Recent content by Trellinius

  1. Trellinius

    The Great Debate: Free-Range vs. Coop-Raised Chickens

    I believe whether you free range or coop depends a LOT on your purpose for having chickens. If all you are interested in is eggs, then a coop is fine. However, I free range my chickens and here are the reasons why.... First, I live near Lake of the Ozarks in the wooded hills of Missouri. That...
  2. Trellinius

    Comment by 'Trellinius' in article 'Introducing New Chickens: Using the “See but don’t touch” Method'

    This is a good article...I have used this method for years, just never bothered giving a name to it. One thing I have found works really well is those wire dog crates (if you're only doing a few birds at a time). The wire cage allows the interaction with the other chickens, and the wire bottom...
  3. Trellinius

    Pallet coop- tips and ideas needed!

    Here is an article I posted a few years ago about a pallet coop I built. Perhaps it will be helpful for you.... I was getting some chickens to help keep down the tick population, but I knew I needed a coop - a place where they could roost at night without fear of the coyotes, coons, and other...
  4. Trellinius

    Free range unattended?

    I always free range my chickens because the main reason I have them is to control the tick population. I leave them out all day while at work. If I kept them in a pen they would only eat the ticks that wandered into the pen.... The eggs are a definite bonus, but not the main reason for having...
  5. Trellinius

    How to keep chickens from straying to neighbors?

    Tie a small rope (actually string or twine) to their leg and the other end to a tree or stake. Do this for 4 - 7 days and they should learn that your yard is home and that's where they belong.
  6. Trellinius

    Can I use a small dog harness for a chicken

    As BaaKaaawk mentioned, you can't really "walk" your chickens. But I have had times when I needed to keep a chicken confined - for instance, bringing home a new roo that wanted to wander off . . . In such cases I have used a light rope / twine with a noose on it around their leg. Then I tie the...
  7. Trellinius

    Comment by 'Trellinius' in article 'Why Raise Chickens In Your Backyard? The Many Reasons & Benefits'

    Nice article overall. I love the chart showing the nutritional differences between caged bird eggs and free ranged eggs! Thanks. And as for the last part about chickens taking care of "other pests" in the garden....the #1reason I have chickens is to control the tick population.Used to be that...
  8. Trellinius

    Easy and almost free chicken coop!

    Well,...before we had chickens I would go out in the evening and pick blackberries and come in with 45-50 ticks. But last summer I when I would go out to pick blackberries I would come in with 1 or 2 ticks, and on a few occasions no ticks at all! So yes, they are doing their job. They earn...
  9. Trellinius

    Question about grit

    Yeah . . . I saw an article the other day relating chickens to the T-Rex. Now I'm reading about grit. Then it struck me! Here in the Ozarks we have "grit" for the T-Rex! My nine acres is strewn with rocks the size of softballs!
  10. Trellinius

    Comment by 'Trellinius' in article 'Primal Chickens – 6 chicken keeping secrets from the evolution of chickens'

    Good article! Interesting, though a bit repetitive in places. One error worth pointing out though.... The USDA is the United States Department of Agriculture, not the United States Dietary Association. I don't think there even is an association by that name, but the Dept of Agriculture was...
  11. Trellinius

    Graphic Picture

    How and why did you expect the pullets to stay in crates like that? Did you have them upside down and staked into the ground? Did you have them right side up with something to cover the top? Unless they were quite secure the chickens would have been able to escape...but the fluttering and...
  12. Trellinius

    Graphic Picture

    I don't know what it was, but judging from the pic my guess is it was not your other chickens. I have never seen chickens concentrate the wound all in one place, nor go as deep as what is seen in the pic. So my guess is it was some other critter. Doesn't look like weasel either.... Sorry for...
  13. Trellinius

    University of California Egg Study

    They may have "autonomy" but if like other state universities they get their funding from the state and their board is appointed by the state and....
  14. Trellinius

    What do you clean the waterer with?

    I raised chickens from 5th grade all the way through high school, and the started again about a year ago. I have never cleaned a waterer every day. On the rare occasions that I do "clean" a waterer it is nothing more than a good rinse with clean water and a little brushing or wiping if necessary.
  15. Trellinius

    University of California Egg Study

    Be VERY CAREFUL! The state of California finds contaminants and toxins in everything and then they outlaw them. I buy and use products all the time that have labels saying "the state of California has determined this product causes . . . ." and yet millions of Americans use those products every...
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