Dixie Chicks

[hennible]

I know we talked about it on other threads but I'm more and more becoming a fan of the all natural chicken keeping. The thread BeeKissed started is a look at how it's done. After raising chicks in a brooder the first go around and this time raising them more or less on there own with a heat lamp only on really cold nights, the ones that were out side with only occasional heat have been more healthy and seem to be stronger birds. Also I have taken on a survival of the fittest mentality. If they are weak and haveing issues they get culled quickly.

Yes I'm leaning toward this too... Cunuckbok... Whatever Tara's user name is had a killer post in TOFH about it... And beekissed has had some great posts about the subject too, and others. Though in light of the worm in the egg thing I really want to worm... But my birds have no symptoms of worms so I probably won't...

Why the H did my kid get up at 5:30...

Does any one else think the flaming wheelbarrow was a great way to warm up a pool?

I think you're supposed to avoid putting meat and dairy in the compost unless it's a hot compost, because of pathogens. I'm not really worried about it though my great-grandmother used to use people poop fresh from the out house in her garden and she can kill anybody with it...

 

[hennible]

Someone who knows worms said that's not a tape worm its this
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chalaza
The egg with the "worm" in it

 

[hennible]

Anyone else read this?
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...led-look-at-the-question-of-supplemental-heat
Unless it -28C (-20F) you really really don't need heat, this article convinced me once and for all that my chickens are in fact well designed for the cold...

 

[vehve]

Sam, that hot tub would work very well. It's just a bit of a hillbilly way of doing it.

Here's a slightly refined version.

Yeah, cooking the compost is a good idea if you throw that kind of stuff in. But I don't see much issues in composting meat otherwise, sick animals I might avoid, but other than that, no problem. And dairy goes in there too. People poop I might compost a bit longer though. It smells so bad otherwise.

 

[vehve]

Anyone else read this?
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...led-look-at-the-question-of-supplemental-heat
Unless it -28C (-20F) you really really don't need heat, this article convinced me once and for all that my chickens are in fact well designed for the cold...

With adults, I would agree. As long as you can keep their water from freezing somehow. -28C might be a bit extreme, but our's had no problem in -20C.

 

[BriardChickens]

The only problem I ran into past -20C was freezing wattles and combs on the roosters. I think their combs touched the metal feeder and wattles hung into the water. No problems with the girls.

 

[vehve]

BC, I think they'll freeze at those temps even without touching anything, at least Eemeli's did. Optimally I'd like a small combed roo for next winter. Eemeli is going to lose his tips from his comb. They didn't freeze badly, but a bit.

 

[hennible]

My frost bite issues didn't hit until -30C... I bet if I had proper ventilation and a nipple water so the big BO hadn't got his wattles in the water, my birds would be frostbite free still... first winter in three I've had frostbite I mainly blame having heated water buckets in the coop, I never had heated waters before this winter and it hit -30 and lower all 3 years....

 

[vehve]

Eemeli got his tips frozen out in the run at -20C. But he has a pretty large comb with thin points, so I think it was inevitable. The tissue doesn't look completely dead though, so it might still heal.

 

[hennible]

Same with the BO. No frostbite on my EE and his weird giant pea comb. The article talked about heat increasing humidity in certain conditions... It's a gooder