The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Leahs Mom]

Okay..here's a photo I took of Mister's comb today.

This is the side I normally see. Just discolored at the top:




But when I went out to take photos and saw the other side I see that he has a blister:


I have not done anything to it at this point. I am observing and if I see any weeping or any change I'll decide what to do at that point. Had a bit of a conversation with Aoxa and Sally8 about it. Aoxa has some pretty low temps up there so I wanted to hear her thoughts.

 

[Mr MKK FARMS]

One of my young pullets.

 

[Mr MKK FARMS]

@Leahs Mom ,

And then when they get older and molt there like.

Haha, just kidding, they are still nice, just not as nice.

 

[Leahs Mom]

@Leahs Mom ,

And then when they get older and molt there like.

Haha, just kidding, they are still nice, just not as nice.

Agreed. My 2 BRs are often the meanest to everyone else. I call one of them "Atilla the Hen". And boy, do they both look like a mess when molting!

 

[lindz8504]

there is some meat on them but not much...  for the bantams, the ones I've processed I've just skilled and deboned the largest portions (breast and thigh) and then boil the rest for soup stock or put it back in the yard for the birds to pick clean. by then it's not recognizable as a buddy and they don't seem to notice. LOL  and if the dog decides to help, the raw bones are 100% digestible as opposed to the cooked bones which will splinter.

I do not have any bantam chickens but have culled several young ones for injury, sickness or failure to thrive and have processed them all for food.  There is at least enough for a big pot of soup.  My husband and I aren't big eaters so I have also 1/2'd them and served for a meal.  It only takes < 30 minutes to do start to finish.

That's what I was guessing. However there are 6 of us so it will take more than one to feed us......
I hope that maybe I can find a new home instead.

 

[Scott H]

Mister doesn't look too bad, LM. I thought he was going to look a lot worse. ...
Not to rub it in but when I got up this AM, it was 37dg and it got up to mid 40's... no snow on the ground! Girls are loving it.

 

[Scott H]

BTW Leahs Mom, did you hook up on that killer deal?

 

[CoopChick719]

Thought I'd update it w/ my current "changing" look. Decided a yearish ago to stop coloring it and let nature do it's worst!!! lol lol lol As long as on the grand scale of life I am nudging towards the Storm side of "grey" and not the Granny Clampet side.

It is near 1/2 grown out now.

I think it looks great!!

the gate, startled the rat who jumped into my water feature....

then I see him go into a hole in the rocks and it sounds like he's remodeling in there, thumping rocks around and scratching....did I mention there is a rubber liner so the water goes where you want it an so the pond doesn't leak. Well, it leaks now!

He must have started to tunnel out the back cause it really goes down fast. All the rock has to come out, patch leak, rebuild.....I shot the little bugger and slid his carcass out on the ice and an eagle ate him. Had to vent...I am so pizzed.

My Dad does this with the woodchucks that eat the garden but he throws them in the field for the eagle.

To get them out, I try to keep the dog kennel run "swept"...I take a broom and try to sweep it back enough that some of the chips show through. That helps a lot. if you look at that photo you can see a little bit of chips showing through.

I kicked all the deep litter in the run around to cover the snow. The girls thanked me by running right out of the coop.

Okay..here's a photo I took of Mister's comb today. But when I went out to take photos and saw the other side I see that he has a blister:


I have not done anything to it at this point. I am observing and if I see any weeping or any change I'll decide what to do at that point. Had a bit of a conversation with Aoxa and Sally8 about it. Aoxa has some pretty low temps up there so I wanted to hear her thoughts.

What about some NuStock?

 

[CoopChick719]

Sorry Double post. WTH BYC?

 

[Mr MKK FARMS]

Quote: Atilla the hen? Good one!

I had a BR rooster that turned mean all of a sudden. They hit the point where their aggression hormons kick in and they are just nasty. He wasn't just mean to me either, he was bad to the hens too, they were paranoid. That's when I knew it was time for the stew pot.


With that particular rooster I actually sold him to a live stock auction because the $8 I got was better then the tough meat I would have gotten from him. I got a few batches of chicks from him first though. Basically just used him for a bit and sold him.

As for the molting, I totally agree.

And that picture was just at the beginning of the molting too.