The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Ashdoes]

My Silkie girl Cloud isn't laying yet either, and she's 8 months. But yesterday my Cochin boy tried to mate her, and my Silkie boy attacked him and then guarded her for the next hour. Told my husband he is coming home just in time, because Cloud and Sprite need a new, secluded home. We've decided to make a Silkie garden, and today I picked a tree for them, a Kousa Dogwood. Hoping to either order some Catdance eggs, or Cloud and Sprite having babies. We'll see how it goes. I'm excited for Spring!

 

[BlueMouse]

Cherry Eggers? Don't get me started on how bad I want them...

here I possibly have a hot commodity and I didn't even know what it was!!! She's cute for sure!

 

[TheCrazyClucker]

We have a broody in our midst... Snowball, our White Leghorn hen.
She just decided to lay right down in the dirt...
She doesn't even mind I'm touching her...

 

[aaggjg]

My Silkie girl Cloud isn't laying yet either, and she's 8 months. But yesterday my Cochin boy tried to mate her, and my Silkie boy attacked him and then guarded her for the next hour. Told my husband he is coming home just in time, because Cloud and Sprite need a new, secluded home. We've decided to make a Silkie garden, and today I picked a tree for them, a Kousa Dogwood. Hoping to either order some Catdance eggs, or Cloud and Sprite having babies. We'll see how it goes. I'm excited for Spring!

Ooh that is exciting!!! I don't have a rooster so I just have to wait..... I have noticed that she is getting chattier the last month or so ... that is why I thought that maybe she had started laying... but it turned out to be my Bantam cochin coming out of her molt! I often think it would be nice to have a Silkie garden... I just don't have the room ... but their antics in the garden make me laugh!!

Heres hoping you get silkie eggs soon!!!

 

[armorfirelady]

I have a question for anyone with garden knowledge.........

While we have had a few days of sunshine & temps in the 4s during the day the temps still have been down in the 20s/30s at night. We might even get some snow next week

UGH
but I would like to know if anyone has an idea when I can throw some clover seeds down? The area around the new coop is muddy and I would like to throw some seed down so it can get situated before I put up the electric fencing.

Can I put the seed down even if it gets below freezing at night? We can & have gotten snow as late as mid april :/ .........tho I am more than ready for spring !!!

I keep reading I can put in cool weather crops so I might plant peas, maybe garlic & potatoes to on sunday if I have seeds.........the ground is workable in the garden thanks to the hens........

 

[aaggjg]

I have a question for anyone with garden knowledge.........

While we have had a few days of sunshine & temps in the 4s during the day the temps still have been down in the 20s/30s at night. We might even get some snow next week

UGH
but I would like to know if anyone has an idea when I can throw some clover seeds down? The area around the new coop is muddy and I would like to throw some seed down so it can get situated before I put up the electric fencing.

Can I put the seed down even if it gets below freezing at night? We can & have gotten snow as late as mid april :/ .........tho I am more than ready for spring !!!

I keep reading I can put in cool weather crops so I might plant peas, maybe garlic & potatoes to on sunday if I have seeds.........the ground is workable in the garden thanks to the hens........

I would go ahead and try ... Seed is hardy.... The only issue would be if it got hot the seeds sprouted and then snowed and killed off the little clover plants... They might not germinate yet ?? I think you are probably good to try just save a little seed to throw out in a few weeks!! If the seeds germinate,and snow is predicted you can cover the area with mulch to protect it. Good luck.

 

[armorfirelady]

Quote: That was my thought as well. I think I got a 5 or 10 pound bag so I can reseed through out the spring and summer where the hens were grazing in the fencing......well thats the plan anyways lol

 

[Eggcessive]

I think clover could be seeded same time as grass--here in southern Ohio, it is time.

 

[Ashdoes]

You can/should throw clover down before the last frost. Just throw it on top of the soil, then the next and hopefully last frost comes and the ground cracks and the seeds fall in. I am doing this this year, haven't yet, but researched for a while now, and have read this in a couple of places. I posted a link a while back, but won't be able to find it here. If I come across it again, I'll post it for you.

 

[Ashdoes]

I need a little refresher, from all the other FF people. I would ask on the FF thread, but it's not exactly friendly over there right now for opinions.
I read the FF series, but don't recall seeing the answer...fermenting the feed doesn't raise the protein, it just makes more of it available to the chicken. Yes? I was pretty sure this was something we all talked about way back, but I'm just rechecking.