very happy to hear!

[@alicecurtis9238]

Yes! Thanks to your very detailed videos I built my first 4 panel greenhouse by myself- knowing you're here in Upstate New York too really gave me motivation. Ready for Spring now. I already have chickens but learning how to make them work for my garden and make them happier. Step by step to my own self sufficiency.

[@simpleperrydiselife]

I love that you are very resourceful. Those chickens are as happy as they can be. Thanks for sharing. ❤🙏

[@siamstation]

I just love watching you with your girls. I'd spend all day in my chicken run, if I could. Blessings from Australia ❤️

[@allonesame6467]

Beautiful, highly colorful and nutritious kitchen scraps! Love those happy hens and love to hear the sounds of their cotentment! Thank you. Blessings Abound

[@pixelrancher]

Another great video illustrating the benefits of closed loop systems. For anyone with cold chickens, I'd suggest checking out the only Canadian breed of chicken - the Chantecler. Breeding started in 1907 by a Trappist monk in Oka, Quebec and within a decade he had bred a bird with extremely small combs and wattles making them resistant to frostbite in minus 40° weather. Dual-purpose weighing between six and a half to seven and a half pounds (3 - 3.5 kg) and nine pounds (4 kg) for the roosters and they're good winter layers. My girls barely slow down. Bred to be excellent foragers. Currently listed by the American Livestock Breeds Conservatory as "Critical" so replenishing the gene pool wouldn't be a bad thing either. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chantecler_chicken

[@edibleacres]

Looks like a real winner of a chicken variety there!

[@Bashfuldoc]

You've created an impressive system; the hens look so healthy and beautiful!

[@sharicampbell9068]

Thank you for sharing. I am doing just this with my little two cattle panel "green house" too(because of you). So glad I made a space for my five ladies to play. My girls love soaked seed, sprouts, kitchen scraps, and I put out a small, raw roast just today for them. love the idea of warm milk.. The Compost pile is growing and the girls seem to be thriving here in Michigan.

[@edibleacres]

They must be so happy with the life you are helping create for them!

[@LaHortetadeBussy]

Wow thanks men for video 🐓

[@peterellis5626]

I have so much love and respect for the ways in which you and Sasha live your ethos ;) Along with so many practical notions and ideas for ways to make small growing areas productive you deliver an inspirational example of how much success can be achieved while operating within a wonderful ethical framework.

[@edibleacres]

Thanks for the kind words here Peter.

[@amyrobert]

We are quite a bit north to you and we keep ours in the greenhouse all winter. Door on one end and vents on the top on either end. I chuck our compost in there and we use the deep litter method with hay/straw. We also built a moveable roost so we can get it out of the way for planting season. The ladies seems quite happy and I get about 5 eggs a day from 10 layers. Guess I can't complain!

[@edibleacres]

That sounds amazing! What a system.

[@margheritaferrari8585]

This series has been an invaluable help in setting up my own system. Thank you so much :)

[@kathyhoffman5520]

I have watched several of your videos today and have enjoy the information you have shared. My daughter raised chickens for two years and without her help I wouldn’t have the 15 girls that I do. They are only three months old so it will be a short while before they start laying. We are excited to learn more from you guys.

[@edibleacres]

Glad you've found our channel :)

[@lisaalbarras3029]

It warms my heart to see how well you understand and incorporate mother nature's systems into your yard. Like you, I provide meat scraps to my hens. I grew up on a farm and have always watched nature closely, in my observations of nature I have not found any mammal that is truly vegan, all mammals, wild deer, rabbits and even chickens and other birds Seek out meat. Therefore I do try to provide a variety of foods to my flock, watching your videos sets the the bar and bit higher and encourages me to get back out to the coop and do more. Thank you.

[@edibleacres]

It's reassuring to get feedback from other folks who clearly are interested in observation and learning. I appreciate it!

[@dotsouthard2980]

Love what you do for your chickies. Just ordered 12 from a hatchery. Gonna be a first time chicken momma! Can't wait to start using some of your ideas and methods. Thank you for your excellent videos and content

[@edibleacres]

Our pleasure to share for sure!

[@nathaliewilson1817]

@Dot Southard, congratulation Chicken Momma to be. I am looking forward to being a Chicken, Bees, and possibly Bunny Momma hopefully before 2020 is out....if I have my way....I would be starting now....but house buyers don't know what they want (I'm selling my temporary house in OH to move back to my semi-permanent house in TX and to use the house sale money to purchase my permanent home in Jamaica....to live an off-grid permaculture living....I will at least start my permaculture farming on my little 1/4 acre urban homestead).

[@dotsouthard2980]

@@nathaliewilson1817 all the best to you in your new venture

[@nathaliewilson1817]

@@dotsouthard2980 Thank you!

[@lesliewatts2878]

Fantastic guys; nothing wasted whatsoever. These chickens must be incredibly tasty, when their time is done !Have a healthy and prosperous new year. Your video is extremely well presented. Thank you.

[@shanahtovah3247]

Your chicks are the healthiest ive seen in a long time. Red waddles and clean butts.

[@edibleacres]

One or two mucky butts in the group, but overall I'd agree that they are doing pretty well for themselves.

[@davidgillis3807]

I haven’t tuned in for awhile, forgot how much I love chicken TV😁!

[@edibleacres]

Welcome back :)

[@thenextpoetician6328]

A friend invested financially, and I put in time raising broiler chickens a few summers ago. I learned they respond well to physiotherapy. They have a steering mechanism in the crook of their saddle (some are natural clockwise turners, and some are anticlockwise, some go either way, and some rebel). They can be voice trained. I hand fed four hens (there were about 7 or 8 in the 100 to start, actually), because they were smaller and getting out-competed. They cam to me like puppies for hand-feeding time. They filled out well. Raised a few ducks at the same time. Way different psychology to them. Really like the sorta Picasso/Escher influence on the high tunnel. :) You're doing great stuff.

[@tallcedars2310]

To be honest this composting system does look daunting to me as well:) Looks like a lot of work, I'm in my 60's, and has ingredients we don't have accsss to like fresh milk or buckets of greens. But that won't stop me from trying this with whatever we can find, it is awesome to say the least! Absolutely love how you care for your hens and agree they deserve the best for taking care of us. Good job and thank you for showing.

[@edibleacres]

I think another important point is that this system isn't all or nothing by ANY stretch. A little food scraps here, an old hay bale, a bucket of greens or weeds if/when it is possible, a minute or two of turning soil, flipping logs, etc... All part of the process!

[@lauriekerze3461]

Lucky girls, thanks.

[@chrisashby9307]

Chicken Composting Rocks!

[@goatmate1]

Great video! Very professional level of poultry management! Well Done!

[@edibleacres]

Thanks! I'd never call it 'professional' myself but hey, we'll take it :)

[@RiverPlaid]

Beautiful 🌸

[@SarahPerine]

I have enjoyed so much watching your chicken compost videos! I've had chickens for about 5 months now and I tell them about how lucky your chickens are ;) So far I've been doing the sprouted seeds and pitchforking their run every day. What a great system! They have a blast! Thanks so much for all of your ideas!

[@edibleacres]

So glad our experiments feel helpful to you. Excited to learn how it all evolves for you.

[@SarahPerine]

@@edibleacres Thanks so much! We love making Sprout Mountain!!

[@LolitasGarden]

The ingredients are simple. Chicken poop + Tree products + Air + Time. It really works. We have more compost than we know what to do with and it didn't come from piling up heaps of kitchen scraps from restaurants with our garden waste and letting it chooch. We put down chips and leaves and food and the hens and the weather did the rest. Your hens have such a great quality of life. The amount of greens dumped in front of them must have shut their little dinosaur brains off for a second.

[@davelawson2564]

LOL Agree. Its enough for 100 chickens for a week and there are like 20 !

[@lenacisowski1889]

great system!

[@pjkentucky]

Thanks for the great video!

[@CovilleR]

the chicken TV at the end is so good

[@deankaufman825]

Love watching your chickens!

[@juanabaker758]

Enjoyed your video as always. I try not to miss one. Beautiful chickens. Love the little happy noises.

[@deannajohnston3585]

They certainly do look healthy and happy!!

[@Bmon-js2lk]

💕The wonderful thing about life is it’s always evolving.🐓🐓🐓🐓💕💕

[@teresacahlik6887]

I think this is wonderful and your chickens are healthy and happy. My chickens are in a totally different set up but this inspires me to do some more compost into their run

[@terrynoraturner1848]

I have 30 chickens that have free range access to the gardens, barn and barn yard. Gardens have manure and hay bedding from the barn. manure from 2 mules, 6 heifer calves, and a milk cow. Wish I had access to kitchen scraps in the winter. Only ours now and the pigs get them. I am in the middle of setting up one of my barn stalls 12x12 with a 1 foot divider to allow the chickens to work it over before the garden pile receives it. When we make stock with bones and scraps we give the solids to the chickens. A week on the wood stove ,with homemade vinegar added, makes great stock and soft bones.Very few bones after the chickens and they go to the pigs.

[@edibleacres]

Sounds like a really rich and connected system you've got going on!! Wow!

[@WelcometoChickenlandia]

My goodness. Look at these lucky chickens. I love what you’re doing.

[@calmperson101]

Howdy! Another fantastic episode!!! Soo much enjoyment is found by watching your contents... Thank you again for the time and energy you put into making these episodes... I am intrigued and thoroughly supportive of your initiatives to continue to expand and improve on each and every step you take and have taken... Cheers!! To many more EPIC Adventures!!! :D WOoooh!!!

[@kaia41]

Your workers are some Superstars....I can't get enough of them. This is amazing. I have 5 Hens, and I'll try exactly what you do. You are my hero!

[@edibleacres]

I bet your hens will love it!

[@PleasantPrickles]

I love the respect you show for your chicken friends...you work hard keeping them comfy! 🐓❄️

[@joke_r8363]

Thanks for sherin

[@liveswithgarden6566]

What an ab-fab way to feed chickens. Best I've seen so far, brilliant. Blessings.

[@justjenn23]

Brilliant set up!

[@robinmurray5266]

Cold snap coming here (NW Ohio) as well. Cleaned my 'girls' hen house well last night and provided fresh straw. Turning over dirty straw/leaves is a delight for them! I will try the milk idea. I have some that's turning.

[@edibleacres]

Hope it works well for you, or flock loves it.

[@charlesburkhart800]

You have got to have the best eggs EVER!

[@muchimi]

Absolutely love what you have done with the composting in the high tunnels it's something that I had an idea about a couple of years ago after seeing Carl hammers video on feeding with compost only and how could it be done in the winter and I thought about it could be done in Long hoop tunnels you did it congratulations outstanding love it

[@edibleacres]

Still so much to figure out here, but the basics feel stable and good. If we had the space I'd love for it to be longer and wider, taller... Oh well, we work with what we've got!

[@brianwhite9555]

I have loads of gardening & composting experience, but as a long time urban apartment dweller I might never have chickens. If my housing situation changes and I one day own property, I would love to keep chickens , even if only 3-6 birds. Even in a tight urban setting, with a relatively small back yard, I can see how your system could be easily arranged, just on a smaller scale. This looks to be an optimum way to keep the birds healthy, contented & productive. Envious! P.S. Checked the radar and NY definitely getting some weather, which skirted south of us here in Michigan.

[@edibleacres]

We're 10 degrees colder and 4" of snow on the ground since I filmed this yesterday. Just in time! I suspect this type of system can be scaled and fit to most contexts. With the right types of plants and visual barriers I bet you could do this with just about no one knowing!

[@brianwhite9555]

@@edibleacres , My 19 year old garden & compost pile are located two miles from my urban apartment. They sit within a utility corridor that holds a buried natural gas pipeline and overhead power transmission lines. This corridor sits directly behind a cousin's suburban backyard. My cousin's yard is fully enclosed with a 6' wooden privacy fence. If I lived at this property, I could easily keep 3-12 chickens without anyone being bothered by them. Of course, since I've shared garden produce with several of my cousin's neighbors over the years, I'd be sharing eggs as well, so word would leak out. Although I don't think that would be a problem, I do like the idea of rebel, covert chickens, and guerilla composting. "Viva la poop!"

[@davelawson2564]

@@edibleacres If you don't put fresh sawdust/hay/soil at the base before you start your compost pile every year ...you'll end up with leachate reaching ground water and spoil the underground water making it high in nitrates , leachates. Not good.

[@fallenangelwi25]

Y'all's chickens are definitely gourmet eaters lol!!!

[@BarbaraC02]

This is so helpful, thank you. Just started with 8 young chickens and you've given me really great tips. Again, thanks.

[@edibleacres]

So glad you found it helpful!

[@heterodox3487]

This keeps you busy and moving but stacking functions, brilliant idea. You might have the most nutritious eggs in NY. Bet Sasha's omelette's are delicious!

[@edibleacres]

We eat well here. A lot of work for sure but very deeply nourishing feeling in many many ways.

[@davelawson2564]

@@edibleacres Its said "If you want curd in your mouth you must first get your hand dirty "! Work gets you good food !

[@generationalhomestead691]

I enjoyed it I am the same way new to these all

[@TrinityRidge1959]

Your compost looks like gold. I like vlogs that i can take away something from it. Thank you!❤🐣🐓🥚🍳

[@dianecharles881]

They definitely have a great life !

[@oppenheim11238]

chicken thumbs up..................................and happy holidays

[@antiowarr9467]

and at the end they get a smorgasbord hahah you gotta love it .....

[@pattycooney7911]

This is amazing. Please keep up the amazing ideas❤

[@daysiq.8279]

I just loved the content and your system 😊. I don't have chickens yet, but I'm hoping I may be able to in a year or two. Your content just is so full of great ideas and I appreciate how you refer to your chickens with respect😊💞. I'm looking forward to enjoying more of your videos.

[@avwarrior]

Love your chicken setup, birds looking healthy! Mild weather so far maybe but winter season hasn’t even officially started yet :) gonna be a cold one

[@edibleacres]

Down near 0F last night, we're going to be putting some effort into 'doors' for the tunnel today to hold in more heat.

[@avwarrior]

@@edibleacres Have you looked into the bubble type high tunnel covers that are supposed to be more insulating? I know that is an extra cost and kind of against the permaculture mantra but if the Grand Solar Minimum is a thing and we are going to have longer, colder winters it may be a worthy investment! Love you and your chickens guys, super inspiring!!

[@thiabrabson2533]

Such a beautiful video❣

[@sisterinspeed]

This is a great set up! I'm going to work on something like this next year!

[@edibleacres]

I hope it works great for you!

[@stephaniewilson3955]

Those chickens eat better than I do! ;)

[@Polish2075]

Thank you for showing us as always very thoughtful way of caring for animals and coexisting with them in a very humane and respectful manner. I hope Vegans can see and appreciate this in their fight against animal cruelty. I hope they can see than veganism is not the only way (I would argue it is not the way at all) to create the relationships of humans with other animals that benefit and enrich the lives both as well as benefit the environment. Thank You

[@edibleacres]

I think on the path towards trying to live a life that creates the least animal suffering overall that systems like this, even though they have animals and animal products, can provide a very high quality of life for those animals and offset immensely the suffering of other animals that would happen for the protein, fat, carbs, etc to get to you. Annual tillage is genocide for mice, voles, rabbits, snakes, turtles, ground nesting birds, etc. but can produce 'vegan' foods. It's all very complex and a continuing process of trying to look in real ways at what it means to be a human I think...

[@bineplumpi1249]

Chicken paradise

[@barbossagrande128]

Bravo din România Felicitări

[@samuel1121]

I can’t believe that your channel is my favorite.I would love to get ahold of some of your eggs

[@edibleacres]

We're super glad it's your favorite despite your disbelief, ha! :)

[@samuel1121]

I think it might be the chicken tv and I love making compost and you have a soothing calm voice

[@kahae9858]

What you say is so very true. Genius/inspiration seldom if ever originates through a reasoning process. It comes through sudden insights into a problem or challenge that needs to be met. Insights that seemingly come from nowhere, sometimes when we haven't even been thinking about the problem. We can't escape the fact that evolving/innovation/continual adaptation lies at the heart of Nature. In other words it's a force that is ever-present and always available to us provided we don't get too rigidly imprisoned in our logical minds. All one needs to do is form an intent and then, rather than trying to plan everything out in minute detail, noting what ideas pop into one's head, and acting on them. Through taking action further insights/understandings arise and the project keeps evolving organically. It's the difference between working with nature versus trying to impose one's will on nature (which somehow never works.) I'm always inspired by your ability to innovate and adapt to suit your specific situation. I also love the care and respect you show the animals you partner with. Because all of nature is our partner. Everything has its purpose. And part of our human purpose perhaps is to realise that. :)

[@edibleacres]

So beautifully put, thank you for this...

[@onedazinn998]

at the end when i saw you dumping the scraps....I realized how blessed you are not to have predator & vermin pressure like I would have on my farm if I did that. Rats the size of terriers would move in and take over the hens...possums delighted to take refuge. I love the resources but wonder if you struggle with those issues at all. My chickens would adore the canopy covering and it works well except with open plain west winds it would crumble fast. Thanks for sharing & showing how simple it can be...but it definitely would depend on the environment you live in whether it would produce more problems - then how to solve it while making rich compost.

[@edibleacres]

Maybe we've been lucky, hard to know. I get that this system wouldn't be universal depending on other pressures/limitations/etc that folks have.

[@chelseahartweg2938]

Question for you: in establishing relationships with places to acquire your food scraps, who do you ask to talk to? Say, if I wanted to approach a grocery store or a restaurant, who is the best staff member there to ask? Also' do you ask specifically for mostly vegetable scraps? Or only things that haven't left the kitchen? I'm wondering if getting a bunch of half-eaten plates of spaghetti would get disgusting and/or not be very nutritious for the girls.

[@edibleacres]

Every relationship happened in their own way, but approaching a produce person at a local market, chatting to someone behind the counter at a deli, talking to a butcher, all while making a purchase and taking interest in their work can lead to an easy relationship. Working with them to figure out how to make their life a little easier, or save a little money on trash, etc., without much complexity generally helps make it happen. If you remember that generally the absolute worst thing that can happen is they say no is helpful! The best thing is mountains of free food for your hens and compost for you.

[@craigpalmer9196]

we are all crew members on this star ship called Earth

[@phillywister9957]

7:02 the black chicken to the left just got bullied away lol edit: 8:25 again!

[@edibleacres]

Short little bully moments happen here or there, 'scuffles' maybe. But they seem to almost never persist or be abusive.

[@phillywister9957]

@@edibleacres ah okay, was worried cause ive seen a really bad case on selfsufficientme

[@breadbread4226]

How much time do you spend working with the chickens most days?

[@edibleacres]

Hmmm... Maybe a total of 30 minutes? Average a little less, once in a while it's a full hour.

[@lauram2911]

I give my pampered girls Kefir. I make it myself and I just add the seeds to the milk and just keep reusing the seed by adding to new milk.

[@edibleacres]

Very generous and thoughtful of you. I bet they have incredibly healthy micro biomes and resistance to illness because of that!

[@am2schmarvelous]

They always look so fat and happy. We had an absurd situation at my workplace - a transportation company, so lots of buses and cars and vans. A driver came into the office and said - traffic is backing up because a chicken is crossing the road. I assumed he was commenting on how people drive in bad weather. But nope. It was a chicken in an entirely urban area - no place for chickens. But there it was. After an amusing period of having a couple of city boys chase the chicken and be chased by the chicken, the chicken was still at large and frankly in charge. We were considering calling animal control, but we remembered that one of the bus drivers has chickens and we called her to come and adopt our chicken. And then a dispatcher, who is NOT a city boy, went out grabbed the chicken, no fuss, and we put her in a cage to await her new caretaker. I was so relieved. She was not plump and happy like yours. She looked decidedly lean. But now she will be taken care of.

[@edibleacres]

What a crazy image. I hope that chicken got a sweet life for themselves.

[@jasiucasic]

I was actually just trying to figure out a good method to compost too and this looks like a great idea to reduce work to a minimum, use the chicken power for good! Hahaha

[@GFD472]

16:37 are those egg mcmuffins? :) Your chickens eat better than I did in college!

[@edibleacres]

Ha! Yeah, local food co-op compost stream has some fancy stuff!

[@AlsHomestead]

Chickens do love good meat! (We give them our beef scraps and leftovers)

[@edibleacres]

Especially in the winter it seems really good for their overall health.

[@AlsHomestead]

@@edibleacres yeah that's true

[@debbymost8548]

Would this method work with just a few chickens, say less than 12? You have the happiest, most peaceful flock I've ever seen. 😊😊

[@edibleacres]

I believe this would scale down quite well, or up if you wanted.

[@calhoun1968]

Your chickens look really happy and healthy. How do you address dust baths in the winter time??? Peace, Love and Light and Merry Christmas!!!

[@edibleacres]

Really good question. They have space under the coop that stays dry, but I should put some time and thought into it today to be sure it is still that way!

[@renaissancewomanfarm9175]

I continue to work on starting my system, but what I am most concerned for finding would be sources for good grains. I live in a very traditional area and we have the standard feed and farm stores with commercial offerings. So far I haven't found anyone with non-gmo or glyphosate free feed. It's a bummer.

[@edibleacres]

That is a bummer. I wonder if you could look towards collecting more wild foods for them. Perhaps there are ample acorns, or other nuts where you are, or raising black soldier flys or red wigglers on food scraps you can have access to. Building big compost piles and letting wild insects and bugs come live in there can feed your hens as well. Maybe there are still small farms that don't spray near you, or folks with fields they didn't harvest that have minimal spray you can glean from?

[@meralkarasulu4191]

How long can you keep the raw meet there? Doesn’t it start to rot? Love the chicken TV. Thanks

[@edibleacres]

When the winter is basically a big freezer it is a very minimal issue. But we can bury it in compost in a ring if/when there is any issue.

[@martinljunggren-abbasi2231]

Did you ever entertain the idea of modifying the tunnel so that it became a lean-to to the coop, as opposed to be freestanding as it is now? The purpose for that being that it might retain the warmth a little better. Love your channel.

[@edibleacres]

I have thought about it but it was hard to execute AND the amount of moisture in that tunnel is high enough that I think it would be bad for the hens.

[@martinljunggren-abbasi2231]

@@edibleacres Yes, that makes sense. I didn't think about moisture potentially migrating into the coop. Love the whole setup as it is anyway.

[@TheNewMediaoftheDawn]

Those look like very healthy well fed chickens, must provide some quality eggs...

[@peterwallace9676]

Could this compost system be coupled to your greenhouse hot water system to make a more continuous supply of heat? I really enjoy your approach, thank you.

[@edibleacres]

Conceptually that is possible. In our case they are in two very different places on the property so it wouldn't work for us. Something to consider in the future though!

[@jasiucasic]

Haha chickens so damn cute I can't wait to have my own

[@joatmonjoatmon8911]

What do you use for your deep litter in the coop? Does it vary depending on the time of year? Thanks for all your informative videos!

[@edibleacres]

We use generally a mix of hay during the summer and leaves when they are readily available. Whatever is a good, ideally dry bulky carbon source works for us.

[@christinehill1618]

Brand new to your channel. Absolutely love it. What do you think about adding old hay and manure, from cleaning out the coop, to new compost? Thank you.

[@edibleacres]

You can use that as a great heating element for composting.

[@wahine-vic7017]

Six years Ive been trying to figure a way to work my compost on our 5 acres in Va. without loosing my whole flock one by one by predators. Since Aug. they have been confined to their new large house but they miss out on the fresh earth. Hawks, eagles, foxes, and raccoons get threw during the day, no matter if we have a hot fence or not. How do you keep your flock relatively safe? How many pullets do you buy in the Spring? Thank you for all you great information over the years.

[@edibleacres]

Perhaps being right near a road helps a lot, but we've had no real predator pressure. Tall fence, lots of shrubs and trees and a tight coop at night seems to help. We may buy young chickens in the spring but haven't in quite a while (very old flock for sure!)

[@SarahPerine]

I have a lot of predators and so I'm expanding my chickens' area in steps. Right now they have a completely predator-proof coop and big run (which is currently my compost pile!). By summer I'm going to give them four times as much space by putting bird netting up in my yard. I'm going to install bird netting that is 2.4"x2.4" mesh so that small birds can still get through. I hate blocking anyone out, but the raptors here are intense, even with lots of tree cover. We also have raccoons that will attack during the day, so I'll only be able to let them in this extended yard when I'm home...as the netting is not at all raccoon-proof. In the meantime, using some of EdibleAcres' systems really helps keep the chickens happy and busy in confinement. As long as the chickens get to be chickens... they are happy! I love getting ideas from this channel!

[@lilyallforhisglory1801]

Have you tried keeping your flock with goose? . Goose seems to be like a guard for hens. Justin Rhodes keeps his flock with goose. Or maybe u need a really mean warrior roo? :)

[@wahine-vic7017]

@@lilyallforhisglory1801 Rooster yes but not a goose. Yes, roosters get taken too, geese are unfortunately too aggressive for my human visitors.

[@jasiucasic]

Awesome vid, thank you for a lot of good information.. My mom has a few chickens but I also plan to have several in my new home and this really gives me some good ideas for how to care for them during the winter. Only one question, I've never seen anybody give milk to chickens, what's the reasoning behind this? Is is just for the fatty food during winter or do you feed them milk all year?

[@edibleacres]

We offer milk when we get it from our friend. Dense protein and fat seems excellent during brutal cold for most warm blooded beings.

[@judya.shroads8245]

Do they get water too? They look very happy and content.

[@edibleacres]

Of course they do! We’ll share notes on how we keep it thawed in their coop sometime soon

[@spymaine89]

The gizzard is a muscular part of the digestive system that "chews" food by using small stones, or grit, to grind the food up. Chickens need grit because they don't have teeth. what stones do you use

[@edibleacres]

Nothing special, but we offer standard grit we get from a local store. I believe it's a crushed granite perhaps.

[@spymaine89]

@@edibleacres i am paranoid, would worry about ''packaged ' ' grit.'' guess i would sieve local dirt.

[@tallcedars2310]

@@spymaine89 Is dirt as good as grit, I would love to get away from buying commercial products, thanks.

[@spymaine89]

@@tallcedars2310 birds in the wild manage to pick the correct size and coarseness , any small brook that has exposed wash area, put in bucket , watch chickens pick through. . get a wild turkey for supper, look in gizzard , note types and size..

[@spymaine89]

@@tallcedars2310 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gastrolith