Reviews by micstrachan

I’ve read this before, but wanted to leave a rating now. This is an excellent article outlining a simple way to add varied nutrition and interest, especially for chickens living in a run most of the time. I have found some of the “chop” can be done by running the veggies over a cheese grater when making small batches of this. For someone making this fresh in small batches, another thing to consider is sprouting some of the grain.

Wonderfully written! Entertaining and courage-building article!

Wonderfully documented with photos!

Fabulous article! It has a wonderful balance of science, personal experience, and chicken love. Thank you for taking the time to write and share this, and for sharing the referenced. I, too, will be interested in hearing how she does long term.

As usual, @Shadrach entertains us with a wonderful balance of science, common sense, observation and humor. In my quest for overall flock health, I’ve been fermenting feed for a couple months, as well as offering dry. I recently discovered they are still fat, and my pullet recently ran so low on calcium, she started laying soft eggs, despite free choice oyster shell always being available. (Most of) my flock does eat fermented feed like an addict takes their substance of choice, BUT... with all the unanswered questions of the nutrition in my flock, I think I will eliminate this variable for now, or just offer it as an occasional treat. Thanks for helping me feel good about thst choice.

Really fabulous article. It was informative, but written in a very entertaining way with bits of humor sprinkled throughout. Shadrach is very knowledgable and an excellent writer!

What an exquisite culmination of extraordinary studies. Dr. BaaKaaawk is a pure genius. I appreciate her sensitivity toward those of us who are less brilliant; she does not flaunt her extreme intelligence, but instead explains things in layman’s terms. For the more advanced, she has cleverly shared her formulas along with her illustrations. I believe this will revolutionize spouse/partner/family understanding of flock size and save relationships everywhere. I am overwhelmed with profound awe and sincere appreciation.

This is a wonderful resource in better understanding when enrofloxacin might be indicated, where to find it, and how to administer it. For a person whose chickens are pets and not food, this could be a life saver. Thank you so much!

This is a fantastic step-by-step tutorial and I can attest, it works! Tame chickens are so enjoyable!

It’s super interesting to read the history and ancestry. I have mostly hatchery dual purpose stock. However, since mine are pets and two have died from laying disorder related infections, I’ve been looking into heritage breeds who might have more longevity. This helps sort it out.

Shadrach does not disappoint with his thorough descriptions of rooster behavior. It seems so simple, but makes so much sense, to always remember the rooster’s primary objective of passion on his genes. I especially appreciate the clarifications if what is and what is not aggression. With no rooster experience myself, I could easily confuse some “you’re part of my tribe” moves as aggression. Thanks so much for taking the time to write and share your observations.

Wonderful article. As usual, Shadrach has taken a thorough look at behavior (in this case, pecking) with a scientific approach. I enjoyed reading about behaviors I have seen in my own flock, and other behaviors I have not had the privilege to witness, since I do not have roosters and I do confine my flock to a run when I can’t be out with the dog to deter predators. Thank you for taking the time to share your observations!

What a wonderful blend of instruction combined with story telling. Such an informative post, but a pleasurable read, as well. Thank you for sharing!

I loved this article. I don’t yet have roosters, but hope to have at least one some day and this will be helpful when that time comes. Easy read and nice, warm, personal tone.

This is such an interesting theory! Some, but not all of my hens sing the egg song, but I don’t have a rooster.

Almost all (nine) of my hens hesitate before they cross our road (an unpaved easement, really). Bridgey will call at the edge of the road (a different song from the egg song) until I arrive and will accept me as an escort across the driveway/easement. Several of them will
silently (without a call) accept me as an escort. I would love to have a rooster some day to see how this behavior would shift. But I must admit, I love being their rooster. Thanks for Shari g your observations and theory!

Nice take on enjoying our chickens through all stages!

Amazing coop and run! I also love the very thorough details on construction. Someday when we need to build a new coop and run, I want this!

I have been so curious about the feathers all over the coop and run from molt. In addition my (imperfect) birds have random mismatched feathers and now I know “pencilled” is not “laced” and “mottled” isn’t “spangled.” Thank you so much for clarifying! Nicely written and easy to read, too.