Nevadans?

[americanvalkyrie]

In regards to roses and chickens, I thought I read somewhere on here that chickens don't like to eat roses or rose bushes to be precise...I thought about planting one inside the run but maybe now it will be on the outside but still close enough to keep it looking pretty. (not sure if they appreciate pretty or not but I do!

I have two very barren rosebushes in the backyard where my chickens free range. I've even seen them eating the petals.

 

[Lacy Blues]

OK, I have a very important question... Can you give a chicken a bath? What soap do you use for bathing chickens, geese, and ducks? Any additional details would be good.
How do you bathe chickens??? They don't like water do they? Mine are not for show so is it even necessary to bathe them?

My goslings made a mess with their feed and water and decided to roll in it I think, anyway I filled the tub and let them swim. One likes to dive repeatedly before grooming the other would rather just float and wasn't to keen for me to hand lap water over his/her back and neck etc. After a good 15 min or so soak I towel dried them then, holding the hair dryer away from them, and rubbing gently their down got them both dry. The first time I turned the hair dryer on after a swim they backed into the corner, this time they were allot braver and almost went to sleep. Sorry I forgot to take pics as I was having so much fun with them. I even forgot to take pics of them swimming again, but I have to say that they are 3 weeks old and are large enough that with the tub half full they can still stand. My baby chickens are barley double in size and the goslings have grown like 4-6 times in size. Anyway should I do anything different for the goslings?

You CAN give them baths but they don't need them. Not necessary.

If you decide to go ahead, I'd recommend baby shampoo as it does not strip ALL the oils from their feathers like Dawn dish soap does. You can suds them up just like your hair in the shower. Work with the feathers, not against, as they can be easily broken. If you bathe, make sure you rinse them off really really well (dried soap on their feathers isn't a good thing) and don't use the hose. For your chickens, you'll need to rinse them in warm water and then make sure they are completely dry so they don't get chilled and die on you. Really, its not necessary. If they get food stuck on their feathers, the other birds will help them with it.

You shouldn't need to wash your ducks and geese at all just provide a pool when they get dirty and they will clean themselves.

 

[SunnyDawn]

I had soapy chickens running everywhere in mind when I wrote that...

Roses: I only shower the rose plant from the top if we have had allot of wind and the dust settles on the leaves. This way it is like a rain shower and the dirt is washed away but never during the time the sun shines on them. Wouldn't want to burn the leaves... I have never seen leaf mold on any of my plants but then I only use the shower setting and let it fall from above so no water on the undersides of the leaves.
Since you have had chickens longer than I have... 2 months... I will go with your knowledge and keep the rose bushes on the outside of the run. Anything that grows through the fence they can have the rest is mine!
I wonder what plants to put around the water pond (bath for geese) that I plan on installing in the spring. Do you know what plants are not poisonous to geese that they wont eat? Oh and that love to grow near water?

Oh my gosh the list of poisonous plants is sooo long! There are even things on the list that were in my old yard but the chickens rarely bothered them. I'm not saying they wouldn't though. I think it's a good idea to remove anything poisonous from their areas. IDK about what grows next to water that's not poisonous but here's a link to a thread, here on BYC, of poisonous plants. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/627282/comprehensive-list-of-poisonous-plants-and-trees

It would be awesome if we could add a link on the info page to a list of non-poisonous plants that would do well here in Nevada. We'd probably have to do 2 lists since the high cold desert conditions are so different from the lower elevations. We get a lot of questions on this topic and it would be nice to have a definitive answer on the subject.

That sounds like a lot of fun! I'm going to say "yes" with the chance that I might not make it. Russ is supposed to go to Ireland for business in the next month (or so). Might be end of November/beginning of December, might be later. They usually don't make up their minds until a week or so before they send him.

OK, if we get more interest I'll schedule it then. I've got you down as a maybe.

 

[SunnyDawn]

You CAN give them baths but they don't need them. Not necessary.
...
If they get food stuck on their feathers, the other birds will help them with it.
...

I've found that the wet mash gets so stuck on the chicks down that it does not come off when the other chicks peck at it. This sometimes leads to aggressive pecking and a soak once in a while alleviates the problem. The chicks love the warm water too. I don't use soap though when it is just dried mash. The warm water works well all by itself.

 

[Rural Chic]

I have two very barren rosebushes in the backyard where my chickens free range. I've even seen them eating the petals.

I know the petals are OK as we can eat them too ( I have given some to my rabbits too with no ill affects). I just didn't think they would eat the leaves, Guess you learn something new every day! Thanks

 

[Rural Chic]

Oh my gosh the list of poisonous plants is sooo long! There are even things on the list that were in my old yard but the chickens rarely bothered them. I'm not saying they wouldn't though. I think it's a good idea to remove anything poisonous from their areas. IDK about what grows next to water that's not poisonous but here's a link to a thread, here on BYC, of poisonous plants. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/627282/comprehensive-list-of-poisonous-plants-and-trees

It would be awesome if we could add a link on the info page to a list of non-poisonous plants that would do well here in Nevada. We'd probably have to do 2 lists since the high cold desert conditions are so different from the lower elevations. We get a lot of questions on this topic and it would be nice to have a definitive answer on the subject.
OK, if we get more interest I'll schedule it then. I've got you down as a maybe.

The area around the coop were I am building the run is totally bare of all plants that was why I thought to pretty it up a bit but now I'll just pretty up the outside and they can deal with it... lol.
I do plan to build:

Grazing frames for your backyard chickens:
http://www.thegardencoop.com/blog/2012/02/07/grazing-frames-backyard-chickens

from: The Garden Coop - A wonderful Idea... Thank you for sharing.
Along the back of the coop (outside) inside the run. Then I can grow grass for them and they want destroy it. Or at least that is my goal.
Thanks for the link. As soon as i have a chance I'll check it out. I just can't see my baby geese having to live in a bland area with nothing nice and green around but then i don't want them to eat it all too. I guess I could construct some sort of fencing around the greenery I want to add to their pen. Something they can eat but just can't get to easily, then if some grow though the fencing they can have it. Yea, I think i might just do that.
I want to build a grazing frame for them too so they have fresh grass but can't pull it out. I think i will make theirs in something like a raised garden. One tier higher then the first. We'll see what I can come up with and since I am expecting 2 more goslings and 3 ducks the later part of this month I will have to think larger.

 

[americanvalkyrie]

That pictures reminds me...
A week ago, I saw a link to a wheatgrass feeder, where a lady sprouts wheat to give her chickens greenery. She uses baskets where the roots can go out the bottom, then hangs the basket in the coop for the chickens to clean out. I bought a bunch of wheat to do that this year. I'm sure they'll be very happy about greens in January.

The picture is on here...
http://homesteadsurvival.blogspot.com/2012/11/a-feeder-for-sprouted-wheat-diy.html

 

[SunnyDawn]

The area around the coop were I am building the run is totally bare of all plants that was why I thought to pretty it up a bit but now I'll just pretty up the outside and they can deal with it... lol.
I do plan to build:

Grazing frames for your backyard chickens:
http://www.thegardencoop.com/blog/2012/02/07/grazing-frames-backyard-chickens

from: The Garden Coop - A wonderful Idea... Thank you for sharing.
Along the back of the coop (outside) inside the run. Then I can grow grass for them and they want destroy it. Or at least that is my goal.
Thanks for the link. As soon as i have a chance I'll check it out. I just can't see my baby geese having to live in a bland area with nothing nice and green around but then i don't want them to eat it all too. I guess I could construct some sort of fencing around the greenery I want to add to their pen. Something they can eat but just can't get to easily, then if some grow though the fencing they can have it. Yea, I think i might just do that.
I want to build a grazing frame for them too so they have fresh grass but can't pull it out. I think i will make theirs in something like a raised garden. One tier higher then the first. We'll see what I can come up with and since I am expecting 2 more goslings and 3 ducks the later part of this month I will have to think larger.

Love that idea!

That pictures reminds me...
A week ago, I saw a link to a wheatgrass feeder, where a lady sprouts wheat to give her chickens greenery. She uses baskets where the roots can go out the bottom, then hangs the basket in the coop for the chickens to clean out. I bought a bunch of wheat to do that this year. I'm sure they'll be very happy about greens in January.

The picture is on here...
http://homesteadsurvival.blogspot.com/2012/11/a-feeder-for-sprouted-wheat-diy.html

They will sure appreciate that!

 

[Rural Chic]

That pictures reminds me...
A week ago, I saw a link to a wheatgrass feeder, where a lady sprouts wheat to give her chickens greenery. She uses baskets where the roots can go out the bottom, then hangs the basket in the coop for the chickens to clean out. I bought a bunch of wheat to do that this year. I'm sure they'll be very happy about greens in January.

The picture is on here...
http://homesteadsurvival.blogspot.com/2012/11/a-feeder-for-sprouted-wheat-diy.html

Thanks this will be something to look into as well. I love all the ideas!

 

[americanvalkyrie]

Thanks this will be something to look into as well. I love all the ideas!

Just another thought on the wheat...

We live in a SUPER tiny depression-era house, and the living room literally is the "living" room. Not the sitting and visiting room. We have a little table in the corner that holds art supplies in the winter, seedlings in the spring, has held chicks several times, and pumpkins in the fall. There really is no spare room for all this, no garage, and the bedrooms can only hold beds and dressers. We also have super-depressing yellow lighting that's so bad that I have to buy supplemental lighting if I want to do my artwork in the winter, when the sun is down after 5pm.

Anyway... there's a point to this story, really...

I've been using expensive daylight balanced bulbs for the first couple years, for my artwork and SAD that really runs in my family. This last spring, I discovered that they're better than any kind of UV plant light you can buy. (My husband is using one for his tortoise right now, to give him the proper UV balance.) Soooo... (this is where my point actually comes in...) I use the daylight bulbs in the living room for the SAD and grow wheatgrass on the little corner table at the same time!

See? I knew there was a reason to type that whole thing out.