The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Scott H]

Thanks ....I'm going to try to talk the wife into one more. Chickenhill said she might deliver one to offset the so far barren SL. I'm jones'n for a Blue Laced Red Wyandotte to fill out the yard candy. It is a four foot roost....

 

[ki4got]

I have always loved my pressure cooker when I get around to cooking! I'd be curious to hear how you'd cook a "tough old bird"...ho long?

LOL no idea. this is the first time I've used it, and it was a pork loin roast.

 

[TeaChick]

ok well ya'll missed another awesome pot roast... pork this time.

my slow cooker died, so I put it in the electric pressure cooker... MMMMMMMMmmmmmmm.........

I think i'm sold on the gadget. LOL reheating, I put the pot back in, high pressure for 5 minutes, quick release of steam and it was piping hot and ready to eat again. straight from the fridge.

I need one of those!!!!!

as far as how i sex my birds..
I seem to breed males..

I have 5 chicks that are 10 days old..I could post pictures of them and most could sex them..I feed FF..they are huge..because they are Imported..they are the size of most 4 week old chicks already. I might take pictures tomorrow. I have Orpingtons in the back and Wyandotte in the front..in a little brooder...it is funny the size difference.

The 4 Orpington chicks and one Orp/dotte cross ..I have one female..the rest are males..

Wyandottes..I have to mark males early..the females catch up and you can't tell after a while...So in a week I might be able to tell on those...
Last year I bred very few hens.

Wow! I bet Tyson would like to know your secret. lol
And of course we want to see pics!!!

 

[Scott H]

OK Karen...you need to learn to take food pics...I'll see your pressure cooker and raise with smoked organic chicken...LOL

 

[Scott H]

How bout bacon wrapped prawns on the smoker...

 

[armorfirelady]

Scott- great job on the coop. It looks perfect under the bridge. What a great way to use what normally is wasted space. I love the pic where they look like they are going to walk in the house. My Stella would be in the house if she could. I have no doubt when it warms up if I don't get a piece of lattice on the top of the gate I am going to find her on the deck.

Lala sorry to hear about your hen. I never new that about honey. I purchased some raw honey from the Mennonites last fall & tried some and was amazed of the taste. So different from store bought. I can't wait to try some in my homemade granola bars I plan to make in the future.

Delisha- more Roos just means a freezer full of chicken for eating I can't wait to see the pics.

Aoxa- you def are great at guessing sexes of chickens but that silkie just looks like a fluffy chicken to me

 

[lazy gardener]

Also, any suggestions on a good, but easy to obtain chick starter? I really don't want to use medicated feed...

Last year, when I went to get a second bag of chick starter, the (not) so very helpful staff at the feed store told me that they only had medicated chick starter, and I really shouldn't use anything else because the chicks would surely die if I did... I bought multi flock starter and grower, which is a higher protein %, and not medicated. The chicks thrived on it, and I had layers at 16.5 weeks. Don't be surprised if you go to the feed store and get the dumb look or the "you don't know what you really want" response from the feed store employees when you ask for non medicated chick starter.

Re: feather sexing: I'm trying to wrap my head around this one. Last year, when I hatched my RIR, I was able to feather sex them accurately. Of course there was only one pullet and one roo, but the feather sexing was dead on. What I'm reading is that they have to be a specific cross between a slow feather and a fast feather parent. I've read that an other reader was able to feather sex her EE with 90% accuracy. So, I'd love to hear from folks re: their experience in this area. And Yes, I realize that this question should perhaps be in the Chicken Breed/gender thread.

Finally: Any readers have Rose combed Brown Leghorns? Looks like this breed is going the way of the dinosaur.

 

[Kassaundra]

Two head shots I took at bed time tonight

 

[Pozees]

Quote: Agree, I've been trying to find some too. I've been directed to a couple of breeders, Dan Honour and .. darn it ... Mark someone ... one of whom does not have them any longer and the other I have yet to contact. Have since taken on other projects requiring putting RC Leghorns of any color on the back burner for now, but sure would love to find them. Ordered chicks from Duane Urch last year but he had no Leghorns at all laying. Very disappointing, but oh well, it is what it is. I think Frank Reese has some Rose Comb Med breeds, not sure if Leghorn is one, but pretty sure he has RC Minorcas, you might try checking with him.

 

[lazy gardener]

Thanks re: RLBL. I'd like to have some to put into my Northern Barn Yard Mix breeding program. Just want to play around with a bunch of RC and PC birds for the fun of it to come up with a hardy mixed breed that will excel in my area.