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

[Mountain Momma]

I can give you a great site on top bar hives wherein they can live a more natural, bee-friendly life...but I doubt the fella has any bee-jackets handy! We really enjoy your posts here...we were getting slogged down and complacent!

LOL. Well, there is a local bee club meeting here on Tues night. I am gonna try to go. It gets very cold some winters and there are not many prairies of orchards around. I justy feell like an effort needs to be made to save bees until the Round up ready crop GMO thing gets fixed. It would be nice to actually get honey since that is the main sweetener for us and it costs so much but my intent is just to save a hive for as long as I can. You guys are awesome and have a lot of personality. Not all blog sites are as warm and informative with the spunk too!

 

[Kansas Prairie]

My chicken set up is like a factory.....it is geared to keep a large amount of birds in the best physical condition they can be. Not all of my birds are on free range because I show some of them and they are white. White chickens don't stay white during the rain here. No curtains, murals or decorator artifacts. The pens are all painted a grape/wine color though cuz I wanted to get in touch with my feminine side like Al does. My wife gives me a hard time about the color, but it makes me feel pretty. I keep a small piano out with the birds so that they can expand their artistic abilities that will hopefully help in the show hall. Any chicken worth it's salt should be able to play a piano.

Re...why cull chickens have special talents. They have special talents so that they can survive. chickens with crossed bills will jump into your feed bucket so that they can get a good shot at some food as an example. It is too hard to pick it up from a feeder with a crossed beak. Hunger will make chickens do many thhngs they normally would not try to do.

Walt

I'll have what Walt's having!

 

[normanack]

The pens are all painted a grape/wine color though cuz I wanted to get in touch with my feminine side like Al does. My wife gives me a hard time about the color, but it makes me feel pretty.

Walt

Is it a Martha Stewart paint color? It sounds absolutely lovely. That color would be perfect with pearls -- either on you or the chickens.

 

[Kansas Prairie]

Well, through the magic of Youtube, we can arrange a bit of a tour.

Thanks for sharing your videos, looks like you have a nice set up! Now I'm curious about sheet composting, looking for information, sounds interesting!

 

[fowlman01]

Is it a Martha Stewart paint color? It sounds absolutely lovely. That color would be perfect with pearls -- either on you or the chickens.

I got it by accident. I thought I was getting a rusty reddish brown, but since I live in the wine country it works. Now I paint everything out there that color.

Walt

 

[chickachee]

Does anyone else simply LOVE the new pic viewing feature for the threads??? What a great idea! Kudos to Nifty

Found it! Yea!! It's a GREAT feature.

 

[armorfirelady]

Quote: Thanks for sharing your videos. I really like the setups & your hens are beautiful

 

[Fred's Hens]

Thanks for sharing your videos, looks like you have a nice set up! Now I'm curious about sheet composting, looking for information, sounds interesting!

This photo is after plowing in spring, but anyhow. The litter and manure simply gets spread onto the fields in fall and winter. We don't pile it up in a compost pile, but sheet the fields with it. It breaks down, via the feeze-thaw cycles of fall and winter. In spring, 30 days before planting, applications must cease and we plow it in. Hope that helps.

 

[rosewolf22002]

Ok I'm not an old timer and I'm not a newbie. I have had chickens for almost 20 years. An old lady that owns a ranch down the way puts oyster shells in her water troughs. She says it adds the calcium to the water so the chickens drink it. Is this true? Is it worth it?

 

[Beekissed]

Never tried it, could work but one runs the danger of forcing the chickens to consume too much calcium because they have to drink the water and that excess calcium would just have to be excreted if not utilized. Over working the kidneys with too much calcium might not work out in the long run...just not sure on that one.