NY chicken lover!!!!

[Chicken girl 15]

I'm a very simple person. All the extravagant setups for the sprouting, fodder, FF, and feed stations are great. However I'm a mommy of 5 who has no time, energy nor money to do the fancy stuff. So I take and simplify everything.

 

[rancher hicks]

I've been snow blowing so I'm real tired. Did the drive twice and once to the coops. I expect I'll go to the coops again and do a better job. I had to just do a pass because of time and my SIL left the gas can empty. I had to do just enough to get out and go get more gas. My fingers froze even with the $12 gloves I got at HD.

However, IMO I would not pay $20 for a bird that is a year old. I wouldn't charge that much, but would for a Point of Lay pullet.

I have heard that bean are bad to chickens, though they ate my Scarlet runner plants last year. I didn't surround them with fencing so they couldn't get to them. The old garden needs fixing up as the rustic fencing is breaking down. It has allowed the chickens to get in.

I've been looking at Catalogs for vining flowers but some mention the seeds are poisonous. I had Morning glories once that reseeded all over the place once. Anyone have any ideas on how or what I can use that will be safe around the chickens? I wanted things like Morning glories because they're fast growing and will flower the first year.

I placed an online order from Annie's Heirloom Seeds and they're here today. Three types of tomatoes and two types of pole beans. I will be ordering potatoes and some other things. I've got lots of catalogs to choose from.

Anyone here order seeds rather than buy them in the store? Anyone have a favorite place to order from?

 

[baunlee]

Whoo all caught up!

I finally made the splurge and got an automatic chicken door. I keep having to close it though because it is so cold out.
ALSO, I have a hatch going simply because I want to see how my new incubator fares. I hear myfivegirls is doing a winter hatch, anyone else?

• Rancher, good point about the fried rice. Have you ever tried kerrygold butter? Its a little pricey but delicious

• A lot of you are talking about nipple waterers, I'm using the red and white ones that are heated from TSC but I think buckets and nipples would be more neat. Did you make this device yourself or purchase, from where?

• Lapeerian thanks for posting the bee info. I have never heard of Brushy Mtn. but will check out the site.

On that same note, for anyone who is interested, wny beekeepers assoc is also having a meeting SAT JAN 16th TIME: 9:00 A.M. to Noon(ish) First Presbyterian Church 9 Paine Street (at Main) East Aurora, NY. PRICE: $10 at the door (no pre-registration necessary). TOPICS: Bee basics including bee biology and behavior, equipment, and a quick overview of beekeeping.

PART 2 DATE: Saturday, January 30, 2016 TIME: 9:00 A.M. to Noon(ish). TOPICS: More in depth details of a beekeeper’s year focusing on specific seasonal tasks and analysis.

I found out about it because I have been thinking about getting into bees but I don't think I'll be able to attend those dates. The site also has a place for people in the area to sell equipment and maybe bees too? Also there is a forum to discuss where you could prolly find local help if wanted.

 

[Devona]

And the one that lays every other day is sweet. Are you able to meet them before you buy them?

I'm sure I'll be able to meet them. But I have to find them first! The amount of time it would take to get to these places I'm seeing, it would be awful if I had to leave without, though! You would think someone in queens would post chickens for sale on Craigslist, but such luck is not mine!

 

[Devona]

The chicks should be be good in the cold weather by 8 weeks old. Gradual is right.
I don't FF so I can't help there.
Did the craigslist seller send pictures?

There was one pic posted on his ad

 

[Devona]

Devona, I used to ferment feed for my flock, and probably will again, and like you, I stocked up on ACV, as that was recommended on the thread I was reading. As time went on the point was made that the beneficial cultures were killed by the ACV. So I stopped using that and things went well. I kept the bucket covered with a towel, or some other fabric, and all was well. Until I became complacent and somehow winged insects discovered my bucket, so I discontinued the FF. Perhaps their descendants have forgotten about the magic bucket and I could start again. I also used to sprout for them, an that hasn't happened lately either. Those chickens of the past ate well.

Lol, the magic bucket!

I wanted to try sprouting. I even bought some oat seed online. So I will definitely discontinue the acv, and since most of the grains in my grower feed are whole, I'll try soaking them for a week and see if I get the beer smell. One of my jars smells moldy today. It's one of those that has its second batch inside, with a smidge left over from the previous batch.

 

[Devona]

@Devona I ferment my feed and it's no more complex than making the first batch in a container large enough for 2 days worth os FF, feed 1 serving on day 3, add back enough to have 2 servings, do this daily. You don't have to add anything other than water and feed.

To feed them sprouts add enough beans or peas or lentils or whatever you have to a butter container to cover the bottom with a single layer. Cover with water, add a lid. Keep covered, it causes a greenhouse effect. Once you have neat little sprouts feed birds. Make a new batch daily if you want the birds to have sprouts daily. You should only need 4 containers or so.

Awesome! Thanks chicken girl. I had decided to use the four jars in the beginning, instead of one container for the FF, because I couldn't wrap my brain around the fact of how it takes several days for the FF to be ready, but then you add fresh feed, and by the next day, it's ready to be fed. I guess once it comes into contact with the old fermented stuff, the new stuff gets fermented overnight? Anyway, that was my problem. So I decided on separate jars so I know each batch is there for several days. But now I'm not sure about the whole grains. Do they ferment overnight in the one big batch also, or it's only the mash and crumbles and pellets that ferment that quickly?

 

[Devona]

I'm a very simple person. All the extravagant setups for the sprouting, fodder, FF, and feed stations are great. However I'm a mommy of 5 who has no time, energy nor money to do the fancy stuff. So I take and simplify everything.

I usually like to make things as simple as I can , too, though probably for different reasons than you however! I'm just lazy! So I believe I will do the one container. I see some people even use the double bucket system, one with holes, then have to strain it.... I think if that was the only way to do it, my chickens would be eating dry feed the whole time. I just make it like a thick porridge. It might not be as effective or as well fermented, but hey, that's just me doing what's easier.

 

[Devona]

Thanks for the input on the price, rancher. I'll they'll than I changed my mind. I will wait until I can get young Ameracaunas instead. Sorry to hear about you frozen fingers. When I have to be outside for any length of time in the winter, I usually double up on mine. I don't know if that would help you for the length of time you're outside, or in your really cold temps, but it's usually better for me. I wear the stretchy knit ones, then pull on the thick bulky ones. Regarding the vining plants, have you ever tried nasturtiums? There's a trailing type, a bushy type and a vining type I think. They flowers are supposed to be edible. I usually grow hyacinth bean, which, like scarlet runner bean, has lovely flowers (purple pink) and pretty bean pods you can eat. I think the scientific name is dolichos lablab. You can cook the pods when they are still young. Some types have a string on the side. I like morning glories myself, but that reseeding! Oh my goodness, if you decide you don't want them the following year, you're sol. I tried moon flowers once. They open at night and smell great. But I don't know if it's harmful to chickens.

 

[Beer can]

@rancher hicks I order from a few different catalogs, depending on price and variety, not one has everything I want. Gurney's has spend 25 get 25 free and $50 same. I'll probably order most from Henry Fields. Totally Tomatoes for maters, bloody butcher and Alaskan fancy, both open pollenated and early. I'm going to try giant mangels from RH Shumway for chicken feed next winter. Onions you can't beat Dixondale Farms. Best onions ever. We go in on them with a few people. Bunch of five dozen+ for $11.45, then only $4 bunch untill 8 bunches, then $2 bunch till 30. Mix and match variety for same price. Split the cost, and it's free shipping.
Potatoes if I don't have enough from last yr I just buy a big bag of the cheap dirty ones, white paper bag, don't like buying them for eating but they sprout good eventually. I experimented with cutting them up small last yr, wherever there was a eye, down to one inch chunks. Read they grow faster that way when they have less to feed off. Didn't seem to harm them.
Going to try sweet potatoes this yr. There is vids on starting your own slips on youtube. Didn't know it was so easy, no sense in buying them.