The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Pozees]

Well I've given the little Silkie Poly Vi Sol twice, ground up the FF and got some into her but the way her head whips around it is anything but simple, and is also quite messy. I have continued giving her a cc or two of water with a syringe every time I take her out. She HATES the Poly Vi Sol. I may mix it with a bit of water next time. Letting her rest a few hours each time, and I'm hoping she begins to improve. It's as if she wants to eat, but her body won't hold still - when I get some into her mouth she swallows it down very willingly. I'm thinking of just making a past of crumble and water without any ground grains just to ensure she is getting enough calories. So far I don't think she is. I don't have high hopes, but I'm not ready to give up yet.

 

[cywiar merch]

Thank you . Just yet another way not to waste. Now to find a way to use up the rest of the insides except for the gizard and heart and neck.(I could probably take a walk in the woods and leave them there for scavengers to grab as well.

The neck could be used along with other bones for stock. If you raw feed cats (if you have any), chicken heart is one of the highest sources of taurine - something that is essential for cats. If you don't raw feed them, you could slice them up, put them in the oven. Most cats love them as a healthy treat. My cats go crazy over raw chicken heart. You could do it for dogs as well - rawor coked.

I see that on this thread some people give their chick and older chickens liver and other meats. I don't know whether this would be suitable as well?

 

[lalaland]

scrambled egg or hardboiled egg or raw egg will be good for her too

 

[Mumsy]

Mummy, could you show me what you use to hold down your plastic on your hoop houses? I tried it this winter with pvc "holders" my husband bought, but the wind still blew the plastic off. I want to get a jump on the tomatoes and peppers and do more gardening in the winter. The chickweed did very well under it so I am hoping I can do one just for the chickens next winter.


Thanks
Christine

On the big tomato hoop house, I use spring clips. At the hardware store they cost a lot. I found them two for a buck at the dollar store.
On the PVC hoop houses, I use a PVC piece that I buy at the local nursery. I've been using these for twenty years. They slip over the PVC pipe and plastic tent.

My big tomato hoop house will be home to the HRIR flock this winter. I will cover it with tarp and they will have the run of the potager garden and raspberry rows.

PVC hoop house with Shallots, Broccoli starts, and Gooseberry shrubs. I use no pesticides and use row cloth to protect the Broccoli from cabbage moth.



PVC clamp over plastic and PVC pipe bent over the bed. They cost me about $1.49 a piece. My husband made some for me years ago but they don't work as well as the manufactured ones.



Spring clamp from dollar store.



Manufactured PVC clamp on the left. My hand made one on the right.




Tomato hoop house made from steel hog panels and 6 mil plastic. Spring clamps hold the plastic down. I recycle the red plastic bags from steer manure. Tomatoes fruit more growing over red plastic. Studies done at a Minnesota university show this I believe. My HRIR will be kept out here for a few months this winter to clean up the garden for me. I'll put tarp over the plastic. My potager garden is completely fenced to seven feet all the way around. The flocks love it in here and don't understand why I don't allow them in now. They follow me to the gate and beg.
I can grow warm season vegetables in this structure like tomatoes, peppers, cukes, and Basil. Our growing season is short. I need all the help I can get.

The potager garden is mostly made up of raised beds made from cedar planks and filled half with DL and topped with my special mix of peat moss and steer manure. I can grow just about anything in these beds for years. While the DL is fresh, it warms up during break down. Helps germinate seeds faster than normal. Works well for me.

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Quote: I was going to toss them but it was another 6 days until garbage pick up. I did not want to risk the smell.

 

[camilleathome]

Hey guys. I redid a batch of fermented feed. Let me know If I did it right please. Ive never done the bucket method but the chicks are going through so much that I cant ferment it in time anymore

 

[aoxa]

Thanks. I will certainly try your suggestion to see if it will remedy the situation. I really want them all to consume FF on a regular basis.
Your old FF sounds scary to me as well. Is it time to start from scratch? lol ~Dee~

For sure. I don't even think I'll open it. Just toss it lol. I am scared still though! hahaha

It's probably it's own living nation of bacteria right now. Mold and what not

 

[TipihlowLadies]

Please help I have 65 baby chicks with wet bellies never had this happen before. what should I do and what may have caused this.

 

[annewandering]

Dont want rotten eggs to smell in the garbage? Dont crack them open!

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Dont want rotten eggs to smell in the garbage? Dont crack them open!

I think I have the kind of family that would toss a brick into the trash without looking to see if it was going to crack a rotten egg.