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

[Pullet Surprise]

Yeah...that freezing and thawing over time seemed to be the only way I could get the chickens real enthused in pumpkins..and the sheep as well. When all the water seeped out and it's flattened and deflated looking. For some reason it becomes like crack cocaine at that point...maybe it's the time of year when they haven't had anything in the way of veggies and fresh forage for a few months, so the pumpkin is particularly needed for it's nutrients then. Not sure....I just know they don't like it fresh, barely ate it when cooked but finally finished it, and seem to be ravenously enjoying it after it's deflated, pale and with a sprinkling of mold. Go figure.

Mine eat it like it's chocolate! I watch whole seeds go down the gullet...Mine do like it frozen and defrosted, but LOVE the fresh guts. I think it's just a matter of the chickens' taste...judging from the pumpkin colored poo I've dodged this morning (NOT looking at it!) they have been consuming it in quantity. Of course there isn't much for them to forage on now that they have decimated the lettuce, kale & cabbage etc. so that might be the key to their ravenous pumpkin appitite.

 

[Geoscba]

Hops...I'm not sure if it will do okay in Northern Indiana?? I've never seen hops before.

If the Germans, Dutch, and Belgians can do it, Indiana should be no problem! If you're concerned about climate, I'm sure you can find a variety that suits you.

 

[ChickChickChicky]

Wow, this has GOT to be the tiniest egg ever! Sometime within the last couple of hours one of my girls laid this in the run, I almost stepped on it. I tried to blow it out after taking a photo of it, the 2nd picture shows the contents (and the shell broke when trying to blow it out

) . Several months ago one of them laid a gargantuan egg https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/646520/gigantic-egg-laid-today-116-7-grams

 

[chickachee]

Do I just give the chickens smashed up eggshells when I think their eggs have thin shells, or should I feed them the shells once in a while anyway?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Wow, this has GOT to be the tiniest egg ever! Sometime within the last couple of hours one of my girls laid this in the run, I almost stepped on it. I tried to blow it out after taking a photo of it, the 2nd picture shows the contents (and the shell broke when trying to blow it out

) . Several months ago one of them laid a gargantuan egg https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/646520/gigantic-egg-laid-today-116-7-grams

Thats tiny.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Do I just give the chickens smashed up eggshells when I think their eggs have thin shells, or should I feed them the shells once in a while anyway?

I give mine smashed up egg shell with the cooked egg still in it for a treat once in a while, they love it. they will eat plain ole smashed up shells too. Do you set out oyster shell too?

 

[flower]

Hello everyone I have tried to read this entire thread and certainly enjoyed the loofa pages !!! My chicken experience started in the eastern woodlands of PA after I read the book "Gardening with Guineas" . It seemed more easy to find chickens than Guineas but eventually I had both. I relocated to WV for a few years then northern AZ to CA Death Valley area and plan to return to north AZ. I have been moving my fencing etc with me since I bought the dog panel fencing in different lengths.

I wanted to comment on the Hops. They grow every where including wild hops in the canyons in north AZ. My experience in gardening out in the SW USA is totally different. In the woodlands of the east, I wished that I had more sun because the extremely tall Poplar Trees caused a very short time for sunshine. Plants our here burn no matter how much water is used. Shade is essential for chicken and plants in the SW. So Bobby B do include shade in your plans. I make frames 8 X 6 and put them on the tops and sides of pens and gardens. First I just stapled shade cloth to the frames, but the wind is so violent here that I started to reinforce them and eventually added 2 inch chicken wire and during June through September add Home Depot bamboo/straw fencing on the top. Planting a vine of trumpet flowers or hops over the frame is a good plan. The plants will lengthen the life of the frame cloth.

This thread Best place on BYC !

 

[NanaKat]

Hubby bought mea Kuboto many years ago and I love it...easy gas and braking ..love the loader for moving compost for the garden and the landscape rake and blade for so many projects and moving snow and the finish mower...etc Love it! Congratulations!

That's one smart guy, buying a woman her own tractor?   Very smart feller.

Psssssst:  in a whisper.  It runs on diesel, not gas.

Oh yes I know about the diesel. I meant the ease of toe/ heel forward and reverse. Toe giving it the gas (diesel) and heel for reverse and braking. I didn't make that very clear.
And yes he is a very smart and thoughtful guy. His friends at work were astonished that I was thrilled to get a dump truck load of manure for our anniversary.

 

[Pozees]

Hello everyone I have tried to read this entire thread and certainly enjoyed the loofa pages !!! My chicken experience started in the eastern woodlands of PA after I read the book "Gardening with Guineas" . It seemed more easy to find chickens than Guineas but eventually I had both. I relocated to WV for a few years then northern AZ to CA Death Valley area and plan to return to north AZ. I have been moving my fencing etc with me since I bought the dog panel fencing in different lengths.

I wanted to comment on the Hops. They grow every where including wild hops in the canyons in north AZ. My experience in gardening out in the SW USA is totally different. In the woodlands of the east, I wished that I had more sun because the extremely tall Poplar Trees caused a very short time for sunshine. Plants our here burn no matter how much water is used. Shade is essential for chicken and plants in the SW. So Bobby B do include shade in your plans. I make frames 8 X 6 and put them on the tops and sides of pens and gardens. First I just stapled shade cloth to the frames, but the wind is so violent here that I started to reinforce them and eventually added 2 inch chicken wire and during June through September add Home Depot bamboo/straw fencing on the top. Planting a vine of trumpet flowers or hops over the frame is a good plan. The plants will lengthen the life of the frame cloth.

This thread Best place on BYC !

And how! I moved to CO from upstate NY, and had to completely relearn cooking and gardening. And speaking of wind, today the wind was so strong it lifted my run, which consists of 4 10' long x 6' tall chain link panels (sounds like you use similar panels), and moved it enough to overturn my small coop which is scheduled for decommissioning as soon as the wind quits - we just finished the new larger coop and had planned on adding panels to the run and enclosing the new coop and moving the girls in today until the weather decided to kick up a fuss. We got it back in order but the wind just keeps howling. Hoping for better tomorrow, but not really expecting it. Now adding plans to anchor the run.

 

[NikkiMiChickie]

Wow, 1,000 pages and I'm certain we'll hit the 10,000th post within the next few hours! This thread has been such a huge success, Bee! You have LOTS of wisdom for your book... Which I hope you're still planning to write? I know the website is your temporary project, but nothing beats the feeling of a good book to hold in your hands...