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

[bubbapain]

ok newbie here with lots of chickens that do well im trying to pick the best breeds i like my rr ba and red sex links but my question to you ole foggies is whats the diff between a hen house and a coop? mine is 6x6x6 cause im 6'5" and i dont want to stoop to far to get eggs and clean so i think when i expand in fall the new one will be 7'

 

[chickletteSarge]

Ok here's a Q about flightey fowl. Is there any way to ground flightey breeds other than clipping the primary flight feathers? My week old chicks are flying out of their containment area in the yard.... they are only there for a few hours but I don't want any babies wondering off we have cats around the garden to keep the birds away from the berries...

 

[ldutch123]

I felt so awful today..... One of my silkie roosters was picking on my other silkie rooster while I was in the yard with them and I gave him a lil shove and then he went off limping and omg I just felt awful. I looked his leg over and he looked fine but god darnit I'm new to this rooster business and it's just killing me to be assertive to them. I think his leg is fine....it just sucks because out of the 4 buff silkies I got one hen. They are supposed to be more docile and I think they are but I can't have him thinkin he controls me. The funny thing is then all the buff silkies go sleep In a pile together. Ugggg. I'm so stressed about what to do and how I can get everyone to free range together all sizes and shapes there is plenty of land. Any advice for me I'm so frustrated.

 

[Kassaundra]

I'd rather risk looking stupid than not ask, so what is curcurbits and how do you make Black Walnut tea?

Cuberits (sp) are plants in the cucumber family. Google black walnut tea I don't know all the particulars but it involves harvesting the nuts in the right stage (green) I don't know if you actually have to boil or just steep, but I know I've googled it before and found lots of sites w/ info.

 

[bubbapain]

i had to clip my birds wings didnt want to thought it would be un natural until my bantam seabright hen took off and terroized my neighbors for almost a week until one came with "dot" in her fishing net that was it for her own good i cliped her and all the other girls had to

 

[Zany Chick]

Cuberits (sp) are plants in the cucumber family. Google black walnut tea I don't know all the particulars but it involves harvesting the nuts in the right stage (green) I don't know if you actually have to boil or just steep, but I know I've googled it before and found lots of sites w/ info.

Thanks!

 

[Fred's Hens]

The guts of cucumbers, squash, pumpkins, etc are easy to feed. Use a blender or food processor to blend into a slurry and mix with dry feed, such as mash or crumbles.

The walnut tea extract is more easily purchased through a website specializing in homeopathic, holistic or herbal remedies. Country folk and natural minded people "doctor" themselves with these remedies and have for centuries.

 

[flowerchild59]

I can't agree more!

Obedience training is not for the dog, but for the owner. A good owner will lead, and a dog will follow. I can't get over how people blame the dog trainers for poor training when the owners don't follow through with the lessons at home. I have a German Shorthaired Pointer. That's a bird hunting dog. Most people told me I couldn't have both, but I couldn't imagine them without each other.

During the day, she lays in the middle of the yard and keeps her eye the sky and the ground for any predators. It wasn't an easy. It's been two years of diligent training and discipline, but it's possible.

I think she is thinking i would be eating this bird if you weren't here to stop me. I have had many bird dogs through the years. I can't imagine that they would protect their "flock", but I am sure stranger things have happened. Great pic by the way.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I just split my cucumbers and squash open and toss them to the chickens. You can do the same with pumpkins. They clean out the seeds, guts and flesh, leaving nothing but the skin. They have a gizzard, so they can grind up the seeds themselves.

Speaking of homeopathic, cucurbits are natural wormers. The seeds contain a substance that causes worms to loosen their grip on the intestinal walls. The flesh loosens their bowels a bit, making it easier to flush out the worms. This does not kill the worms or even get rid of all the worms inside the chicken. It reduces the worm load the chicken is carrying. I think pumpkin is the best, but the others have some benefit too.

Obviously, it is best of they don't have any worms, but it is pretty normal in nature for birds and animals to have some worms. They can manage a light worm load without a big problem. It's when the worm numbers get built up that it starts to really sap the animals energy.

 

[Ridgerunner]

but my question to you ole foggies is whats the diff between a hen house and a coop?

People. Some people call it a coop, some call it a hen house. Just like some people call the extra stuff you feed your chickens "treats" while many just call that stuff "food" or don't call it anything. They just feed it.