Post by solargeek1 on Mar 5, 2013 22:31:34 GMT -7
Thought this idea, which may be old hat to many but not to me, was excellent. What I really liked was the picture (may need to go to link for that) of the 4 eggs on the little bit of mint she used as a test.
Here is article and link: communitychickens.blogspot.com/2012/08/making-herbal-coop-freshening-spray.html#.UTbRYxyG2So
3/5/13 Making Herbal SpraytoFreshentheCoop-- CommunityChickens by Jennifer Burcke
Imagine that you live in a small one room apartment without indoor plumbing. Living
with you are your closest friends. You dine together in this space. You sleep in this
space. You go to the bathroom, when necessary, in this space.
It's not the prettiest of mental pictures, is it? Yet, I've just described the state of affairs
within the four walls of a chicken coop. Even with access to the outdoors, chickens
spend a lot of their time inside the coop together and leave the evidence behind to
prove it.
We have seven heritage breed hens living in the main
coop at 1840 Farm. They eat, sleep, and lay eggs
there. They spend their days outside soaking up the
fresh air and sunshine. They stretch their legs, take
dust baths, and enjoy picking through the vegetation
that grows nearby. Every evening, they return to the
coop and take their place on the roost until the next
morning.
We do our best to keep their coop clean and tidy. We
make sure to provide them with more than the
recommended square footage per hen, but a coop is
still a coop. Hens live, eat, and sleep there. What they
do in between these activities is their business. At the
same time, their business is my responsibility to clean
up.
Sometimes, when the sun is shining brightly above the coop and the temperature inside rises just enough,
there is a hint of aroma that announces the reality that chickens live there. It's not unlike our barn in that
respect. Most of the time, the aroma is of hay, feed, and a fresh New England breeze. However, sometimes,
a farm just smells a bit like, well, a farm.
I'm a farmer. I expect a little mess and aroma to come with the job. I'm not afraid of getting dirty; in fact, I find
it to be a badge of honor on the farm. If I don't end the day with dirt beneath my fingernails, I must not have
been working very hard. If I'm not working very hard, then there will be less homegrown food on our
farmhouse table. Bring on the dirt.
As much as I have made peace with the realities of keeping chickens and goats, I don't have to like the smell
of the coop or barn on a hot summer day. Luckily, I have found a few ways to bring a little freshness into the
equation. Using these simple techniques, you can keep your coop just as fresh as ours.3/5/13 Making Herbal SpraytoFreshentheCoop-- CommunityChickens
communitychickens.blogspot.com/2012/08/making-herbal-coop-freshening-spray.html#.UTbRYxyG2So 2/4
During the summer, our coop and barn are open and
ventilated all day. I've already discussed how important
I believe cross ventilation is to the health of a flock. Our
front facing window and rear facing vents and access
doors help to keep fresh air flowing into the coop. The
side screen door is also kept open during warm
weather, allowing even more fresh air to enter the coop.
We follow the same method of keeping air circulating in
our circa 1840 barn. Each morning, I slide open the
south facing front door and unlatch the screen. Then
the back door is opened and secured to keep it open
and allow a breeze to flow through the main aisle.
Keeping a coop smelling fresh is a big goal and a breeze can only
do so much on a hot, humid day. Regular mucking and cleaning is
the most laborious and also most successful way to keep a coop
or barn smelling fresh. Even with our drop down cleanout door, a
total coop cleaning takes a sizable time commitment, not to
mention the need to have a large quantity of replacement bedding
on hand.
While I don't want to disinfect our coop on a weekly basis, I have
developed a Sunday routine that enables me to freshen the coop
in between deep cleanings. My weekly coop freshening takes only
minutes and uses supplies that I always have on hand. Even
better, it leaves our coop smelling fresh and clean even on the
warmest summer day.
I chose the components for my spray carefully. I use
Dawn lavender dishwashing liquid soap both because
of its lavender scent and its known gentleness and
effectiveness to clean birds in the wild. If it can be
trusted to be used during the crisis of an oil spill, then I
feel like it is safe to invite into our coop. You could
certainly substitute another brand of soap when making
your spray, but I can only attest to the effectiveness of
Dawn as it is the only brand that I have used.
Lavender Dawn has a lovely, light lavender scent, but I
wanted to up the ante. I also wanted to boost the power
of this spray to both lightly disinfect the coop and help
to deter pests. I always have grapefruit seed extract on hand for making household cleaners and knew that it
had incredible, natural powers to help disinfect yet it was safe enough to be taken internally. I don't have any
plans to feed my chickens grapefruit seed extract, but I feel safe adding it to our spray. Then I add tea tree oil
and peppermint oil for their insect repelling qualities. Lastly, I add a bit of lavender to help boost the calming
properties of the freshening spray.3/5/13 Making Herbal SpraytoFreshentheCoop-- CommunityChickens
communitychickens.blogspot.com/2012/08/making-herbal-coop-freshening-spray.html#.UTbRYxyG2So 3/4
I simply combine the ingredients in a clean spray bottle, replace the cap
and shake the bottle gently to mix the liquid. The resulting spray has a
light, fresh scent without being overpowering. One bottle of spray lasts me
several weeks and has worked effectively in both our main coop and
garden coop.
Herbal Coop Freshening Spray
4 ounces Dawn lavender dish soap
12 ounces water
10 drops grapefruit seed extract
10 drops tea tree oil
10 drops peppermint oil
10 drops lavender oil
Every Sunday, I enter the coop after completing my morning farm chores
ready to freshen the coop for the week. I come armed with my homemade
coop freshening spray and a small bucket of herbs gathered right outside
the coop door. Mint grows directly outside of our barn and coop and we
seem to have an unending supply. Using it to freshen our coop and barn
seems like a great way to use it to its full advantage.
I spray each nest box with the herbal spray several times. Then I lightly
spray the bedding on the floor of the coop and also the two roosts. I
place a handful of fresh mint on top of each nest box. If the nest boxes
need a little bit of nesting material, I add it after spraying the boxes with
the herbal spray and before adding the fresh herbs.
Even on a hot day, the coop immediately smells fresh and clean. Over
the period of the next few days, the herbs I have left behind in the nest
boxes continue to perfume the air in the coop. Occasionally, I add a
handful of mint to each nest box during the week as I am collecting the
day's eggs.
Both our adult laying hens and adolescent pullets seem to enjoy their
freshly smelling coops. They immediately come in to investigate their
freshened surroundings. While they sometimes take a closer look at the
mint, I have yet to see one ingest any. Instead, they seem content to nest
on top of them and enjoy the aroma of mint in their coops.
While I felt as though our hens appreciated my efforts, I wanted to test my theory. One week, I only freshened
a single nest box. I left the remaining boxes untouched and didn't spray the floor or roost. I placed a handful
of mint on top of the lone freshened box and exited the coop.
Later that afternoon, I went out to the coop to retrieve the day's eggs. Every egg that had been laid was in
the same nest box. They were sitting on top of the fresh mint leaves as if I had placed them there for effect.
Clearly, our hens did appreciate my weekly freshening services. The fact that they decided to lay their eggs
in the only nest box that I had freshened confirmed that. As a chicken keeper, there was no bigger affirmation
the hens could give me. Collecting enough fresh eggs to feed my family was all the encouragement I needed3/5/13 Making Herbal SpraytoFreshentheCoop-- CommunityChickens
communitychickens.blogspot.com/2012/08/making-herbal-coop-freshening-spray.html#.UTbRYxyG2So 4/4
to keep me coming back to freshen the coop every Sunday.
How do you keep your coop fresh? Do you add herbs to your nest boxes to encourage your hens to spend more time there?
You're always welcome at 1840 Farm. To make sure that you don't miss any of
the excitement, giveaways or unending supply of cute photos during the A Year in
the Life at 1840 Farm Series, follow us on Facebook to read the daily news from
the coop at 1840 Farm.
Chickens, Coops, diy, herbs, heritage breeds, Heritage
Chickens, Jennifer Burcke, Pest Control
Here is article and link: communitychickens.blogspot.com/2012/08/making-herbal-coop-freshening-spray.html#.UTbRYxyG2So
3/5/13 Making Herbal SpraytoFreshentheCoop-- CommunityChickens by Jennifer Burcke
Imagine that you live in a small one room apartment without indoor plumbing. Living
with you are your closest friends. You dine together in this space. You sleep in this
space. You go to the bathroom, when necessary, in this space.
It's not the prettiest of mental pictures, is it? Yet, I've just described the state of affairs
within the four walls of a chicken coop. Even with access to the outdoors, chickens
spend a lot of their time inside the coop together and leave the evidence behind to
prove it.
We have seven heritage breed hens living in the main
coop at 1840 Farm. They eat, sleep, and lay eggs
there. They spend their days outside soaking up the
fresh air and sunshine. They stretch their legs, take
dust baths, and enjoy picking through the vegetation
that grows nearby. Every evening, they return to the
coop and take their place on the roost until the next
morning.
We do our best to keep their coop clean and tidy. We
make sure to provide them with more than the
recommended square footage per hen, but a coop is
still a coop. Hens live, eat, and sleep there. What they
do in between these activities is their business. At the
same time, their business is my responsibility to clean
up.
Sometimes, when the sun is shining brightly above the coop and the temperature inside rises just enough,
there is a hint of aroma that announces the reality that chickens live there. It's not unlike our barn in that
respect. Most of the time, the aroma is of hay, feed, and a fresh New England breeze. However, sometimes,
a farm just smells a bit like, well, a farm.
I'm a farmer. I expect a little mess and aroma to come with the job. I'm not afraid of getting dirty; in fact, I find
it to be a badge of honor on the farm. If I don't end the day with dirt beneath my fingernails, I must not have
been working very hard. If I'm not working very hard, then there will be less homegrown food on our
farmhouse table. Bring on the dirt.
As much as I have made peace with the realities of keeping chickens and goats, I don't have to like the smell
of the coop or barn on a hot summer day. Luckily, I have found a few ways to bring a little freshness into the
equation. Using these simple techniques, you can keep your coop just as fresh as ours.3/5/13 Making Herbal SpraytoFreshentheCoop-- CommunityChickens
communitychickens.blogspot.com/2012/08/making-herbal-coop-freshening-spray.html#.UTbRYxyG2So 2/4
During the summer, our coop and barn are open and
ventilated all day. I've already discussed how important
I believe cross ventilation is to the health of a flock. Our
front facing window and rear facing vents and access
doors help to keep fresh air flowing into the coop. The
side screen door is also kept open during warm
weather, allowing even more fresh air to enter the coop.
We follow the same method of keeping air circulating in
our circa 1840 barn. Each morning, I slide open the
south facing front door and unlatch the screen. Then
the back door is opened and secured to keep it open
and allow a breeze to flow through the main aisle.
Keeping a coop smelling fresh is a big goal and a breeze can only
do so much on a hot, humid day. Regular mucking and cleaning is
the most laborious and also most successful way to keep a coop
or barn smelling fresh. Even with our drop down cleanout door, a
total coop cleaning takes a sizable time commitment, not to
mention the need to have a large quantity of replacement bedding
on hand.
While I don't want to disinfect our coop on a weekly basis, I have
developed a Sunday routine that enables me to freshen the coop
in between deep cleanings. My weekly coop freshening takes only
minutes and uses supplies that I always have on hand. Even
better, it leaves our coop smelling fresh and clean even on the
warmest summer day.
I chose the components for my spray carefully. I use
Dawn lavender dishwashing liquid soap both because
of its lavender scent and its known gentleness and
effectiveness to clean birds in the wild. If it can be
trusted to be used during the crisis of an oil spill, then I
feel like it is safe to invite into our coop. You could
certainly substitute another brand of soap when making
your spray, but I can only attest to the effectiveness of
Dawn as it is the only brand that I have used.
Lavender Dawn has a lovely, light lavender scent, but I
wanted to up the ante. I also wanted to boost the power
of this spray to both lightly disinfect the coop and help
to deter pests. I always have grapefruit seed extract on hand for making household cleaners and knew that it
had incredible, natural powers to help disinfect yet it was safe enough to be taken internally. I don't have any
plans to feed my chickens grapefruit seed extract, but I feel safe adding it to our spray. Then I add tea tree oil
and peppermint oil for their insect repelling qualities. Lastly, I add a bit of lavender to help boost the calming
properties of the freshening spray.3/5/13 Making Herbal SpraytoFreshentheCoop-- CommunityChickens
communitychickens.blogspot.com/2012/08/making-herbal-coop-freshening-spray.html#.UTbRYxyG2So 3/4
I simply combine the ingredients in a clean spray bottle, replace the cap
and shake the bottle gently to mix the liquid. The resulting spray has a
light, fresh scent without being overpowering. One bottle of spray lasts me
several weeks and has worked effectively in both our main coop and
garden coop.
Herbal Coop Freshening Spray
4 ounces Dawn lavender dish soap
12 ounces water
10 drops grapefruit seed extract
10 drops tea tree oil
10 drops peppermint oil
10 drops lavender oil
Every Sunday, I enter the coop after completing my morning farm chores
ready to freshen the coop for the week. I come armed with my homemade
coop freshening spray and a small bucket of herbs gathered right outside
the coop door. Mint grows directly outside of our barn and coop and we
seem to have an unending supply. Using it to freshen our coop and barn
seems like a great way to use it to its full advantage.
I spray each nest box with the herbal spray several times. Then I lightly
spray the bedding on the floor of the coop and also the two roosts. I
place a handful of fresh mint on top of each nest box. If the nest boxes
need a little bit of nesting material, I add it after spraying the boxes with
the herbal spray and before adding the fresh herbs.
Even on a hot day, the coop immediately smells fresh and clean. Over
the period of the next few days, the herbs I have left behind in the nest
boxes continue to perfume the air in the coop. Occasionally, I add a
handful of mint to each nest box during the week as I am collecting the
day's eggs.
Both our adult laying hens and adolescent pullets seem to enjoy their
freshly smelling coops. They immediately come in to investigate their
freshened surroundings. While they sometimes take a closer look at the
mint, I have yet to see one ingest any. Instead, they seem content to nest
on top of them and enjoy the aroma of mint in their coops.
While I felt as though our hens appreciated my efforts, I wanted to test my theory. One week, I only freshened
a single nest box. I left the remaining boxes untouched and didn't spray the floor or roost. I placed a handful
of mint on top of the lone freshened box and exited the coop.
Later that afternoon, I went out to the coop to retrieve the day's eggs. Every egg that had been laid was in
the same nest box. They were sitting on top of the fresh mint leaves as if I had placed them there for effect.
Clearly, our hens did appreciate my weekly freshening services. The fact that they decided to lay their eggs
in the only nest box that I had freshened confirmed that. As a chicken keeper, there was no bigger affirmation
the hens could give me. Collecting enough fresh eggs to feed my family was all the encouragement I needed3/5/13 Making Herbal SpraytoFreshentheCoop-- CommunityChickens
communitychickens.blogspot.com/2012/08/making-herbal-coop-freshening-spray.html#.UTbRYxyG2So 4/4
to keep me coming back to freshen the coop every Sunday.
How do you keep your coop fresh? Do you add herbs to your nest boxes to encourage your hens to spend more time there?
You're always welcome at 1840 Farm. To make sure that you don't miss any of
the excitement, giveaways or unending supply of cute photos during the A Year in
the Life at 1840 Farm Series, follow us on Facebook to read the daily news from
the coop at 1840 Farm.
Chickens, Coops, diy, herbs, heritage breeds, Heritage
Chickens, Jennifer Burcke, Pest Control
