Chickens for 10-20 years or more? Pull up a rockin' chair and lay some wisdom on us!

[Kansas Prairie]

I made some "rain hoops" for the chickens ..Can you explain these ? We have a added some tarps to the top of the runs ..But it is always needing adjustment after it rains ..a total irritation ..

It's great that you are getting rain. We're in severe drought again this year and would love to adjust tarps because of rain.

 

[Kansas Prairie]

Heads up....Corn and feed prices are going up!! We are in the Midwest USA, drought has hit hard. 1 1/2 inches of rain total in 7 months isn't going to produce the corn needed for the demand. Farmers are pumping water out of the ground to irrigate the crops but rain is also needed for good yields. High demand on corn will cause a demand on other grains and other feeds prices will go up also. . Government needing more and more corn for ethanol production programs, it all adds up to higher prices for groceries.meat and feed for your birds/animals.

 

[Beekissed]

I have a question regarding ACV. It seems most everyone recommends Bragg's ACV. I've also seen advertisments for pure mother of vinegar. Which should I be using? And is the ratio of 1 T. to 1 gal. of water for the mother or the Bragg's? And does the mother need to be diluted first? Oh, and I probably read this, but my memory isn't what it used to be....how often do you put this in their water?

The answer to all those questions is...it doesn't matter so much. Bragg's usually has the mother cultures in it, so one is the same as the other. It's always more beneficial to use the unpasteurized ACV, as it contains enzymes/microbials that improve bowel flora and consequently improves the health and digestion of your chicken. But..if you can only get regular ol' ACV, it has wonderful vitamins and minerals that are beneficial as well, useful during times of stress to the chickens~increased heat or cold.

The mother is just a collection of enzymes/yeast that floats in the ACV and those particles are throughout the liquid as well, so no need to dilute...you want those particles in each dose you use. You can, however, part some of your vinegar with mother into a jug that has none and inoculate the fresh jug. You can just keep this going so that you don't have to buy the more expensive mother vinegar/Braggs.

There is no ratio of ACV: H2O...you just place some in the water, however much your birds will tolerate and still drink. If you've put too much in and they seem to avoid the water, just add more water until it's dilute enough that the chickens drink it. I've never measured such a thing...just a glug or two in a waterer does the trick.

Some people use it in all their water, all the time, and some just do it every now and again as a booster. I used to just add it every other week or so, whenever I remembered to do so. When I started using it every time, I started getting some real positive feedback from my egg customers. Even my family, who would rather cut off their arms than say something nice to me...even they say my eggs taste better than any they've ever eaten.

It's all preference, really. Some OTs have never used ACV and think it's a crock of BS to even use it at all.

Can't teach some old dogs.....

 

[galanie]

I think you can start out with 1-2 TBSP per gallon. I've seen 1 TBSP a gallon recommended a few times so that might be a good place to start with how much to use. Like Bee, I just put in a dash or a glug, depending on how big the waterer is.

 

[galefrances]

Thank you Bee and galanie, very helpful

 

[Leahs Mom]

Now that the ACV subject is up again, I have a "question of common-sense"....

I read about people using ACV AND GARLIC together in their water.

Now...common-sense tells me that these 2 would cancel out the benefits of the other. My thoughts are that since GARLIC is ANTIBIOTIC in it's affects (especially used topically) and ACV has beneficial bacteria that you want to propegate...

IT SEEMS TO ME THAT USING THE GARLIC W/THE ACV WOULD KILL OR REDUCE THE HELPFUL BACTERIA IN THE ACV.

(Kind-of like eating yogurt at the same time you take an antibiotic...makes more sense to wait until you are DONE w/the antibiotic to use the yogurt...)

Is my reasoning wrong?

 

[Erin~TheChickenLover]

I made some "rain hoops" for the chickens ..Can you explain these ? We have a added some tarps to the top of the runs ..But it is always needing adjustment after it rains ..a total irritation ..

I made some rain hoops. We took some old concrete wire (wire that concrete is poured around to keep it strong) that was already on our property and cut it into sections. The concrete wire sections are strong enough to stand up on their own. I took an old tarp that came off the camping trailor we just sold and cut it into pieces to fit on the concrete wire sections. And there yah go, some rain hoops. I don't have any pictures of just the rain hoops, but I do have a picture of the whole set up that shows them:
. See the silvery gray round things a little right of the center of the picture? Those are the rain hoops. 2 for the layers and 1 for the silkies. The far pen is for the layers and the near pen is my broody pen (silkies). The rain hoops can comfortably stand 4 or 5 silkies. You could make them larger and more complicated, but I used what I had and this is what I could do. It didn't cost me anything.
Alright, just went and got some close up pictures:

 

[Beekissed]

Now that the ACV subject is up again, I have a "question of common-sense"....

I read about people using ACV AND GARLIC together in their water.

Now...common-sense tells me that these 2 would cancel out the benefits of the other. My thoughts are that since GARLIC is ANTIBIOTIC in it's affects (especially used topically) and ACV has beneficial bacteria that you want to propegate...

IT SEEMS TO ME THAT USING THE GARLIC W/THE ACV WOULD KILL OR REDUCE THE HELPFUL BACTERIA IN THE ACV.

(Kind-of like eating yogurt at the same time you take an antibiotic...makes more sense to wait until you are DONE w/the antibiotic to use the yogurt...)

Is my reasoning wrong?

The sulfur content in garlic isn't a powerful enough antibiotic to kill all bacteria/fungus or we could just take garlic tablets to cure all ills. Actually, if it was that powerful, all Italian people would have diarrhea at all times due to having no flora in their intestines. Me too, for that matter~I eat garlic pretty much every day in one form or another.

In theory: Since the ACV has the type of microbes that can help repopulate the good flora in the bowel and I can't imagine anyone is feeding garlic each and every day, the ACV~that is given more often~ would/could just help replenish that depletion....if there ever was one. Which I doubt.

 

[loanwizard]

I have built hoops for rain and shade for my meat birds. They are on the same plane as the Hoop chicken tractors here, but less extensive.

Basically I built a 2x4 frame. 2- 8 footers, 2- 10 footers with the ends cut at an angle to make it a sled, 2 or 3 extra 8 footers to cut for corner bracing, and to create a back brace on one end.

I had 2 hog panels that I created the hoop with stapled with fence staples. I used a large tarp for the top fastened with zip ties, a small tarp on the back for more shade. No ends, no chicken wire or door so not good for a tractor.

Considering making alterations and a double sized one for next years meaties, but 200 at a time, will probably free range.

I have also considered and probably will, just for shelter, make some using some welded wire fence I have hanging around.

 

[armorfirelady]

My girls using their nipples.....the water doesn't seem lower today but we had rain today so I am thinking them foraging the the wet grass clippings quenched their thirst



I had sand in the litter box for them but it had standing water in it so I flipped it over. Who knew it would keep the girls occupied for a hour or so lol


SHould I cover the run when it rains? They can get in the smaller run where there is a solid roof