The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Ashdoes]

OMG this site is great and just what I needed!!! THANK YOU  Of course it says I have more plants than sq footage but I will make it work lol 

I'm one of those people that love the over grown look, so I don't think you can EVER have too many plants.
Going to check out the website.

 

[bluebirdnanny]

Just an FYI for those on the thread today you can get Aoxas Chicken Ebook for free on Amazon...........Just wish I had internet for my Ipad at work so I could start reading it now

http://www.amazon.com/Must-Love-Chi...+Stories+[Kindle+Edition]+Erin+Kelly+(Author)

Enjoy !!!

Its only for today its free

Oh shucks... I don't have the iPad and nothing downloads to this computer via dial up without internet timing out on me!!!

After losing the 2 poults yesterday, I changed things around. I'm taking the pen and tote to the car wash today and going to disinfect all dishes. I've had such a terrible cold. It just makes me wonder.
These are some of my living babies.







The chicks that are the Super Blue Layers (White Leghorns/EE are stating to show differences. The comb's on 2 of them are looking larger that the rest. Maybe I'll end up with only 2 roo's out of 6. I'm happy to say that the chick, Hoppy, with the splayed legs can walk normally now. I'm so glad! I'm hoping that it is a she as this was the egg with the shell varnished/stuck, poo stuck, and splayed legs (took 36 hours and then I took every bit of the shell off. I did everything I said I would never do.) Now I can't tell him from the rest.





And then another pic of Thor. His feather's are starting to fuzz out.

So cute!!! No Nancy no! You don't even have a pen yet for the three you are getting free! Down girl down

 

[Toast n Jelly]

While its not chicken related *technically* I thought some of you would get a chuckle out of this picture:


Apparently my cat, Max, thought he would try out *nesting* in the egg carton

I was half tempted to give him some eggs and see if he would go broody

 

[Leahs Mom]

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.

I haven't read today so someone might have answered this already!

One thing I HAVE read about fermenting is that the little lactic acid bacteria are a protein source themselves! (meaty little critters, I guess

) So it actually does raise the protein level if you're using lacto-fermentation.

From what I understand, by reducing anti-nutrients in the grain itself, it causes the protein in them to be more bioavailable as well.

So it's supposed to be a double way to up the protein!

 

[aoxa]

Bought some new babies yesterday, got 3 crepe polish, 3 blue polish, 2 black silkies. Everyone is settled in very nicely, we are all totally in love! I'm starting them all on their ff today -excited!!

Lots of pictures to come!!!!!!!!!

I have never heard of a Crepe polish. Do you mean Crele?

 

[OohLaLa]

Wow so many great pics of all the babies. Good Luck to all.

 

[bluebirdnanny]

Ha ha ha! Cat in the egg carton! Me thinks instead of brooding eggs she will play with the eggs and and they will fall to floor and scramble. Mine loves fried yolk... haven't given her raw! LOL Too funny!

 

[BlueMouse]

HELP!! My buff orpington hen just started limping yesterday night. I picked her up and checked her, her feet and legs are fine, she doesn't have any cuts on her back or leg, and she doesn't seem upset when I gently massage/move the leg. Today she seems a little worse, she walks around and scratches and eats, but doesn't seem to want to put any weight on the leg, and spent a lot of the day lying in a sunny corner instead of actively foraging. Picked her up and checked her over again, still doesn't seem any more upset over having the leg massaged/moved, the foot/leg is not swolen, no visible cuts, no excessive redness, and that foot is no warmer than the other foot. I have so little expereince, and I have absolutely no idea what to do. My only thought was to keep her in the coop tomorrow, because if she pulled something less walking around might help it. I'm hoping that someone can give me some advice. I'm so worried about my sweet buff girl!

 

[Ashdoes]

HELP!! My buff orpington hen just started limping yesterday night. I picked her up and checked her, her feet and legs are fine, she doesn't have any cuts on her back or leg, and she doesn't seem upset when I gently massage/move the leg. Today she seems a little worse, she walks around and scratches and eats, but doesn't seem to want to put any weight on the leg, and spent a lot of the day lying in a sunny corner instead of actively foraging. Picked her up and checked her over again, still doesn't seem any more upset over having the leg massaged/moved, the foot/leg is not swolen, no visible cuts, no excessive redness, and that foot is no warmer than the other foot.   I have so little expereince, and I have absolutely no idea what to do. My only thought was to keep her in the coop tomorrow, because if she pulled something less walking around might help it. I'm hoping that someone can give me some advice. I'm so worried about my sweet buff girl! 

I had a Cochin hen do that. I brought her in the house and had her sit in a warm tub of water, to try to loosen the muscles. Then I kept her in the house over night. She was good the next day. Never really figured out what was wrong with her.

 

[aoxa]

I had a Cochin hen do that. I brought her in the house and had her sit in a warm tub of water, to try to loosen the muscles. Then I kept her in the house over night. She was good the next day. Never really figured out what was wrong with her.

Yeah could just be a sore muscle, could be a dislocated hip (I believe BDM had one like this, as did I).

A warm bath won't hurt her, so why not try