The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[delisha]

Brrrrrrr state of emergency here..I have done all I can do other than haul all the chickens in the house. i am so not doing that. I have set up fire wood and will light the pot belly stove if i see the chickens suffering or failing from the cold. I have never had a chicken fail or die from cold. I really do not want to start. I did bring the 5 week old chicks in the house. It is -20 inside of the coop and that is asking a bit much for such young chicks. Joe made me bring them in. I did want to see how strong they really are and how well the coop is built. Everyone acts perfectly fine and looks really good. I have not seen shivering or stressed or excessively puffed up birds tonight. Tomorrow morning will let me know how they fared such a cold night. We have not had these temperatures in over 20 years.

 

[jlynnet]

We've had 18 inches of snow today. Just today! Tomorrow the extremely cold windy weather rolls in. My birds will be locked up during the cold spell. I think they'll be okay if I force them to stay in and snuggle! Gathering eggs will be a big challenge.

 

[ki4got]

Quote: I have 4 cats. They all have unique personalities. Fire will yell and bat you if you ignore him when he is telling you the cat food feeder is empty lol
ROFL T'yra (think Tea, not tie or tay = like tear-ah) I was told it was an Icelandic term that could mean little spark or flame, or little angel... she's a torti and all of those fit her as a kitten.

now T'yra is standing at the door outside telling us quite loudly that she's waiting for us to fill HER food dish. LOL even tho she will share quite willingly with the other 2 cats, only because she's the smallest and they will insist on it.

 

[ki4got]

as for cold, my own birds seem to enjoy basking in the sun, if there is any, no matter what the temps. that solar power will heat them up like nothing else, regardless of temps sometimes.

 

[Jewelwing]

Just read a very interesting article on antibiotic-resistant bacteria which is an excerpt from the book: Herbal Antibiotics.

Very much worth reading with an brief description of how it is affecting our water supplies, a brief history of antibiotic use, etc. not only in human medicine but in factory farming. It has made me want to buy the book which is about herbal antibiotics and how they work differently than pharmaseuticals.

Another reason you should be glad you're raising your own chickens naturally!
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Thought y'all would be interested in taking a look:

http://www.motherearthnews.com/natu...ense-zm0z13djzsor.aspx?PageId=1#axzz2pUf48KYY

I love Mother Earth News (have been a subsciber for years), and I had read about Salmonella being rampant in store-bought meat and eggs a few years ago (less so in our much less stressed chickens!). But I really don't like the phrase "genetically lodged in the ovaries." I tried to find out what the author might mean by that, and I couldn't find any other article using that phrase or any definition of it. I did find that same author, Stephen Harrod Buhner, said the exact same quote in the book he published in 2002, "The Lost Language of Plants: The Ecological Importance of Plant Medicines for Life on Earth." So I don't know, but it strikes me that he's trying to be intentionally alarming by his wording. Which is totally unnecessary, because what we've done to our food is alarming enough even with the nicest of phrases!

Well...went out this am and it feels like a "heat wave" compared to what I thought it would be. 30 degrees F.

Supposed to be in the negatives by tonight, but I thought it was going to be here this morning. I even opened the door on the hen shed and left it full open since there is no wind. Snow is HEAVY and coming STRAIGHT DOWN.

Ours was the same way this morning, and that's what I did too, figuring it would be good to let the coop air out before the door has to be closed up against the bitter cold and the girls have to stay inside for a few days! They were scared by the open people door, though!

Aw, man! I was enjoying the mental image of someone drooling all over their flashlight while manhandling their chickens.

Well, you can enjoy that image some more, because that's exactly what happens when I hold the flashlight in my mouth! I do have a head lamp, but the battery ran out, and lazy me finds it easier to hold a flashlight in my mouth than figure out how to replace the headlamp battery!

I have a lot of fun doing the lattice top!!! =)


I'm no scientist (and I did not stay in a Holliday Inn last night), but.... I have done some research on latent viruses and discovered that if you do not take care of yourself (so your body can fight and kill "all" of the virus cells), then the virus cells will begin multiplying with your cells, that virus has become latent. That means that your body can usually keep it in check, but when your body's systems are compromised, the virus rears its ugly head and you "become symptomatic"; when you are symptomatic, then you are also contagious. It's like getting the same cold or whatever the virus causes again and again.
I wonder if something like this is what's meant by "genetically lodged"???

I think that's an excellent guess! But it sure would be nice to have the author explain exactly what he meant by that phrase, since it's not a standard scientific one. I think he made it up!

 

[cluckcluckluke]

Hi

.
What are some cool plants and natural extras that I can put in my chickens feed for increased health?

 

[Leahs Mom]

Quote:
It WOULD be interesting to have a real definition of what he's getting at. Perhaps TC has it right. Wonder if there is a way to contact him for research backing. Do you have that book? Are there footnotes?

 

[lalaland]

Brrrrrrr state of emergency here..I have done all I can do other than haul all the chickens in the house. i am so not doing that. I have set up fire wood and will light the pot belly stove if i see the chickens suffering or failing from the cold. I have never had a chicken fail or die from cold. I really do not want to start. I did bring the 5 week old chicks in the house. It is -20 inside of the coop and that is asking a bit much for such young chicks. Joe made me bring them in. I did want to see how strong they really are and how well the coop is built. Everyone acts perfectly fine and looks really good. I have not seen shivering or stressed or excessively puffed up birds tonight. Tomorrow morning will let me know how they fared such a cold night. We have not had these temperatures in over 20 years.

Delisha, excessively puffed up birds...seems like all I've been seeing is puffballs. One of the pullets looks like a balloon with her face barely showing out - she is a sleek feathered small hen that some have thought has gamebird in her - came from that misidentified mess of a hatch from that woman last spring.....

I've been worry about her and one other hen, and have been handtibeting them this weekend. But it is only -28 and right now hardly any windchill. when sun comes up it is supposed to get windy....and -48 windchill. but they will be out of the wind!

poor babies. two more days and it'll be better. i hope.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Travel restrictions so I'm home from work...but working from home computer due to deadline.

Our wind chills are supposed to be in the -40's and the wind has been really blowing all night long. I haven't been out to check on the kiddos this am but I did shut the elec. door off so it won't open this morning. Figured it would be best as sometimes the "top hens" intimidate the "lowers" to go outside.

 

[armorfirelady]

High winds and snow here already. Roads are ice rinks from freezing rain. Just checked on the girls they are out & about. Well ok they are walking between the coop and old run. I didn't lock the pop door. A little scratch thrown in the coop gets everyone to come see what I am doing. I will leave it up to them & what they want.

They said snow was not suppose to come till tonight........oops. Have to stop at hospital to see my dad before work I sure hope they get the roads deiced before then lol