The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[ki4got]

Karen - sorry, I hadn't read your original post carefully enough. Fingers crossed she pulls through.

no problem... and all I have today is GOOD NEWS!!!

today she's been here 7 days. her chicklet buddy is doing her 'job' and keeping the new girl 'annoyed' according to hubby (who's surprised the she hasn't killed the other for annoying the &^%$ out of her. LOL)

since starting the FF project (soaked 2 days ago, then from my FF 'culture' starting yesterday morning) she's been eating more consistently, and her buddy is also encouraging eating (when not trying to huddle up under her on the perch because she's a bit cool).

I was gone all day today (spent the day with Leigh and kids at the local farm festival) so not able to observe her much, but hubby says she was more active, not gimping much (if any) and also not gaping as bad as she had been... so even since yesterday there has finally been improvement! I don't know if she wasn't eating because of worm loads, or what, but she really likes the FF and has taught the baby what it is too. (LOL I say baby and older girl, tho it's a matter of maybe 8 weeks in age difference).

as for the FF, right now I've just got the 'rooster booster' in there, and may keep it that way for a bit. it's a good 20% protein complete feed (I feed all my birds, offering oyster/egg shell free choice). but even just 2 days, I'm seeing big improvements in all the birds eating it as FF... even my macaw likes it. LOL and so far the FF jar smells good! wish i'd decided to try this months ago...

 

[Chrysolinsbirds]

I am so excited my first live egg is peeping and has started to hatch =) it's a leghorn white rock cross. Have a few eggs due soon I am hoping will hatch, fathered by my game bantam that was killed by a hawk two weeks ago, here's hoping. Pretty sure a few of my flock are molting.. Probably a good time to make the switch to ff.. Think I a going to try I make an insulated box for out in the coop because that is a long walk from the house to, feed 38 birds.. Now that I think about it I an going to need a bigger jar =/

 

[Leahs Mom]

Anyone need to remember why you might want to raise your own meat birds? (And avoid commercial chicken feeds...)

http://www.salon.com/2013/10/19/7_horrifying_truths_about_the_chicken_you_eat_partner/

Found the section on arsenic quite interesting:

The caffeine is supposed to keep chickens awake so they eat more, while Benadryl, Tylenol and Prozac are supposed to reduce their anxiety so their meat doesn’t get tough, says Kristof.

 

[Leahs Mom]

and all I have today is GOOD NEWS!!!

Yay! Keep us posted!

I am so excited my first live egg is peeping and has started to hatch =) it's a leghorn white rock cross. Have a few eggs due soon I am hoping will hatch, fathered by my game bantam that was killed by a hawk two weeks ago, here's hoping. Pretty sure a few of my flock are moltiny a good time to make the switch to ff.. Think I a going to try I make an insulated box for out in the coop because that is a long walk from the house to, feed 38 birds.. Now that I think about it I an going to need a bigger jar =/

Yay 2!

 

[lalaland]

Y'all remember my experience this spring of having 16 chicks hatched to order and how the hatching lady totally mixed everything up and I got potluck surprise? Justine helped me identify the sulmtalers (never ever heard of them)
= this is a sulmtaler pullet:


well, on another thread someone was asking if anyone knew what breed a pullet was.....and I told her sulmtaler.....and it turns out she got chicks to hatched from the same woman! Her order was also totally messed up, she has one lone sulmtaler. So we are swapping pics. I think she probably got a sulmtaler roo, but butchered it as an extra roo unknown breed. And I butchered icelandic roos, which she wanted. Bad timing, but she is only an hour away, so it might be nice to hook up with her re: chickens.

It is still too dark to go see how Jezebel is doing on the hawk attack. I was so glad I had nustock on hand, and I wish I had learned how to stitch wounds and had the proper stuff on hand to do it.

Here's to a happy, peaceful day for everyone and their flocks!

 

[lalaland]

Anyone need to remember why you might want to raise your own meat birds? (And avoid commercial chicken feeds...)

http://www.salon.com/2013/10/19/7_horrifying_truths_about_the_chicken_you_eat_partner/

Found the section on arsenic quite interesting:

I used to work for the gov authority that handles water treatment in the cities, and the thing about the water supply is that it does not address any of the pharmacological ingredients in sewage. You know your body passes many meds/supplements thru in your pee, so any birth control, hormones, chemotherapy, anxiety meds, barbitutates, antibiotics..........what ever went into the sewage remains in the water after it is treated. It isn't tested for, either, because......the treatment methods to remove it aren't available.

So, most bottled water is tap water from municipal water supplies too.

If you have a well, or your town/city uses well water, you have a better chance of less toxic water, excepting for nitrates, etc which might have contaminated the water supply from ag use.

anyway, your chickens are probably drinking the same water you are.

Not sure if distallation removes the stuff or not....or those berkely water treatment things....osmosis....

very discouraging.

one of the feed store sells feed that has "anti-mite technology" in it, wonder if it is arsenic? I couldn't figure anything out from the ingredient list because it was so generic. I can't remember the brand, it wasn't the feed mill's own stuff.

 

[Myrth]

one of the feed store sells feed that has "anti-mite technology" in it, wonder if it is arsenic?  I couldn't figure anything out from the ingredient list because it was so generic.  I can't remember the brand, it wasn't the feed mill's own stuff.

Any feed marketed with the word "technology" is a good one to avoid.

 

[delisha]

Quote:

and all I have today is GOOD NEWS!!!

Yay! Keep us posted!

I am so excited my first live egg is peeping and has started to hatch =) it's a leghorn white rock cross. Have a few eggs due soon I am hoping will hatch, fathered by my game bantam that was killed by a hawk two weeks ago, here's hoping. Pretty sure a few of my flock are moltiny a good time to make the switch to ff.. Think I a going to try I make an insulated box for out in the coop because that is a long walk from the house to, feed 38 birds.. Now that I think about it I an going to need a bigger jar =/

Yay 2!

X2000!!

Quote: hard to get away from so many elements and ingredience. I am so glad we are raising our own chickens to eat.

 

[Pozees]

no problem... and all I have today is GOOD NEWS!!!

today she's been here 7 days. her chicklet buddy is doing her 'job' and keeping the new girl 'annoyed' according to hubby (who's surprised the she hasn't killed the other for annoying the &^%$ out of her. LOL)

since starting the FF project (soaked 2 days ago, then from my FF 'culture' starting yesterday morning) she's been eating more consistently, and her buddy is also encouraging eating (when not trying to huddle up under her on the perch because she's a bit cool).

I was gone all day today (spent the day with Leigh and kids at the local farm festival) so not able to observe her much, but hubby says she was more active, not gimping much (if any) and also not gaping as bad as she had been... so even since yesterday there has finally been improvement! I don't know if she wasn't eating because of worm loads, or what, but she really likes the FF and has taught the baby what it is too. (LOL I say baby and older girl, tho it's a matter of maybe 8 weeks in age difference).

as for the FF, right now I've just got the 'rooster booster' in there, and may keep it that way for a bit. it's a good 20% protein complete feed (I feed all my birds, offering oyster/egg shell free choice). but even just 2 days, I'm seeing big improvements in all the birds eating it as FF... even my macaw likes it. LOL and so far the FF jar smells good! wish i'd decided to try this months ago...

GREAT news! How is Leigh and how was the farm festival?

 

[lalaland]

I am so excited my first live egg is peeping and has started to hatch =) it's a leghorn white rock cross. Have a few eggs due soon I am hoping will hatch, fathered by my game bantam that was killed by a hawk two weeks ago, here's hoping. Pretty sure a few of my flock are molting.. Probably a good time to make the switch to ff.. Think I a going to try I make an insulated box for out in the coop because that is a long walk from the house to, feed 38 birds.. Now that I think about it I an going to need a bigger jar =/

Exciting! keep us posted, and you know you will have to do pics too!