The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[delisha]

I am sure there is no glue that is good for animals or people..but sounds like problem solved.

 

[annewandering]

Honestly, I had thought of using gum. Also thought of the duct tape (Del) but wondered what might be in the duct tape glue that may get into the food or water.

The gum would block most anything I would think. I would use that soft plasticy gum. You could use any kind of tape. Even hospital tape. Just something to help hold the gum in place if it were inclined to come lose.

 

[stonykill]

Okay....hubby hijacked my bucket. (This can be good or bad

)

Then he came back w/it to and told me what he did.

On the outside edge of the bucket near the top, there was a protruding ridge piece. It is not where the lid would snap onto but just below that. He cut a tiny notch from that and heated it with the soldering gun (which he had sanded off down to the copper so it didn't have any solder left on it).

Then stuck the melted plastic on the bottom of the bucket.

(Now I'm concerned because solder has lead...he did say he sanded down the heat part to remove anything that was on it.)

I am sure there is no glue that is good for animals or people..but sounds like problem solved.

I really think you are over thinking this. Especially with a plastic bucket. I worked 5 years in the plastic industry. NOTHING about plastic doesn't cause cancer. Over the entire life of the plastic item it leaks what the industry calls "plasticizers". Which they "claim" aren't cancer causing. Yet EVER bit of raw material to make plastic is marked with skulls and crossbones and is CLEARLY marked as cancer causing.
So a potential pin sized spot of lead...... insignificant in the big picture. And I always look at the big picture

 

[Leahs Mom]

You're right, stony. I HATE PLASTIC. But I love the 1 gallon bucket.

I think one of these days I'm going to buy a stainless steel milking bucket. I keep looking at them and then don't get one because they're so expensive. Then I go back and look again....

Guess I'd get a lot of use out of it and should just bite the bullet.

 

[stonykill]

You're right, stony. I HATE PLASTIC. But I love the 1 gallon bucket.

I think one of these days I'm going to buy a stainless steel milking bucket. I keep looking at them and then don't get one because they're so expensive. Then I go back and look again....

Guess I'd get a lot of use out of it and should just bite the bullet.

hey I use plastic buckets as I get them for free. Until I have the time

to make wooden buckets, it's plastic

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

Got my first two meaties in the oven. One soaked in teriyaki(boys request) and the other an apple honey glaze. MMMM, can't wait for the hour to pass

 

[aoxa]

I really wish everyone would buddy up with someone and do this exact thing. Compare food cost and healthy/size of bird. No one would ever feed dry again.

Well I sort of did this with a friend who took three of my chicks.. two silkies, one barred rock. Feed cost was higher, growth rate the same, but his birds looked better.. probably because dry food is cleaner for silkies.. I am not sure, but they looked much better than the siblings I kept on FF.. Only notable difference was the waste.. The cost of feed and the birds' preference themselves. They preferred FF. As soon as I took them back at 12 weeks, they went back on FF and went crazy for the stuff.

I do believe the savings alone in food is enough to make the switch.. but I did notice an overall better health of my birds.. better eggs, bigger eggs.. cleaner coop, better hatch rates, etc.. However if you are just raising meaties, the egg difference wouldn't matter (unless you want to breed them like Vicki)

• Less waste - check
• Less smell to poop - sorta check.. still smells, but not quite as bad.
• Less cost - check
• Preference of birds - check
• Healthier birds - depending on who you ask, but I do think mine appeared/acted healthier
• Oh and feathering.. yes I found my birds recovered from molt remarkably fast on FF!

 

[aoxa]

LM, Remember the review you wanted on the new feeders?

A+

Keeps Henry OUT - big bonus - it is heavy enough to avoid being turned over (unless Henry is working at it) and it cleans like a dream. I can pour water from the watering can swish it around and it's clean. I'm using it for FF if you were wondering.. Feeds the flock of 13 easily.. could feed probably twice that for a single feeding

 

[Leahs Mom]

LM, Remember the review you wanted on the new feeders?

A+

Keeps Henry OUT - big bonus - it is heavy enough to avoid being turned over (unless Henry is working at it) and it cleans like a dream. I can pour water from the watering can swish it around and it's clean. I'm using it for FF if you were wondering.. Feeds the flock of 13 easily.. could feed probably twice that for a single feeding

GREAT! I'm going to try one! Do the birds sit on top of it or try to perch on the edges at all?

That's when my kiddos tip EVERYTHING over...they grab the edge of every type of feeder I've ever used with their feet. When I've used troughs, I have to put them between bricks so they can't get on the edges!

 

[Leahs Mom]

Except - I may want to have my husband make me a wooden trough to feed from.

Stony - if you were going to make a wooden feed-trough, what wood would you use? I'm thinking a hard wood like maple or oak? Or...what?

Do you know what they make the old wooden dough troughs from?