Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[tsetse9]

And she's dead, and all the kiddos are crying :'(

 

[Amastacia]

And she's dead, and all the kiddos are crying :'(

i'm so sorry. don't know if it helps, but it sounds like there wasn't anything you could have done. sometimes it just happens.

 

[gaitngirl]

So sorry to hear about her. It's always hard losing the little ones especially . . .

 

[alex8565]

Jack after fair this year. Most being Grand Slam and Showmanship but I leave it all to him. He gets happy when he sees a ribbon or trophy so he gets the glory lol

 

[HollyDuckFarmer]

...As a promotion my director wants me to take a chicken to the class rooms.

I think that's super cool that you are willing & able to do this! It will create great learning opportunities for the students. Enjoy.

 

[HollyDuckFarmer]

This is what I use for juices. Small batches, obviously. Works great. It was my Great-Gram's, so I have no idea what it's called or where you'd find one. Not the best pic... But this was the other day with grapes. Today I did crab apples.

Now what to do with the mash, besides compost?

Did someone on here write that they were collecting and cleaning feathers for crafting? What is the best way to clean feathers for this?

 

[gaitngirl]

Holly - add it to your fermented feed. just mix it in after you scoop the feed out of the bucket. Your ducks will love it. Mine are outside right now fighting over apples that my sister sent over, lol. Both them and the chickens go nuts for them. And peaches. I could just pull up a chair and watch the chicken/duck football play out. It's hilarious - they all steal them from each other and run! You could also freeze some of the leftover mash to add during the winter for extra vitamins and minerals.

 

[HollyDuckFarmer]

Thanks Girl, I was wondering about those darn seeds tho... Cyanide...

 

[Lisa and girls]

And she's dead, and all the kiddos are crying :'( 

Sorry you lost your little one

 

[RaZ]

Apple seeds release the cyanide (HCN) upon metabolizing the cyanide/sugar compound found within apple (and other Prunus sp.) seeds. Two (2) things need to happen, 1) the seed (pip) hull needs to be chewed or ground up so that 2) digestion of the compound can occur.

Apple seeds that have been cooked are considerably safer than raw.

While the potential for cyanide poisoning is there, it seems that the probability is pretty low.

My hens have consumed lots of apples over time with no ill affects. I don't think they actually chewed the seeds but I am kind of wondering if grit in the crop would be coarse enough to breech the seed hull. Or does the seed simply pass through the gut. A scat analysis might be interesting.

But my Mom always said to never eat the seeds because a tree would sprout and grow in your gut.