Hygiene in the chicken coop at a high level
In my hobby Orpington breeding program, I've been trying out various zeolite products from Steinkraft over the past year to maintain the highest possible level of hygiene in the stable and to prevent parasites.
I was impressed by the following two products, even though they actually come from the horse and cat range.
In the large coop with the adult chickens, I really like the Horsekraft bedding with zeolite.
When I'm freshly mucking out the stable, I first spread a layer of Horsekraft bedding over the entire floor, including along the edges. I also dust all the perches, such as bars, etc., with it. Then I add my regular bedding made of softwood granules and shavings.
I clean out the manure daily and sprinkle some Horsekraft bedding over it as needed, as it dries out wet droppings and neutralizes the odor. It's made with lime and zeolite, plus organic lavender. It's a great disinfectant and binds water and pollutants.
In the small coop where I raise the chicks, I do the same thing, but use CATKRAFT Smell Well. It's coarser and creates less dust. I normally put it in the litter box to absorb ammonia and pollutants. I find it ideal for the little ones.
Both products bring a refreshing scent to the stable thanks to the added lavender. Mites and other pests don't like it at all.
Zeolite as a good basis for laying nests
In my case, the laying nests are also equipped with a thick layer of zeolite on the bottom and then straw/hay on top
In case of parasite infestation, the chickens can also be dusted directly with the zeolite powder – but leave out the head.
My flock of chickens is happy, I am happy!
How I came to have chickens...
The topic of chickens has come up in our minds several times over the years, but in the hustle and bustle of everyday life, we've always been unable to implement it.
I've always been attracted to the heavy breeds. I've always liked the large, cube-shaped Orpingtons best, in all their beautiful colors.
In 2020, the time finally came. All planned events and vacations were canceled due to Covid-19, leaving us with plenty of time at home to tackle dormant projects.
So I spent weeks informing myself and reading about breeding, coop requirements, and chicken husbandry.
In June, the time had come, and 30 hatching eggs – 20 blue and 10 silver-black Orpingtons, which I had received by mail from Germany, went into the incubator for 21 days.
Unfortunately, due to the coronavirus pandemic, these eggs were in transit for far too long, and out of the 30 eggs, only 7 chicks ultimately hatched—3 blue, 2 black, and 2 splash-colored. Unfortunately, none of the silver-black ones survived.
As it turned out after just a few weeks, there were 4 chickens and 3 hens.
Watching these little fluffy balls grow was wonderful, one of the most beautiful things I've ever experienced in my life, and with each passing day, the Orpingtons captivated me more and more.
Of course, you can't keep all the male beaks, so I advertised them for new, species-appropriate homes. Two of them found lovely new homes in a very short time. To my great surprise, however, I received a large number of inquiries for hens in response to these advertisements. This resulted in a waiting list for spring 2021.
At the same time, I had a lively exchange with an experienced Orpi breeder, who supported me with advice and support. I personally felt that I had extremely beautiful, strong, and well-developed chicks, and as they grew, he confirmed this.
My little hobby chicken farm
With one beautiful blue rooster and three matching hens, I have a good breeding stock and have therefore decided to start a small hobby breeding of blue Orpingtons of the large breed.
But the motto is clearly joy and fun – quality over quantity.
It's not my goal to hatch a mass of chicks and then sell them off to random homes. I want them to be beautiful, healthy birds that are only given to species-appropriate homes. This also means that the new owners have informed themselves about the breed and know that everything has to be a bit larger and different than usual.
Orpingtons move mainly on the ground and usually use low perches when they do.
My feathered beaks still all sleep on the floor, although I offer them the option of using perches. For this reason, a fairly large floor area is necessary in the coop—ideally, you should allow one large Orpington per 1m2 of floor space.
Chicken bedding and feed
My credo is a well-maintained and clean stable and high-quality feed.
In the stable, I use hemp bedding in combination with zeolite and lavender oil from Steinkraft.
I clean out the manure 2-3 times a day and have had good experiences with it so far.
This works very well for hobbyists with a small flock of chickens. Of course, the standards are different for larger flocks.
When it comes to feeding, a healthy and varied diet is important to me. Choosing the right feed is crucial for healthy chickens. Leftovers from the table are not healthy chicken feed! Of course, the type of outdoor space and daily exercise play an important role in the choice of feed.
I also provide them with zeolite pellets to peck at. These 4 mm pellets were also originally intended for horses, and we find Siel's activity material quite ideal for our chickens. Zeolite binds toxins in the intestines in a completely natural, physical way. Therefore, the pellets support the animals' detoxification and also provide them with silicon, calcium, and many trace elements. The pellets are pure zeolite pellets, with no binding agents and no sugar!
What are the major hygiene risks in chicken coops?
Mites are the worst and are introduced by other birds (e.g., sparrows). Therefore, the coop must be checked for mites daily.
And the worse you muck out, the greater the risk of parasites and diseases.
I just don't like it when it smells like chicken poop. I often walk through the chicken coop, partly because I enjoy being with the animals. I want to be able to breathe freely and not be bothered by the ammonia-poop smell.
Zeolite binds ammonia in the chicken coop
