The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[boyswillbeboys]

Hmm, how about, get a cat, for the rodents, put down some DE for fleas, and bleach the mold. It's quite scary how people do things like that, I don't claim to live healthy, but I'd rather not poison my family.

 

[chooks4life]

Quote: Most of these sorts, and their families, are of very dyed in the wool chemical agriculture backgrounds and literally do not believe chemicals are harmful; they think we're all 'conspiracy theorists' and such.

Generally they hate cats as they see them as not being an animal to keep that brings money back in; they use ratsack anyway. DE would be an unfamiliar joke to them. As for bleach, it doesn't kill a lot of the molds here, in fact some of them thrive on it.

Edit: I don't know why but when we've use bleach for molds in Queensland the molds have grown back in days; when we use just plain water, they take months. I don't know if molds are capable of utilizing bleach to their benefit but somehow they always responded as if it was an ideal addition.

 

[boyswillbeboys]

Wow

Most of these sorts, and their families, are of very dyed in the wool chemical agriculture backgrounds and literally do not believe chemicals are harmful; they think we're all 'conspiracy theorists' and such. 

Generally they hate cats as they see them as not being an animal to keep that brings money back in; they use ratsack anyway. DE would be an unfamiliar joke to them. As for bleach, it doesn't kill a lot of the molds here, in fact some of them thrive on it.

Edit: I don't know why but when we've use bleach for molds in Queensland the molds have grown back in days; when we use just plain water, they take months. I don't know if molds are capable of utilizing bleach to their benefit but somehow they always responded as if it was an ideal addition.

Wow, that amazes me, here in North America, bleach is used to kill mold, and bacteria. I can't imagine a mold here that would do that, mind you, it's a lot cooler here, and not as humid.

 

[uglychickens]

If you want to keep yourself from getting sick with all those chemicals around you try using peroxide just your plain old .99$ topical solution and put it in a fine mist sprayer and breath into nose... It works by putting more oxygen into your system. The last 10 years alone oxygen in the atmosphere is down to 34% cancer thrives in an acidic environments the less oxygen in your blood the more cancers and other bad organisms like you! The more oxygen the less disease... I put a cap full in my chickens water(one gallon) every morning! My dogs as well...

 

[armorfirelady]

Chooks- thanks for the book recommendation. I am putting it on my wish list.


I wanted to share a video of my tots and their playing. They remind me of little football players when they put their heads down and run at top speed towards their siblings


I was forced over at work today & my Mom just called me to tell me the babies were MIA when she got to my house. Apparently they knocked down the wood I had covering a hole I had put in the fence to give them more foraging area. They had showed no interest in it so I put a piece of wood in front of it. Today they knocked it over. She found 3 of them in the compost pile happily searching for bugs. Apparently they are losing their fear of roaming more than 4 ft from the coop. She then couldn't find Edie.........but Edie was already in bed for the night.

My poor Mom. Thank goodness she has a good sense of humor. Apparently the Big girls were yelling at her from their gate the whole time she was chasing the babies around. I am guessing the big girls were more upset they couldn't get the compost pile

 

[midnightroo]

When I used to have chickens, grass was my main bedding/DL mix. For me it was very useful as not only was it free/fresh, but contained various herbs ('weeds') that the chickens could munch on as they needed. Not to mention all the bugs they could dine on that you wouldn't find in a dry bag of commercial Pine shavings. Thanks to most bugs ability to spot distressed plants, they are attracted to the look cut grass & will head straight for it - giving the chickens a great treat.

Sally, I'm sad to hear about your roo's passing. I am happy though that he passed in his sleep rather than be awake & struggling in his last moments.

Good point about the grass and totally agree about the roo. Sorry he has passed, but he felt loved and didn't suffer in the end it seems.

All this talk about poisons today. A woman I know found out there were a ton for brith defects within a 15 mile radius of where she lived so she went ahead and got an ultrasound. She wanted to have a home birth and wanted to make sure the baby didn't need surgery right at birth. Well, it will. The intestines are growing on the outside of the body. Poor little baby will need so much care and suffer because of the chemicals people use. Luckily, the mom was proactive about knowing her surroundings and herself. The baby didn't seem to grow as quick in the womb as her others, and just her instinct knowing there was an issue.

People know a days don't listen to their guts like we used too. They are taught big companies and government know what is best for us and our families.

 

[tammyfarms]

These are our first, DH won't allow them in the house, but our coop is built (triple closure) it is in need of modifications, but the coop itself is there. I plan to brood them in the back of the coop, away from the door with a light on one end of that, probably start towards the middle. I bought an indoor outdoor thermometer, that will remember highs and lows, so I can put the probe near the light and the display and indoor sensor on the other end. Our coop remodel got put on hold by repairs in the basement of the house, and weather, it's been quite rainy here. I haven't tested the temperature with the light yet, but it's on the list, for this week.

Are you planning on putting them in a brooder inside the coop? I have done that with very good results. DH really doesn't like chicks in the house either, I can get by with a few days but not longer than that. What I did initially was put a large box in the coop with a light over it and all the necessary brooder stuff inside it. Just as if the box was a brooder in the garage or a basement. This keeps the chicks from getting lost in any nooks and cranny's (I don't know if this is necessary but it makes me feel better!) and keeps away any drafts. I only do this for the first two weeks or so, then they are mobile enough to be on their own in a bigger space. Just a thought...

 

[tammyfarms]

Wow
Wow, that amazes me, here in North America, bleach is used to kill mold, and bacteria. I can't imagine a mold here that would do that, mind you, it's a lot cooler here, and not as humid.

I lived in Germany for a while and the bleach was different. I believe that it is not the same formula from country to country. Most Germans are much more aware of their environment as compared to Americans. It would not surprise me if the German bleach was a different formula that was weaker. I never checked the label to compare chemicals, now I wish I had. It may be that the Australian bleach is like German bleach. Am I rambling... I feel like I am... will stop now.

 

[chooks4life]

Quote: Good tip, however around here they add something to it so it cannot be taken, only used for cleaning, and it's expensive. People believe it's a toxin, they think you're mad for recommending it, and I do, because I had severe pleurisy and used it to cure myself. We used some industrial solution which is the only way to get hold of proper hydrogen peroxide around here, and it's not really allowed... I don't know where we came across that one.

Quote: Definitely, I'd say, I have noticed chickens have a keenly developed 'green eye' when it comes to others enjoying something they are prevented from getting to. They certainly do get upset about it!

Quote: Good thing she checked. Poor bub. Strange that people can think that individuals or corporations that benefit from preventing natural health and don't in fact benefit from human or animal health can be working in their best interests. But they still believe their lives and rights are important and protected somehow... Big corporations don't have hearts! lol

 

[bluebirdnanny]

I just read 98% of soybean is GMO "roundup ready"

Yeah and the fact he alternates between corn and soybean as well as the fact of risk of gas well trucks hitting them I won't do FULL or unsupervised free range if I am not out. I monitor and run interference if they head within the last 15 feet of the road. Neighbor giggles as she says I look like a shepherd with my walking staff her hubby made me yelling "back, back" and sticking it out to herd them to turning back. "red neck rebel", the bare necked and smallest and the bulliest and best layer is the ring leader in that. In fact she got out of the fenced pen four times somehow today.....so can't let them out into the fenced area around the coop until I get the cover on the yard area.

Chooks- thanks for the book recommendation. I am putting it on my wish list.


I wanted to share a video of my tots and their playing. They remind me of little football players when they put their heads down and run at top speed towards their siblings


I was forced over at work today & my Mom just called me to tell me the babies were MIA when she got to my house. Apparently they knocked down the wood I had covering a hole I had put in the fence to give them more foraging area. They had showed no interest in it so I put a piece of wood in front of it. Today they knocked it over. She found 3 of them in the compost pile happily searching for bugs. Apparently they are losing their fear of roaming more than 4 ft from the coop. She then couldn't find Edie.........but Edie was already in bed for the night.

My poor Mom. Thank goodness she has a good sense of humor. Apparently the Big girls were yelling at her from their gate the whole time she was chasing the babies around. I am guessing the big girls were more upset they couldn't get the compost pile

Well I can't see the video as dial up is too slow but I love the MIA Babies Funny post. Especially after me chasing 'red neck' over and over to put her back in the fenced/yard run as I had to go out today and wanted to give them some grass time even though I couldn't free range them. They won't go back for anything to coop until they are good and ready. All my tricks they are now wise to. But from the run I can sort of coral them back in easier.