My leukemia's back.

[Sally Sunshine]

Coffees done!

Done? I am on my third cup!

 

[sourland]

Now I'm wondering if sourland was laughing cuz I said I wasn't totally classless....oh the horror...

 

[Sally Sunshine]

can I ask you all something I can probably find on BYC but you all can answer quicker

.....

I have never used straw or hay in my runs or coops, always shavings.....

Because I haven't used it and I can not free range in PA with NPIP

and we only put mulched mowings in, I am thinking

my flock will prob eat that stuff, so will I get crop issues?

 

[N F C]

I use hay in my girl's coop Sally. They pretty much leave it alone, I've never had any crop problems with using it.

 

[LittleLakePhil]

Yeah that was my point. I always look at those unfortunate incidents that way. It goes back to what I said the other day about seeing kids do wonderful things. My wife had a really bad growing up(neck so did I) and she threw herself into raising the kids.
So I try to remember that when someone else is thrown into that situation. And I've seen it go both ways.
I few years ago my son had to give a presentation in Orlando some nursing convention or something like that.
He stood at the podium and told the crowd his biggest influance was his parents and how stong a people we were raising him under very difficult situations. Being so young and me getting real sick...we could have gone so wrong....And that is why I look at those things that way....still crossing my fingers that things work out for the young lady....Phil

 

[sourland]

Phil, I'm with you. Princess and I may have not had it as bad as you, but both grew up in dysfunctional/alcoholic families. We vowed not to raise our kids that way. It is not necessary to continue the cycle.

 

[LittleLakePhil]

Amen

 

[lazy gardener]

Sally, I usually keep a bale of hay in the coop. It gives them a great hop up/run around, something to pick at stress buster. Then, after I get done looking at it, and flipping it to turn it so a not so poopy side is facing up, or after the twine gets weakened, I bust it open, toss it around a bit, some into the run, some into the walking paths. I've never had crop issues. IMO, crop issues crop up (pun intended) when poultry are kept in a totally void run, and suddenly given very long grass after not seeing any greens for a while. Or perhaps they are prone to crop issues, and should be culled anyways. Or perhaps they are infected with candida. One thing I do is use feed grade hay in the coop. Mulch hay stays outside. You might want to use it for bedding. It gets bogged down with poop, and turns into a mat that is impossible to break up. But a little hay with shavings or better yet leaves doesn't seem to be an issue.

 

[ronott1]

Sally, I usually keep a bale of hay in the coop. It gives them a great hop up/run around, something to pick at stress buster. Then, after I get done looking at it, and flipping it to turn it so a not so poopy side is facing up, or after the twine gets weakened, I bust it open, toss it around a bit, some into the run, some into the walking paths. I've never had crop issues. IMO, crop issues crop up (pun intended) when poultry are kept in a totally void run, and suddenly given very long grass after not seeing any greens for a while. Or perhaps they are prone to crop issues, and should be culled anyways. Or perhaps they are infected with candida. One thing I do is use feed grade hay in the coop. Mulch hay stays outside. You might want to use it for bedding. It gets bogged down with poop, and turns into a mat that is impossible to break up. But a little hay with shavings or better yet leaves doesn't seem to be an issue.

The only issue with straw is wet straw is more likely to grow mold.

I think it was the moderator Wynette that posted about crop issues actually being digestion issues, usually caused by worm load. She said treating the crop problem alone will not solve the digestion issues. If there is an impacted crop, worm them and give them pro biotics.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Phil, I'm with you. Princess and I may have not had it as bad as you, but both grew up in dysfunctional/alcoholic families. We vowed not to raise our kids that way. It is not necessary to continue the cycle.

ditto that but mine was the 60/s drug type use family I swore I would never have my children around that. Never did, never will! My sister different story, different family outcome. its a shame, she cried to me a year ago, all upset, how did I do it, how did I get my boys to go to college and get such great degrees from Penn State and buy houses and marry such wonderful women who did the same and her kids are such a mess.... I so wanted to tell her, she should have never have done the things she did in front of them, it is irreversible now so why should I say anything to her. How could she not see it is their own fault? their ways, children pick up on it, it is normal to them. nothing I can do about it, I try to get the niece as much as I can to show her their are other ways to life.

She loves being around us and spending time here even as a 16 year old.

She has the best chance out of the bunch. but as an Aunt you can only do so much. I have always been a mean mom, old school! I am not a best friend for sure. My kids still can hate me at times, I say it how it is, they are still growing and learning those older boys, so am I! anyways, shheeessss can you tell I talk to the walls most days??? sorry