The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[LeslieDJoyce]

Great chart ki4got. I use the heated dog bowls. I plan on moving shelf for feeding,outside this weekend since the temps are suppose to be in the 60s. I really want to try to see if it works. A little snow in their water certainly won't hurt & they usually clear their grains up when I feed them. If anything some snow in the bowls will keep it cleaner.

I found a pond decider at the feed store last year on sale and it says its good from 1-100 gallons. It worked great on my pond last year. Since the fish got eaten I won't need it this year.

I did put a couple hay bales on the west side of the coop today. Outside the coop so as to not take up floor space. If they hold up all winter they will be used to grow veggies in next year. I found a great artice that says you can start then earlier in hay or straw bales so I am going to try it,

I changed out their wood ash/ peat moss dust bath today. They were lined up to use it. Red wouldn't fit but she got covered as the other 2 dust bathed. It amazes me how they love that stuff. Their 2nd favorite spot is where I dumped the old stuff on the coop floor. I also put in a bag of leaves and pine needles. Their DL is breaking down so nice this year with all the space in the coop.

Happy birds!

Can you tell me more about the peat moss you put in the dust bath? What's everyone's favorite dust bath recipe? I have a big dust bath box in one of the corners of my coop, but pretty much the birds just stand around in it. They dust bathe in the DL or outdoors, and I'd like them to get some of the wood ash I've put in the actual bath. I'm thinking maybe if it were deeper ... and I'm thinking maybe peat moss would be a good bulking agent

What's everyone's favorite dust bath "recipe"?

 

[aoxa]

this reminds me... please please please, everyone. MAKE SURE your extension cords are heavy enough for the amount of current you'll be plugging into them.

volts x amps = watts

so take your total wattage, divided by volts (120 is standard us electric supply) = the amps the cord needs to be rated for.

so if your electric tank heater is 1500 watts, then you need a cord that'll handle 12.5 amps. (1500 / 120 = 12.5)

so give yourself some wiggle room and make sure the cord can handle more than enough... most cords are printed right on the side what their capacity is, or it'll be labeled on the tags when buying a new one. otherwise an insufficient/overloaded cord can overheat and become a fire hazard.

Yes please. Use me as an example...

 

[Highcotton]

LeslieDJoyce,

One native plant that should be good is chinquapins. They are related to chestnuts. they are shrubby and grow small nuts similar to chestnuts. They are native at least as far west as the Ozarks. My Dad told us about the abundance of chinquapins in south Alabama when he was growing up prior to the chestnut blight. The chestnut blight also affected the chinquapins.

Byron

 

[Jewelwing]

LeslieDJoyce,

One native plant that should be good is chinquapins. They are related to chestnuts. they are shrubby and grow small nuts similar to chestnuts. They are native at least as far west as the Ozarks. My Dad told us about the abundance of chinquapins in south Alabama when he was growing up prior to the chestnut blight. The chestnut blight also affected the chinquapins.

Byron

Do the deer eat them? We have trouble starting new plants because the deer so often demolish them before they can get established.

 

[Highcotton]

Quote:
You can also use a light sensor for dusk to dawn and you won't have to adjust the settings.

 

[Highcotton]

Quote:
It is going to take a 14 AWG cord to handle 1500 watts. Remember the capacity goes down as the numbers go up. So a 16 AWG or 18 AWG will handle less current than a 14. A 12 AWG will handle 20 AMPS or about 2000 Watts. AWG stands for American Wire Guage that is the size of the wire so the smaller the number the larger the wire.

 

[Highcotton]

Quote:
There are some pretty good thermometers on line that will take up to 3 remote sensors with a 300 ft range. You can monitor the outside temp and the inside temp from inside the house.

 

[armorfirelady]

Can you tell me more about the peat moss you put in the dust bath? What's everyone's favorite dust bath recipe? I have a big dust bath box in one of the corners of my coop, but pretty much the birds just stand around in it. They dust bathe in the DL or outdoors, and I'd like them to get some of the wood ash I've put in the actual bath. I'm thinking maybe if it were deeper ... and I'm thinking maybe peat moss would be a good bulking agent

What's everyone's favorite dust bath "recipe"?

I use a litter box. I pour the ashes in then just add some peat moss to it so it isn't so dusty. Plus the peat moss is good for the DL.

But I have a few that would rather dust bath in the DL as well.

 

[lindz8504]

I don't normally chat on here much, and rather just read and absorb, but I have to share my teeny tiny egg that I got today!

Here are my 3 eggs for the day.... one from an EE, one from a G.Comet and then the tiny one....

For comparison: A regular G.Comet egg, a bantam cochin egg, and a penny beside the tiny egg...

I figured it was just a fart egg and wouldn't have a yolk, but it did! It was about the size of a pencil eraser, and although you can't see it, I do believe it may have been fertile with the bullseye disc.

 

[delisha]

I don't normally chat on here much, and rather just read and absorb, but I have to share my teeny tiny egg that I got today!

Here are my 3 eggs for the day.... one from an EE, one from a G.Comet and then the tiny one....

For comparison: A regular G.Comet egg, a bantam cochin egg, and a penny beside the tiny egg...

I figured it was just a fart egg and wouldn't have a yolk, but it did! It was about the size of a pencil eraser, and although you can't see it, I do believe it may have been fertile with the bullseye disc.

lol..unusual but happens sometimes