Bumblefoot - Calling All Crunchy Natural Folks

[Miss Lydia]

Oh boy, I didn't think about how the FF could freeze in the wintertime; we only made provisions for keeping the water from freezing - guess I better get a heated dog bowl for the food! I would love your recipe, Miss Lydia. I am sure your birds are pretty disease-resistant with that garlic and oregano as a part of their everyday diet!

Haha, you must be pretty good and running a bird-circus

We are in eastern CO, just east of the Rockies. We live about an hour southeast of Denver. Our winters are extreme yet not - more like they are extremely unpredictable, because we get a ton of sunshine so a big day of snow will be almost completely melted the next day (or even the same day!) sometimes. It's fun, though - we don't have to worry too much about no break from the freezing snow and cold. Although we are supposed to have that "El Nino" winter this year...

I have 3 heated dogs bowls going in winter and 3 heated buckets one is a 5 gal for the geese.
We're on the north side of the mountain so our sunshine is gradually waning daily till in Nov we get around 2 hrs of actual sunshine and it is so far down it doesn't warm at all so ice and snow stay forever or seems too. Come End of February we start to see a little more each say then by mid march we're just about back in the sunshine. I have to take Evening Primrose oil for SAD . And have the daylight bulbs in my house . Sounds like we live in the North pole sometimes I feel like we do, across the river sun is shining over here it looks like polar ice cap. It is nice in summer though.

For my bucket of ff I use flax seed, oregano and spirulina powder and garlic and split peas before pouring the ACV and hot water.

 

[Homesteadin]

I have 3 heated dogs bowls going in winter and 3 heated buckets one is a 5 gal for the geese.
We're on the north side of the mountain so our sunshine is gradually waning daily till in Nov we get around 2 hrs of actual sunshine and it is so far down it doesn't warm at all so ice and snow stay forever or seems too. Come End of February we start to see a little more each say then by mid march we're just about back in the sunshine. I have to take Evening Primrose oil for SAD . And have the daylight bulbs in my house .   Sounds like we live in the North pole sometimes I feel like we do, across the river sun is shining over here it looks like polar ice cap. It is nice in summer though.

For my bucket of ff I use flax seed, oregano and spirulina powder and garlic and split peas  before pouring the ACV and hot water.

I know a few people who take evening primrose oil for SAD. Me, I'm the kind of person who could live with unending rain and overcast clouds - makes me feel cozy, as long as I am inside and have blankets and hot tea. I guess I only think that about myself though - probably would be a different story if I really had to live in it for weeks or months.

Is that all you put in your feed? Or do you add that to pre-mixed layer feed?

So we are down to just Jo being aggressive with our newbie Daisy, and I'm still working with him. You would think he'd be a little more excited about having an additional concubine.

Been gathering firewood since yesterday; we have a few different friends in Black Forest who are still trying to get dead trees cleared out from the big Black Forest fire we had a couple years ago. It's amazing to look around these properties and see how close the fire came to their homes. One of my friends' mulch under their deck burned but somehow the deck and the house didn't catch fire and the fire dept. wasn't even able to get in and help with that one.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I know a few people who take evening primrose oil for SAD. Me, I'm the kind of person who could live with unending rain and overcast clouds - makes me feel cozy, as long as I am inside and have blankets and hot tea.

I guess I only think that about myself though - probably would be a different story if I really had to live in it for weeks or months.

Is that all you put in your feed? Or do you add that to pre-mixed layer feed?

So we are down to just Jo being aggressive with our newbie Daisy, and I'm still working with him. You would think he'd be a little more excited about having an additional concubine.

Been gathering firewood since yesterday; we have a few different friends in Black Forest who are still trying to get dead trees cleared out from the big Black Forest fire we had a couple years ago. It's amazing to look around these properties and see how close the fire came to their homes. One of my friends' mulch under their deck burned but somehow the deck and the house didn't catch fire and the fire dept. wasn't even able to get in and help with that one.

I do use a pre mix I buy a Non GMO feed layer in spring/summer into early fall and through mid Oct into Feb I use Broiler since it is so close to Purina Flock raiser with out the GMO then I mix the other with it to cut protein a smidge and also give them some extra nutrients. Everyone has their own way of feeding. Most of mine aren't laying in these months [a few chickens off and on ] but I have oyster shell for them. I just don't feel right feeding the extra calcium when they don't need to for making eggs, but these are Muscovy so they aren't year round layers like other domestics. My geese start back up laying usually end of Feb into March. If you want I can give you exacts .
Sounds like Mr Jo has a bit of an ego and wants to make a statement lil stinker. how is he if it is just him and her together? have you tried that yet?

Nice when you have friends with down trees. That is amazing about the mulch catching fire but not the deck or house sounds to me like someone was praying .

Our neighbor who actually lives in Fla,. but owns all the property around us has given us permission to get all downed trees on their property so my dh and son do this every spring they had their property logged about 3 yrs ago so there is alot of firewood for the taking. Forest fires are very scary especially when you live in the forest. we were so dry a month ago we were getting pretty worried about fires here. Thankfully the rains came and brought alot of it we had 10" in just a couple of days which was too much at one time but at least it rained.
When are you getting your wood stove installed? @Homesteadin

 

[Miss Lydia]

sorry it posted 2X

 

[Homesteadin]

I do use a pre mix I buy a Non GMO feed layer in spring/summer into early fall and through mid Oct into Feb I use Broiler since it is so close to Purina Flock raiser with out the GMO then I mix  the other with it to cut protein a smidge and also give them some extra nutrients.  Everyone has their own way of feeding. Most of mine aren't laying in these months [a few chickens off and on ] but I have oyster shell for them. I just don't feel right feeding the extra calcium when they don't need to for making eggs, but these are Muscovy so they aren't year round layers like other domestics. My geese start back up laying usually end of Feb into March. If  you want I can give you exacts .
Sounds like Mr Jo has a bit of an ego and wants to make a statement lil stinker. how is he if it is just him and her together? have you tried that yet?

Nice when you have friends with down trees. That is amazing about the mulch catching fire but not the deck or house sounds to me like someone was praying . 
Our neighbor who actually lives in Fla,. but owns all the property around us has given us permission to get all downed trees on their property so my dh and son do this every spring they had their property logged about 3 yrs ago so there is alot of firewood for the taking. Forest fires are very scary especially when you live in the forest. we were so dry a month ago we were getting pretty worried about fires here. Thankfully the rains came and  brought alot of it we had 10" in just a couple of days which was too much at one time but at least it rained.
When are you getting your wood stove installed? @Homesteadin

Ok I get how you do your FF now. I'll try something like that but just a little different through the colder months since our ducks (besides the two 'scovies) do lat through winter. I'm thinking of sprouting lentils for them through the winter too so they can still eat some nutritous plant matter. You don't have to give me exacts but about how much garlic & oregano would you add per, say, 6 cups of feed?

I tried locking Jo and Daisy up together yesterday and Jo still picked on her. Left him locked up for good parts of the day and he still picks on her. I don't know how to get him over it! However, she is laying now so that's at lest a sign that she's not distressed, right?

Yes it is amazing about that frind's hose with the deck mulch burning! I am sure there was much prayer, but at very least SomeONE was intervening. That's so great that you guys have a good free source for firewood, too. It's nice when a deal like that helps both parties.

We got tons of rain in spring this year and it was so nice to not have to worry about fires after a couple years of horrible ones.

We are going to get our stove installed in a couple weeks I am guessing. We are waiting on our preferred handyman to get back from vacation. And it's looking like we are going to go ahead and replace our old carpet with some new carpet and some wood laminate - something we saved up to do but just have put off to avoid the trouble doing that with little kids in the mix. It's gonna get a little crazy here!

How are your sumo-wrestlers @Amiga?

 

[Amiga]

La Rome presides from her nest-throne, rather crabbily. She's probably nearing the point of giving up … a tough time for a broody. Other flock members are trying to push her off the nest every now and then, probably sensing that late fall (feels like winter the last couple of days, snow and all) is not the time to be broody.

 

[Homesteadin]

La Rome presides from her nest-throne, rather crabbily.  She's probably nearing the point of giving up … a tough time for a broody.  Other flock members are trying to push her off the nest every now and then, probably sensing that late fall (feels like winter the last couple of days, snow and all) is not the time to be broody.

Man I love these animals. Their intelligence (and sometimes lack of) is so fascinating. And with boody gals, I love how they eat, sleep and breathe to be a mama.

 

[Homesteadin]

Uh... That was supposed to be BROODY

 

[Amiga]

Yup, a full-on broody is the definition of commitment.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I have one that I have been trying to break for 5 full days now after she has been on the nest for close to 50 days, come on get over it please. I take her out in the morning close the door she runs around chasing everyone acting nutty then late afternoon I open the door she runs back in and jumps in her shaving her nest has been messed with since I cleaned in there today, No egg and never has been. I want her to molt and get it over with.

I put 8qt into the bucket to make my ff I add to that 4 tab of Garlic and 3 tab of Oregano this is just my own recipe not something I saw somewhere. My math is awful so if you can figure that out. maybe for 6 cups a teaspoon of each ? add or take away mine don't seem to mind eating Italian lol

Boy Jo is not being nice, you'd think he'd be so happy about having another girl to shower his affections on, Do you let them free range? just wondering how he is with her then? Or is when they are all penned that he picks on her?

I think my hen is doing great her bumble is gone and foot looks good.