The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Shan30]

It means the color is just on the outside and the base is a white egg. It would be considered by an egg competition as an EE egg. I have never competed but I know what the rules are..I have an AM who has been on Champion row..she has a tinge of incorrect color to the inside of her eggs. I could not put her eggs in competition. Her sister has beautiful eggs..my other AM would not show well at all yet her eggs would do well in competition..I would like to make  consistent AM's who have correct egg color and could win an egg match..and can win in the show. Maybe some day..

Thank you. I don't ever plan on competing mostly just curious. I will check later but I'm pretty sure I get some of each. Maybe later when I bring in a new roo for fresh genetics I will make that one of my requirements.

By the way, I found a company near me that brings in birds from the USA including NPIP certified chicks. They cover the import, health check, etc. and mark up the birds to cover their cost. All birds are kept separated from birds from other sources and their biosecurity measure seem impressive. we are pretty excited to have found what seems to be a fool proof source of healthy birds.

 

[armorfirelady]

 
LM:  I have a 5 qt heated bowl similar to the one pictured.  I put a filled gallon jug in the middle to keep the girls out of it, if it's kept topped off, they are able to drink without dangling their wattles in it.

I'm glad to hear that works.

I had thought about filling a tall narrow canning jar and putting it into one of the quart size bowls for water for the same purpose.  But decided that I'd have to fill it too often for them to have enough water.  With the bigger one at least they'd have more water before I had to fill!

I like the gravel in the water container idea..I do use rocks and should add some gravel too..

I'll let you know if it stays thawed out enough to be useful. ... it's kinda asking a lot of the dog bowl to keep the fount thawed out, out in the weather like that...
I didn't like water in the coop and figure they can drag their sorry little chicken butts out to drink. ..;-D
I'm just about done with food inside also.

I am looking for the right sized plastic container to sit in the heated dog bowl to just allow enough out for them to drink. I printed out KI4Got explanation she posted where she used radiator plugs. I have the plugs.......I tried one on empty yogurt container but I drilled the holes,wrong........I just have to wait till I empty something. I had a pb jar but let the dogs lick it cleaned and they chewed it so lid doesn't fit tight now :/

 

[TeaChick]

A great repurpose coop idea and design..plus a lesson in homelessness..makes you understand how well we really have it..

http://themindunleashed.org/2013/12/america-end-homelessness-one-year.html

Amazing!!! DS wants to build his coop out of plastic bottles (too bad we don't drink soda

)

 

[TeaChick]

Quote:

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

me too

Quote:
Yeah, I'm "some of us"...

me too

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/

Bob the Builder made an earthship office for Mr. Bentley when he became mayor. He liked it.

I'm kidding; well, half kidding. Anyway, I want one too. I'm going to try to get DS to build me one.

@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.

IDK. The solution was for peeps and, yes, on the head, so.... Let us know how it works if you try it.

 

[TeaChick]

Can they Hear you ? IDK; I guess he can probably hear some things. I have to let my dog out in the middle of the night right now, but he doesn't crow at us every time. Weird. Mine did that before it got really cold ...out .If they heard me anytime in the night they would Crow .
in the summer If I would walk by the coop at night & not announce " its just me " that would set them off .
They are plastic wrapped for the winter ..so I think they hear less . they have stopped it for now .

Mental image: a coop full of chickens wrapped up in Saran wrap.

My Roos seem to crow for a reason .
My Samatra Pair - if he is separated from her he will crow for her ..
or if he cant see his flock (there are 3 Roos in this flock ).The other Samatra Roo will answer him
My older Roo will crow if his ladies arent where he wants them or if one is missing (laying a egg in the hen house ) or
Across the street or next door <- where they are not supposed to be ..
Right. IDK why my roo crows every time he does; we just say Eddie's in charge lol. But my concern is that he has a reason (even if I don't know what it is) and that reason, in the middle of the night, is a predator.

 

[TeaChick]

The gravel and rocks in the water dishes is interesting to me.
I put a half a brick in a Smart Balance container b/c they knock it over if I don't (well, they knock it over if I do too, so...)
Hmmm.....
I tried making a hanging waterer, but..... I've got to remake it; I just got a soda bottle I can use.
IDK; thinking out loud, I guess.

 

[delisha]

Quote: That is sweet!!

Quote: you can place and add in penny saver or craigs list possibly..ask relatives to start saving?

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Right now I am having an abundance of double yolk eggs. I have decreased the amount of protein in their feed by offering more corn. On average for the past week their protein level has been very close to 15% or so instead of the 21% they had been getting. Any ideas for getting my chickens to lay single yolk eggs so I can set them in hopes of getting chicks?

 

[Leahs Mom]

Quote:
Thanks for this! Interesting but I don't think I would take the time a make the mess to grind it up and use the muffin tins. Probably just do the same as I do to make Pupsicles for the dogs. Cut up organs into delectable bite sized pieces. Freeze on covered cookie sheet. Put in bag. Should work just fine for the birds.
Made the dogs think the sun shines out of my ... Treat bag!

That's exactly what I do..chop it up small, freeze on a parchment paper on a cookie sheet, then put the frozen pieces in a plastic bag. Then thaw enough for just one feeding. Works well... ( I just wanted folks to see the new Grit blog.)

I am looking for the right sized plastic container to sit in the heated dog bowl to just allow enough out for them to drink. I printed out KI4Got explanation she posted where she used radiator plugs. I have the plugs.......I tried one on empty yogurt container but I drilled the holes,wrong........I just have to wait till I empty something. I had a pb jar but let the dogs lick it cleaned and they chewed it so lid doesn't fit tight now

I think you're talking about the one that mlowen made...If you do that, the container you use has to be air tight or it won't work. Otherwise all the water will go out of it all over the floor.

When she did that waterer, that was when I got my "ahha" moment about drilling a glass jar as I knew I could make it air-tight with the canning jar lid.

She said that the radiator plug thingies didn't work well and ended up changing that up. You can see her description here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/631861/diy-thread-lets-see-your-inventions/1040#post_12038164

 

[lazy gardener]

~~For a good video showing avian intelligence in action, google : Bird repeatedly slides down a snowy roof.