The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[countrygirl74]

the new mama took her dozen chicks out today.

LOVE it!!!

 

[yellowfuzzies]

We don't give our free rangers any feed. I just let them loose every day all day they eat what chickens eat. I have notice since doing this in the last few months my girls got alot healthier looking. Feathers alot nicer and they plumped up quite a bit. Seems to be working ok. Probably have to supplement when winter rolls back a round again. I too have not been able to do the whole organic feed cause no one carries it and to expensive to ship. Just doin best we can with what we got.

 

[countrygirl74]

Anybody ever plant this for your chickens?
http://www.growyouthful.com/remedy/purslane-omega-3.php

 

[cywiar merch]

Atherosclerosis in birds by the sounds of that. Overprocessed feeds and genes developed on those diets doesn't leave the naturally raised offspring as healthy as offspring from naturally reared parents, I've noticed. Ancestors count for a lot. I heard heart cancer is also common in production birds. I've sworn off the poor things. If better strains emerge all good and well but what a lot of suffering seems to be inherent in their lot in life in this current era. I said it on another thread somewhere, but I think perhaps some breeder hatcheries of production layers are breeding self-destructing birds that fail at younger and younger ages because they're not keeping sample adults of random batches long enough to see what exactly they are breeding. Like with ornamental herbs breeding back to medicinal relatives, it's a future blight on the horizon of truly good stock everywhere. Makes sense on the immediate bottom line profits margin and makes a bereaved fool of us all in future. Getting my gene-police hat on... LOL, I'll shush now.

Aha! Thanks to the person who quoted you. I was going to reply before and got sidetracked and forgot, lol@me. I've found medicating cats not very easy but my cat will of her own accord eat garlic and chilli-'d foods when she knows she's wormy.

Levy said not to use garlic oil capsules as the pure oil can be an irritant to the stomach, but if people are getting good results, it may be worth trying. Certainly nobody says it's going to burn a hole in their guts. In my experience, garlic being irritating is a sign of low essential oil levels in the creature consuming it. The body protects itself when functioning well. However some humans and animals (Coeliac's sufferers for example) find it very hard to manage maintaining the correct oil levels and their bodies don't distribute the oils as they should, or whatever processing function fails in those cases.

That being said, I odubt I could ever get my cats to eat raw garlic. Although second bes,t I do the odourless capsules. I think the quote referred to cats having naturally very sensitive mouths so the garlic would feel like it burning. She has devised a systemwhere you can get raw garlic to cats but I have never tried it. I know when I've taken raw garlic myself, it is extremely harsh on the mouth and throat. I see the author you recommend for farm animals has one for cats and dogs. I am going to order one.

 

[NanaLynn]

Do most people on here just feed their chickens once a day verses just free feeding them with a feeder that is constantly full?

I free range my chickens in an pretty large garden area, they also have a large run where I keep their food. I was wondering if they will eat more bugs if I just let them out in the morning to free range and only feed them at night before bed?

I can flip over a board in the garden now loaded with pill bugs (rolly pollys) and they will not touch them, they used to eat them and worms like crazy when they were little, now they'll take them from me but not eat them. They still eat green stuff and small bugs though. They are 17 weeks almost. Maybe my feed now is too high in protein (20%) so they don't crave the bugs? I am switching them to a lower protein food now (15%) to see if that helps.

My little almost 6 week old chicks are better foragers then these older ones and eat anything crawling around.

Thank you, Lynn

 

[salt and pepper]

Do most people on here just feed their chickens once a day verses just free feeding them with a feeder that is constantly full?

I free range my chickens in an pretty large garden area, they also have a large run where I keep their food. I was wondering if they will eat more bugs if I just let them out in the morning to free range and only feed them at night before bed?

I can flip over a board in the garden now loaded with pill bugs (rolly pollys) and they will not touch them, they used to eat them and worms like crazy when they were little, now they'll take them from me but not eat them. They still eat green stuff and small bugs though. They are 17 weeks almost. Maybe my feed now is too high in protein (20%) so they don't crave the bugs? I am switching them to a lower protein food now (15%) to see if that helps.

My little almost 6 week old chicks are better foragers then these older ones and eat anything crawling around.

Thank you, Lynn

I feed them twice a day, once in the morning, and once at night, this works for me, and their free ranging time, I do notice that they eat more in the morning then at night ( their crops are full of bugs at night! ) Some bugs they just don't like, mine won't touch worms, or pill bugs, but love about everything else.

 

[armorfirelady]

Do most people on here just feed their chickens once a day verses just free feeding them with a feeder that is constantly full?

I free range my chickens in an pretty large garden area, they also have a large run where I keep their food. I was wondering if they will eat more bugs if I just let them out in the morning to free range and only feed them at night before bed?

I can flip over a board in the garden now loaded with pill bugs (rolly pollys) and they will not touch them, they used to eat them and worms like crazy when they were little, now they'll take them from me but not eat them. They still eat green stuff and small bugs though. They are 17 weeks almost. Maybe my feed now is too high in protein (20%) so they don't crave the bugs? I am switching them to a lower protein food now (15%) to see if that helps.

My little almost 6 week old chicks are better foragers then these older ones and eat anything crawling around.

Thank you, Lynn

This spring I switched over to feeding them their FF just at dinner time. I've also cut back the amount they eat. They are out there by 6 am in their area looking for bugs & things to eat, they esp like after I mow. Of course they start a racket if they see me come out but they go back to foraging. Has cut back on feed costs a lot. The only ones I feed twice a day are the tots and that's only if they have a clean trough by dinner, they are bigger now so they are out scratching in their area more and with all the rain we have had lots of bugs & worms

 

[delisha]

Anybody ever plant this for your chickens?
http://www.growyouthful.com/remedy/purslane-omega-3.php

Great information..thank you. I will stop pulling it out.

Do most people on here just feed their chickens once a day verses just free feeding them with a feeder that is constantly full?

I free range my chickens in an pretty large garden area, they also have a large run where I keep their food. I was wondering if they will eat more bugs if I just let them out in the morning to free range and only feed them at night before bed?

I can flip over a board in the garden now loaded with pill bugs (rolly pollys) and they will not touch them, they used to eat them and worms like crazy when they were little, now they'll take them from me but not eat them. They still eat green stuff and small bugs though. They are 17 weeks almost. Maybe my feed now is too high in protein (20%) so they don't crave the bugs? I am switching them to a lower protein food now (15%) to see if that helps.

My little almost 6 week old chicks are better foragers then these older ones and eat anything crawling around.

Thank you, Lynn

Lynn,

It is hard to say. I would have to guess you are over feeding. I let my adults to 12 weeks old's out for the day. They find there own food all day long. I do not feed them. I do feed all the younger ones after the older ones are out(unless my DH is home than I can't let them out). This time of year the younger ones do want to go with. If I am outside I do let them out. When everyone is back and it is getting late i put out the last feed. I feed my younger birds three times a day ...smaller meals to encourage hunting. It is pretty good now because I have several broody's with chicks and they are constantly teaching..the younger birds learn from watching from a distance since my moms do not let younger birds close to chicks.

 

[Bulldogma]

the new mama took her dozen chicks out today.

LOVE this pic!!

Do most people on here just feed their chickens once a day verses just free feeding them with a feeder that is constantly full?
Thank you, Lynn

I free feed my young'uns and feed the adults once a day in the evening. They free range all day and I want them to eat the bugs, but I also want to make sure they have enough to eat and go to bed with a full crop.

 

[delisha]

Mom had her ducklings out today..


she hatched out 14