The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Suzierd]

Does anyone know if the wood ash will burn or irritate their skin if they get wet in the rain? I've heard the wood ash isn't a good idea if it gets wet, any thoughts?

 

[stonykill]

Does anyone know if the wood ash will burn or irritate their skin if they get wet in the rain? I've heard the wood ash isn't a good idea if it gets wet, any thoughts?

I've never had such a problem. I only heat with wood, haven't bought heating oil since 1991 so there is always piles of wood ash. Wet or dry the chickens go in it

 

[Leahs Mom]

everyone is getting along swimmingly

in the duck pen. Pun fully intended

. The Runners as always immediately went for a swim. I am seeing the Pekins go to the food bowl to eat, and right now one of the Pekin's is in the pool taking a swim

. This is what I love about ducks. No pecking order issues. Well ok, just one of many things I like about ducks. I need more ducks

Just curious...do you eat their eggs?

 

[Bulldogma]

thanks! I have 4 to 6 year old RIR's still laying jumbo eggs several days a week.

Great to know!!

No BDM..These are the real MaCoys. They start to lay when they are 8 months old..or older and lay well for 7 years or more.
Feel free to use the pics. These are RC RIR

Wonderful - I'm adding RIRs to the list with the BAs and WRs for this spring. Gotta get my bigger coop first!

Ha Ha...me too...then i had 4 GIRLS!

LOL! My son is now 17 - he has been so much fun! When my 9-year-old daughter was born and was all about dresses and shoes from the time she was 2... I didn't know what hit me!

Does anyone know if the wood ash will burn or irritate their skin if they get wet in the rain? I've heard the wood ash isn't a good idea if it gets wet, any thoughts?

The chickens won't get in anything that would hurt them. Trust their natural instincts and let them do what they want. If they're in it, rolling about happily, it probably isn't hurting them.

 

[stonykill]

Just curious...do you eat their eggs?

fried, over easy, scrambled, hard boiled, poached, soft boiled...... pretty much anything but raw

....lol. We treat them just like chicken eggs and I have egg customers who buy both duck and chicken eggs from me and do the same.

 

[Hangtown Farms]

so what's the best way to naturally worm chickens. I have heard pumpkin seeds . Food grade DE . What works the best. we have had over 14 " of rain in a week and a half and I am noticing worms in the pooh. I may have to give them a true wormer but what else can be used?

 

[Suzierd]

     I've never had such a problem. I only heat with wood, haven't bought heating oil since 1991 so there is always piles of wood ash. Wet or dry the chickens go in it

Good to know, I'm trying to dry some out to put in the run and see if they will like it better then their dirt dust area.
We burned a bunch pf wood from a tree we fell and when it was cooled down the goats enjoyed eating some of the ashes. Must of liked something about it.

 

[stonykill]

so what's the best way to naturally worm chickens. I have heard pumpkin seeds . Food grade DE . What works the best. we have had over 14 " of rain in a week and a half and I am noticing worms in the pooh. I may have to give them a true wormer but what else can be used?

well 1st I'll say the 1st thing is to try your best to raise them in a way they never get worms in the 1st place. Open spaces, not allowing them to live in their own droppings in the run etc. I have never had a chicken have worms in their droppings. As of the last few years I average 75 chickens in my flock. No worms. In the fall I give them broken pumpkins to eat...but in my heart I know this isn't why they don't have worms. They don't have worms because they free range a few acres every day no matter the weather.

Maybe someone who has had to deal with worms will be able to help you. This is an issue I have never had to deal with

 

[Leahs Mom]

so what's the best way to naturally worm chickens. I have heard pumpkin seeds . Food grade DE . What works the best. we have had over 14 " of rain in a week and a half and I am noticing worms in the pooh. I may have to give them a true wormer but what else can be used?

Here's something you might want to read that mentions worms a bit: http://naturalchickenkeeping.blogspot.com/2012/11/chicken-keeping-food-for-thought-and.html

I haven't had to deal with "worm overload" myself so I'm not sure how I'd handle it if I got there. One thing I'd encourage, for sure, is to look at possible reasons that there may BE an overload and take some steps to avoid getting there again.

As you've prob. heard from several of us, worms are a normal thing and all animals have them - including us

. The thing that's important is BALANCE and providing an environment in which there doesn't become an overload.

I'd think seeing worms in the poo is indicative of "overload" but...another thing that could be happening is that they are exiting their system for a reason. If you have, perhaps, recently changed some of your practices (like adding ACV, Pumpkin, FF, etc.) you might be seeing worms because their home isn't so conducive a place to remain. In that case, you might not need to change anything at all!

ETA: Stony and I must have been writing at the same time...

 

[Bulldogma]

so what's the best way to naturally worm chickens. I have heard pumpkin seeds . Food grade DE . What works the best. we have had over 14 " of rain in a week and a half and I am noticing worms in the pooh. I may have to give them a true wormer but what else can be used?

OK - what kind of worms are you seeing in the poop? Can you be certain that it wasn't just that flies came along and laid their eggs in the poop - the eggs hatched and you're seeing fly larvae?
If you're sure its internal parasites -
First, unpasteurized apple cider vinegar in the water. The U-ACV makes the chicken's intestines a "hostile environment" for internal parasites by changing pH levels.
Next, chopped up pumpkin seeds in the feed for at least a week.
Soap - yes... soap. Like the blue Dawn dish liquid - just a drop or two in the water. It destroys a worm's outer slime coating that protects them from being digested... and then they die (hopefully).
Garlic - either chop up a fresh clove and add it to their feed each day for a week, or you can use the powdered kind. No - it won't make your eggs taste funny.

Also, peek at this link for some more information: http://naturalchickenkeeping.blogspot.com/2012/11/ask-bee-help-my-chickens-have-worms.html

Good luck and let us know how it goes!