The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[lalaland]

no, Dorkings are the 'original' meat bird that many meaties can trace some of their lineage back to... it's an exceptional table bird with a long broad breast, short legs and well developed thighs. the bones tend to be finer than other comparably sized birds (more meat per pound). they are an ok layer, better than the average in winter in my experience, and can be very broody and protective mothers.

the breed has suffered neglect over the last 50+ years (since the advent of the commercial meat birds) and is nowhere near what they used to be. the girl pictured currently weighs in around 6 pounds, tho the SOP calls for 7+. (roos 9 pounds +/-) that pic was taken not long after she started laying, so 6 months or so... usually they start for me between 4-5 months old, but don't reach their full size until well over a year. closer to 2 for roos. but even at 2 years old, the roo is still tenderer IMO than some other breeds slaughtered at 16 weeks old.

here's a pic of a mixed group of birds, for size comparissons...

the buffs are hatchery orps (weighing in at just under 5 pounds - they're all fluff). and a 3-4 month old bantam cochin near the buffs... and a couple nice LF blrw hens off to the left

nice birds! and that rooster in front, what is he? So many breeds, not enough room for all!

 

[lalaland]

edited to retract. am worrying too much, an isolated bright green poop is just that, isolated. who would have thought I would turn into a dreaded poop watcher?

 

[Sally8]

Good morning from a very chilly 13 degree, heavy dusting of snow area. I left the girls in a little longer this morning and no one really ran out when they finally could. Even the pathetic looking molties are out looking for a treat in the leaves now.

I know we discussed this before but what all do you sprout or use for greens when pickings get slim. I sprout BOSS and I soaked the scratch for a while once but I felt it just got sweeter and sweeter, didn't want to make the girls silly on alcohol.

AFL - I'm not sure that my BCM that are the same age are laying either but if they are, the eggs are a light brown. Right now I'm not getting any dark eggs even from the 2 that I know that do lay the darker eggs. On occasion I find 4-5 smallish eggs but I have 8-9 that should start laying. Unlike most of you I really don't know who lays what.

I still have over 250 posts to read as I got behind.

 

[armorfirelady]

I splurged today and bought a hand powered feed mill to crack my grains. It's just to messy in the food processor when its wet. And I am a messy cook lol

What kind?  Photo? 

CAST IRON CORN NUTS GRAIN MILL grinder HEAVY-DUTY NEW hand crank manual. adjustable from course to fine milling for dry grains, oats, corn, wheat, etc. hand grinder grinds corn, coffee, soybeans, nuts and more!

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

CAST IRON CORN NUTS GRAIN MILL grinder HEAVY-DUTY NEW hand crank manual. adjustable from course to fine milling for dry grains, oats, corn, wheat, etc. hand grinder grinds corn, coffee, soybeans, nuts and more!

I've been wanting one, but my research has been messy. Where can a person buy one? Does it do super coarse? As in just cracking corn, not grinding it? And ... about how much should a person expect to pay?

 

[Sally8]

May be totally coincidental, but my mother told me her mother used a vinegar douche for birth control and had two daughters (1926 & 1929.)

We just watched a show on National Geographic yesterday and they focused on the Caiman (looking alligator). They said that if the conditions were warmer the offspring were mostly male, cooler, then they were female. The eggs were on the bank covered with leaves.
My experience with incubating, when my hen hatched her eggs 8 roo's, 2 hens. When I hatched them inside I ended up with 4 out of 4 pullets and then most were pullets another time (Most recently, I don't remember that I even gave it a thought before that) One year of incubating doesn't give me any concrete proof but I was going to keep track.

We got the rope lighting put up in our coop today. I'm hoping the chickens don't peck it. Anyone have experience with rope lighting in the coop?

I have an orange rope light in both coops, tonight I'll take a pic. It's use is primarily so I can see if I need to after dark, not too bright. I'm not sure if they chickens can even reach it but I wasn't worried because that plastic was so thick around the bulbs.


This isn't chicken related but wanted to say that my Aussie was so tormented with scratching, not positive they were fleas but the scratching caused his stomach and other areas to be hairless and bright red. I took the NuStock that I made from that recipe added baby oil so it easily spread and greased his belly and under legs ONCE. He's doing great. Still scratching very little but then so do I. I had had him to the vet, he was put on Prednisone, antibiotic, special shampoo and a cream, all as one treatment. If you can tolerate the smell, it works great. Early on I did use it for creepy crawlies in the coop and it worked great there too. I even smeared it on the roosts, not so that it was greasy.

 

[ki4got]

Quote:
yup that's what I'm using too... but I'm also using it in the FF and adding a bit of scratch for texture. the birds are loving it. I'm keeping it available 24x7 for the penned birds and offering as a treat for the free range, and giving them FF as breakfast since I don't always let them out early early.

 

[ki4got]

Quote:
actually they're all Dorkings. silver grey and red primarily and 1 colored girl. 2 blrw girls, 2 buff orps and 1 ee I can see in the pic. oh and the cochin. LOL
the silver grey roo in the front is big guy. my primary roo, behind him is big red, the one who's got the crippled foot now (that pic was last fall) and Junior to the left now has a home north of us as a flock roo.

 

[ki4got]

We just watched a show on National Geographic yesterday and they focused on the Caiman (looking alligator). They said that if the conditions were warmer the offspring were mostly male, cooler, then they were female. The eggs were on the bank covered with leaves.
My experience with incubating, when my hen hatched her eggs 8 roo's, 2 hens. When I hatched them inside I ended up with 4 out of 4 pullets and then most were pullets another time (Most recently, I don't remember that I even gave it a thought before that) One year of incubating doesn't give me any concrete proof but I was going to keep track.

reptiles and fish have the ability to change sex... so egg temperature does have that effect for some species. mammals are another story tho.

 

[lalaland]

actually they're all Dorkings. silver grey and red primarily and 1 colored girl. 2 blrw girls, 2 buff orps and 1 ee I can see in the pic. oh and the cochin. LOL
the silver grey roo in the front is big guy. my primary roo, behind him is big red, the one who's got the crippled foot now (that pic was last fall) and Junior to the left now has a home north of us as a flock roo.

huh. so does big red have white legs? and what kind of comb? I have that unidentified rooster from the "rare" hatched chicks from a very mixed up order last spring. Interesting that the breed has the silver grey roosters and the red and black rooster.