The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[LeslieDJoyce]

I'm so far behind so I need to stop right here to say that twice we've had a plum/purplish egg. I was so excited the first time and wanted to show my neighbor. Before I rinsed it off I did show it to my hubby because after rinsing some of the mud/poo off, it also rinsed the purplish color off as well. The 2nd time I showed it off as was. Don't know which hen but it did come from one that laid the brown eggs. Now I'll go back and read the article. lol

I get some "purple" eggs, too! Or "dusty rose." Oh how I love them! I get so excited. But the color does shift a bit after washing ...

Right now I'm getting some very, very pale brown eggs, a beige color, almost white. I think those look really cool.

I always arrange my eggs by color before I put them in cartons. Greens/blues, then whites, then the almost whites, then the dark browns, then anything that is rosy, then the more normal browns.

I was cracking a brown egg a while back ... looked down at what was in my hand ... I was wearing a really pink fleece ... the egg matched it. I asked my friend, "What color is this egg?" and they said, "It looks pink to me."

I'm always forcing people to come admire my eggs, the same way people with classic cars might "treat" you to a trip to the garage. I'm not sure normal people "get" it. But they're usually polite. I think I have one facebbook friend who still "likes" all my egg photos. She deserves some kind of prize for persistent kindness.

I was inspired to get chickens by a facebook friend's gorgeous egg basket. It was the first time I'd seen a blue egg and it was a revelation.

I've posted this before, but here it is again ...

 

[Leahs Mom]

Quote:

Very much like the directions in the countertop strainer. Mine in the strainer only take about 3 days before the root begins to show.

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

Can you share the link again please? Thank you

Sure! This link takes you to the main page ... a few pages ahead is the table of contents ... available FREE online, though I find the delays in loading the pages to be somewhat frustrating at times, so am *contemplating* buying the reprint from Amazon (we suffer from "Book Math" here the same way we do chicken math, so I'm very cautious about bringing more printed matter into the house).

http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924003011545;view=1up;seq=11

ETA:
APA Citation
Heuser, G. F. b. 1893. (1955). Feeding poultry. 2d ed. New York: Wiley.
MLA Citation
Heuser, G. F. b. 1893. Feeding Poultry. 2d ed. New York: Wiley, 1955.

 

[Leahs Mom]

I know...there's just something about being able to hold a book in my hands. If I want one I always like having the hard copy.

 

[CourtsCacklers]

I know...there's just something about being able to hold a book in my hands. If I want one I always like having the hard copy.

me too....besides, then I can relax in the living room with the kids and read while they play....

 

[Shan30]

Found a new home for all the guineas. Kinda sad at least they will still be with chickens and locked up at night. They love their chicken buddies.

 

[armorfirelady]

Very much like the directions in the countertop strainer. Mine in the strainer only take about 3 days before the root begins to show.
Well I started them last night. The cheese cloth doesn't drain as well as I thought but I think its because the flax seeds get stuck on it. So I rinsed them before I left for work & left the jar at an angle in the dish strainer to slowly drain. Curious to see what occurs. I figure whatever doesn't sprout will be soft for the girls to eat. (flax, canadian peas, corn) Goodness knows Stella will eat anything

You should of saw them when I thru out some freezer burned ribs I found buries in the freezer. They thought they won the chicken lottery

Quote:
Thank you!!!

I know...there's just something about being able to hold a book in my hands. If I want one I always like having the hard copy.

I am like that as well but I just don't have the room anymore for them. Certain books I will buy but ones for entertainment reading I like having on my Ipad. Its great when we camp or travel. I can have 30 books in the Ipad & not have to worry about running out of stuff to read

 

[lindz8504]

My first attempt at sprouting! These are BOSS, after about 3 days! I split them in half and fed some of them today. I decided I couldn't keep them moist enough in the tub, so I put them in some glass jars with screening over the top. Seems to be working much better! I also started a mix of millet and BOSS. Will update in a few days to how they are doing!




The flock went Cr@zY!

 

[Leahs Mom]

Beautiful!

 

[SallyinIndiana]

I posted this in the Indiana Thread. But I would welcome gender opinions on the bird front and center and the bird on the right.

I was able to get a not too bad picture this morning of the chicken I got from Brad. I'm thinking it is 1 rooster and 1 hen for sure but there are 2 that are much smaller than the roo and might be hens so gender guesses are welcome. The coop is going to be repainted this spring, sorry for the messy walls and roosting bars.



The one under the roosting bars is female. The dark one closet to her is the roo. It is the splash chick in center and the dark one on the right that I'm not sure of.
Sorry about the picture quality. I'm not the best with a camera and it was really really cold this morning too.