Not This Again! ❄️

[@paulwooster3590]

"I'm ready for the Summer man." I feel for you, hang in there, thanks for the new video. Considering you are a very busy man it is very generous of you to take the time to show the rest of us what is happening.

[@paulwooster3590]

Yes it is frustrating, yet we know better times will come soon. We can only learn from what we witness and plan for next time. Good luck to you.

[@geraldswain3259]

Brilliant opening shot !.

[@kirstenwhitworth8079]

Agreed! That was fun.

[@CabinontheHill]

It cold here today, we know how you feel looking forward to spring 🙂 58 days left for us in Arkansas I 🤔 are you using the chicken tractor to get gardens ready? 😀 hope so, would be so awesome to go to Sweden I bet it beautiful 😍 ❤

[@james6164]

Love your creativity with the opening sequence. Keep up the good work.

[@danieldowning4583]

I am feeling your pain with your weather situation Simeon. We have much had the same conditions this year as well here in New England. With two twenty inch and one thirty two inch as well as several six to twelve inch snow storms, we are praying for even fifty degree weather. Stay strong warm weather will come. GOD Bless.

[@onedazinn998]

aw I feel for you...tractored meat chickens & garlic out looking good buried in snow..hope it's not too cold. It's so hard to wait for the last frost to be done so you can plan the garden.

[@troytreeguy]

Winter has hung on too long in Maine too! So ready for those warm summer days and all the green and living things in splendor! Be Well

[@Cobrahjh]

haha So funny seeing those geese walking out right when you open the door. Nice they have their own doorman. These videos are full of information. Thanks and God Bless!

[@EYALAVRAHAMI]

it's pleasure to see how your videos are improving with every video you post.

[@joycejudd5109]

a fun video for me...sitting in our warm house and watching YOU have all the cold wet fun! I suspect in August, you may be wishing for some of this cold weather. ☺ Truly enjoying your farm...and how you manage it!

[@elizabethricketts7795]

I'm new to your channel, but I feel like I have known you both for years. There is just something in the way you present thing's that is very interesting. Good luck on selling all your garden veg's.

[@martynelson8858]

I like the pigs....I think they have a good stable.....warm with plenty of bedding and dry......and love the geese when you let them out.....they are so funny its like they are telling you it is about time you let "us" out...lol...

[@sophieboulanger2]

LOVE, LOVE the intro !! made me laugh.. It looks so much like here (Quebec, Canada) Spring comes every year but always with suprises !!

[@kathryngagne5813]

Hey neighbor Sophie! We are in NE Quebec in Lac-Humqui. We are just itching for the snow to melt so we can get the homestead humming :)

[@sophieboulanger2]

I'm actually on the North Shore of Montreal, so that makes it a lot further South.. I feel for you guys, still having snow at this time.. Hope you have a greenhouse to extend your seasons... Have a great one !

[@theresamacdonald6319]

Hi there im from cape breton ns Canada. I miss living on a farm so much. Ur so gentle with ur animals. I am a new subscriber. Its great!!!😁😁

[@TheOregonOutlaw]

Simeon, look into 14"X12" plastic dish washing tubs. They are cheap, light weight, and will last many many years. We also raise birds and over the years I've experimented with many sizes and materials. So far - the tubs are winners. On bedding you should consider indoor/outdoor carpeting. I buy it by the yard and cut it to shape in advance. It cleans by simply spraying with water and dries super fast. Getting a slightly better grade helps too, as it will then be very robust and thicker. Chickens LOVE the stuff for laying. The turf style fake grass/carpeting might be less expensive at a carpeting store. Many times I've bought roll ends for 30% or less than normal price. Hope these help.

[@wandarettinger5674]

In Canada we call late snow "poor man's fertilizer ".

[@billcleveland2983]

Nice video. Looks like the nesting boxes you made are fine.My only experience is with chickens in cages for egg production. That was when I was a young boy growing up. Now I am retired and almost 70 yrs old. But I like watching your videos, and I like your method, The chickens seem to be content too and more relaxed. Take care, hope the weather doesn't get too bad. Bill

[@oswaltedmund6257]

I use sawdust in my nesting boxes. The eggs stay cleaner, only some dust on them. Also sawdust is nearly free.

[@mordenmitchell4004]

Oswalt Edmund I

[@SLFYSH]

I Like the skidder idea, with the lip that holds onto the base of he tractor. Good thinking.👍🏽. Didn't necessitate skis or wheels, and it's quick.

[@martynelson8858]

We have had an unusually warm end of winter and beginning of spring but with a lot of rain for my garden....I am currently running my cool air for the house. It will warm up soon for you guys. I am in South Carolina USA.

[@debiheeb-koller1239]

I can sure relate!! Getting tired of the cold and snow here too.

[@martijnheeroma5492]

So sorry for the snow, but what a great movie again, thanks Like you said we have the same weather 'dip' here in the Netherlands (but no snow), Took my tomatoes and cucumber back inside again. will be better next week they say.. #readyForSummer we are.

[@SweetGumMinis]

I ditto your sentiments on cold weather. I hate cold weather, but we're blessed in South Carolina USA we get maybe 2 snows a year and sometimes only 1 and it typically melts the same day. I love it. Just a thought though; have you ever thought about putting wheels on your skid (not the tractor, just your skid you use to move the tractors with). It might make pulling them to the new spot easier and you wouldn't need but 1 set of wheels since you use the same skid on each tractor. Great videos! I love seeing other homesteaders/farmers set-ups.

[@robertaplatter6050]

l like using 4" high x 10" wide x 14" long plastic dish pans inside nest boxes, that have hand holes to handle them easy for dumping and washing out. I used pine shaving and all my old leftovers herbs in with the shavings. They seem to like the herbs and it smells good. I hope they help in any mites or lice problems. I think 25% boxes to the hens is a good number ratio. They seem to like sharing the same boxes anyway. Some people say 50% is a good ratio too. Good luck with your hens and egg mobile.😊🐔🐓🐣

[@sunflowersnbluebirds7362]

Fantastic intro...I totally felt you pain at seeing snow...again!

[@jackiebinns6205]

So awesome !! Im glad i found this channel

[@chrisg2193]

so sweet, those cheerful pigs hiding in the hay.

[@johnhirsch5923]

Hi Simeon, thanks for the clip, I feel for your pain concerning the snow, we have been having alot of rain and it is delaying our gardening and shed repairs needs. I agree with you I cant wait for summer!

[@mikecox3659]

I understand about the fields being uneven. I built a roll-away for my neighbor, 4 nests for 25 hens. Many seen to like to use the same nest. Hope it helps.

[@Eagerphill]

I feel your pain. Its been snowing all week here in Alberta too!

[@wolfkremen]

regarding the nesting boxes, I'd say at least two for every 5 hens, especially if you want to keep track which hen lays what and gave each state of mood and health. Boxes, buckets, other materials probably don't matter, but hay, mowed grass especially, feel very cozy to them. in my experience, the fluff and straw from other bird nest that have been abandoned or blown off are great. There should be a corner of two solid walls for a hen to feel safe and private. what you have is already good.

[@johncadwallander209]

Hi Simeon .Nest boxes the same as you made of wood 33cm by 33cm and saw dust/shavings placed in .1 box for 3 hens .

[@eddybergman9782]

One box per 10 hens. I would suggest using a French cleat system since you move the nest boxes between your egg mobile and your greenhouse. For the inside I would use plastic grass outdoor carpet and add a roost that doubles as a door to close the boxes at night. That will keep the nest boxes and eggs cleaner.

[@josefinagalera9550]

April and snowing it is beautiful

[@Ticdaniel]

Nice with a little longer vid like this one 👍👍 the evening is saved

[@josephmahovlich6365]

i think your are doing a great job on your farm keep up the good work farming is a tough job fine work.

[@betsymagnolia9698]

It's too real! Just came in from the garden to get warm and you are cracking me up!

[@danalewis9240]

I have 10 hens and 4 boxes. I use pine shavings in mine. If there is anything dirty in the box Incan just pull the dirty shavings out. The boxes also have lovely curtains, which actually have a purpose. Hens do like a quieter, darker atmosphere when laying, and the curtains provide that for them.

[@candicechristensen1753]

It snowed in Idaho today too, but it also rained off and on so it didn't stick

[@Quadflash]

Nobody ever said that farming is easy... That's because it's hard!

[@janetlis2613]

You are really great really enjoy your videos.

[@jordanmunoz1813]

we get what we get and we dont get upset lol im just thankful for your great content no need to be so picky

[@dstevenpaisley]

Cold here also I eastern Canada ! Still using my wood stove water is real high in river. Won't warm up till water goes down here.No snow left here but in Northern New Brunswick 4 hrs away their was 6 feet of snow this winter we had very little along coast !

[@1000sofroots]

What you are doing is very cool and inspirational. We like the 1' cube made out of 1X12 pine with straw as nesting material. My son who takes care of the chickens ( he is 11) says his chickens like these boxes.

[@jjf8862]

Luv how they follow you :)

[@edadpops1709]

Man i feel your pain its mid april in colorado and we had snow last week and rain and cold again .Noooooooooo!

[@kirstenwhitworth8079]

I like hay, straw, or even dried grass in my nesting boxes; it's easy to clean, cheap, and provides good cushion for the eggs. I have also tried rice hulls and pine shavings, but did not like them much because they were harder to keep clean and full. For 50 chickens, I had 16 wooden nest boxes, but they only used 4 of those boxes, and would fight over them. I also had plastic dog crates that worked well for broody hens and the chicks because I could close the wire gates at night to keep other hens from trying to steal the chicks. It is my experience that hens don't care what the nest is made of - they don't even care what shape the nests are - round, square, under a bush, they don't care. What they do care about is that the nests are dark (i.e., safe and "hidden") and big enough to comfortably sit in, but not too big lest two or three hens will try to squeeze in at one time. I love your videos. Whatever you care to film is fine by me, I have learned form each one of them. Thank you!

[@davidwolter4263]

Oh Boy! Now I have to do conversions to enjoy your videos. Ahhh I enjoy them anyway. LOL Great video.

[@smolville]

Your green feed barrel has a lid that seals on the inside. We don't have those in Amerika. The closest thing that I can find has a metal band around the lid. That or a hinged lid.

[@Angkhoo1]

I use river sand, shredded newspapers an hay and straw. We have paddy straw but they sell them in huge bales. Best is shredded papers and sand, I guess you can buy bags of sand from Plant nurseries.

[@verteup]

the nest holes only need to be just big enough for the chicken to turn around.

[@glennschuett199]

It was nice to see what you do every day. I would like to see what you have to do when you have say a break down like with the tractor? Who helps you? Does your dad help you a lot and also your brother. Your doing a great job thanks.Glenn Schuett from Marinette Wisconsin

[@toedancer1148]

our setup is in a barn, so not movement of the boxes, also my chickens are free range. I'm using wood shavings right now, will use dry grass cuttings during the summer. But have gotten some of those plastic mats and what to try them. I've 40 hens. Only have two boxes open right now but will need six this summer, plus a few ground buckets for some spots that seem to be popular with some of the ladies

[@suusvanleeuwen3332]

For the nestingboxes just make them out of wood and put wood chips in there because then the eggs wil stay cleaner

[@fourdayhomestead2839]

Double row of boxes worked for me. Sawdust is free here, but straw is 2nd choice. You've got an awesome set up there.

[@HighlandSteam]

We have had 20cm of snow in the north of Scotland.

[@Flexaret]

We have similar weather this week although we are 55 degrees latitude, yesterday was very sunny but a bitterly cold wind, in the evening we had sleet/snow/hail although it melted away almost instantly. Today was again sunny but with a very cold wind. I was fortunate to work in a sheltered area all day and it was quite warm. Our forecast for next week is much warmer.

[@jamesrivis620]

Great stuff. btw a baby goose is a gosling.

[@psbrad43]

i think it was Mark Twain said "every body complains about the weather but nobody does anything about it" haha

[@OFFGRIDwithDOUGSTACY]

well, they are working on that =/

[@nancymyself9665]

To right, haha. Also, If you don't like the weather in New England now, just wait a few minutes. Thats what I do.

[@Tryagain563]

Same in New Zealand: take your sunscreen and an umbrella!

[@gordonreed248]

A big difference in climate to me. Today I went out on a ride on my motorcycle and the local temperature was about 25C in the middle of the day.

[@ronaldstout1390]

So funny!!! Shoveling snow for chickens. I love working with and for my birds but I will not be shoveling .5 inches of snow for them...they can surely deal with such a small dusting. One of my Chantecler hens brought her 6 day old chicks out this morning in temps. of 34 degrees f., with wind blowing the rain sideways. When the chicks got uncomfortable, they ran under momma for a while, then back out to picking at the ground. Even my Naked Necks come out in cold rainy weather. I'm sure your birds would have been fine but I understand your concern. When I was young, I over-reacted once in a while. I use pine shavings for my nest boxes (it keeps the eggs cleaner) and try to keep about one box per six or seven hens. They are constructed of 3/4 inch plywood because that's what I had when my carpenters were doing the work and I live too far from any town to have made it practical to go for 1/4 inch material, which is plenty thick enough for the job.

[@tedripper8589]

Thanks Simeon. Hope the weather warms up for u soon. What about trying a few different nesting boxes from some of the suggestions. Then observing and finding which ones work best. Do you have nesting boxes in the chicken tractors? I use wooden ones with hay or wood shavings for bedding.

[@brendagillespie2805]

I don't know how cost effective it would be there but In my nesting boxes I use cedar wood chips. It smells awesome ; ) God Bless

[@pamwhiteeagle9818]

hi from Orofino Idaho, usa.. we love your long videos. I cant understand why a lot of youtube makers think that they have to be short. are there rules that say they have to be short. please let us know. love your videos and love the family and farm. pam

[@stevestephen7673]

I used wood boxes, 12"x12". I noticed if they were any larger a second bird was likely to attempt to take it over. I always used hay, just because that's what I had plenty of and it worked. 4 boxes for each 20 birds worked fine for me and them. If I were starting today, I'd probably try plastic of one sort or another just for sanitation reasons.

[@EnGammalAmazon]

Where did you get the feeders? I was thinking of building a small feeder, but one of those looks pretty good. You asked about the type of nests. We used a number of different nests at home made of both wood and metal. If you gather the eggs every day, about one nest for every 5-6 layers seemed to be about right. Since we had s sawmill business we always had plenty of firewood, sawdust and shavings for the farm. I liked using sawdust in the nests if you have it. I was just thinking of a way to put a metal bottom in the nests so that you can simply pull out the bottoms and drop the sawdust out the bottom of the nest structure. I have lots of sheetmetal and roofing remnants from my work and they would make good next bottoms. We also had a perch on the front so the birds could fly up and then step into the nests. At night we would fold the perches up so that the birds wouldn't sleep in the nests and use the roosts where we wanted them. This keeps the birds from messing in the nests and they will poop in the dropping pit at night. It's just that you need to make sure someone closes them at night and opens them in the day. The only down-side to having the chickens in a large, open house was that someone had to clean the dropping pits each summer and use the manure spreader to put it on the fields. I can only let you guess how much manure 2,000 hens can make in a year's time. Given that I was the oldest son, you can well imagine who got that job of cleaning all the chicken houses and dropping pits!

[@lynnelliot7256]

Hi Simeon, I don have chickens but have seen a show where they use wood chips, they dont get soggy and are warm. xmas wishes to you and your family from New Zealand

[@ThePlantBasedHomestead]

We use the plastic 5 gallon totes with the lids on them. Cut a hole for them and they seem to be doing well in it. I don't add pine shavings because we use them for the deep litter method. I don't want the girls thinking it's okay to poop in the nesting area so we use straw. I also add some fresh lavender from our yard to keep bugs away. We have two and maybe 6 lay in one and 6 lay in the other. Sometimes two go in at once which I find comical. We're about to add another nesting area soon. You'll find it a trial and error. Some will like saw dust while others won't, some will like the straw while others will poop in it. My guess is your method will be different because you have more chickens than the regular backyard gardener like me.

[@hotwheelsmad]

you can have a lot of nest boxes and the chooks will all wont to go in the same one i have had 7 try to lay in the one box

[@shanahtovah3247]

In the states it's not difficult to get plastic milk 4s or 6s carton/ crates. I used to put6 on the ground next to inside wall. Just 6 for 20 hens

[@dougfranco9995]

Corner Feeder 6 Gallon (22.7125 liters) or bigger , straw, one for 4 or 5 birds , no top , good for free range birds (some placed in barn not coop) works for Bantams to Jersey Giant . great job from Tn USA

[@angryamerican1]

that beginning 😂

[@kathryngagne5813]

We feel your pain. We just had a few inches of snow 3 days ago. Hopefully the last! We use one nest per 5 chickens. We had started with Pine shavings but it was too costly . We switched to hay because it is what we had on hand. The chickens didn't seem to care either way. The eggs were cleaner with the pine. We are currently using the milk crates from our Chickshaw. Patara at Appalachia's Homestead just recently purchased some nice layer boxes. Perhaps you could build some yourself if you like them?

[@PapaDutch]

The intro made me think of the Disney movie "Jungle Book", with the two cockney vultures: "Not that again!". Weather has been different this year all around the world, not strange I think but going through a variation in it's natural cycle. In the midsouth USA (Memphis TN) April has been very wet and is turning warm quickly. I have seen fireflies already, and the mosquitos have been swarming for several weeks. I noticed the shrubs and trees budded out much earlier than expected, and leaves have come back already - it all points to an early start to a hopefully long growing season, but the clouds and rain have retarded the growth of the tomato plants we have already set out in places here after starting them indoors a month or more ahead of time. They were growing fast inside, but now that they are outside they seem to have slowed down as if they were waiting for something....

[@j.ericswede7084]

Planting of peas and onions on the farm here are 1 month late in Eastern Washington this year. It is cold everywhere in the Northern Hemisphere. But this too shall pass...

[@somdhomestead9031]

Not sure I could handle your weather. Here this weekend in the Washington DC area it will be 90degF,32degC.

[@candidethirtythree4324]

I put chicken wire in the bottom of the nesting boxes so the poop falls through and I could wash them with bleach and a long handled brush every few weeks. The plastic milk crates are good if you can find real ones from a dairy but the store bought ones fell apart in about a year.

[@JavaKriel]

You can use 20L jerrycan/ drum. Easy to clean with a Pressure washer. I have boxes made out of plywood with a with a smooth surface. (In Dutch betonplex) Also easy to clean. I use wood shavings, some people call it sawdust.

[@cbigg81]

I'm not a chicken guy but I would think cubes that you could get to both sides, like the back with a hinged door to the outside, for ease of getting the eggs from outside the tractor perhaps. But again I know nothing about chickens or their tractors. lol

[@jpoutsch1]

How do I find the Patriots Page? Thanks. You are a great start to my day.

[@candidethirtythree4324]

www.patreon.com/swehomestead

[@matthewbalise9208]

I have hundreds of chickens and ducks you should build nesting boxers out of wood or use old buckets. I would say the amount of chickens in the greenhouse need. 20-25 nest boxes.

[@MrVailtown]

My birds seem to like hay better, they push the straw out . Might try sawdust in the future when build time comes again.

[@rickrhoton9012]

We use plastic milk crate, and cut the end of it so birds can easily come and go. We have eight of them for about 40 birds. I do not use straws they can harbor parasites and it becomes a separate issue when your birds get mites.

[@naomidunbar719]

I live in Saskatchewan, Canada. We got snow again last night. I don't trust the weather not to snow until mid-July.

[@shanahtovah3247]

4 nesting (plastic milk crates) per 20 hens.

[@shanahtovah3247]

we use hay or shredded paper from our paper shredder

[@SeronaBIG]

Is it possible for you to overseed your pasture with rye? It will allow you to stop feeding hay sooner if you can get it to grow there. Always enjoy your videos.

[@1voluntaryist]

I'm surprised to see no "air lock entry" to your house. I thought all cold-weather farms had a "mud room" for coming/going.

[@lassie7777]

I use wood chips instead of straw. I think it works better.

[@ShoutItFromTheHousetops]

Swedish snow!!! ❄️

[@deniset2115]

I love your videos : )

[@mimisfavorites5269]

I have a friend living in Crested Butte Colorado, they're expecting 6-12 inches...some spring huh?

[@marinsaitis1972]

You are Goood !!!

[@ocampolarguense7730]

hey from Brasil

[@whatdidyouthinkwouldhappen1203]

You have pretty rooster, what kind are they? Love your videos. Thank you for sharing. We have 1 nest box per 5 hens, we use straw for nest bedding and our nest boxes are outside the house so there is no ledge for them to sit on. :)

[@cmiller1952]

I'm interested in your chicken coop...so different than ours...Ohio, USA...great video!

[@debbiegallett1125]

It is snowing hard here in western South Dakota today. How do your chicken waterers work in the freezing weather.

[@dorascott8286]

Have 4 nest per 12 chickens...Use old hard wood chest drawers ...It had 8 drawers, took out 4 of them..Easy to clean & Just pull out to get the eggs out..Not on a farm...

[@oldtimeengineer26]

I did 1ft cubed had 30 of them for about 85 chickens and most of the time only the top row about 4 ft off the ground was used So I figured it was maybe 12 boxes per 75 chickens but I am not sure since it varied some. I used wood chips most of the time or saw dust wood chips was easier to clean.

[@scottwallace3900]

Make your nest box 1ft wide 1ft high 1ft deep 10 boxes 5 on bottom 5 on top with removable floors for cleaning steep angled roof with sheet of thick plastic on it to discourage roosting a perch full length of nest boxes make the bottom perch sit out double the width of the top perch helps stop them shitting on each other have them on legs .and I notice you have a few males would only have 1 rooster to 10 hens .eat the rest that's how I do things as for amount of nest boxes just use your judgment because as you will have noticed some boxes see a lot of traffic and so hardly used at all that's just the way hens are. And I use wood shavings found that the best for clean eggs.good luck with what ever design you adopt buddy

[@lindasalas7828]

Use wood chips instead of hay inside of nesting box