Fire Safety in your Chicken Coop & Barn

By Justine of Les Farms

Now I know everyone thinks that it won't happen to you. I was like that as well. Yeah fires happen, but not to me. 

 

 

My ignorance was quickly shattered last week when on Monday, February 11th, 2013, when we awoke to our barn in full flames. Nothing at all could be done. 

We lost everything: Two sheep, Four turkeys, Six Ducks, Four Geese, Roughly 100 breeding chickens, 20 chicks and our Livestock Guardian Dog, Clementine. 

 

The purpose of my writing this is not to get your condolences, though I really appreciate it. I am heartbroken, yes. They were my passion. My dream. 

This article is designed to make you think twice about what you do in your own barn/coop, and to open your eyes to the risks in things you may not even consider a fire risk.

The obvious - make sure if you have chicks in the barn/coop that you have your heat lamp SECURED. Do not trust the clamps. They can slip off easily and the heat lamp can fall to the ground and catch the shavings on fire.

Extension Cords - Please, please do not use these if you can help it. If you do have to use them, Make sure you are not drawing a lot of power from them (IE: Don't attach an extension cord to a power block and plug a lot into them). 

DUST your lights and outlets regularly. Dust is a big issue.. You know how much dust a couple of chickens can create.. If dust builds up on heat lamps, or even regular light bulbs the dust itself can catch on fire.

If you use extension cords, use heavy duty, and only ones meant for outdoors. Make sure they are all intact and have no rips or tears in the coating.

Another extension cord tip: Do not staple them into the wall to keep out of reach of birds. If you hit the cord itself it can create an issue.

Store baled hay AWAY from livestock. Hay/bedding storage should not be near lights, fans, electrical boxes, heaters or outlets.

Flammable substances should be kept away from the barn. (We had 5 propane tanks stored in the loft. BAD idea.

Improperly utilized heat lamps are a major source of barn fires. They are often placed too close to hay and bedding which may ignite quite easily from the heat. Never use extension cords with heat lamps. 

When storing newly baled hay, the temperature should be monitored. Adequate ventilation should be provided for additional drying of the hay. If too much heat builds up, spontaneous combustion can occur. (Never purchase hay that is hot -  because it can mean that it was baled too wet. In addition to being a fire hazard, the hay may turn moldy, making it unpalatable and unhealthy for horses to eat.)

Outlets and switch boxes should be made of metal and have dust- and water-tight spring-loaded covers that close when released. Ground fault receptacles should be utilized for all outlets.

 

 

Fire can be prevented. Please be aware, and pass the message along.

If I can save any of you from the anguish I feel - I have served my purpose.

~ Justine  

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Calcium: Mixed Flocks vs. Mixed Feeds

By Leigh

As chicken keepers, many of us worry if our flock is getting enough of the necessary minerals, vitamins and nutrients. Modern, pre-mixed feeds tend to lessen that concern for many, yet if you have a mixed flock, these premixed feeds may present another danger.

For those that have a flock comprised only of laying hens, Layer Feed may work just perfectly. For those who have roosters and younger birds that are not yet laying mixed in with laying hens, premixed Layer Feed may not be the best thing for your whole flock.

The reason behind this conundrum is the calcium content of commercial Layer Feeds.

The calcium content in chick starter / grower feeds and general flock feeds usually falls between 0.5% and 1.5%.

The average calcium content of Layer Feed ranges from 3.25% to 4.8%. If a bird is laying regularly, these calcium levels are fine as the calcium is used to create the shell of the egg… but for any bird that is not laying, these levels may be too high, and might actually cause harm to some birds.

If a chicken is not laying and using excess calcium to produce egg shell, the kidney must filter out the excess calcium. Over time this can cause kidney failure.

Too much calcium, or Hypercalcaemia, can also result in calcification of the soft tissues and organs (including the liver and heart), pancreatitis, egg binding, dry skin, appetite loss, lethargy, confusion, depression, slowed growth in pullets and cockerels, dehydration, diarrhea or constipation,and even death.

So how do you feed a mixed flock of chickens without causing calcium deficiencies in laying hens, yet not overdosing young birds and roosters?

Many long-time chicken keepers who use commercial feed use “Grower” or “Flock Raiser” products designed for non-laying birds aged 10 to 18 weeks, and then offer free-choice oyster shell. Chickens won’t overdose themselves on calcium when it is fed free-choice. You will almost never see a rooster picking through oyster shell unless he just saw a bug jump into the dish.

It should also be noted that vitamin D3 is absolutely essential to the proper absorption of calcium. Most living critters obtain the bulk of their D3 through sunlight – so make sure your flock is getting plenty of rays! Not enough sun can cause laying hens to be unable to absorb the calcium in their diet. This can be just as dangerous to laying hens as too much calcium in the food would be to non-laying birds.

I will also note that other long-time chicken keepers report no ill effects from feeding layer feed to their entire flocks for many years.

Every bird is different and every breed of chicken is different. Some may be more sensitive to higher calcium levels, and others may be just fine with it. Those that get tons of natural sunlight may properly absorb much higher levels of calcium than those that stay inside for long periods.

My personal philosophy is that if I can do something that may help avoid long-term health issues in my flock without additional expense, it’s worth doing. I have always offered free choice oyster shell anyway, so switching feeds to the lower calcium feed made sense in my case. You be the judge and do what will be best for you and your flock.

Cheers

Leigh

And special congratulations to the winner of the Nest Box Blend Giveaway: Marianne Cowan. Please email us at shabbychicken@hotmail.com, Marianne!

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Should I Vaccinate My Chickens / Poultry for Marek's Disease?

Natural Chicken Keeping Question of the Day:

Hey there!
First off a THANK YOU for this wonderful website. I can't tell you how much I've learned from you guys!

I have a question that is driving me insane, because I can't get any definitive or good answers about, that I was hoping you could help me out with:

My husband and I currently don't have any chickens, as we are in the process of moving to a bigger ranch here in Texas. We will be raising a small herd of grass-fed cattle, and free-range chickens, organic vegetables, etc. and plan to do everything as holistically, organic, and naturally as we can. The immediate and main reason is for us to have dependable, Non-GMO, chemical free food for our health, but who knows; a couple years down the road we may try selling some grass-fed beef, pastured eggs, and poultry....

But the question I keep coming up against is whether or not to vaccinate our new chicks when we get them in a couple months for Marek's or any other diseases. I would really rather not, since as I said we want to go the natural route, but was wondering if you guys had any insight into pros and cons that may sway me one way.

Our flock will be about 8-10 birds for the first year, and eventually if we end up selling some pastured eggs or poultry, of course we would have more birds. If we do that, we will likely not go for an Organic certification, with such a small operation; even though the feed our chickens get will be Organic, Non-GMO, and we will be using Organic/Natural pastures, and farming practices. As I understand it, you can vaccinate chickens who will even be certified Organic, (this could be wrong, but the majority of what I've read says it is allowed) but I'm more concerned about any possible dangers or issues that vaccinating our flock could have on us since we will be consuming their eggs and meat. 

So far almost everything I've read, and people I've spoken to all say YES, ABSOLUTELY vaccinate for Marek's, but they can't tell me if there are any dangers from this, and as most of those people have been "non-organic" conventional raisers of chickens, and traditional vets.

So, just wondering if you may have any info that could help me out. I'm so confused and stressed about making the decision to vaccinate the chickens or not; that I'm starting to lose sleep! I would REALLY love to hear your thoughts on the matter, and see if you can help!

Thanks so much for everything you do-your hard work to help chicken owners, is SO very much appreciated!! :)

Cynthia, in Texas

Leigh Says:

First of all, thank you for your kind words about the Blog! I feel so lucky to have such wonderful sources of knowledge (Vicki, Tom, Karen, Chrissy, Jane, Sue… and that these super folks share their knowledge so freely with the rest of us! Without them, this blog would not be.

Now then…

I do not vaccinate my flock for the sole reason that I do not wish to add any extra chemicals, medications or “additives” to my birds. That said, if my flock ever did have an issue with Marek’s, the game would change out of necessity.

I would ask around and find out if any of the past owners of the new property ever kept poultry on the land. Marek’s can be present in the soil for years after infected birds have left.

Most folks never have a problem with it, but for the few that do, it can be an ugly disease!

Vicki Says:

There are dangers to Merek’s and any other inoculation you give your kids, poultry or cattle. It sounds to me you eventually need certification for Organic selling, so you will need an NPIP certification and that requires testing. With any type of inoculation you are in fact giving the disease to your birds so they can build a resistance. You would not be able to bring other birds on your property unless they too were inoculated or they would be exposed to the Merick’s your inoculated birds are sloughing off.

With inoculation you can rest easy that your whole flock will not be wiped out from this disease. I do not inoculate my birds, however, I reserve the right to choose to do so if I ever hear of any type of disease in the area and if I expand my area of showing.

Justine of Les Farm Says:

I personally wouldn’t. I don’t think it’s necessary.

Tom (Life With Chickens) Says:

I don't and won't vaccinate. My only thought is it depends on the Texas laws (and trade organization rules) concerning farms and the legal selling of birds. Not just craigslist sale. But it sounds like you may want to do this legit and if that is the case you need to do whatever Texas says you need to do.

(Note: While there is no Texas law stating small, privately-owned flocks of poultry must be vaccinated for Marek’s, we encourage folks to comply with the rules governing other state or local certifications, when seeking such certifications.)

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