The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[ki4got]

and for a moment of pure silliness (ok well that goat was too)...

here's a new breed. it's the 'easter egger chew toy' chicken

 

[lazy gardener]

rofl wish I had something worth mowing... what grass we had is long gone between my 'free range' horses and chickens. plus anything edible that I tried to cultivate... like strawberries, most garden flowers etc.

tho it would be nice if he decided to bushhog some stuff... we've got LOTS of pokeberries, burdock and other nuisance burr/weeds that nobody will eat.

Goat.

Then you wouldn't have a thing left. It would be like a desert.

Dessert for the goat!

 

[lazy gardener]

Ki4got: Now here's an idea for you.... If you want some bush hogging done, do it yourself... or if you don't know how to use the equipment, put on your little puppy dog face, and innocently suggest that since he's too busy, perhaps he would teach you how to use the bush hog... Now, not knowing him, I'm guessing that he'd cringe inside to let you use his bush hog. Keep asking him to teach you until he either does teach you, or out of fear, he does the bush hogging himself. I'm learning how to use all sorts of power tools, and when the task looks too difficult, I use the puppy dog face, teach me... and though it takes a while, the job gets done one way or an other!!

BTW, love your EE. I guess molting season is upon us!!

 

[ki4got]

Ki4got: Now here's an idea for you.... If you want some bush hogging done, do it yourself... or if you don't know how to use the equipment, put on your little puppy dog face, and innocently suggest that since he's too busy, perhaps he would teach you how to use the bush hog... Now, not knowing him, I'm guessing that he'd cringe inside to let you use his bush hog. Keep asking him to teach you until he either does teach you, or out of fear, he does the bush hogging himself. I'm learning how to use all sorts of power tools, and when the task looks too difficult, I use the puppy dog face, teach me... and though it takes a while, the job gets done one way or an other!!

BTW, love your EE. I guess molting season is upon us!!

lol actually the problem is, ok problems are... only the old tractor has the *oomph* to do it, and it's not running and I can't drive it to save my life even when it is... it's a 48 ford 8N, the steering box is worn out and the steering wheel has close to 90 degrees of rotation to get the wheels to move at all, but on the flip, the wheels will wander even when you're not trying to turn it. so it's easier to steer using the brakes (independent left right) it's got the wood chipper attached to it right now, which also needs servicing to keep chipping. but the tractor has no oil pressure, and it's leaking antifreeze.

the massey is much easier, but it's a sub compact. more useful with the bucket on front and backhoe on back for lifting, moving and pushing stuff around, which I do quite a bit. it's the water-getter for the ponies - 55 gallon plastic barrel laid sideways on the front with a ball valve and a hose connector and air vent on the 'top' of the barrel for filling. strapped to the bucket of the tractor.

he knows i'm not afraid of machinery. heck all the power tools are MINE! (and i'm getting a new one for Christmas! sliding compound miter saw) what I need to do now is build me a tool shed so I can keep building chicken stuff. LOL

so yeah a goat would be the best option, but how do you keep them from wandering off your own property when there are no real fences to keep it home?

 

[lazy gardener]

OK, you got me beat on the power tool issue!

 

[delisha]

Ok seriously...sigh... Hubby (new to the actual caring part of chickens) is now arguing with me over what we can and cannot feed the girls. I've been studying the BYC since March of this year. He's only JUST started researching other websites. Like this one: http://www.poultryhelp.com/toxicplants.html#A
Now a lot of what is listed under "toxic" I've read numerous occasions that people on here feed all the time! Things like cabbage, garlic (not that I would), chard... Now I have feed the girls cabbage,tomatoes,and chard, and they love it! I've not seen any ill effects what-so-ever. And they eat clover out of the yard all the time.
Opinions...anyone?

When I read that list, I thought it was funny. People have been feeding that toxic stuff to chickens for at least my Grandparents generation that I personally know of. I am sure even before than too. I do not force feed my chickens anything. They have nutritional balanced diet available. I think they are talking about a starving chicken having access to those items.You can't feed a chicken garlic for a diet or cabbage for a diet etc.

Ok so I have a few questions about making up my own feed mixes. (I know the answers are somewhere in this thread but I don't have time to search through it) I've been researching "recipes" and found a corn/soy free recipe I like. Which was really hard to do btw... Now I do not have the time or energy to do FF or sprouted feed. But would really like to do all the seeds and grains. For now, because of cost, I'm only looking to supplement their current commercial feed. Here are my questions:
1. I have five girls, how much grain mix should I expect to feed them a day?
2. A lot of the recipes call for adding kelp. If I'm supplying fresh produce, is this necessary?
3. Pros/cons of brewers yeast?
On a side note I'll be buying my ingredients from my local grocery bulk foods department. (I've already priced them out. Prices not to bad). Our only feed store in town does do custom feed mixes, but on a way larger scale than I need or can afford.
Here's what I'm planning on mixing:
Oat Frosts
Black oil sunflower seeds
Hard red wheat berries
Structural berries
Rye berries
Millet
Sedans seeds
Flax seeds
Brewers yeast (?)
Kelp (?)

1. Depending of size of your girls and nutritional needs, about 3/4 th cup per bird.
2. Kelp would help with this recipie
3. Too much of anything it not good. I do not use it and if used in moderation I see no reason to be afraid of it. It has benefits.

Try this out with your birds and let us know how it goes..

 

[aaggjg]

Ok seriously...sigh... Hubby (new to the actual caring part of chickens) is now arguing with me over what we can and cannot feed the girls. I've been studying the BYC since March of this year. He's only JUST started researching other websites. Like this one: http://www.poultryhelp.com/toxicplants.html#A
Now a lot of what is listed under "toxic" I've read numerous occasions that people on here feed all the time! Things like cabbage, garlic (not that I would), chard... Now I have feed the girls cabbage,tomatoes,and chard, and they love it! I've not seen any ill effects what-so-ever. And they eat clover out of the yard all the time.
Opinions...anyone?

I feed my girls tons and tons of garlic. It has tremendous health benefits for anything that eats it!! So I don't know why you say you wouldn't?! You should!!!

I feed my girls everything on your list .... They are healthy & happy. They get chard, beet tops, carrot tops, daily .... Chickens are pretty smart and avoid most things that are bad for them. Ask your husband how chickens managed to survive in the wild all these years without reading the toxic list

 

[aoxa]

You know... as a kid, if someone straight-up lied to me and I was upset and hurt...and then they said they didn't do it.... It would teach me that I couldn't believe what they said in any circumstances. I would have been embarrased that I believed them and I'd learn to be suspicious every time people told me something because I wouldn't want to be duped again.

The worst part of that for me would be having been lied to. If they really had taken the candy it would have been okay as long as they told the truth about it.

I'm late on this, but My dad pulled pranks on me all the time as kids. We got over it.. And I never held it against him.

I remember him telling me it was a snow day as a prank... We were so excited that we could have the Friday off before the weekend because of a storm (that didn't amount to enough to cancel school). Serious excitement when he told us.. only to find out he was pulling our leg

 

[aoxa]

Goat.

Then you wouldn't have a thing left. It would be like a desert.

You'd have grass left.. They don't eat much of it

 

[armorfirelady]

Ok seriously...sigh... Hubby (new to the actual caring part of chickens) is now arguing with me over what we can and cannot feed the girls. I've been studying the BYC since March of this year. He's only JUST started researching other websites. Like this one: http://www.poultryhelp.com/toxicplants.html#A
Now a lot of what is listed under "toxic" I've read numerous occasions that people on here feed all the time! Things like cabbage, garlic (not that I would), chard... Now I have feed the girls cabbage,tomatoes,and chard, and they love it! I've not seen any ill effects what-so-ever. And they eat clover out of the yard all the time.
Opinions...anyone?

I feed my girls tons and tons of garlic. It has tremendous health benefits for anything that eats it!! So I don't know why you say you wouldn't?! You should!!!

I feed my girls everything on your list .... They are healthy & happy. They get chard, beet tops, carrot tops, daily .... Chickens are pretty smart and avoid most things that are bad for them. Ask your husband how chickens managed to survive in the wild all these years without reading the toxic list

I only made it thru the A's & couldn't read anymore. My girls get a lot of that to. Thank goodness they don't know apples are poisonous ........its one of their favorite treats lol I agree what did the chickens eat a 100 years ago when there wasn't commercial chicken feed?