Arizona Chickens

[City farm]

city: all three of those eggs were laid by my Blue Marans. She occasionally lays a speckled egg.

We have 2 black cooper Marans & 1 French Marans. Can't wait to see what they look like a few months into laying.. The eggs are beautiful..

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote: Well, I am Air Force, hubby is Army and B-I-L is a Marine.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Ok, so I have a bit of a quandary. Someone on the ABF page mentioned wood ash isn't good for them to eat, but I seem to recall an article or two saying it's safe and has similar affects to DE. But now I can't find it.

I go back to my regular rules with chickens. They know more about their needs than we do. Ash contains a large amount of minerals, especially calcium carbonate. Minerals do not burn the same way the organic material does. They require higher temperatures, which is why bones and teeth remain after a body is burned.

I do want to stress, though, that we are talking about good, clean wood. Adding contaminates like newspaper and such changes things significantly!

Wood ash is for dust baths, not feed.

 

[redrocketrooster]

WOW, you have restraint.. ONLY ! 3!...

That only counts when they lay eggs, right? RIGHT?! So i'd be perfectly fine....with my 7 pullets and 5 chicks and 20 eggs!

 

[LadyKotaDoria]

I hope you find the article.. However, they could be talking about it being contaminated..

That was one thing I made sure to stipulate. Good quality, clean hardwoods.

My post:
I completely disagree, Colleen. Good, high quality charcoal and ash has several benefits including the fact that it binds to toxins in the body and helps flush them out. It also contains inorganic trace minerals, especially calcium carbonate, that are not burned off.

Also remember that they sell charcoal pills for human consumption. It is burned in a chamber with special gases that effect its porous qualities in order to maximize toxin absorption.

I stress that high quality wood is required, such as the hardwoods like maple or oak. Just like providing free-choice calcium, the animals will eat only what they need. Any wood that is painted, stained or treated is NOT good for them to ingest.

My Grandmother S., I've talked about before, gave us dry burnt toast abs warm weather at every meal. Was not adverse to eating charcoal, to clean your system. Impurity s in foods. It would do the same for the chickens.

 

[simplyscrambled]

I obeyed orders, got right in there and helped field dress. After that I had his heart. MARINE's, what's up with them?

Thanks for sharing! One misconception I had with partnering with a Marine is that he'd make the bed in the morning. WRONG. After having to do it in the service to perfection, he never wants to make another bed in his life

 

[Demosthine]

Quote:
Oh no, I didn't mean it should be used as food. But that it is safe for them to ingest in moderate quantities as a supplement, just like we provide free-choice calcium, DE and grit. She was warning about having it in the yard, like it was a dangerously toxic item.

 

[LadyKotaDoria]

I obeyed orders, got right in there and helped field dress. After that I had his heart. MARINE's, what's up with them?

Thanks for sharing! One misconception I had with partnering with a Marine is that he'd make the bed in the morning. WRONG. After having to do it in the service to perfection, he never wants to make another bed in his life

Yup you got that right

 

[LadyKotaDoria]

It could be the fact that SOOM woods contains by products that remain in some form in the ash that is toxic to chickens. I will have to look that up and see if there is anything on different trees that are toxic, such as Oleander
"Nerium
Nerium oleander is an evergreen shrub or small tree in the dogbane family Apocynaceae, toxic in all its parts. It is the only species currently classified in the genus Nerium. Wikipedia"

 

[LadyKotaDoria]

Maybe because SOOM woods are toxic or poisonous, and the ash contains the toxins/poisons. I will have to look it up and see if there is anything on the subject. Such as Oleander
"Nerium
Nerium oleander is an evergreen shrub or small tree in the dogbane family Apocynaceae, toxic in all its parts. It is the only species currently classified in the genus Nerium. Wikipedia". It dose not say if it remains toxic, but I interpret it as being still toxic, I do not know.

I am not will to experiment