The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[delisha]

Quote: you must not have watched the video..no UV

 

[zinia8]

@delisha
Hung a small head of cabbage in the coop the other day. Scared the living heck out of everyone they avoided it for several hours. It is now a frozen head of cabbage but they do lpeck at it.
Going to up the protein.
Found out she also pulls the wattles of the cockerel. She just walks up and latches on. And he just stands there.
Now she does not pick feathers on the tetras or the light brown leghorn. The tetras are older but the leghorn is the same age and brooded together.
@tea chick
She mainly picks butt feathers wonder how toothpaste would work there. :0

On the frostbite issue:
I tried putting Vaseline on the tetra's huge combs last winter. Caught one up greased her up just a coating not globs...turned her loose and she proceed to rub her head on the ground and shake her head trying to remove it. Figured it was easier to try open more windows on the coop then to stress them out over a light coating of vaso.

 

[Leahs Mom]

@lalaland
Well, I finally read through the thread you posted on frostbite.

I am still of the same conclusion. I think that he may have fared better if he had not been brought in and out of the heat and cold so much. And probably what caused the extreme swelling, etc., was coming in and out of the heat and having them freeze and re-freeze over and over.

I would have liked to see how things may have been different if he had been left outside and not handled or thawed and re-frozen time after time.

Even after all that, he looks very healthy and well in the summer so that is encouraging.

Again, my conclusions are just my conclusions at this point and I definitely could change those.

I'm hoping that you will continue to take photos of your roo and document how it progresses and heals. I think that is very important so that next year when this topic comes up again we can see results of various ways that people have handled it and make a good conclusion for how to proceed in the future.

 

[Leahs Mom]

You know, I couldn't help reposting this from the IN thread for those of you that have largely crested birds...

 

[maryhysong]

Looks good in theory, however, I think those plastic bottles are not UV resistant. I predict break down and leaking sand in less than 10 years. A LOT of work for a very short term fix. IMO, straw bale construction would be more durable and more of a long term solution. But, only if the ridiculously over inflated price of straw in the US was brought back in line with the acual worth of the product: waste left after grain harvest. Do I sound jaded? I am.

plastic bottles do not bio-degrade, they will still be here a million years from now. Worst case scenario is that the plastic becomes brittle with age, they get hit and shatter; just fill up the hole, good to go. Or plaster over them inside and out. Strawbale is out of the question here; cheapest straw I can get and it's only about a 40=50 pound loose bale is $9.95+ tax.

As for me, I want an earthship. Built of tires, cans bottles, ect. Catches rainwater, recycles waste, grows food, produces energy. win win win
http://earthship.org/

 

[lazy gardener]

Now, If I could just win the lottery without actually wasting money on a ticket! Looks VERY interesting.

 

[ki4got]

Quote: The warm 86 degrees were only for a week but you better believe I enjoyed them

I am not someone whimsun baths but I read and walked the beaches and swam tap lol I could, it was a once in a lifetime trip so I tried to enjoy it to the fullest.

Shorter days mean SPRING IS CLOSER .........ok not really but its nice to think so

*evil grin* it's closer for some of us than others...

 

[Leahs Mom]

*evil grin* it's closer for some of us than others...

 

[delisha]

Quote:

*evil grin* it's closer for some of us than others...

 

[lindz8504]

*evil grin* it's closer for some of us than others...

I know! We are expecting 70's this weekend!!!!!! Although we will be back below freezing shortly!